BANGLADESH

Opposition leader Khaleda Zia has reached the venue of the 18-Party Alliance rally where she is expected to announce fresh anti-government agitation programme.

The BNP chief reached the rally venue in front of the BNP headquarters at Naya Paltan a few minutes after 4pm. Amid raucous applause she took the stage in a off-white saree, waiving at them.

On Mar 12, the former Prime Minister had given the government a 90-day ultimatum to restore caretaker government system, which expired on Sunday.

Khaleda had already had a meeting with her senior party advisors and leaders of the alliance where she is believed to have set fresh programmes.

The rally, being presided over by the BNP's Dhaka metropolitan unit Member Secretary Abdus Salam, kicked off around 2:30pm.

Jamaat-e-Islam's acting chief Maqbul Ahmed and Liberal Democratic Party President Oli Ahmed are sitting beside Khaleda. Other leaders of the 18-Party Alliance are also onstage.

Chief Whip of the Opposition in Parliament Zainul Abdin Farroque is moderating the rally.

The opposition is staging the rally while 30 of its top leaders are behind bars including BNP Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

Opposition chief Khaleda Zia on Monday gave the government time until Eid-ul-Fitr to reinstate the provision for caretaker government or face tougher agitation.

The BNP chaiperson issued the fresh deadline at the 18-Party Alliance's rally after the opposition's June 10 ultimatum expired on Sunday.

Adressing the gathering, the leader of BNP that leads the coalition said they were not considering fresh agitation programmes, for now, so as to spare people of avoidable sufferings ahead of Ramadan.

Khaleda, who was widely expected to come up with tougher agitation programme with many of her coalition's senior leaders still in jail, announced mild protest programmes in the months of Jun and July instead.

However, programmes like countrywide shutdown and laying of siege would be announced after Eid-ul-Fitr, she announced from the rally held in front of the party's Naya Paltan headquarters on Monday.

People were expecting the opposition to go for tougher agitation as the three-month deadline BNP had given the government for reinstating the non-party caretaker government system expired on Sunday without evoking any response from the government.

On Mar 12, from a similar public rally, Khaleda had threatened that the opposition would not have any alternatives but to go for tougher movement if their demand was not met by June 10.

The situation wornsened – adding fuel to the public apprehension of violent political standoff – as the government instead of considering the demand, went tough on the opposition leaders, throwing many of them behind the bar.

"I want to tell the government, accept the demand of the non-party caretaker government ... Resolve the problem through dialogue this time. I hope the government will be wiser this time ... Otherwise, tougher agitation like countrywide shutdown will be announced after Eid-ul-Fitr," Khaleda warned at the rally.

Opposition leaders including BNP's Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and its Dhaka metropolitan unit's President Sadeq Hossain Khoka are still inside jail even after securing bails from the court.

The protest programmes announced for the next two months are rallies on Jun 17 and 24, and July 1 and 15. The rallies will be organised across the country to press the government to meet their demands including cancellation of false cases against opposition leaders and their release.

The rallies will also protest what the opposition termed an 'anti-people budget' and demand 'return' of party leader M Ilias Ali, bringing killers of journalists duo Sagar-Runi and Saudi diplomat to justice, and reining in prices of essentials, fertilisers, agriculture products and power.

Besides, rallies will also be held at all metros and district towns on July 8 protesting corruption and gas-power-water crisis, and memorandum will be submitted to deputy commissioners.

Earlier, from a rally at Naya Paltan on Sept 27, the opposition leader had announced road march programme towards Sylhet, Chapainababganj, Khulna and Chittagong to drum up public support to their demands.

After ending the road-march programme at Chittagong on Dec 9, the opposition had announced another programme titled "Dhaka Cholo".

The High Court on Monday ordered authorities to remove all commercial establishments from Dhanmondi residential area.

However, the order would not be applicable to commercial establishments at Mirpur Road, Sat Masjid Road, Road-2 and Road-27.

The High Court bench of justices Nayeem Haider and Farid Ahmed, after hearing a public interest petition, also ordered approptiate authorities to issue notices before clearing the establishments.

The petitioner's lawyer Manzil Morshed said the clearing drive would have to be launched following the rules of Rajuk, by giving the owners notice and enough time for relocating their businesses.

