e_Paper, Tuesday, May 23, 2017

SECOND EDITION
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017 | Jyastha 9, 1424, Shaban 26, 1438 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 5, No 18 | www.dhakatribune.com | 24 pages | Price: Tk10
ARAB-ISLAMIC-AMERICAN SUMMIT
PM: Stop terrorists’ weapon supply
AFP
Donald Trump hopes
to visit Bangladesh
Tensions deepen between Saudi,
Iran, US after Trump visit
STORIES
ON › 2
AL to quash internal
feuds, check
infiltration by
BNP-Jamaat men › 3
British PM
May amends
key campaign
pledge › 3
NBR to introduce
automated
BIN locking
system › 4
Banani rape:
DMP report says
‘glitches’ hampered
case recording › 5

2
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
DT
News
PM for global effort to block
terrorists’ weapon supply line
• Tribune Desk
WORLD
In a bid to ensure the effectiveness
of anti-militancy campaign, Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina has called
upon the leaders of the world for a
concerted global initiative to block
supply lines of weapons and money
to terrorists.
“We must stop the source of
supply of arms to the terrorists
and we have to stop the flow of financing
to the terrorists and their
outfits,” she said in a written statement
to the Arab-Islamic-American
Summit at King Abdulaziz International
Conference Centre in Riyadh
on Sunday.
The premier also urged Muslim
nations to shun divisions within
Islamic community and pursue the
principle of peaceful settlement of
international disputes through dialogues.
The premier’s call for removing
divisions among the Muslim community
came at a time when Saudi
Arabia and Iran, representative
countries of the two major Muslim
sects- Sunni and Shia- respectively,
are at loggerheads at different
fronts over establishing dominance
in the Middle East region.
Iran was not invited to the summit.
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin
Abdulaziz Al Saud, US President
Donald Trump and presidents and
premiers of Arab region and other
Islamic countries also spoke on the
occasion, reports BSS.
Sheikh Hasina said terrorism
and violent extremism posed a major
threat not only to global peace
and development but eventually
also to human civilisation.
“Its spread would not spare any
country, religion or people,” she said.
Terming war-ravaged Syria and
Iraq the main centres of terrorism
recruitment and operation, Sheikh
Hasina called upon all to join the
launching of a reconstruction and
development plan for the aforementioned
countries on the model
of post-World War II Marshall Plan.
Mentioning that Bangladesh
maintains “zero tolerance” policy
to all forms of violent extremism,
she said: “Our country always
stood firm against any terrorist individual
or entity barring them to
use its territory or resources.”
“Terrorists do not have any religion,
belief or racial identity though
they may come from any religious
background,” she said calling upon
the world leaders not to use Islam
to refer to the terrorists.
Being a religion of peace, the
premier said Islam never supports
violence or killing.
“We denounce the use of religion
to justify any form of violent
extremism.”
Bangladesh has been experiencing
a wave of violence by Islamist
extremists since 2013. The violence
gained a new height after last year’s
July 1 siege of a Dhaka eatery which
resulted in the death of 22 people
in all, including nine Italians, seven
Japanese, a US citizen and an Indian.
Following hours of a stand-off,
a military raid saw all but one of the
attackers killed.
After that incident, Bangladesh
administration adopted a hard line
against the extremists and a good
number of alleged terrorist had
been killed so far in series of raids
and operations in different parts of
the country.
The premier highlighted Bangladesh
initiatives in combating terrorism
saying that the law enforcement
agencies were well prepared
and equipped with proper training
to combat extremism and they effectively
dealt with home-grown
terrorists.
She also informed that her government
adopted a multi-pronged
strategy to address terrorism and
extremism.
“We have effectively dealt with
home-grown violent extremists. A
number of local outfits have been
banned. These elements used to
get support from some vested
quarters,” she said.
She said the longtime sufferings
and deprivation of the people of
Palestine always cause a sense of
injustice in the minds of the young
generation. “We must act together
for the establishment of a Palestinian
State.”
Sheikh Hasina, however, feared
that the global refugee crisis could
largely contribute to the rise of
terrorism and violent extremism
as “refugees could be a potential
breeding ground of terrorists and
extremists”.
She said the image of threeyear-old
Aylan, lying lifeless on the
seashore, or the image of bloodstained
Omran in Aleppo shakes
everyone’s consciences.
“I can hardly take in these images
as a mother.” •
Trump hopes
to visit
Bangladesh
• Tribune Desk
WORLD
US President Donald Trump expressed
hopes to visit Bangladesh
as he exchanged greetings with
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during
the Arab-Islamic-American
(AIA) Summit in Riyadh.
“Yes I would come [to Bangladesh],”
the US president said, as
quoted by Foreign Secretary Md
Shahidul Haque during a briefing
with reporters after the summit on
Sunday, reports BSS.
Prime Minister’s Press Secretary
Ihsanul Karim and Deputy Press
Secretary Md Nazrul Islam were
present at the press briefing.
The foreign secretary said the
two leaders exchanged pleasantries
in the holding room of King Abdul
Aziz International Conference
Centre in Riyadh before the start of
the AIA Summit.
At that time, the prime minister
invited the US president to visit
Bangladesh, he added.
“Accepting the invitation,
Trump expressed the hope that he
would visit to Bangladesh,” Shahidul
Haque said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina and Tajik President
Emomalii Rahmon held a meeting
at the King Abdulaziz Conference
Centre on the sidelines of the AIA
Summit.
The Bangladesh prime minister
also held a meeting with her Malaysian
counterpart Najib Razak on
the sidelines of the summit. •
Tensions deepen between Saudi, Iran, US after Trump visit
• AFP, Tehran
WORLD
The yawning gap between Tehran and
Washington has grown even wider with
US President Donald Trump’s latest efforts
to isolate Iran, which accused the
United States of “milking” Saudi Arabia
for petro-dollars.
Trump’s choice of Saudi Arabia, Iran’s
Deputy Prince of Saudi Arabia Sayed bin Khaled al Faisal welcomes Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at King AbdulAziz
International Airport yesterday
PID
bitter regional rival, for his first official
foreign visit reflects the deep antagonism
of his administration towards the
Islamic republic.
The US president signed a giant list
of deals, worth a total of $380bn, including
$110bn for weapons that will
invariably find their way into the numerous
conflicts of the region, including
Syria, Yemen and Iraq, where Riyadh
and Tehran often find themselves on
opposing sides.
Trump also vilified Iran as the greatest
source of instability in the Middle
East, though many observers noted the
irony that his claims came on the same
day that 41 million Iranians enthusiastically
took part in elections, with a sizeable
majority backing President Hassan
Rouhani and his policy of engagement
with the world.
He called on all countries to work together
to isolate Iran “until the Iranian regime
is willing to be a partner for peace”.
Analysts fear tensions are growing
out of control.
‘Iranophobia’
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad
Zarif, who spearheaded the nuclear
negotiations, reacted sarcastically, comparing
this weekend’s elections in Iran to
the lack of democracy in Saudi Arabia.
“Iran, fresh from real elections,
attacked by @POTUS in that bastion
of democracy and moderation,” Zarif
tweeted, referring to the US president.
Is that a serious foreign policy, he
asked, or is the US “simply milking” Saudi
Arabia for billions of dollars?
Tehran sees itself as the vital force
holding back the advance of the IS jihadist
group both in Syria and Iraq.
Shia Iran regularly points to the Saudis’
fundamentalist Wahhabi creed and
their efforts to spread it around the
Muslim world as the root cause of violent
Sunni jihadism. •

AL to quash internal feuds, check
infiltration by BNP-Jamaat men
• Abu Hayat Mahmud
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has
instructed the top brass of her ruling
Awami League to end all internal
feuds and to strictly monitor the
admission of BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami
members into the party.
The move follows a feedback
session hosted by party president
Sheikh Hasina at Ganabhaban on Saturday
at which grassroots AL leaders
complained that BNP-Jamaat men
were infiltrating the party.
They said clashes and internal
feuds among local leaders, lawmakers
and associate bodies were becoming
“commonplace” as a result.
Hasina heard the complaints
and instructed the senior leaders
British PM May amends key campaign pledge
• AFP, Gresford
UK ELECTION
• Tribune Desk
POLITICS
16 DAYS REMAIN
British Prime Minister Theresa May
on Monday amended an unpopular
campaign proposal for elderly care
just days after unveiling it, prompting
accusations that she could not
be relied upon in upcoming Brexit
negotiations.
May came under fire following
a speech in Wales, where her Conservatives
are hoping to make historic
gains against the opposition
Labour party in the June 8 general
election.
In the speech she announced a
cap on the amount people would
WORLD
to check the inflow of BNP-Jamaat
members and to make all the party
workers unite and work together
towards winning the next national
polls in 2019.
According to reports, several
thousand activists of Jamaat and
BNP joined the rival Awami League
following the 2014 national elections,
which led to frequent clashes
between rival factions.
Awami League General Secretary
Obaidul Quader said yesterday
that the party’s top leaders had
agreed a plan to combat the issue
which will be presented at the next
meeting of the AL Central Working
Committee.
“The recruitment of former
BNP-Jamaat men for the Awami
League will now need permission
from the party’s central command,”
he said.
be asked to pay, which was in response
to a backlash against proposals
in her party’s manifesto on
paying for elderly care.
“We are proposing the right
funding model for social care... We
will make sure there’s an absolute
limit on what people need to pay,”
she told supporters in Gresford, a
village in north Wales.
May denied the cap amounted
to a U-turn, repeating three times
that “nothing has changed” when
questioned by journalists on the
announcement.
The initial proposal did not include
an upper limit, leaving it
open to accusations that people
could be forced to use their assets
to pay for care.
A serious rift has emerged within
the decades-old insurgency against
Indian rule in Kashmir, with a top
militant commander vowing to
establish an Islamic system in the
disputed Himalayan region and repudiating
the goal of an independent
nation, the Guardian reports.
Zakir Musa, the commander of
Kashmir’s largest anti-India militia,
has explicitly distanced himself
from the 70-year-old independence
movement in the valley as well as
from elements who wish to merge
with Pakistan, declaring his fight is
“exclusively for Islam, so that Sharia
law is established here”.
The pronouncements, issued in
audio statements posted on social
News 3
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
Obaidul made the announcement
at a press conference yesterday
after chairing a meeting of
AL Joint General Secretaries Mahbubul
Alam Hanif, Dr Dipu Moni
and Jahangir Kabir Nanak, and
Office Secretary Abdus Sobhan
Golap, at Sheikh Hasina’s political
office in Dhanmondi.
He also said the party would
start renewing the memberships
of existing members as well as recruiting
new ones – an initiative
that party chief Sheikh Hasina
launched by renewing her own
membership.
“I, too, renewed my membership
on Saturday,” he said. “All
members of the Awami League
should renew their membership.”
Obaidul also said religious extremism
remained one of the biggest
challenges for the ruling party.
She did not detail how much the
limit on elderly care would be.
Labour said the prime minister’s
change of heart had thrown
her campaign into “chaos and confusion”,
just four days after the
Conservative Party manifesto was
published.
“This is weak and unstable leadership.
You can’t trust the Tories
– if this is how they handle their
media in the past weeks, signal a
growing ideological divide between
Kashmir’s old guard of separatist
“It is like a poisonous tree to us.
To be free from such rubbish, we
want to reconstruct our grassroots
level to build the Awami League
as a more disciplined, smart and
active political party,” the general
secretary said.
“Most of the existing lawmakers
in the party are good (but) every
member must work together for
the betterment of the party.”
The Awami League spokesperson
said all the sub-committees of
the party would be reformed before
Eid-ul-Fitr next month.
Addressing BNP Chairperson
Khaleda Zia’s remark that Awami
League was practising “nasty politics”,
Obaidul said: “BNP introduced
destructive politics in Bangladesh,
so it is funny that Khaleda
would tell us to refrain from nasty
politics.” •
own manifesto, how will they cope
with the Brexit negotiations?” said
Andrew Gwynne, Labour’s election
co-ordinator.
Negotiations on Britain’s departure
from the European Union are
expected to start later in June after
the general election.
The former leader of the UK Independence
Party, Nigel Farage,
said May’s change was the second
such turnaround following an
earlier shift on the government’s
budget plans.
“U-turn on the budget and now
a U-turn on the manifesto. This
lady is for turning,” he wrote on
Twitter, in reference to a famous
phrase used by former prime minister
Margaret Thatcher. •
leaders, their traditional sponsor
Pakistan, and a new, social-media
savvy generation of rebels heavily
influenced by radical Islam.
Musa, 22, has emerged in the
past year as the leading face of
the ongoing militancy in the Indian-controlled
section of the former
princedom that was divided between
India and Pakistan in 1947
and is still claimed by both.
He succeeded another militant,
Burhan Wani, as the commander
of the militant group Hizbul Mujahideen.
Wani’s death last July in a
clash with Indian soldiers triggered
weeks of protests that paralysed
the valley.
Protests – including some led
for the first time by young women
– have broken out again in past
DT
BNP for not
using electronic
voting machine
• Manik Miazee
POLITICS
BNP does not want electronic voting
machines (EVMs) to be used in
the next parliamentary election.
The party yesterday submitted a
letter to the Election Commission
in this regard.
BNP standing committee member
Nazrul Islam Khan led a threemen
delegation to the EC on yesterday
afternoon and handed over
the letter to Chief Election Commissioner
KM Nurul Huda.
“We have told the CEC that our
party does not want EVMs to be
used in the next national polls,”
Nazrul later told reporters.
He said the CEC told them that
EVM is a new system and the commission
would decide on its use
after necessary assessment and
discussions with experts and political
parties.
Nazrul said the commission ensured
them that they would not
use EVMs if anyone opposes.
Mentioning that many countries
have stopped use of EVM, Nazrul
said the party thinks the move to
introduce it in Bangladesh may
have an evil intention.
Nazrul said the EC has scope to
amend the Representation of the
People Order (RPO) for holding a
fair and acceptable election.
He said the BNP definitely wants
to join the election as well as talks.
“That’s why we want a congenial
atmosphere,” he added.
Last week EC Secretary Mohammad
Abdullah told the Dhaka Tribune:
“The EC will introduce EVM to
a few upazila and union council elections
and then city corporation elections
as a pilot project after we gauge
the response of political parties. •
Top Kashmiri militant vows to fight for an Islamic state
An policeman throws a tear gas shell at Kashmiri protesters demonstrating against
Indian rule in Srinagar, Kashmir on May 19, 2017
AP
weeks and by-elections in April
saw record low turnouts, pointing
to deep disillusionment among
Kashmiris and raising fears of another
bloody summer ahead.
Musa is part of a new generation
of anti-India fighters whose
numbers are small – roughly 210,
according to police estimates – but
who enjoy strong support among
the public, and whose exploits and
opinions are widely shared on social
media.
In a video statement circulated
online in March, the bearded, softly-spoken
Musa appealed to protesters
such as the Pulwama students
“not to fall for nationalism”. “I see
that many people in Kashmir are engaged
in a war of nationalism, which
is forbidden in Islam,” he said. •

