BANGLADESH

On the last day of filing income tax returns, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has kept its circle offices open until 8pm.

Taxpayers thronged the NBR offices throughout Sunday.

The original deadline of Sep 30 was extended by one business day following requests from business leaders.

"A lot of taxpayers submitted their returns on the last day. Around evening, government taxpayers submitted theirs together," NBR member (income tax administration) M A Qader Sarker told bdnews24.com.

Sarker said until Sep 30, 900,000 Tax Identification Number (TIN) holders had submitted tax returns, from which the government had received more than Tk 11 billion in revenues.

Income Tax Ordinance allows submitting income tax returns throughout September. Tax offices accepted submissions on Oct 2 as Sep 30 was a Friday. On that night NBR announced extending the date to Oct 16.

Last year, 902,005 TIN holders submitted their returns.

Small, individual investors on a hunger strike have demonstrated overnight at Motijheel in the capital for stock market stability.

Threatening to fast to their death since Sunday from morning, they say they will not break their fast unless prime minister Sheikh Hasina reassures them.

"We'll not break our fast until the prime minister or her representative gives an assurance to maintain stability in the stock market," Bangladesh Capital Market Investors' Unity Council president Mizanur Rashid Chowdhury told reporters in the afternoon on Sunday.

They began the hunger strike with the start of the day's trading on Dhaka Stock Exchange. Many of the protesting small investors wore white scarf as a symbol of burial cloth to convey the message that they are dead and buried.

Jatiya Party chairman Hussein Muhammad Ershad, BNP leader Abdul Moyeen Khan, Communist Party of Bangladesh central leader Sazzad Zahir Chandan, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal president A S M Abdur Rob and general secretary Abdul Malek Ratan, and Bangladesh Jatiya Party chairman Andalib Rahman Partha came to speak to the demonstrators.

Ershad urged the investors to put off their demonstration, saying he would convey their message to the prime minister.

He also demanded exemplary punishment to 'those behind the fall'.

BNP leader Moyen Khan expressed his solidarity with the protestors.

"The share market sees fall whenever Awami League comes to power. It happened earlier, and this time again," he said and added that his party would compensate the investors once they came to power.

"Those behind the crash will be tried," he said.

Rob said, "Going by the situation, it doesn't look like there exists any government worth the name."

Earlier, Communist Party of Bangladesh central leader Sazzad Zahir Chandan also announced party's solidarity with the protestors.

"We'll do whatever is needed for the investors," he said.

The members of the Bangladesh Capital Market Investors' Council began their hunger strike in front of the DSE in the morning on Sunday as share prices continued to sink right since the opening of the week's trading. Traffic on the street in front of the DSE came to a grinding halt around 2:45pm due to the demonstration.

Sazzad Hossain, joint secretary of the council, told that they would fast unless a circular on the tax cut decisions taken on Wednesday was published.

The market regulator, Securities and Exchanges Commission, held talks with stakeholders on Wednesday, following investors' agitation over the last few days in protest against the slump in the market.

At the end of a meeting with the National Board of Revenue, SEC chief M Khairul Hossain said the NBR had agreed to provide income tax rebate on stock market investment, lower taxes on mutual funds and also halve the current 0.10 percent tax at source on stock market brokerage commission.

Of the 263 issues traded on the DSE on Sunday, 250 declined, only 11 advanced and two remained unchanged.

The DSE general index plummeted 181.31 points or 3.25 percent to 5387.04 points. The turnover stood at Tk 2.58 billion.

Two days after the US expressed concern over the recent events surrounding the microcredit lender, the foreign secretary has suggested that Grameen Bank issue is Bangladesh's internal matter.

He was responding to a question about the recent meeting between foreign minister Dipu Moni and US secretary of state Hillary Clinton where secretary Clinton expressed her concern over Grameen Bank issue.

Mohamed Mijarul Quayes said with a tinge of sarcasm on Saturday "I know all of you journalists love me and are concerned about my weight. But what I will do with my weight is entirely my concern."