All the 11 branches of Maple Leaf International School will get three years to relocate their campuses from the area, but until then the school authorities will have to introduce a system by employing people to contain traffic congestion in adjacent areas, said Morshed quoting the court order.

President of Dhanmondi Kalyan Samity Prof AFM Masud and Secretary MA Matin filed the petition on Feb 1, 2011.

Deputy Attorney General Mokhlesur Rahman said, "The court has ordered for evicting unauthorised commercial establishments from Dhanmondi residential area. The court also asked Maple Leaf International School to bring all of its 11 branches into one campus."

"The court also said that prior permission have to be taken from appropriate authorities before establishing any businesses there in the future," Rahman added.

Public Works Secretary, Environment Secretary, Dhaka City Corporation, District Commissioner of Dhaka, Executive Engineer of Power Development Board at Dhanmondi, authorised Rajuk officer of the area and Officer-in-Charge of Dhanmondi police station have been asked to execute the order.

Earlier, when the petition was filed last year, the High Court issued rule asking why eviction of commercial establishments should not be ordered to protect characteristics of a residential area.

The court then also embargoed allowing any new commercial establishment in the area for six months.

Two leaders of the opposition BNP, sent to jail in cases over violence during a general strike, were released on Monday night on bail.

"Following the court's order, BNP Organising Secretary Fazlul Haque Milon was released at 9:10pm from Dhaka Central Jail and Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas was released at 9:30pm from BIRDEM hospital," Jailer Mahbubul Islam told bdnews24.com.

They were released on Monday night though the High Court had granted them bail on Thursday.

Mirza Abbas's Personal Assistant Sohel told bdnews24.com that Abbas would stay in the hospital for the night. "He will go home in the morning [Tuesday]."

Two crude bombs had exploded inside the Secretariat and a bus was torched in front of the Prime Minister's Office in the capital on Apr 29 during an opposition-sponsored countrywide dawn-to-dusk shutdown called to protest alleged abduction of BNP leader M Ilias Ali, one of the BNP organising secretaries.

Shahbagh and Tejgaon police had lodged two separate cases against a number of opposition leaders and activists alleging their involvement.

The opposition leaders accused of exploding bombs at the Secretariat secured anticipatory bail from the High Court on May 14 until submission of chargesheet in the case, but they were denied bail and sent to jail in the vehicle-torching case on May 16.

Later, 35 senior opposition leaders including Mirza Abbas and Fazlul Haque Milon got bail from the High Court in the arson case.

After the investigation officer submitted the chargesheet in the blasts case on May 31, the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court of Dhaka fixed July 26 to give a decision on whether it would accept the charges.

Some BNP leaders including party's Acting Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is in Kashimpur Jail.

On May 26, the High Court had granted six weeks' interim bail to five 18-Party Alliance MPs accused in the same case.

After the High Court on June 7 granted bail to Fakhrul and 28 other leaders in the arson case, the prosecution had warrants issued against them that requires jail authorities to produce them before the court in the bomb blasts case.

Lawyers for the opposition leaders on Sunday moved court for withdrawal of warrants to produce them before court in the case. Several petitions were pressed in the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's court.

Senior Special Metropolitan Tribunal's Judge Mohammed Akhteruzzaman will hold further hearing on the appeals on Thursday.

Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam on Monday advised party MPs to act politely with the people of their constituencies.

"You have to change your attitude. You don't get votes with bad attitude. Don't point fingers while talking. Don't wave pistols to our activists. Don't send them to jail," the LGRD minister in the current Awami League-led alliance government told the MPs.

"You must remember that we are her because of our party activists," he reminded.

Ashraf's remarks came at a meeting of the Awami League Parliamentary Party, presided by Prime Minister and party chief Sheikh Hasina, at parliament building on Monday, some MPs told bdnews24.com.

There are allegations against several Awami League MPs of acting recklessly and showing bad attitude in their constituencies.

A recent incident saw MP Giasuddin of Gafargaon constituency in Mymensingh opening fire from his pistol in public.

Syed Ashraf said, "Only development work doesn't get vote. You need to go to the people and communicate with them."

Several MPs, declining to be named, said that Hasina had also suggested them to increase communication with their electorates.