4
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
DT
News
NBR to introduce automated BIN locking system
• Asif Showkat Kallol
BUSINESS
Automated locking system of business
identification numbers will be
introduced from next fiscal year to
check delay in online submission
of tax returns by businessmen, said
official sources concerned.
A proposal of the National Board
of Revenue has been submitted to
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasian and
Finance Minister AMA Muhith for
approval. It will then be sent to the
Ministry of Law.
According to the proposal, the
taxmen will issue a notice if the
possible tax payers fail to submit
tax returns within 21 days as per
the new VAT online system.
BIN will be automatically locked
for the tax-payer if they failed to
submit.
After submission of the tax returns,
the BIN will automatically
be activated. Then he or she can
engage again in export and import
business.
The government has set a goal to
bring 500,000 taxpayers under the
VAT registration net and a number
of 32,000 industries and business
entities have currently submitted
tax returns while the total number
is 864,000.
NBR expects to bring more
new taxpayers under the tax net.
The government has automated the VAT
system as part of implementation of new VAT
and Supplementary Duty Act 2012
NBR started issuing new BIN from
March 15, 2017 while the existing
11-digit BIN (old ones) will be automatically
invalid from July 1, 2017.
The government has automated
the VAT system as part of implementation
of new VAT and Supplementary
Duty Act 2012 from the
upcoming fiscal year.
Those who have got VAT registration
under the VAT law of 1991
will have to get fresh registration.
The 11-digit and nine-digit e-BIN
can be verified through the NBR
website www.nbr.gov.bd.
The relevant information of
the taxpayers and BIN verification
can be done by searching the upper-right
corner “check status.”
In a recent notice, the NBR said
new business ventures can use the
new nine-digit BIN just after registering
with the VAT online, before
July 1, 2017. •

SC suspends HC’s stay
order on Raintree
MD’s summon order
• Ashif Islam Shaon
COURT
The Supreme Court yesterday
stayed a High Court order
for six weeks that allowed
the managing director of the
Raintree Hotel in Dhaka to
skip a summon order of Customs
Intelligence and Investigation
Directorate (CIID).
The hotel is at the centre of
an alleged rape of two university
students by five men on
March 28 and was found to
have been serving alcohol to
guests when police raided the
premises earlier this month.
The apex court’s Chamber
Judge Justice Mirza Hossain
Haider gave the decision in
response to a government petition
just hours after the High
Court put a stay on the summon
earlier in the day.
The government in its petition
prayed for a stay on the
High Court order.
Yesterday afternoon, an HC
bench had stayed the effectiveness
of the CIID notice for
a month which asked the Raintree
MD Shah Md Adnan Harun
to appear before it on May
23 with the hotel’s documents.
The High Court also came
up with a ruling asking the
government to explain why
the notice should not be declared
illegal, following a writ
petition filed by the managing
director.
The petitioner’s lawyer
advocate Ahsanul Karim said
th e notice was issued on May
15 under the Customs and
Money Laundering Act on allegations
of providing alcohol
at the hotel illegally.
On May 13, police recovered
10 bottles of liquor from
the Banani hotel, one week
after two female university
students filed a rape case with
Banani police against Shafat
Ahmed, Nayem Ashraf, Shadman
Sakif, Shafat’s driver Billal
Hossain and his bodyguard
Rahmat Ali.
It is claimed that Shafat,
son of one of the owners of
Apan Jewellers, and his friend
Nayem raped the girls at gunpoint
and recorded the incident
on a mobile phone.
Shafat and Shadman were
arrested in Sylhet on May 11.
Shafat’s driver Billal Hossain
and bodyguard Rahmat Ali
were arrested on 15 May while
Nayem was apprehended on
May 17. •
News 5
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
HC slaps injunction on Janata Bank test results
• Ashif Islam Shaon
COURT
The High Court yesterday slapped
a three-month injunction on Janata
Bank written test results after a writ
petition alleged that the question paper
had been leaked.
The injunction also bars any further
action in the recruitment of executive
officer posts at the state-run bank.
A bench of Justice Zubayer Rahman
Chowdhury and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir
passed the order in response to a writ
petition filed by 15 jobseekers.
Allegations of a leak surfaced after the
test had been held on April 21 by Dhaka
University’s Social Sciences Faculty. The
DT
HC ruling also asked the authorities concerned
to explain why their inaction to
investigate the allegations should not be
declared illegal.
The respondents are: the finance
and law secretaries; the governor of
Bangladesh Bank; the president of
Bangladesh Bankers’ Selection Committee;
and the managing director of
Janata Bank among others. •
Banani rape: DMP report
says ‘glitches’ hampered
case recording
• Arifur Rahman Rabbi
CRIME
A Dhaka Metropolitan Police
(DMP) probe committee has
found no direct evidence of
police negligence but uncovered
some procedural “glitches”
in the recording of a case
filed over the rape of two university
students at the Raintree
Hotel in Dhaka in March.
“We have received the
probe report. It found no police
negligence in the filing of
the case, though there were
some issues,” DMP Commissioner
Asaduzzaman Miah
told reporters at his office in
Dhaka yesterday.
The DMP chief said: “We
would not have formed the
probe committee if there were
no issues.”
He highlighted that the
rape complaint was only made
one month and seven days after
the March 28 incident.
The probe committee,
comprised of DMP Additional
Commissioner Mizanur
Rahman with Joint Commissioners
Krishnapada Roy and
Abdul Baten, submitted the
report earlier in the day.
The plaintiffs were raped
at Raintree Hotel in Banani on
March 28. The Banani Police
Station filed a case after 48
hours delay. •
TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY
Dhaka 38 28 Chittagong 34 29 Rajshahi 40 29 Rangpur 35 25 Khulna 40 28 Barisal 38 28 Sylhet 35 25
Cox’s Bazar 34 28
DRY WEATHER LIKELY
TUESDAY, MAY 23
DHAKA
TODAY
TOMORROW
SUN SETS 6:38PM
SUN RISES 5:12AM
YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW
37.8ºC
21.5ºC
Jessore
Rajarhat
Source: Accuweather/UNB
PRAYER
TIMES
Fajr: 4:45am | Zohr: 1:15pm
Asr: 5:15pm | Magrib: 6:40pm
Esha: 8:30pm
Source: Islamic Foundation