In the meeting in Washington on Wednesday, Clinton had directly expressed the US concern over Grameen Bank to Dipu Moni.

In her official remark, she said, "We have expressed directly to the (Bangladesh) government our concern."

Clinton, however, hoped that the Grameen Bank will be able to continue to function productively on behalf of the Bangladeshi people.

A personal friend of Clinton family, Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus had to resign as the bank's managing director, apparently under government pressure, following his sacking by the central bank.

Assistant secretary of state Robert O Blake at a press briefing earlier this year said the Bangladesh-US relationship would be hampered if the Grameen Bank row was not settled amicably.

TEESTA DEAL

The agreement on equitable sharing of the waters of the river Teesta will be signed 'soon' but the foreign secretary said but added that no timeframe was set.

"We hope to sign the deal soon," said Quayes at a media briefing at the ministry Saturday.

At a news conference on the visit of Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh on Sept 8, he said quoting prime minister Sheikh Hasina that the agreement would signed within three months.

"Negotiations and principles of Teesta river agreement have reached a certain stage and now we have to operationalise it," he clarified on Saturday.

When asked why the Indian side were asking for data and statistics, he said there would be two agreements – one interim and another long-term.

"It is happening in parallel."

MYNAMAR NATIONALS

The secretary said Myanmar has expressed its interest to take back all its nationals living in Bangladesh as refugee and undocumented.

""We had a consultation at a foreign secretary-level meeting and agreed that Myanmar nationals will be repatriated."

"The government has taken soft stance as Bangladesh wants to repatriate all the foreign nationals but not by force," Qauyes explained.

There are 28,000 Myanmar refugees living in Bangladesh camps and about 200,000 to 500,000 undocumented nationals also staying here, he said.

Prime minister Hasina will visit Myanmar soon and this issue will be discussed there.

The recently held election in Myanmar has created a window of opportunity to send back the illegal Myanmar migrants, Quayes said.

FOC WITH CHINA

Foreign office consultation (FOC) meeting at the secretary level will begin from Oct 17 and the secretary is leaving On Saturday to attend the meeting.

"We are going to discuss if there is any problem in implementing the decisions taken by both the governments," he said, "Neither any new decision will be taken nor any agreement will be signed in the meeting."

"It is more of a shepherding meeting."

KOSOVO ISSUE

The government is considering to recognise Kosovo but any decision is yet to be taken, according to the foreign secretary.

"This is an ongoing discussion."

RECOGNITION OF NTC

The government recognised National Transition Council as the interim government of Libya after the UN did so, the foreign secretary said.

"So far we know 5,000 Bangladeshis are still in Libya and all of them are safe."

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) closed last week on an upbeat note, even though it had started the week with a dip.

After 5 days (Oct 9 to Oct 13) of transaction, the DSE general index lost 159.44 points and closed at 5568.36 points on the last trading day of the week.

The country's premier bourse has lost 341.84 points on its general index in the last two weeks.

On Sunday, the general index lost 149 points. Again, on Monday it lost 15 and on Tuesday it lost 226 points.

Following continuous fall, retail investors protested in front of the DSE office in Motijheel, asking for the finance minister's resignation.

The market regulator, Securities and Exchanges Commission, held talks with various stakeholders on Wednesday following the demonstrations by investors.

On Wednesday, within 25 minutes of trading, DSE index lost 154 points and stood at 5139 points, which was same as two years back.

However, after an announcement from SEC, the market turned around. At the end of the day, the index gained more 66 points and on the last day of the week, it added another 209 points.

Market capitalisation of the DSE decreased by Tk 584.3 billion compared to the preceding week. But the total transaction of the market was 19.77 percent higher than the previous one.

Of the traded companies, shares of 223 decreased, 31 companies gained and 12 remained unchanged.

