BANGLADESH

Claiming that Jamaat-e-Islami is uniting inside and outside the country under various names, Awami League general secretary on Tuesday advocated ban on the 'anti-liberation' party.

"We need to grow beyond the notion that photograph of Ghulam Azam and Jamaat have to be around for democracy [in the country]," he told a discussion in the capital.

Referring to the ban on Nazi forces in Germany and the political party of Benito Mussolini in Italy, he said: "Should we say there is no democracy in those countries?"

Ashraf, also the local government and rural development minister, said: "Jamaat, Muslim League and PDP were banned [after the independence]. But after Bangabandhu was assassinated, these anti-liberation parties were allowed back in politics by Gen Ziaur Rahman."

He urged everyone to stay alert against Jamaat's activities inside and outside the country.

Ghulam Azam, the Jamaat-e-Islami chief during the Liberation war, is currently facing war crimes charges.

He stayed in London for seven years after 1971 and returned to Bangladesh in 1978 during Gen Zia's rule.

On the issue of war crimes trial, Ashraf, said: "The trial began under hostile conditions as it started 40 years after the crimes were committed, and most of the witnesses are either missing or dead."

Azam had allegedly led the infamous, 'Peace Committee', Rajakar, Al-Badr and collaborated with the Pakistan Army, which executed massacre and torture in Bangladesh during the Liberation War.

He also allegedly advocated the cause of Pakistan in the middle-eastern countries during the war.

Police have detained 26 students of Titumir College for vandalising a bar of Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation in the capital's Mohakhali area.

Confirming the action, Gulshan police station officer in-charge Rafiqul Islam said they are looking into the matter to find the reason behind the incident.

Traffic on the road to Gulshan-1 from Mohakhali's Amtoli intersection was halted for at least one hour during the incident that took place at the bar 'Ruchita' around 10:45pm on Tuesday.

Normal traffic movement on the road could resume only around 12:30am.

"The incident occurred following a dispute at the bar. The students might have joined later," OC Rafiqul said.

Action will be taken against those found guilty for the vandalism at the bar of the state-owned BPC, he said.

"We reached the spot soon after the brawl begun, but we could not do much as the number of police personnel was not enough," Rafiqul added.

Although a hostel of the college is located close to the bar, the college's Marketing Department teacher Halim told , "Those who vandalised the bar did not come to the hostel ... those staying here are examinees."

About detention of the students, he said, "Police arrested them just to maintain law and order. But the way they were beaten up is not right."

The Department of Environment (DoE) has ordered closure of three paper mills and fined them Tk 1.45 million for polluting the Karnaphuli river.

The action was taken during a special drive of a team led by Zafar Alam, director of Chittagong division DoE, at the mills, located near the river in the Halisahar Kha Chaar area in Patiya.

"Haqqani Pulp and Paper Mill, Ambia Pulp and Paper Mill and Anwara Pulp and Paper Mill have been fined Tk 1.45 million as they did not take any step [to stop pollution of the river] despite being warned in the past," assistant director of Chittagong division DoE Mohaammad Mainuddin told .

"The mills have been polluting the Karnaphuli river and the environment, as they did not set up effluent treatment plants (ETP)," he added.

He said the department also fined a brickfield, Kerani Haat Bricks, at Satkania upazila Tk 75,000.

President Mohammad Zillur Rahman and prime minister Sheikh Haisna on Tuesday expressed gratitude to the foreigners who had supported the causes for the birth of Bangladesh in 1971.

"I am offering my gratitude to all those, who offered us humanitarian and moral aids during our fight for freedom," president Mohammad Zillur Rahman told a function organised to honour the foreign friends at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.

"You stood by us from across the globe and encouraged us," he said.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina said, "It is a singular honour for me to be in your midst at this solemn ceremony of awarding Bangladesh Liberation War Honour and Friends of Liberation War Honour to those who we owe a debt of gratitude for our hard-earned freedom." Hasina told the honouring function.

"In our pride, the foreign contributors to our liberation war in 1971 have been equal partners," she added.

The president and the prime minister gave the awards to 83 of the foreigners who stood for Bangladesh in the fight against Pakistani forces in 1971. Many had raised their voices against repression, genocide and put pressure on then the West Pakistan.

While India took bold steps in support of Bangladesh's struggle, many foreign politicians, diplomats, artistes, authors, journalists and students from across the world had come forward to back Bangladesh's causes for freedom in the face of widespread violation of human rights and war rules.

"It is matter of pride for us that many of our foreign friends sympathised with us, many took part in the 1971 liberation war," the prime minister said.

Representatives of heads of state or government of eight countries received the Liberation War Honour from the president.

Bangladesh, then the eastern wing of Pakistan, gained independence through a nine-month bloody war that ended with the surrender of thousands of Pakistani soldiers on Dec 16, 1971. The war cost the lives of about 3 million people while about 200,000 women were raped and nearly 10 million people took shelter in refugee camps in India.

Foreign minister Dipu Moni helped the president and the prime minister give the awards on Tuesday.

The chief justice, ministers, advisors to the prime minister, MPs, chiefs of the three forces and top government officials attended the programme.