6
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
DT
News
‘Remove Tridev Roy’s name from all structures’
• Ashif Islam Shaon
COURT
The High Court yesterday asked the
government to remove Tridev Roy’s
name from all structures in Khagrachhari
and elsewhere within 90 days.
Tridev Roy was the 50th Raja of the
Chakma Circle but abdicated the role
in 1971 during the Liberation War in
favour of Pakistan.
The order was passed on the
grounds of allegations made against
him as a Pakistan sympathiser and collaborator
of the Pakistani Army.
The High Court had a previously ordered
the removal of the names of all
collaborators from structures in Bangladesh.
Yesterday’s order was passed by
a High Court bench of Justice Quazi
Rezaul Haque and Justice Mohammad
Ullah on a writ petition filed by two
freedom fighters.
It also issued a ruling asking the government
to explain why it should not
be ordered to remove Tridev’s name
from all structures. The government
has four weeks to respond to the ruling.
Badiuzzaman Saudagar of Rangamati
and Helal Uddin from Khagrachhari
filed the petition on Sunday.
Sharif Ahmed, the lawyer for the
petitioners, said Tridev Roy had sided
with the Pakistani Army and committed
crimes against humanity during
the Liberation War.
“He is known as anti-liberation person
in the Chittagong Hill Tracts but in
Khagrachhari there are roads, schools
and areas named after him,” he said.
After Bangladesh won independence
Tridev Roy fled to Pakistan and
became a career diplomat before his
death in Islamabad in 2012 from a cardiac
arrest. •
Experts: integrate
SGDs and the Paris
Agreement to combat
climate change
• Mahadi Al Hasnat
ENVIRONMENT
There is needs to a better cohesion
and institutionalisation
of the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) along with
the Paris Agreement to ensure
Bangladesh can successfully
handle the challenges of climate
change, opined experts
at a conference yesterday.
Speaking at “Understanding
Climate Change from SDG
Perspective”, experts said
the Paris Agreement (PA) for
‘Climate change
is a crosscutting
issue affecting
existing
conditions and
threatening
to negate
previously made
development
progresses’
climate change and the SDGs
go hand in hand as on agreement
aims to address climate
change in the context of both
sustainable development and
eradication of poverty.
The conference organised
by International Center for
Climate Change and Development
(ICCCAD) at The Westin
Hotel was chaired by Center
for Policy Dialogue (CPD) distinguished
fellow Dr Debapriya
Bhattacharya.
Director of ICCCAD Dr Saleemul
Huq stressed on the
importance of institutionalising
PA and SDG goals, saying:
“Climate change is a crosscutting
issue affecting existing
conditions and threatening to
negate previously made development
progresses.
“Though Bangladesh government
has already started
the process of mapping and
planning the implementation
of SDGs as well as PA, the
successful implementation
and achievements of both of
them cannot be done by the
government ministries and
agencies on their own.”
Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya
said: “Some of the changes
induced by climate change include
a rise in sea level, intensified
natural disasters, degraded
natural resources and
displacement of population.
“The aftermath of these impacts
spread across all social,
economic and environmental
sectors making in intrinsically
linked to the achievement of
all the other SDGs in Bangladesh,”
he added.
Professor Emeritus at BRAC
University Dr Ainun Nishat,
The Bangladesh Centre for
Advanced Studies (BCAS)
Executive Director Dr A Atiq
Rahman and Manusher Jonno
Foundation Executive Director
Ms Shaheen Anam were
present at the seminar as panel
discussants while Dr Shamsul
Alam, senior secretary of
General Economics Division
(GED) under Planning Commission
of the Government of
Bangladesh spoke at the programme
as chief guest. •
DU senate election:
AL blue panel gets
inevitable victory
• DU Correspondent
POLITICS
Awami League supported
blue panel gets inevitable majorities
over Dhaka University
senate election 2017 yesterday.
Blue panel led by Prof Dr
Nazma Shaheen won 32 of the
35 memberships. BNP-Jamaat
supported white panel led by
Prof Akhtar Hossain Khan got
two memberships.
Treasurer Prof Dr Kamal
Uddin maintained the duty of
election commissioner. The
election started at 9am and
ended at 1pm.
A total of 1,590 teachers
cast votes. •

News 7
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
BEZA: More economic zones on the cards
DT
• Rafikul Islam
BUSINESS
Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority
(BEZA) would set up more
economic zones across the country
focusing on food, beverage and export
sectors.
A total of 3,000 and 18,000 skilled
and non-skilled people in one year
and five years respectively would
find jobs in the economic zones.
BEZA Executive Chairman Paban
Chowdhury yesterday disclosed
the matters while addressing a
pre-qualification licence awarding
ceremony as the chief guest.
The City Group has got primary
permission to set up private economic
zones at Matuail and Rupganj
in Narayanganj.
Although the organisation applied
for the permission of three
zones, BEZA approved one.
BEZA Executive Chairman
Paban said: “The City Group will be
able to implement economic zones
and play an important role in the
development of the country.”
The company has to assess an
environmental impact, do feasibility
study and make a master plan
within a year before it obtains final
licence.
Since the government has set a
target to establish 100 economic
zones that would create employment
of 10 million people and generate
additional 40 billion exports,
BEZA has so far given pre-qualification
licence to 13 organisations for
this purpose.
Meghna, Abdul Momen, Aman
and Bay economical zones have already
got final licence, said Paban.
City Group Chairman and Managing
Director Fazlul Rahman said:
“If we can set up economic zones
in the country properly, local and
foreign investors will invest here.”
BEZA Executive Board Secretary
Md Aiub, Executive Member M
Emdadul Haque and City Group Director
Md Hasan and other officials
were present on the occasion.
Bangladesh is going fast in developing
economic zones across the
country that will bolster the country’s
economic growth through
boosting exports and creating employment
opportunities, according
to stakeholders and analysts.
National Board of Revenue
Chairman Md Nojibur Rahman recently
said the NBR is providing all
sorts of support to BEZA in formulating
an investment-friendly tax
pattern for the investors to develop
economic zones.
According to the NBR chief, under
the system the unit investors
will import raw materials without
paying import duty and VAT. •
NARAYANGANJ 7-MURDER CASE
Hearing begins on
death references
• Tribune Desk
COURT
Bepza donates
Tk6cr to PM’s fund
• Tribune Desk
BUSINESS
Bangladesh Export Processing
Zones Authority (Bepza)
donated Tk6.059 crore to the
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s
Relief and Welfare Fund, and
Bangabandhu Memorial Trust.
On behalf of the investors
of Bepza, its Executive Chairman
Major General Mohd
Habibur Rahman Khan, ndc,
psc recently handed over the
The High Court on Monday
started hearing the death
references and appeals of 26
death-row convicts in two
cases filed over Narayanganj
seven-murder incident.
The bench of Justice
Bhabani Prasad Singha and
Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam
started hearing the death references
and appeals.
Deputy Attorney General
MA Mannan Mohon presented
the paper book of the two
cases, reports UNB.
The paper book and dockets
pof the cases were sent to the
High Court earlier on May 7.
A Narayanganj court on January
16 sentenced 26 people,
including three sacked Rab
officials and ex-city councillor
Nur Hossain, to death in the
two cases filed over the sensational
seven-murder incident.
The court simultaneously
sentenced nine others to
different terms in jail finding
their involvement in the gruesome
murders which sparked
a nationwide anger. Of the
convicts, nine are still at large.
Narayanganj City Corporation
(NCC) Councillor Nazrul
Islam along with his three
companions and driver were
picked by a team of Rapid
Action Battalion (RAB)-11 on
April 27 in 2014.
Senior lawyer Chandan
Sarker and his driver Ibrahim
were also picked up by the
same team after they witnessed
the incident.
The bodies of all the seven
abducted people were found
floating in the Shitalakhya
River three days later.
Later, Nazrul Islam’s widow
Selina Islam Beauty filed a case
over the incident while Advocate
Chandan Sarkar’s son-inlaw
filed another one. •
cheque to Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina at the Prime
Minister’s Office (PMO).
Bepza inspired the investors
to donate the money as
part of their corporate social
responsibility.
Suraiya Begum, ndc, senior
secretary to the PMO, Syed Mohamamd
Tanvir, director of Pacific
Jeans, Mujibur Rahman,
managing director of Smart
Group, General Abdul Mubeen
(retd), chairman of United
Power Generation and Distribution
Co, among others. •

8
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
DT
News
Eastern Bank Ltd launches Mastercard credit card for member companies of Bangladesh Association of Software and Information
Services (BASIS). MA Mannan, state minister for the Ministry of Finance and Planning, inaugurated the credit card at Pan Pacific
Sonargaon hotel in Dhaka yesterday
COURTESY
EBL launches Mastercard credit card
for BASIS firms
• Ishtiaq Husain
BUSINESS
Eastern Bank Ltd launched a co-branded
USD Mastercard for member companies
of Bangladesh Association of
Software and Information Services
(BASIS) on Monday.
The move is expected to accelerate
the organisation’s foreign spending by
simplifying the existing complex process
for foreign purchases relating to
IT/ITES procurement.
BASIS member companies can remit
abroad up to US$30,000 to meet
their bona fide business expenses in
a calendar year. Eastern Bank said the
new system would be “faster, reliable,
secured and exclusive”.
MA Mannan, the State Minister for
Ministry of Finance and Planning, inaugurated
the credit card at the Pan
Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka. He
said that digitising financial systems
and transactions in such a way are
helping to push forward the government’s
vision for a digital Bangladesh.
“We are trying to meet young generation’s
demand as the government
wants to work for the youth,” MA Mannan
said.
Other speakers at the inauguration
included Subir Kishore Choudhury,
Acting Secretary to the Information
and Communication Technology Division;
Subhankar Saha, Executive
Director of Bangladesh Bank; Mustafa
Jabbar, BASIS President; Ali Reza Iftekhar,
Managing Director and CEO of
EBL; Syed Mohammed Kamal, Country
Manager of Mastercard Bangladesh;
and Gitanka D Datta, Director at Mastercard
Bangladesh.
Mustafa Jabbar said: “We believe
the initiative will expand Bangladesh
IT services beyond the border and help
the country reach the export earning
target of $50bn.”
Ali Reza Iftekhar said EBL was “excited”
about the new three-way partnership
with Mastercard and BASIS.
“This is not our first partnership
with Mastercard or our first co-branded
card with them, and we believe
that it will be as fruitful as all of our
previous partnerships have been,” he
added.
Syed Mohammad Kamal said they
are always committed to “offer the
best choice to the biggest number of
people, which calls for a diversified
product portfolio so our cardholders
can choose from a wide-range to find
exactly what they need.” •
Imran Khan-led PTI
to sue government
for detaining online
activists
• Agencies
WORLD
A Pakistani opposition party led
by former cricketer Imran Khan
will take legal action against
the government for detaining
its vocal online activists under
a controversial cybercrime law,
a spokesman said Monday.
At least 23 supporters of the
Pakistan Tehreek Insaaf (PTI)
party have been detained and
threatened with action under
the Prevention of Electronic
Crime Act, Fawad Hussain
Chauhdry, a spokesman for
the party, said.
It is the first time the new
law has been used in a broad
crackdown against political
opposition.
Two have been charged under
the law, including one for
sharing a satirical picture of
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif,
and are on bail pending further
investigation.
“One of our supporters was
abducted from Quetta and
brought to Islamabad in an armoured
car. People are being
harassed and it is spreading
fear,” the spokesman said.
He added the party would
sue the government for intimidation
and harassment in the
Islamabad High Court.
In addition to the party activists,
a Pakistani journalist
said he had received an intimidating
phone call from the
Federal Investigation Agency
last Thursday and was asked
to appear in person to explain
his social media activity.
Taha Siddiqui, who won
France’s Albert Londres journalism
prize in 2014 for a documentary
he produced for
France 2, said the call amounted
to an attempt to intimidate
him and he also planned to sue
the government.
The interior ministry has declined
to comment on the cases.
Parliament passed the cybercrime
law last August, despite
opposition from rights
activists which said its wording
was overly broad and
would curb free speech.
Of particular concern was
a clause that empowered the
government to ban speech
considered “against the glory
of Islam or the integrity, security
or defence of Pakistan”.
Free speech campaigners
have long complained of
creeping censorship in the
name of protecting religion or
preventing obscenity.
In January five secular activists
known for their outspoken
views against religious
extremism and the powerful
military disappeared – presumed
abducted by state
agencies, according to opposition
parties and international
rights groups.
Four of them were returned
to their families weeks later,
but not before they were tarnished
by a virulent campaign
to paint them as enemies of Islam
deserving execution. •