Lafarge Shurma, Beximco Limited, Grameenphone, Beximco Farma, Titas gas, National Bank, Summit Power, M I Cement, United Commercial Bank and Jamuna Mobil topped of the list of gainers.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has said the foundation of sound mental health will have to be built in childhood to enhance confidence of the children.

She emphasised strengthening family bond to prevent psychic problems, which she said will ensure fearless environment and uninterrupted peace in the family as well as in society.

Hasina was speaking at the inauguration of the three-day 6th International Conference on Psychiatry and World Mental Health Day at Bangabandhu International Conference Center on Sunday.

The prime minister said creating congenial family atmosphere is necessary for the children so that they can share their health and mental problems with their parents.

Hasina added that her government has resolved bound to ensure overall healthcare facilities including mental healthcare for the people.

The government took the initiative to formulate Mental Health Act to ensure treatments for the psychological patients, she said.

The number of psychiatrists at the National Mental Institute, Pabna Mental Hospital, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University and other medical college hospitals has been increased, she added.

Hasina urged the media to be more active in the fight against superstitions about mental health and wrong treatments of mental health problems.

President of Bangladesh Association of Psychiatrists Mohammad Golam Rabbani presided over the function.

A total of 79 psychiatrists from abroad, including India, Myanmar, South Korea, Nepal, Japan, and Pakistan, are attending the conference.

Health minister A F M Ruhal Haque, health advisor to the prime minister Syed Modasser Ali and state minister for health Mujibur Rahman Fakir, among others, spoke at the function.

The Election Commission (EC) has sought four companies of army from the Armed Forces Division for deployment for the Narayanganj City Corporation polls.

The EC Secretariat sent a letter to the principal staff officer of the Armed Forces Division on Sunday, election commissioner Sakhawat Hossain told

Finance minister A M A Muhith is spreading confusion over the Padma bridge project, BNP acting secretary-general says.

"The World Bank says there has been corruption in the project and sent a letter to the government suspending its fund for it. On the other hand the finance minister is creating a smoke screen by saying that there was no corruption in the project," Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said on Friday.

"He (Muhith) is embellishing to protect himself," he added.

He claimed that prime minister Sheikh Hasina was trying to save her 'corrupted' ministers.

Fakhrul was speaking with reporters after placing wreaths, with opposition chief whip Zainul Abdin Farroque, on BNP founder Ziaur Rahman's grave at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

Farroque, who returned from the US recently, said, "I am undergoing treatment in the US. The government filed a false case against me on the 6th of July. I returned to appear before the court hearing of the case."

"Even though I am yet to recover, I returned in respect of the law."

During the July 6 general strike imposed by BNP, Farroque was injured critically in an attack by police. He went to the US for treatment on July 13.

Asked about BNP's stance in the Narayanganj City Corporation polls, the acting secretary-general of the party said, "It's a local government election. There is no chance for any party to support anyone there. We don't want to talk about this."

He also demanded restoration of the caretaker government system and said, "People took to the street for the demand. The road march to Sylhet is proof. You (the government) have time…leave power soon and hold election under a non-partisan government."

The acting general secretary of ruling Awami League has declined to comment on three of his party colleagues voicing support for Narayanganj mayor candidate Shamim Osman.

When journalists asked him on Friday about the party's three organising secretaries' visiting the Narayanganj district party office and making dubious announcements supporting Shamim, Mahbub-ul Alam Hanif said, "Someone might have gone there. But I don't know if they had made any announcements."

"As the Awami League (acting) spokesperson, it would be inappropriate for me to talk about that," he said at the party headquarters.

Former Narayanganj MP Shamim and former Narayanganj municipality mayor Selina Hayat Ivy of Awami League are among the six mayoral candidates for the first Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) elections.

Awami League leadership, including the head, prime minister Sheikh Hasina, held several meetings with both to convince one of them to withdraw nomination, but failed.

Neither of them withdrew candidature until Wednesday, the deadline for withdrawal of nomination.

Osman is running with wall-clock symbol while Selina has inkpot-pen.