They said that the party chief also advised them to clear all misunderstandings among the leaders and activists of the party and coordinate with each other.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday urged researchers to put more emphasis on functional research for Bangladesh's socio-economic development.

"It would be unwise to carry out research only for the sake of research. It has to be meaningful," she said while inaugurating the Designated Reference Institute for Chemical Measurements (DRICM).

"Researches will have to be carried with the goal of the country's socio-economic development," Hasina added.

The Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) set up the lone international standards chemical measurement institute on its Dhanmondi campus in Dhaka.

The Prime Minister said the nation needed practical research so that innovations were available and the common people could use it.

"We need befitting and sustainable research so that innovations are available and the common people can adopt them so that it helps boost agricultural and industrial production; so that maximum productivity, area and quality of services are increased; highest application of local resources and capabilities is ensured," she said.

Hasina said the newly installed facility will test foods, beverages and medicines. This institute will give prescription for quality control of the industries.

In this age of globalisation, she said, it was necessary to maintain quality to remain competitive. "The entrepreneurs will get necessary quality control assistance from this institute."

She called on the scientists, researchers, teachers, students to come forward to ensure highest productivity in the industrial and service sectors by utilising information and technology.

She paid tribute to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman saying he had set up the BCSIR in 1973 for scientific research and innovating suitable technology for industrial sector. He had also gathered top scientists.

The Prime Minister cited various innovations of the BCSIR. The arsenic detection and removal kit, formalin detection kit, biogas plants and modified fuel efficient ovens developed by the institute have been a hit with the people. "These innovations are assisting in uplifting standards of the people's lives."

She also urged all to ulitise environment friendly technology in combating global warming and climate change risks and emphasised research in this sector.

"Our aim is to build a hunger and poverty free, rich, peaceful, modern science and technology-based Bangladesh within 2021. Through it we will build the Golden Bengal as envisioned by the Father of the Nation."

To reach that goal, she said, scientists, researchers, peasants, entrepreneurs and others will have to work together.

State Minister for Science and Technology Yeafesh Osman presided over the programme.

An influential global rights group has accused India of breaking promises to end killings along the border with Bangladesh.

In a New York-datelined statement, the Human Rights Watch said India should investigate fresh allegations of human rights violation by its Border Security Force along its porous border with Bangladesh and prosecute the responsible.

It said despite assurances to the Bangladesh government and public orders to exercise restraint and end unlawful killings and attacks on suspected smugglers, evidence documented and published by Indian and Bangladeshi nongovernmental organisations suggest that the BSF is once again committing abuses including extrajudicial killings, torture, and ill-treatment of both Indian and Bangladeshi people live along the frontier.

"The Border Security Force has reverted to its previous tactics of unilaterally punishing suspects, defying orders from Delhi issued last year to exercise restraint and protect the right to life," said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Director at Human Rights Watch.

"But the central government is also responsible, since it has failed to hold perpetrators accountable. Justice is the best deterrent against further violations," she said.

In December 2010, Human Rights Watch released "Trigger Happy, Excessive Use of Force by Indian Troops at the Bangladesh Border," which documented nearly 1,000 killings by the BSF over the last decade.

In January 2011, the Indian government assured Bangladeshi officials that it would order the BSF to exercise restraint and encourage the use of rubber bullets instead of more lethal ammunition, steps welcomed by Human Rights Watch.

Although BSF attacks decreased significantly over the next year, the new evidence presented suggests that Indian border troops continue to frequently abuse both Bangladeshi citizens and Indian nationals residing in the border area, the statement said.

The recent allegations claim that in order to get around the restrictions on shooting at sight, BSF soldiers have been subjecting suspects to severe beatings and torture, resulting in deaths in custody.

Efforts by local residents and activists to file complaints and secure justice have resulted in threats and intimidation, it said.

The National Human Rights Commission has sought responses when allegations are filed, but without adequate witness protection complainants end up risking further abuse, it said.

The group said large numbers of killings and other abuses have been reported in 2012.

Odhikar, a Dhaka-based human rights group, has documented as many as 13 killings by the BSF since January 2012.

Kolkata-based group Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), has documented five other killings during the same time period, based on statements from witnesses and families of victims.