News
Five female teachers file complaints of sexual harassment
• Anisur Rahman Swapan, Barisal
NATION
Five female teachers of a government
school in Bakerganj, Barisal
have filed charges of sexual harassment
against the school headmaster.
The teachers of Chardarial Government
Primary School lodged
the allegation with the upazila and
district offices of the primary education
directorate on Sunday.
They appealed to the authorities
to take immediate action against
headmaster Palash Saha.
While filing the written complaint
before the Bakerganj upazila
primary education officer (UPEO),
one of the teachers said: “Palash
Saha had crossed all his limits.”
In the complaint, the victims
alleged that Palash would always
utter obscene words to them. His
conduct with the teachers would
indicate illicit meanings, and he
would ask them to meet him alone.
UPEO Safiul Alam said: “After
9
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
DT
receiving the allegations from the
victims, a two-member probe committee
was formed with Shahida
Begum and Tania Rahman. The
probe has submitted a report that
proves the allegations to be true in
the primary investigation. The report
will be sent to the higher authorities.”
Meanwhile, the accused headmaster
has denied all allegations
and said: “When I pointed out their
negligence and asked them to be
sincere in their duties, they became
agitated and filed an allegation of
sexual harassment against me.”
Barisal District Primary Education
Officer Parvin Begum said action
will be taken after receiving the
inquiry report of the UPEO. •

10
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
DT
Advertisement

Advertisement 11
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
DT

DT
12
Editorial
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
TODAY
Blame it on Eve
Why do these thoughts persist?
Education? Sure. Impunity? Definitely. A
majority that believes in the way certain
sexes are supposed to be?
PAGE 13
The battle for
half a degree
Impacts from 1.5C rise could be
manageable for Bangladesh with
comprehensive plans and actions, but 2C
rise will be out of control
PAGE 14
Taking a lead in the
fight against terror
FOCUS BANGLA
Donald Trump’s
overture to the
Muslim World
As a leader, the US has to continue to
work to foster democracy and rule of law
all over the world, starting with itself
PAGE 15
Be heard
Write to Dhaka Tribune
FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath,
Shukrabad, Dhaka-1207
Send us your Op-Ed articles:
opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com
www.dhakatribune.com
Join our Facebook community:
https://www.facebook.com/
DhakaTribune.
The views expressed in opinion
articles are those of the authors
alone and they are not the
official view of Dhaka Tribune
or its publisher.
We applaud Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s
call for a zero tolerance policy on terrorism
at the Arab-Islamic-American Summit.
Bangladesh is taking the fight against
terror seriously, and many other countries could do
worse than to follow our lead in this battle.
The summit, which was held at King Abdulaziz
International Conference Centre in Saudi Arabia,
also played host to the Saudi king and the American
president, in addition to other world leaders.
We are glad that the PM has been awarded such a
prominent position at the summit.
As the leader of a Muslim majority country that is
on the front-lines of the threat of Islamist terror, and
has done as much to ensure that radicalism does not
gain a foothold as other, more celebrated countries, it is
recognition that is long overdue.
In the past year, Bangladesh has had to deal with
terrorism to a degree it has not before. The Holey
Artisan and Sholakia attacks, and the rising threat of
militancy, succeeded in shaking the nation to the core.
But, thanks to resolute and uncompromising
leadership and the efforts of the brave men in our
security forces, the nation has stood firm, and has made
great strides not only in rooting out militancy, but in
progressing as a nation overall.
The PM’s leadership on the issue of terror deserves to
be recognised, and Bangladesh’s leadership role at the
anti-terror table should be unquestionable.
The PM’s leadership
on terror deserves
to be recognised,
and Bangladesh’s
leadership role at the
anti-terror table should
be unquestionable

Blame it on Eve
Rapists are not born, they are made
Opinion 13
DT
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
THE
WORLD IN
PARENTHESES
• SN Rasul
The Banani rape case at the
Raintree Hotel, amongst
other incidents, has
made it imperative that
Bangladesh take a good look in
the mirror and sort out a veritable
existential crisis that it is going
through.
Especially when it comes to the
way it treats the women who are
part of its burgeoning population,
contribute to its economy, inhabit
the 147,000 square kilometres or
so of its land.
It has become necessary, at
least, to have a conversation,
amongst the very people who
take space in this country, from
you and I in the middle, to people
perched on the topmost rung and
the ones clinging on to the lowest.
Apples and oranges
Conversation has, however,
erupted out of the remnants of
the case. From opinion pieces to
Facebook statuses, everyone in the
country has something to say. But
much of it isn’t new.
But that’s no surprise. Some of
it does bear repeating:
1) Women’s sexual history does
not matter.
2) What they wore doesn’t
matter.
3) No one “deserves” to be
raped (yes, even the rapists
themselves, but I suppose that’s
another argument, for another
portal).
These are some of the basics.
In keeping with the Abraham
traditions, when the forbidden
apple is bitten, blame it on Eve. It
seems, in many instances, Satan
works through the female of the
species.
Much of this has been said, and
it has been said plenty. In fact,
maybe too often?
Why? Because these words
get limited breathing space. They
are heard by people who already
agree, or by those who’ve heard it
enough to not pay any heed.
Not that words aren’t powerful.
Maybe a mind is changed. Maybe
two. Through the pathos of the
incident, there must be someone
who decides to tread the path
devoid of victim-blaming.
But far too few, far too rare.
Blame it on temptation
Why do these thoughts persist? Education? Sure. Impunity? Definitely. A
majority that believes in the way certain sexes are supposed to be?
The serpents
Going back to the issue of
Bangladesh’s existential crisis, it
would be a mistake to think that
victim-blaming is a solely lower
class, previous generation issue.
Even the progeny of “educated”
upbringing hold on to such
thoughts.
Much of it one may never
find out, unless one is a trusted
friend. Having experienced the
overwhelming arguments against
rape culture in their social strata,
they hide behind well-veiled
pseudo-sympathetic statements of
agreement.
This is something I’ve
experienced first-hand (and I
think many have too, and have
not spoken up because, like me,
they did not wish to break the
status quo with the individual in
question). As a person worthy of
trust, they will reiterate common
adages: “Of course, what did they
expect would happen?” and “In
these parties, these things are
common, and the girls know that
things like that are expected to
happen,” and “I don’t mean to
be sexist but clothes like that do
trigger assaults.”
Sometimes it’s evident in the
way they boast of their sexual
prowess, and how long they can
last in bed. They’ll move with ease
through the social ranks, their socalled
masculinity on display, but
without consequence.
What do we do? We sit back
and listen. Maybe not all of us, but
some of us. I, myself, will not shy
away from the blame.
Much of it has to do with the
fact that, otherwise, these people
are “good” in most senses of the
word. How do you define good?
Do they harm others? No. Do
they care for their parents, their
friends, their husbands and wives,
their children? Yes. Are they
religious? Most of the time.
Let it be, we say, they’re not
harming anyone. They would
never change their minds. These
thoughts are ingrained.
Eden hazard
I suppose when Hefazat has to
come out and issue a statement,
we are scraping the bottom of
the barrel. But why do these
thoughts persist? Education? Sure.
Impunity? Definitely. A majority
that believes in the way certain
sexes are supposed to be? Of
course.
(We must also understand that
we, too, believe in “supposed to
be’s.”)
A lot of the things we do may
prevent a certain generation of
people from a certain class from
attaining the same mindsets as
that of sexual predators. But what
of the rest?
What of the husband in that
unnameable village who rapes his
wife every night? The rickshawpuller
who stares at the sleevelesskameez
ladies on the street? The
huzur who teaches your kids
Arabic but believes the word of
God to a T?
To delude ourselves into
thinking that there isn’t a
conversation to be had between
you and these people, because you
are somewhat on the same page,
won’t fly. Bangladesh is no Eden,
least of all for women.
A lot of it stems from the
villainisation of the culprit, the
dehumanisation of his being,
the extrapolation of his actions
BIGSTOCK
from all context. Rapists are not
born out of a vacuum; they are
bred, either by circumstance or
influence.
This, if anything, we must
understand.
There is little as disheartening
as living in a country where the
very act of being a woman on the
street is an act of rebellion. The
system itself believes them to have
been borne out of shame, guilt,
and wrong-doing.
The Banani rape case is
newsworthy. The countless others
are missed statistics, invisible
stains on the bedsheets of violent
oppression. What do we do, in this
state? With our overlords giving
the likes of Hefazat, and what
they believe, more and more of
a platform, are we merely, with
these words, consoling ourselves?
Or is there, through better
understanding, a way out of this
hell? •
SN Rasul is an Editorial Assistant at the
Dhaka Tribune.

14
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
DT
Opinion
The battle for half a degree
1.5C is the magic number
• Armin Zaman Khan
Catastrophe awaits if we don’t act now
Impacts from 1.5C rise could be manageable for Bangladesh with
comprehensive plans and actions, but 2C rise will be out of control for
Bangladesh, even for the world
The World Economic
Forum has persistently
pointed out “climate
change” as one of the
most pressing issues of the 21st
century.
The primary human activity
affecting the amount and rate
of climate change is greenhouse
gas emissions, which increases
the greenhouse effect and causes
Earth’s surface temperature to rise.
Given the fact that Earth’s
average land temperature has
warmed nearly 1 degree Celsius
in the past 50 years as a result of
human activity, global greenhouse
gas emissions have grown by
nearly 80% since 1970, and
atmospheric concentrations of
the major greenhouse gases are
at their highest level in 800,000
years, it’s no surprise that curbing
the alarmingly rising temperature
is the most important and best
possible way to reduce and
mitigate the impacts of climate
change.
To strongly respond to the
risks of climate change by keeping
a global temperature rise this
century well below 2C above preindustrial
levels and to pursue
efforts to limit the temperature
increase even further to 1.5C, the
Paris Agreement entered into force
on November 4, 2016.
The Bangladesh scenario
Vulnerable countries including
Bangladesh strongly urged to
set a 1.5C target instead of 2C
because “2C goal being backed by
all major blocs would seal the fate
of hundreds of millions of people
in countries like Bangladesh, the
Philippines, Sudan, and Vietnam,”
Alliance of Small Island States
(AOSIS) declared.
Though Bangladesh has
negligible share in total (0.4%) and
per capita emission, it is one of
the victims of the consequences.
Its struggle is with both adverse
impacts of climate change and
the major blocs emitting large
shares of emissions to keep the
temperature below 1.5C.
With average temperatures in
summer already rising above 33C,
the “once in a thousand days” hot
weather will be double for 2C than
that for 1.5C, according to Erich
Fischer’s study.
Bangladesh has been affected
by different climatic problems
already. It has suffered 170 large
BIGSTOCK
scale disasters between 1970 and
1998. The frequency of flooding
is increasing, with catastrophic
floods occurring more regularly.
If global warming continues
and temperature crosses the
ceiling of 1.5C, the situation will
be more cataclysmic. Analysis
of Carl-Friedrich Schleussner
suggests that heat wave (warm
spell) duration will be up to two
months at 1.5C or up to three
months at 2C in tropical regions,
heavy precipitation intensity will
be 7% and 10% in South Asia,
and global sea-level rise will be
40cm and 50cm -- for 1.5C and 2C,
respectively, by 2100.
Those changes will affect
Bangladesh and the 0.5C
temperature increase will
make the impacts more severe.
Bangladesh will initially lose its
suitable weather due to the rise in
heat wave duration.
Side effects
This effect will produce more
side effects on agriculture, water
resource, people, etc. Farming
seasons will be altered and farmers
will be affected by crop damage,
low productivity, higher cost for
additional irrigation, etc.
Again, extreme heat will
call the disastrous storms and
cyclones which will harm people,
crops, trees, etc. 3% more heavy
precipitation intensity in monsoon
will cause more water-logging
and floods; 10cm additional sea
level rise will make the situation
grimmer.
More areas will be affected and
the intensity of weather calamities
will increase.
Sea level rising will cause
salinity intrusion and destroy the
fresh water ecosystem. Salinity of
soil will harm the agriculture and
forestry.
Moreover, simultaneous and/or
combined impacts can cause even
greater damage.
Displacement of coastal
people is the most crucial effect
of climate change. According to
Affan Chowdhry and TuThanh Ha,
sea levels could rise to submerge
land currently home to 12.5
million people in Bangladesh for
2C temperature rise, while the
figure could be 3.6 million for 1.5C
temperature rise.
What a difference
It clearly shows the difference an
additional 0.5C could make. In
short, impacts from 1.5C rise could
be manageable for Bangladesh
with comprehensive plans and
actions, but 2C rise will be out of
control for Bangladesh, even for
the world.
Bangladesh has emphasised
on own emission controlling to
limit temperature rise. It will save
its own environment and also
contribute to the global action for
confronting climate change.
It will develop the moral
ground for advocacy campaign
against emissions and supporting
temperature ceiling below 1.5C.
According to Johan Rockström,
director of the Stockholm
Resilience Center: “2 degrees
contains significant risks for
societies everywhere; 1.5
looks much more scientifically
justifiable.”
And a World Bank report
revealed that Bangladesh will be
among the most affected countries
in South Asia.
So, Bangladesh needs to work
to develop strong alliance among
vulnerable countries to pursue the
goal of temperature ceiling below
1.5C. •
Armin Zaman Khan is a development
practitioner and social entrepreneur
based in Dhaka. She is currently driving
the scaling up of rural e-commerce
initiative at the Access to Information
Program of the Prime Minister’s Office
and leading a startup on the side.