"There is no scope of party interventions in a local government election. Even then, we had advised the two candidates to reach an agreement. They failed to do that," Hanif said.

He said NCC election is the first one after the 15th Amendment abolished the caretaker government system.

"The [election] commission is conducting the polls independently. We'll not do anything that violates the code," he said.

Detectives have arrested two people from a fake currency note factory from Shankar in the city.

Members of the Detective Branch (DB) of police arrested Abul Khayer, 40, and Humayun Kabir, 35, from the factory at Kaderia Housing Society on Friday.

DB assistant commissioner Masiur Rahman told that they were making fake notes of Tk 1,000 and Tk 500 ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.

"They bought a flat and used it as a note-making factory. They chose a residential area to dodge law enforcers," he added.

However, exact amount of the seized fake notes could not be known immediately.

The police investigation committee looking into the sensational discovery that Persona beauty parlour filmed a female client on its CCTV has got five more days to submit its findings.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police's deputy commissioner (Gulshan) Khandker Lutful Kabir told bdnews24.com that the time was extended for a second time on Thursday as the three-strong panel had been busy for two days with 'some urgent work'.

The committee had got the first five-day extension on Oct 5. The panel, formed on Oct 3, was first given three days to submit its report.

The members of the committee, headed by additional deputy commissioner Nizamul Haque Molla, visited Persona beauty parlour and quizzed the staff. Two others of the committee are assistant commissioners Mizanur Rahman and Nurul Alam.

The High Court on Oct 10 ordered the government to take out all close-circuit TV cameras from beauty parlours on a writ petition filed by Bangladesh Human Rights Foundation chief executive Elina Khan.

The plea was filed after a doctor found a closed-circuit TV camera in her changing room after a spa at the parlour's Banani branch on Sept 30.

The woman made a verbal complaint with the police and the media for filming her.

Gulshan police sub-inspector Mehedy Masud was suspended on Oct 3 for destroying evidence and neglecting duty after seizing a CCTV camera of the beauty parlour.

The doctor's husband erased her footage from the parlour's computer in presence of the police officer.

On Oct 1, Persona chief Kaniz Almas Khan had told that the cameras were there for security reasons and she did not think they were violating anyone's privacy.

Raging debates ensued on social networking sites such as Facebook over camera use in beauty parlours on security excuse.

Three people, including a couple, have been drowned while picnicking in Gazipur.

The incident occurred at Shiruni Cottage, a picnic spot at Gojariapara, in the morning on Friday, police said.

The deceased were identified as Jamil Akter Lipu, 33, his wife Asma Akter Ira, 24, and Jamil's friend Tanvir Jahid Nayan, 32, son-in-law of Awami League publicity secretary Nooh-ul Alam Lenin. The couple hailed from Kazipara of Mirpur in Dhaka.

Hotapara Police Camp sub-inspector Azharul Islam told that they came to the picnic spot around 6am.

"Nipu and Ira were drowned when they were bathing in a pond. Nayan tried to rescue them," he said.

The bodies were handed over to the families, he added.

Support to former MP Shamim Osman in the Narayanganj City Corporation polls by three organising secretaries of the ruling party is not an indication of backing by the party, senior Awami League leader Suranjit Sengupta has said.

"No support has been extended to anyone in Narayanganj on behalf of Awami League," he told reporters on Friday at a discussion at Dhaka Reporters Unity.

He said support to Osman by the three leaders was a 'personal matter'.

Soon after Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Ahmed Hossain and Abu Sayeed Al Mahmud Swapan visited Shamim's campaign office on Thursday evening, acting general secretary of the party Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif had also said he had no knowledge of any party decision on the matter.

"I have no clue about it," he told and declined to comment any further on the matter. Hanif also dismissed further queries by saying, "Ask them."

Selina Hayat Ivy, the other major mayoral contender alongside BNP's Toimur Alam Khandker, is also a ruling party member and daughter of one of the party founders—Ali Ahmed Chunka.

Responding to a query, she said, "In no way it can be seen as him winning the support of the party. It's only support by Shamim Osman's friends."

Top Awami League leaders including prime minister Sheikh Hasina have met and tried, unsuccessfully, to persuade both Shamim and Ivy to end their rivalry.

However, now both of them would fight as mayoral contenders in the poll scheduled for Oct 30 as the party did not make its official position clear, even as the last hours of nomination withdrawal went on Wednesday.

Suranjit on Friday said, "According to the constitution, there are only two types of election systems — central government election and local government election. There is no chance to nominate a partisan candidate in the local government."

"If a partisan candidate must be nominated, then a law in this regard will have to be passed in parliament."

KHALEDA RIDICULED

Ridiculing the main opposition party chief Khaleda Zia's remarks that she would not return home before ousting the government, Suranjit said, "She said she won't return to home without overthrowing the government. Where she will stay in this rainy season?"

"She [Khaleda] said she will begin another liberation war. My question is what kind of war she is talking about with Jamaat-e-Islami on her side? Will she fight to return to Pakistan period again?"

Awami League advisory council member also talked of strengthening own party to foil the opposition's anti-government agitation programmes.

bangladesh won the toss
west-indies
run:298
w: 4
over:50

Bangladesh
run:258
w:7
over:50

result: West indies won the match .........40 runs

The police have rescued a 30-year-old man whose family kept him locked in a toilet for around three years labelling him a mental patient.

Mohammad Firoz Alam of Sahebganj village at Faridganj Upazila in Chandpur district was freed from the toilet on Wednesday.

His father Shamsul Alam, 60, who was detained over the incident along with Firoz's mother Halima Begum, 50, and brother Shah Alam, 35, claimed that Firoz was suffering from mental illness.

Shamsul, an assistant teacher of Sholla Government Primary School, said Firoz lost mental balance around three years back. The family kept him locked in a toilet out of fear that he could harm the neighbours, he added.

However, physician Aminul Islam Sumon of Faridganj Upazila Health Complex, where Firoz is being treated, said, "He's not a mental patient. He has become weak because of the confinement for a long time."

Faridganj police chief Mohammad Jabed said police raided Shamsul's house based on information by the local people.

"The detainees have admitted that they confined Firoz. But they claim that he is mentally sick," he said.

"We're investigating into the matter," he added.

One of Firoz's brothers, 'Nasir', along with several local people, told bdnews24.com that Firoz was tortured during the confinement.

"I was driven out of the house as I protested the torture. I informed many of the influential people about the matter. Those who tried to take steps were rebuked harshly," Nasir said.

Local union council chairman Billal Hossain Khan said he started collecting information on Firoz when he had been informed recently.

"Everyone said he was not mentally sick," Khan added.

Local people said Firoz was a polite person. He never had a quarrel with anybody, they said.

They suspect that dispute over property was the reason behind the incident.

Firoz told that he had never been a mental patient. He had passed Secondary School Certificate exams in 1998 and Higher Secondary Certificate exams in 2000.

He said he had gone abroad too.

"I went abroad in 2002. Then I returned in 2006 and got married. After three months, I went abroad again," he said.

Firoz went on, "I came to know that my father, mother and brother Shah Alam had behaved badly with my wife. Not only this, they beat her up. To escape torture, one day my wife returned to her father's house and never came back."

He said he returned home after coming to know his wife's leaving.

"My father, mother, brother and I quarrelled frequently over various issues. I was divorced. They confined me in the toilet," he added.

Firoz also said he was given little food during the confinement.

"I would cry for food. But they won't give me food or water when I asked for. I even consumed junks," he added.

The newly-formed specialist committee on coal extraction has held its first meeting.

The committee will prepare a report and submit it to the energy ministry in four months, committee head and former Petrobangla chairman Mosharraf Hossain said after the meeting on Wednesday.