Donald of Arabia
Trump keeps changing his tone
Opinion 15
DT
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
Did Trump use his visit to Saudi Arabia as an opportunity to reset his tone toward Muslims?
• Ziauddin Choudhury
After nearly two years of
Muslim bashing, first as
presidential candidate
and then as president,
during which time he accused
Islam and Muslims of hating the
West and tried to impose a ban on
Muslims entering the US, President
Donald trump did a somersault of
sorts in Riyadh this Sunday.
Addressing a gathering of 55
heads of governments of Muslim
countries, Trump pivoted away
from his earlier rhetoric of
excoriating Muslims and Islam that
the world had come to associate
him with.
Instead, he called for a coalition
of Muslim countries to fight
terrorism, replacing his earlier
phrase “radical Islamic terrorism”
with “Islamist extremism.”
He described the fight against
terrorism as one between good
and evil, and not as a fight
between civilisations or religions.
His appeal to the gathering was to
rise as one body to fight extremism
as an aberration and referring
to Islam as a part of the great
Abrahamic tradition.
Unkempt promises
Donald Trump’s about-turn on
Muslims and Islam in Riyadh
was unusual but not entirely
unexpected. Trump has been
ambivalent about many of his
campaign promises since his
inauguration as president.
He has backed off from his
promise to build his famous wall
with Mexico immediately after
he became president. His threat
to deport eleven million illegal
immigrants has yet to take a
tangible form.
He has withdrawn from his
threat to punish China for what he
called its “unfair” trade practices
with high tariff. His labeling
of NATO as obsolete has not
resurfaced.
The only one he tried to keep
was his promise to put a ban on
Muslim travel was in the shape
of his executive order restricting
issuance of visas to seven Muslim
countries (later reduced to six).
But that too has been stayed by
court orders which his government
has yet to appeal.
While Trump has been
short in the fulfillment of
his campaign promises, him
and his administration have
been embroiled in a litany of
misdirected actions of his own
creation.
Much of it emanates from
a wide perception of Russian
influence in the presidential
election in Trump’s favour and
the collusion of his campaign staff
with Russian officials.
Revelations of a connection
between the Russians and
Trump’s newly appointed National
Security Advisor Michael Flynn
led to Flynn’s resignation within
three weeks of the appointment.
But as the Federal Bureau of
Investigation continued to pursue
the Russian connection further
with possibilities of other staff’s
involvement with Russia, an irate
Trump fired its director James
Comey for vague and unprovable
reasons.
Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia
(and later to Israel, Italy, and
Belgium) comes in the wake
of these domestic adversities
that have been compounded by
hearings in both Senate and House
committee investigation into the
alleged Russian influence.
Trump’s foreign trip could not
have comes at a better time for
him to escape the daily hounding
by the press on the Russian
connection and his campaign
staff’s alleged complicity in this.
And President Trump could not
have chosen a better place than
Saudi Arabia, a kingdom grateful
to the US for the protection it
provides, with decades of business
with US oil and defense industries.
The pomp and splendour
with which the Saudis received
Trump befits a royal reception,
which must have pleased him
REUTERS
As a leader, the US has to continue to work to foster democracy and rule
of law all over the world, starting with itself
enormously. More importantly for
Trump, what better setting than
Saudi Arabia to address a gathering
of heads of Muslim governments
to reset his tone toward them?
About-turn
But after all the rhetoric and
overtures are done, where will
Trump’s call lead to? Will Trump’s
message for the Muslim countries
of the world to unite and fight
terrorism lead to a coalition
against religious terrorism and
radicalism? Will the exhortation
to fight evil alone unite Muslim
countries’ resolve? Or was Trump’s
address mainly meant to mollify
Muslims who may have been
affronted by his earlier remarks on
Muslims and Islam?
Trump’s address was no doubt
an about-turn on his rhetoric
on Muslims and Islam. But in
some respect it can be viewed
as a pragmatic approach to fight
terrorism, a fight that cannot
be fought alone by the US or
European countries. However,
there are several imponderables
in this call for unity to fight
radicalism and terrorism.
First is the sectarian divide
of the so-called Muslim world
between Sunni and Shia. Although
the latter accounts for less
than a fifth of the total Muslim
population, they account for over
90% of Muslims in Iran and over
60% in Iraq.
Iran is a major power player
in the Middle East, and although
currently fragile, Iraq is also
potentially a big force. Iran is now
an adversary of the Arab coalition
as also the United States. Iran
could have been a partner in this
war against radicalism, but it is
a pipe dream given the current
reality in the Middle East.
Second is the credibility of the
host country from which Trump
gave his speech. Saudi Arabia may
be the richest Muslim country and
it may have spread some of its
wealth to help other less fortunate
Muslim countries, but it has also
spread in these countries a radical
branch of Islam -- Wahabism-- that
is wedded to the spread of radical
thoughts and beliefs that directly
spawned zealots to fight in the
name of Islam. A prime example is
the Taliban in Pakistan.
It is ironic, then, that a call
to fight radical Islam would be
made in a place that is largely
responsible for the spread of a
radical ideology.
Third is the absence in many
Muslim countries (apart from
Iran) of democracy, participatory
government, and above all,
absence of the rule of law. It is not
possible for countries that do not
have transparency in state actions,
and respect for the rule of law to
wage a war against any organised
group without popular support.
A war against terrorism cannot
succeed in a country where people
cannot participate in governance,
or where popular will does not get
reflected in its government.
President Donald Trump
may have made an appeal from
a genuine belief that his call
would get the Muslims to work
together. But to make this work,
his subsequent actions must
reflect an understanding that the
United States is not an island, it is
an integral part of the world, and
it has to build bridges to reach
others.
As a leader, the US has to
continue to work to foster
democracy and rule of law all
over the world, starting with
itself. These are important
elements in fighting the war
against radicalism, be it Islamic or
otherwise. •
Ziauddin Choudhury has worked in the
higher civil service of Bangladesh early
in his career, and later for the World
Bank in the US.

16
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
DT
Downtime
CROSSWORD
ACROSS
1 Snake (5)
4 Without legal force (4)
7 Land measure (3)
8 Not many (3)
9 Classifies (5)
12 That following (4)
13 Tempted (7)
15 School of whales (3)
16 Pigs enclosure (3)
18 Perform (3)
19 Mine (3)
21 Repeats from
memory (7)
24 Fail to keep (4)
26 Tantalise (5)
27 Cushion (3)
28 Fastener (3)
29 Have on (4)
30 Search (5)
DOWN
1 Receptacle for blooms (4)
2 Seemingly mocked by
fate (6)
3 Saucy (4)
4 Sell (4)
5 Be obligated (3)
6 Short simple song (5)
10 Gratuity (3)
11 Range (5)
14 Decree (5)
17 Essay on a theme (6)
18 Permit (5)
20 Neckwear (3)
21 Bring up (4)
22 Ribbon (4)
23 Transmitted (4)
25 Mineral spring (3)
CODE-CRACKER
How to solve: Each number in our
CODE-CRACKER grid represents a
different letter of the alphabet. For
example, today 16 represents S so fill S
every time the figure 16 appears.
You have two letters in the control
grid to start you off. Enter them in the
appropriate squares in the main grid, then
use your knowledge of words to work out
which letters go in the missing squares.
Some letters of the alphabet may not be
used.
As you get the letters, fill in the other
squares with the same number in the
main grid, and the control grid. Check
off the list of alphabetical letters as you
identify them.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
CALVIN AND HOBBES
SUDOKU
How to solve: Fill in the blank spaces with the
numbers 1 – 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must
contain all nine digits with no number repeating.
PEANUTS
YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS
CODE-CRACKER
CROSSWORD
DILBERT
SUDOKU