The government formed the 15-member committee on Sept 8 to prepare a comparative financial analysis of coal extraction's profit and loss and of water management.

It will also recommend procedures to properly compensate and rehabilitate the people, who will have to give up lands to make the way for coal mining.

About the much-debated issue of mining method, Mosharraf said: "We're considering underground mining and open-pit mining as options."

The present committee is the second one formed by the incumbent government on coal issue. The first committee, headed by energy secretary Mohammad Mezbahuddin, was formed in April 2010.

That first committee had prepared a draft coal policy and published it on their website on Oct 2010 for public opinion.

The communications minister has said the government has a budget outlay large enough to take care of Padma bridge project funding on its own.

"The government has a budget of Tk 1.5 trillion. Tk 200 million is not a large amount for the government," Syed Abul Hossain told reporters at his ministry on Wednesday responding to a query whether the government will look for alternative funding sources if the World Bank declines to oblige.

"The government can implement the project by allocating Tk 50 billion every year for four years," the minister said.

The World Bank has committed $1.2-billion fund for the country's longest bridge over the Padma River. However, it announced on Monday temporary suspension of the funding following allegations of corruptions in the execution of the project.

"The bank has levelled allegations of corruption during river dredging, appointment of consultants and preliminary selections. They have temporarily suspended the funding," finance minister A M A Muhith had said.

In response to the main opposition's allegation of corruption, the communications minister dared BNP to launch its own investigation.

In fact, Abul Hossain took the line he had taken in response to allegations of corruption and irregularities in his ministry previously.

He had invited Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Berlin-based corruption watchdog Transparency International, Bangladesh to look into his ministry's activities.

BNP chief Khaleda had alleged that corruption and irregularities in the communications ministry were impeding construction of Padma bridge.

In response to Khaleda's remarks, Abul Hossain said there had been no corruption by the government in the project.

He said the tender evaluation committee comprising a World Bank official, Jamilur Reza Chowdhury and Ainun Nishat sent the list of consultation firms to the World Bank.

"No one from my ministry was appointed as member of the committee to avoid questions on corruption or transparency," he said.

"There is no scope to question the eligibility and integrity of the committee members," he added.

Besides, no one could question the transparency of the ministry now as the World Bank was yet to send its opinion, he said.

Construction of the $2.9-billion bridge over the river to connect the northwest of the country to the capital Dhaka and Chittagong port was expected to begin before the end of this year.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has said the country's army is being modernised in line with the technological advancement.

"It's the era of science and technology. The government has taken many steps to modernise Bangladesh Army in line with the technological development," she said on Wednesday.

The prime minister was addressing an army parade at Syedpur Cantonment in Nilphamari district on the occasion of the national standard award-giving ceremony to Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (EME) Centre and School of Bangladesh Army, and the fourth reunion and annual conference of the EME Corps Commanders.

She said around 1,400 Bengali members of the EME Corps joined the Liberation War in 1971 at the call of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 162 of them sacrificed their lives to liberate the country.

Hasina said seven members of the EME Corps were given various gallantry awards for their roles in the war.

She mentioned that Military Institute of Science and Technology, Armed Forces Medical College and Armed Forces Nursing Institute were established during her government.

Hasina also referred to her government's initiatives to resolve the accommodation problems of the army personnel.

Earlier, she reached Syedpur airport onboard a special aircraft of Bangladesh Airlines around 9:30 am.

Former president and chairman of Jatiya Party Hussain Muhammad Ershad, state minister for home Shamsul Haque Tuku, local parliament members and chief of the three services were present at the parade.

Khaleda Zia wants to hand over power to her 'corrupt' elder son Tarique Rahman, a ruling coalition MP has remarked.

"Those who are speaking against the trial of war crimes know that if war criminals are tried, they won't be able to do politics in this country," Workers' Party president Rashed Khan Menon MP said on Wednesday.

He was pointing at the opposition chief's speech in Sylhet on Tuesday.