What’s on
17
TUESDAY, MAY 23 , 2017
DT
EVENTS AROUND TOWN TODAY
PERFORMANCES
MOVIE
RAMADAN SPECIAL
STAR CINEPLEX
Where Bashundhara City, Dhaka
What Movie showtime (May 23)
RISE DHAKA OPEN MIC SESSIONS: VOL 5
When 6:30-11pm
Where Cuppa Coffee Lounge, Gulshan 2 Circle, Dhaka
What Musicians, storytellers, poets, dancers and any other
performers invited. Tk500 entry includes “Killer Milkshake”.
JETE CHAO? OPEN MIC
When 6:30-10pm
Where Kiva Han, Hs 1/A, Rd 23, Gulshan 1, Dhaka
What Open Mic for anyone interested in performing. Tk250
entry with complimentary drink.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
(3D): 11:00am, 1:45pm, 4:20pm,
7:00pm
Smurfs: The Lost Village (3D):
11:30am, 1:30pm
Fast & Furious 8 (3D): 10:50am,
1:40pm, 4:30pm, 7:20pm
Beauty and the Beast (3D): 3:50pm,
6:50pm
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 (3D):
10:50am, 1:40pm, 4:30pm, 7:20pm
Dhat Teri Ki (2D): 1:50pm, 7:10pm
Bhubon Majhi (2D): 11:10am,
4:50pm
Alien: Covenant (2D): 11:20am,
2:00pm, 4:40pm, 7:30pm
BLOCKBUSTER CINEMAS
Where Jamuna Future Park, Dhaka
What Movie showtime (May 23)
Rings (2D): 2:50pm, 5:05pm
Middle Eastern and Pan Asian cuisines
at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka
Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka, an iconic destination for
business and leisure travellers, is offering a sumptuous iftar
experience to celebrate this year’s holy month of Ramadan.
Embark on a gastronomic expedition with friends and family
as the hotel’s professional culinary team prepares a truly
unique Ramadan iftar buffet daily at its popular Café Bazar
restaurant. Experience captivating flavours from the Middle
East, an abundance of Pan Asian delicacies along with live
cooking stations and a selection of refreshing Ramadan
beverages.
The menu will feature a selection of traditional hot
and cold Arabic mezze, main dishes include a variety of
succulent meat dishes, including beef croquette, mutton
kebab, shish taouk, lamb shank with oriental rice and the
all-time favourite of Sonargaon Hotel – shahi haleem and
jilapi. Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel invites you to a sanctuary
of warm hospitality that acquaints guests with proud
heritage. For those wishing to break their fast with a larger
group of friends, family or work colleagues, Café Bazar can
save you the hassle of finding the right place. The hotel is
also particularly renowned for its spacious, well organised
banquet facilities to host corporate iftar events.
For bookings and reservations, call 55028008 or 9128008
ext. 4011.
FESTIVAL
LECTURE
BIGGEST EID FASHION FEST
When 10am-8pm
Where Drik Gallery, Hs 58, Rd 15A (new), Dhanmondi, Dhaka
What Clothing and jewellery from Bangladeshi and foreign
designers.
Tumi Robe Nirobe (2D): 1pm, 3pm,
5pm, 7pm
The Shack (2D): 12:10pm, 7:25pm
Power Rangers (2D): 11:40am,
2:15pm
Fast and Furious 8 (3D): 11:40am,
2:20pm, 5pm, 7:40pm
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 (3D):
5pm, 7:45pm
Alien: Covenant (2D): 11:45am,
2:25pm, 5:05pm, 7:40pm
PUBLIC LECTURE ON MODEL UNITED NATIONS
When 2:15-3:45pm
Where Department of Economics, Stamford University, 44
Satmasjid Road, Dhaka
What Talk by Anika Subah Ahmed, winner of 6 MUN awards,
and Tabassum Tazin, participant at multiple MUNs.

DT
18
Sports
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
RESULTS
Atletico Madrid 3-1 Athletic Bilbao
Torres 8, 11, Correa 89 Williams 70
Valencia 1-3 Villarreal
Nani 54 Soldado 1,
Trigueros 58, Sansone 88
Celta Vigo 2-2 Real Sociedad
Aspas 54-pen, Oyarzabal 82,
Hjulsager 90 Juanmi 90+3
Barcelona 4-2 Eibar
Juncà 63-og, Suarez 73, Inui 7, 61
Messi 75-pen, 90+2
Malaga 0-2 Real Madrid
Ronaldo 2, Benzema 55
POINTS TABLE
Teams P W D L GD Pts
Real Madrid 38 29 6 3 65 93
Barcelona 38 28 6 4 79 90
Atletico Madrid 38 23 9 6 43 78
Sevilla 38 21 9 8 20 72
Villarreal 38 19 10 9 23 67
TOP SCORERS
37: Messi (Barcelona)
29: Suárez (Barcelona)
25: Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
19: Aspas (Celta Vigo)
16: Aritz Aduriz (Athletic Bilbao),
Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)
15: Álvaro Morata (Real Madrid)
14: Sandro (Malaga)
ROLL OF HONOUR
2016-17: Real Madrid
2015-16: Barcelona
2014-15: Barcelona
2013-14: Atletico Madrid
2012-13: Barcelona
2011–12: Real Madrid
2010–11: Barcelona
2009–10: Barcelona
2008–09: Barcelona
2007–08: Real Madrid
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo shoots to score during their Spanish league match against Malaga CF at La Rosaleda stadium in Malaga on Sunday
Ronaldo leads Real Madrid to 33rd La Liga title
AFP
“People say things about me without knowing a thing
and it bothers me. You (the media) say things about
Cris without knowing the truth. I am not a saint, but I
am also not a devil like many people think I am. I don’t
like this type of thing because I have a family, I have a
mother, a son, and I don’t like that they say stupid things
about me. I’ve prepared to be in top shape for the end
of the season. I’ve helped the team with my goals, my
decisions and for that I am happy,” said Ronaldo
• AFP, Madrid
Real Madrid won their 33rd La Liga
title and first for five years as Cristiano
Ronaldo’s 40th goal of the
season helped seal a 2-0 victory at
Malaga on Sunday.
Ronaldo got Madrid off to the
perfect start after just two minutes
before Karim Benzema’s closerange
finish sealed the title 10 minutes
into the second half.
Madrid beat out Barcelona at the
top of the table by three points as
the Catalans’ come-from-behind
4-2 victory over Eibar in outgoing
coach Luis Enrique’s last home
game in charge wasn’t enough for
a third straight title.
In Barcelona, Enrique was given
a warm send-off at the Camp Nou
as he was greeted with a giant banner
reading: “One of us forever”.
And Barca at least salvaged
some pride by fighting back from
2-0 down to avoid a first ever defeat
against Eibar.
The former Barca captain Enrique
has won eight trophies in three
seasons in charge and can add another
one with the Copa del Rey
final to come against Alaves next
weekend.
Barca weren’t to be denied a
sixth straight win to end the season
though as Luis Suarez bundled
home from close range before Messi
made amends with his second
penalty 15 minutes from time.
And Messi rounded off the scoring
with his 53rd goal of the season
in stoppage time. •
FIVE KEY PLAYERS IN REAL MADRID’S TITLE TRIUMPH
SERGIO RAMOS
Madrid’s captain is
a leader with both
words and actions
at both ends of the
field. Ramos has
become a specialist
in important late goals over recent
seasons and arguably scored Madrid’s
most important one of the season deep
into stoppage time to rescue a draw
against Barcelona at the Camp Nou back
in December. He repeated the trick with
a late winner against Deportivo and
after a poor start to the season has also
upped his game a as Real closed out the
title with six straight wins.
CASEMIRO
The biggest single
tactical shift since
Zidane was put in
charge and led a
monumental turnaround
in Madrid’s
fortunes over the past 18 months has
been the promotion of tough-tackling
Brazilian midfielder Casemiro at the
expense of more glamorous names
like James Rodriguez. Casemiro often
walks a fine line with his discipline, but
he protects a back four often exposed
by Madrid’s attacking intent brilliantly,
adds a physical edge to the midfield and
frees up Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
TONI KROOS
Real’s quiet assassin.
Kroos has provided
one of Real’s most
potent weapons
all season with his
superb set-piece
delivery.
The German has 17 assists to his
name and routinely leads the way in
terms of pass completion as he dominates
the game from midfield.
Kroos also bore the burden when
Real’s squad was stretched by injuries
early in the season, playing more
minutes than anyone else across all
competitions.
ISCO
So often the man to
miss out on the big
occasion during his
Real career, Isco has
made himself undroppable
in recent
months in the absence of Gareth Bale
with a series of outstanding performances.
Most importantly, the Spanish international
has added end product to his
sublime array of skills on the ball.
Isco has had by a distance his most
prolific season since joining from Malaga
four years ago with 10 league goals
in 30 appearances.
CRISTIANO RONALDO
Somehow still questioned
throughout
the early part of the
campaign, Ronaldo
again came up with
all the answers down
the stretch to lead his side over the
finish line for just his second La Liga
title in eight seasons in Spain.
The World Player of the Year proved
his worth early in the campaign with
a hat-trick at Atletico Madrid in Real’s
stand out display of the first half of the
season.
Ronaldo is the Madrid’s top scorer
for the season with 25 La Liga goals.

DPL Super League to
start from tomorrow
• Tribune Report
The Super League phase of the Dhaka
Premier Division Cricket League
2016-17 is set to start from tomorrow.
The Cricket Committee of Dhaka
Metropolis (CCDM) declared the
fixture of the first three rounds of
the Super League yesterday.
The side finishing top with most
points (total points in the season)
will clinch the title of the List A
cricket competition.
Gazi Group Cricketers, Abahani
Limited, Prime Doleshwar Sporting
Club, Prime Bank Cricket Club,
Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club and
Mohammedan Sporting Club are
the teams who have finished as top
six in the league. Gazi Group are
at the top with 18 points and will
need to win at least two matches
Sports 19
DT
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
in the Super League phase to finish
the campaign as champions. Abahani,
Prime Doleshwar and Prime
Bank all have 16 points under their
respective belts. Sheikh Jamal
and Mohammedan have 14 and 12
points respectively.
In the first round of the Super
League, Gazi Group will take on
Mohammedan at Fatullah, Prime
Doleshwar will face Sheikh Jamal
at BKSP 3 while Abahani will lock
horns with Prime Bank at BKSP 4.
Meanwhile the relegation
league matches of the season will
be played from May 29. Khelaghar
Samaj Kallyan Samity, Partex
Sporting Club and Victoria Sporting
Club are the three teams to finish at
the bottom of the league phase and
will now fight for their existence in
the Premier Division. • Bangladesh cricket team players take part in a training session at the Malahide Cricket Club Ground in Dublin on Monday BCB
Rubel powers Abahani to Fed Cup quarterfinals
• Tribune Report
Holders Abahani reached the quarterfinals
of the Walton Federation
Cup as group champions after beating
Muktijoddha SKC 1-0 in the last
match of group stages at the Bangabandhu
National Stadium on Monday.
Young national winger Rubel
Miya netted the all-important goal
in the opening half for the Sky
Blues who dominated the game
most of the time.
The game also finalised the lineups
of the all four quarterfinals as
the Dhanmondi outfits will take on
Brothers Union in the third lasteight
encounter on Friday while
Muktijoddha will face Rahmatganj
in the last quarterfinal on Saturday.
With a win and draw, Abahani
earned four points from two
matches to finish at top from Group
A while Muktijoddha have three
points to place second. Newly promoted
Saif Sporting Club crahed
out of the meet with only a point.
The suspension of Mamun Mia,
who received red card against Saif
Sporting in the first match, brought
some changes to the regular starting
eleven. To maintain two-foreign
quota, Drago Mamic fielded
Samad Yusuf at center-back while
Landing kept his place in attacking
midfield which left Nigerian striker
Emeka Darlington on the bench. Ziban
started up front as lone striker
Semifinals line-ups
May 24:
Sheikh Jamal vs Mohammedan
May 25:
Ctg Abahani vs Sk Russel
May 26:
Abahani vs Brothers Union
May 27:
Rahmatganj vs Muktijoddha
with Rubel Mia and Sohel Rana on
the wings.
The presence of veteran Ghanaian
stopper Samad at the heart of
the defence and local veteran defender
Nasir Uddin Chowdhury in
defensive midfield made Abahani
solid at the back. Muktijoddha
failed to build promising attacks
on Abahani terrain. They seemed
more relied on counters.
Abahani created pressure on
the opponents from the beginning
and they went close to scoring in
the 18th minute Muktis keeper Uttam
Barua made a brilliant block to
deny Ziban’s effort with a grounder
from the left side of the box after
Sohel Rana’s cutback set up Ziban.
Rubel Miya broke the deadlock
at the half-hour mark after superb
work from Gambian midfielder
Landing Darboe. Landing set up
Rubel inside the box with a defence-splitting
lob before the local
youngster fool past two baffled
defenders to fire home into upper
right corner.
Ziban squandered a great opportunity
to double the lead at the stroke
of rthe first half when the young
striker failed to connect in a cross of
Rubel from inside six-yard box.
Sohel and Landing went close
to scoring in the fifth and ten minutes
into the second half respectively.
Landing’s shot towards top
right corner was headed cleared by
Saidul Haque at the far post.
Two minutes before the stipulated
time, substitute Emeka failed
to beat Uttam on one-on-one in the
middle of the box following a cutback
of Rubel. Shahed shot wide on
the rebound. •
Abahani winger Rubel
Miya controls a ball
during their Walton
Federation Cup match
against Muktijoddha
at the Bangabandhu
National Stadium
yesterday
MD MANIK
5TH SOUTH ASIAN
BASKETBALL
CHAMPIONSHIP 2017
Cagers outplay
hosts Maldives
• Tribune Report
Bangladesh claimed third straight
victory in the 5th South Asian Basketball
Championship 2017 after
they outplayed hosts Maldives by
86-52 points in Male on Monday.
Shamsuzzaman Khan Soyab was
adjudged the man of the match.
Bangladesh will take on India in
the last match of the tournament
which will decide the champions as
both the sides earned three wins from
three matches. India beat Sri Lanka by
88-61 points in their third match.
Bangladesh earlier defeated Nepal
in their opening match on Saturday
before beating Sri Lanka in
the second match on Sunday. •

20
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
DT
Sports
Mumbai pip Pune in thriller
to win third IPL title
• Reuters, Hyderabad
Mumbai Indians were crowned
the Indian Premier League (IPL)
champions for the third time after
Mitchell Johnson delivered a
three-wicket final over to help secure
their thrilling one-run victory
over Rising Pune Supergiant in the
final on Sunday.
BRIEF SCORE
MUMBAI INDIANS 129 for 8 (Krunal
47, Unadkat 2-19, Zampa 2-32,
Christian 2-34) beat RISING PUNE
SUPERGIANT 128 for 6 (Smith 51,
Rahane 44, Johnson 3-26, Bumrah
2-26) by 1 run
Chasing 130 to win, Pune looked
primed for their maiden IPL title
with skipper Steve Smith leading
the charge and the team needing
11 runs off the final over with seven
wickets in hand.
Australia’s former Ashes hero
Johnson dismissed Manoj Tiwary
and Smith off successive deliveries
while Dan Christian ran himself out
in the final ball of the over which
yielded nine runs.
Smith topscored for his side
with 51 off 50 balls while Ajinkya
Rahane made 44 upfront but Pune
never got the late assault despite
having wickets in hand and finished
128-6.
Johnson claimed 3-26 while his
pace colleagues Jasprit Bumrah (2-
26) and Lasith Malinga, who went
wicketless but conceded only 21
runs in his four overs, were equally
impressive in defending a modest
total. Mumbai went into the match
having lost their previous three
matches, including Tuesday’s qualifier,
against Pune this season and
the 129-8 they managed on Sunday
looked far from an intimidating
score.
Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma
opted to bat but they looked in
trouble after Jaydev Unadkat (2-19)
dismissed both the openers cheaply
to deny them a strong start.
Mumbai crawled to 56-3 at the
halfway stage of their innings
when Adam Zampa struck twice in
the same over to wreck their hopes
of a big total.
The Australian leg-spinner dismissed
Rohit with the first delivery
of his over with Shardul Thakur
taking a well-judged catch near the
rope and the spinner’s sixth sent
back Kieron Pollard.
Mumbai were reeling at 79-7 but
Krunal Pandya topscored for them
with a belligerent 47 before falling
to the final delivery of the innings. •
‘Most difficult day’ for Terry in
Stamford Bridge exit
• AFP, London
Chelsea legend John Terry’s final
appearance at Stamford Bridge
ended with his team-mates forming
a guard of honour as he exited
in the 26th minute of the Premier
League clash with Sunderland.
The 36-year-old -- the time of
his premature departure chiming
with his shirt number -- was visibly
moved when he was replaced by
Gary Cahill, who has also stepped
in and skippered the team on the
pitch to the title this season.
Terry, who leaves Chelsea at the
end of this season after 22 years,
exited to a standing ovation from
the fans who despite some offpitch
scandals is revered by them.
Terry, though, returned to the
pitch after the match to receive the
Premier League trophy, the 15th
piece of silverware he has lifted.
He may also get to raise the FA
Cup if Chelsea beat Arsenal in next
Saturday’s final at Wembley.
The former England central defender
then made an emotional address
to the Chelsea fans -- paying
Chelsea's English defender John Terry poses with the English Premier League
trophy at Stamford Bridge in London on Sunday
AFP
Mumbai Indians players and support staff are joined by team owner Nita Ambani
(C) and former player Sachin Tendulkar (R) as they celebrate their victory at The
Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday
AFP
tribute to both them and Russian
owner Roman Abramovich who
was present.
“Today is one of the most difficult
days of my life,” said Terry.
“I’ve been very fortunate to work
with some unbelievable players and
managers throughout my career.
I’m thankful to every single one
of them. I’d like to thank Roman
Abramovich and all the board. He’s
the best owner in world football.”
Terry has yet to decide whether
or not to carry on playing, although
Swansea manager Paul Clement
has said he would like to have him
after working with him when he
was on the coaching staff at Stamford
Bridge, appeared on the pitch
with his children.
“I’d like to thank my wife and
my kids for supporting me in this
amazing journey I’ve had,” said
Terry.
“You (the Chelsea fans) are the
best supporters in the world, without
a shadow of a doubt.
“You’ve given me everything.
You picked me up when I was
down, sung my name when I had
a bad game and disappointed you.
“I’ll come back here one day,
supporting the team for years to
come.” •
Scotland enjoy
landmark win
over Sri Lanka
• AFP, London
Kyle Coetzer and Matthew Cross
both scored hundreds as Scotland
beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets at
Beckenham, southeast England,
for a historic success on Sunday.
The victory was Scotland’s first
over a full member of the International
Cricket Council -- one of the
sport’s leading 10 Test nations -- in
any format.
The last time the teams met,
Sri Lanka thrashed Scotland by
148 runs in Hobart during the 2015
World Cup.
“It’s been a great day,” Coetzer
told the Cricket Scotland website.
“Firstly the sun was shining and
we played a great game of cricket,
particularly to restrict them to less
than 300 which was an outstanding
performance. It was one of those
days, if it goes your way you have
just got to keep riding that wave. I
am pleased for the guys out there
to get that historic win.” •
La Liga win is bigger than
World Cup for Zidane
• AFP, Madrid
BRIEF SCORE
SCOTLAND 291 for 3 (Coetzer 118,
Cross 108*) beat SRI LANKA 287
(Chandimal 79, Kapugedera 71, Kusal 57;
Whittingham 3-56) by seven wickets
Zinedine Zidane claimed winning
La Liga as Real Madrid coach
on Sunday surpasses his stellar
achievements as a player and even
lifting the Champions League in his
debut season as coach last year.
Madrid claimed the Spanish title
for a 33rd time as Cristiano Ronaldo
struck his 40th goal of the season
and Karim Benzema slotted home
early in the second-half to secure a
2-0 win at Malaga.
“It is the happiest day of my professional
life by a distance,” Zidane
said after landing Madrid’s first title
in five years.
“Right now I would like to stand
up here and dance,” he added in a
press conference interrupted by
Marcelo, Danilo, Casemiro, Lucas
Vazquez and Alvaro Morata drowning
their boss in champagne.
Zidane won the World Cup, European
Championships and Champions
League as one of the greatest
players of his generation, but said
the extra responsibility that comes
with being coach made his achievements
all the greater.
“As coach of Real Madrid you
know what the expectations are,”
he added.
“I have experienced it as a player
and that is why I say it is the
happiest day of my professional
life because being a coach changes
everything.
“I have won everything with
this club, this shirt but to win La
Liga is the best of all.
“I live what I am doing with passion
and what I have enjoyed the
most is today because after nine or
10 months we have won La Liga.”
Zidane’s role in restoring Madrid
to the top of Spanish football
was hailed by Ronaldo as the Portuguese
claimed just his second
league winners’ medal in eight
seasons since joining the Spanish
giants.
“He has managed things very
intelligently along with his assistants,”
said Ronaldo.
“The proof is there, we have
won a very difficult league against
one of the best teams in the world
in Barca and for me Zidane has
done a phenomenal job.”
Madrid could go onto complete
a first La Liga and Champions
League double for 59 years when
they face Juventus in the Champions
League final on June 3.
And Real’s run to the title was
most certainly a squad effort with
Ronaldo sidelined or rested for nine
games -- all of which they won. •

Sports
21
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
DT
Inconsistency cost Barcelona title says Luis Enrique
• Reuters, Barcelona
Barcelona’s inconsistency over the
season had cost them the La Liga
title, coach Luis Enrique has said.
A second half comeback from
two goals down to beat Eibar 4-2 on
the final day of the season proved
futile as Real beat Malaga 2-0 to
end a five-year run without the title.
Barca took 14 points from 18 in
their six games against Spain’s top
four sides Real, Sevilla and Atletico.
Real picked up just eight in the
corresponding games.
The Catalans, however, proved
less reliable against supposedly
weaker opposition, dropping
points against Real Betis, Real Sociedad,
Celta Vigo, Deportivo La
Coruna, Alaves and Malaga. Madrid
took maximum points from
those games.
“We haven’t ended the season
as we wanted. La Liga is 38 games
long and it rewards consistency.
We were not consistent enough,”
Luis Enrique told a news conference.
“Especially earlier in the season
at home and we have paid for that.
We didn’t depend on ourselves. We
fought until the very end and now
we congratulate the worthy champions.
“Whoever wins the league is the
worthy winner. We know where we
fell short, but this is how it is in the
top competitions.” •

22
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
DT
Showtime
Celine Dion rocks out to Cher
Karan, Alia and Varun
to team up yet again
PHOTO: AP
• Showtime Desk
Celine Dion is a huge Cher fan.
This was made obvious at the
Billboard Music Awards on May
21, when she was seen rocking
out to Cher’s performance of
“Believe” and “If I Could Turn
Back Time”. Dion, who had
previously performed “My Heart
Will Go On”, was seen dancing
and singing along to Cher’s
performance backstage.
Celine Dion was on hand to
celebrate her signature song’s
20th anniversary, while Cher
was invited to perform two of
her biggest hits and receive
the Icon Award. Past recipients
include Celine Dion, Prince,
Jennifer Lopez, Stevie Wonder
and Neil Diamond.
“I’m honored to receive the
2017 Billboard Music Awards
ICON Award and take the stage to
celebrate my love of music with
my fans,” Cher said in a statement
before the show. “Seeing so many
powerful artists — especially
female artists emerge and take
their place in history through the
years has been incredible. I’m
honored to be amongst the
previous ICON Award winners
and to celebrate this milestone
achievement by performing
‘Believe’ on the show.”
For the 20th anniversary of
the title song from the Titanic
this fall, Celine Dion provided a
soaring, spectacular version of
“My Heart Will Go On.” Dressed
like an angel — and performing
under a gigantic chandelier with
scenes from Titanic played in the
background — Dion brought a
few audience members to tears.
And she stole the show one
more time with her unrestrained
appreciation for Cher and her
music. •
• Showtime Desk
A couple of years ago, producerdirector
Karan Johar announced
that Varun Dhawan and Alia
Bhatt will be playing the lead
roles for Shhuddhi. Director
Karan Malhotra was supposed
to rewrite the script to make it
suitable for the younger cast.
It has been months since the
announcement and the making
of Shhuddhi is yet to start. Initial
reports suggested that the movie
had been shelved. However,
sources from the production
house indicate that the shooting
of the film will commence very
soon. In fact, the director has
finished reworking the script.
From being passed on from
Hrithik Roshan to Salman Khan
and lastly to Varun Dhawan, the
film has been in the making for
over a decade now. Interestingly,
Varun and Alia are yet to issue
an official statement about the
film. •
Sonam makes heads turn at Cannes
• Showtime Desk
Sonam Kapoor has been a
constant at red carpet events at
Cannes for years now and she
seems to have mastered the art
of looking like a million dollars,
every single time. Sonam was
spotted walking the red carpet on
day five at the 70th Cannes Film
Festival wearing a beautiful Elie
Saab gown.
On day six, however, Sonam
wowed everyone donning a
colourful ensemble by Indian
designer Anamika Khanna by the
scenic azure blue of the French
Riviera. The National award
winning actress looked beautiful
in a snazzy outfit comprising of
a printed yellow cropped blouse
with flared pants and a sleeveless
red coloured shrug. Paired with
complementary earrings from
Apala by Sumit, Sonam pulled off
the edgy neo-Indian look with
flying marks.. •
Sabrin
drops new
music
video
• Showtime Desk
After “Patar Bashi”, a musical
video of promising singer Sabrin,
she is back again and causing a
stir with her new release, “Tumi
Ekta Bepar”. This video has been
released under the banner of CMV,
just like the previous one, and
holds a power packed performance
from Sabrin.
The song is written by
Shomesshor Ali and composed by
Belal Khan, with music arranged
by J K Majlish. Sabrin’s dance
in the video is choreographed
by Sumon Rahman and the
videography is done by Topu
Khan. “Tumi Ekta Bepar” was first
released through CMV’s official
YouTube channel. •

Showtime
23
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
DT
Channel I Taroka Kathon celebrates
14th anniversary
• Showtime Desk
When Dinat Jahan Munni
enthralls entrants with a popular
number “Dukkhotakey dilam
chhuti ashbey na phirey”, and
Abida Sultana only adds to the
excitement by joining her on stage
and singing along, you know there
is a celebration on. Moments later,
they are joined by Dhallywood
actress Anjana Sultana, followed
by acting veterans Dilara Zaman,
Ataur Rahman, Keramat Moula
and Tushar Khan, amongst others,
all dancing away in celebration.
This is what happened at the
get-together of Channel i’s daily
live celebrity talk show “Taroka
Kathon”, which marked its 14 th
anniversary on May 21.
Produced by Ananya Ruma, the
celebrity talk show has been on air
for the last 14 years. To celebrate
the occasion, Channel i organised
this event at the TV station
premises in the capital.
Shykh Seraj, the director
and head of news of Channel i,
welcomed the celebrities in a
speech, who all came together
to share their memories and
recollections from the show.
The event also included musical
performances from Subir Nandi,
Rafiqul Alam, Mehreen, Dithi
Anwar, Tanvir Alam Sajib and
Pintu Ghosh.
The event was graced by
luminaries from the cultural arena
including Azad Rahman, Kamal
Lohani, poet Asad Chowdhury,
Amzad Hossain, Matin Rahman,
Alauddin Ali, M Hamid and poet
Muhammad Samad, among
others.
The show’s 6,714 th episode
aired on the day as well.•
Film was important, not the
clothes: Shabana Azmi
• Showtime Desk
While debate rages on over which
star’s Cannes red carpet look
this year is likely to go down in
history, a picture of Shabana
Azmi with Smita Patil and
filmmaker Shyam Benegal is now
going viral.
As a wonderful cinematic
throwback, the picture featured
the illustrious actors and
filmmaker from the 1976 Cannes,
where they were promoting their
fi l m Nishant.
Shabana Azmi posted the
picture on Twitter with the
caption, “In Cannes 1976 for
Nishant in official section. The
simplicity of it all. Film was
important not the clothes!”
In the picture, Shyam is
wearing a full-sleeved t-shirt
and a waist coat, and Shabana
and Smita are the epitome
of simplicity in their sarees.
There was no posing for the
shutterbugs, and the three are
completely candid in this blackand-white
photograph.
The film they were promoting
was selected for the Palme d’Or,
the highest honour at the Cannes
Film Festival, but there was no
over-the-top publicity drives
back then.
In another tweet, Shabana
recalls that since there was no
money for special promotions,
the director made Smita and her
walk down the promenade in
their saris. Those “who turned
in curiosity” were asked to
watch Nishant. And the strategy
worked, as the actress said the
house was full during the film’s
screening at Cannes.•
Drake wins a record 13
Billboard Music Awards
• Showtime Desk
Canadian rapper Drake
clinched a record
13 wins at the 2017
Billboard Music Awards
on Sunday, surpassing
Adele’s previous record
of 12 awards in 2012.
“I want to say, hold
tight Adele, because
when a new thing
drops you’ll be back to
get the record back,”
the recording artist
said in his accepting
speech at the starstudded
event held in
Las Vegas.
Drake was nominated in 13
categories, everyone of which he
ended up winning including top
artist, top male artist and top rap
album.
Beyonce and Twenty One Pilots
each won five awards, although
they were not present at the
ceremony.
The Chainsmokers took four,
including top collaboration and
top hot 100 song for “Closer” with
Halsey. Blake Shelton won the
award for top country artist, while
top country song award went to
Florida Georgia Line.
“Can’t Stop the Feeling” by
Justin Timberlake earned the
award for top selling song and top
radio song.
The Icon Award for
achievement in music went to
Cher, 71, who gave a heartfelt
speech after performing two of her
biggest hits -- “Believe” and “If I
Could Turn Back Time”.
In her accepting speech, Cher
said, “I want to thank my mom
because when I was really young,
my mom said ‘You’re not going to
be the smartest. You’re not going
to be the prettiest. You’re not
going to be the most talented, but
you’re going to be special.’”
Hosted by hip-hop artist
Ludacris and former High School
Musical star Vanessa Hudgins,
the three-hour show featured
performances by Miley Cyrus, the
Chainsmokers, Nicki Minaj and
Imagine Dragons. •

24
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
DT
BNP FOR NOT
USING EVM › 3
Back Page
HC SLAPS SOUMYA: INJUNCTION COPING ON WITH JANATA RUBEL POWERS ABAHANI TO
BANK WEATHER TEST RESULTS OUR › MAIN 5 PRIORITY › FED 19 CUP QUARTERFINALS › 19
Southwestern districts crippled by loadshedding,
public life disrupted
• Aminur Rahman Rasel
POWER
Despite the Power Division’s reassurance
that there would be no
load-shedding of electricity this
summer, around half the country
is experiencing acute power shortages,
causing immense suffering to
people.
The situation is especially worse
in southwestern districts, where
load-shedding lasts for six hours
every day on average.
Increased demand for power
due to new electricity connections,
damaged electricity towers due to
storms, maintenance work of 10
power plants and gas crisis are the
major reasons behind the massive
load-shedding, a Power Division
official told the Dhaka Tribune.
“Maintenance work in power
plants has cut down generation of
1,900MW, while gas crisis has cut
down a further 776MW,” he said,
requesting anonymity.
Sources said a storm damaged
a major transmission line on May
2, disrupting power transmission
from the eastern region to the
southwestern region of the country.
The repair work of the line will
take several months.
For similar reasons, power
supply has been disrupted in the
northern region as well.
This situation is causing severe
disruption in the day-to-day life of
people in the southwestern region.
“We are suffering severely due
to load-shedding. Some days, we
do not get electricity for 10 hours,”
said Sheikh Aman Ullah, a resident
in Khulna. “This is hampering children’s
studies, work at offices. This
has become a huge problem for us.”
At a meeting in the Power Division
yesterday, State Minister for
Power, Energy and Mineral Resources
Nasrul Hamid said the situation
would improve within the
next four days.
But with Ramadan only a few
days away, people are now worried
that power outages are going
to continue during the month of
fasting, even though the Power Division
announced on April 27 that
there would be no load-shedding
during sehri, iftar and Taraweeh
prayers.
The power authorities also said
if any power distribution company
needed load-shedding, it would
have to schedule it beforehand and
inform the authorities concerned.
At the meeting yesterday, Nasrul
Hamid said power generation, transmission
and distribution should
be coordinated and load-shedding
should be fixed proportionately
with the load management.
“Supply companies should generate
power in accordance with the
demand. Consumers should be informed
of the timing of load-shedding
beforehand.”
He also ordered everyone in the
power sector to work in coordination
during Ramadan and ordered
the ministry to monitor the activities.
Sources said the daily demand
for electricity is currently
12,000MW, but the amount of
power generated is a little over
8,000MW. On Sunday, 8,244MW of
electricity was generated.
There are a few reasons behind
the gap in power generation, the
sources said.
Auxiliary use of electricity in
power stations and transmission
loss costs around 613MW of power,
so the government can supply
7,631MW to the distribution
sub-stations. Added to that is the
loss that occurs when the power is
supplied to the consumers.
With the power loss on different
stages of transmission, consumers
actually get 7,500MW.
The Bangladesh Power Development
Board currently has the
generation capacity of 12,578MW,
derated from its installed capacity
of 13,179MW. •
High Court sets criteria for
recommendation of judges
An escalator going up the foot-over bridge in front of the international airport has
been shut down. A locked gate at its entryway keeps pedestrians from using the
bridge. The photo was taken recently
SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN
• Ashif Islam Shaon
JUDICIARY
An individual cannot be recommended for appointment
as a judge of the High Court if his antecedents
are not in line with the fundamental principles of state
policy and the spirit of the Liberation War.
This observation was made in a verdict which lists seven
criteria to be fulfilled in order for an individual to be recommended
for a judge position in the High Court division.
The full 46-page verdict of the seven-year-old writ
petition which sought guidelines for the appointment of
HC judges was published yesterday, though the verdict
itself was pronounced by Justice Obaidul Hassan and
Justice Krishna Debnath on April 13 this year.
According to the verdict, for a person to be recommended
to for a HC judge position, he must
have a “brilliant academic profile, towering level
of professional skill, legal acumen and integrity”.
With the view that age should be one of the key
considerations, the High Court also stated that the
minimum age of a person intending to be selected
for appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court
should be 45 years, since a person only achieves
professional maturity after years of hard work in
the professional arena.
The High Court also opined that the remuneration
of Judges of the Supreme Court should be
made as attractive as possible so that brilliant lawyers
would be enticed to apply.
“...We think that the existing system of appointment
can be improved by the Chief Justice as he
is the best and prime person to evaluate which lawyers
and judicial officers working in the sub-ordinate judiciary
are truly eligible to be elevated to the Bench – and
we mean it,” read the verdict.
It charged the Chief Justice to, if necessary, consult
with or share views with two senior judges of the Appellate
Division and two of senior judges of the High
Court Division when forming his “opinion”and to ensure
that the recommendations given are appropriate,
effective and transparent.
The court also said once the Chief Justice’s recommendations
are made, there should be no room for the
recommendations to be rejected or changed unless
the person[s] recommended are found to have antecedents
involved in anti-state or otherwise subversive
activities. •
Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower,
8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com