Pointing out Khaleda's remark that she wanted to 'leave the power to new leadership', he said, "Which means you want to hand over power to corrupt men like Tarique Rahman."

Arguing against her demand for a caretaker government system, he said, "Khaleda Zia knows the caretaker system was for three elections only. Why is she fighting for this system? We all know what problems we faced during caretaker governments."

The opposition four-party alliance, led by Khaleda, has been opposing election under a political government, since the 15th amendment to constitution abolished the caretaker government system.

The holy Eid-ul-Azha, the second largest religious festival of the Muslims, would be celebrated on November 7, subject to sight of the moon.

Islamic Foundation communication officer Anowarul Kabir told bdnews24.com that Eid-ul-Azha is celebrated every year on the 10th of Islamic month of Zilhajj."

A preparatory meeting in connection with the celebration of the festival was held at the religious affairs ministry on Wednesday, said a media release.

As per the decision of the meeting, the main Eid congregation would be held at the National Eidgah ground at 8:30am. In case of any inclement weather, it would be held at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque at 9.00 am.

Chaired by religious affairs state minister Shahjahan Miah, the meeting was attended by ministry secretary Habibul Awal and representatives of different agencies and ministries concerned.

The state minister urged all concerned, including government officials, civil society members and law enforcing personnel, to perform their duties properly to celebrate the festival in a befitting manner.

Rumana Monzur, a master's student at the University of British Columbia (UCB), has not only lost her sight to the attack by her husband in Bangladesh in June, she believes she has lost her life too.

She has started over as a blind mother in Canada to her daughter, 5-year-old Anusheh. Her vision is damaged beyond redemption and she is trying hard to reconcile with the fact that she cannot read to her any more.

Rumana was blinded and her face partially mutilated by her husband Hassan Syed in Dhaka in a fit of rage on June 5.

"She came to Canada two weeks after me, with my mother. When she came, she came with the hope that her mom was okay," Rumana told The Vancouver Sun.

The former Dhaka University teacher now tells Anusheh stories, stories she remembered from her childhood.

She told the newspaper, "Now she helps me. She is learning to read, and she gets a book and brings it to me and tries to read."

"The slender thread of storytelling that has pulled her daughter back into her arms tells another story: that in a world that has suddenly gone dark, there is still a glimmer of light," The Sun observed.

Having lost weight and looking tiny and frail, Rumana is struggling to cope. "I am not okay," she says in a barely audible voice.

"Sometimes I feel someone has snatched myself from me, and I am living someone else's life."

Her little daughter is faced with the challenge of attending kindergarten in a foreign country, and learning a new language.

Regarding the case against her husband, who has not yet been handed down a sentence, Rumana said "she is focusing on her recovery, not on him".

"How can he be punished properly? His life hasn't changed. I have lost my sight."

To other women who may be in abusive relationships, she cautions, "Plan ahead, and plan to get out of that relationship. If I had been able to get out of that relationship, I would not be here like this today."

Rumana was taken to India on June 14 for treatment, as she was severely injured in a physical assault by Hassan, who allegedly tried to gouge her eyes out and chewed her nose off.

She is doing a master's degree in political science at the Vancouver campus of the university, where she was supposed to submit her thesis paper in October.

On June 15, Hassan was arrested and later grilled in a case filed in connection with the torture.

He claimed she had an extramarital affair with an Iranian man, whom Rumana met while studying in Canada.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has come out with a blazing response to her political rival BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia's question as to which faith she actually belongs to.

Hasina on Wednesday said, "She asked whether I'm a Muslim or not. I would like to tell her that my day starts with Fajr prayers while her morning begins at midday."

She also said that the BNP chief is creating disorder in the country as she could not tolerate the pain of defeat in the last national election and the current government's 'deluge of development'.

The Awami League president was addressing a public rally at Nilphamari Government High School ground.

At a public meeting in Sylhet on Tuesday, Khaleda said, "Prime minister Sheikh Hasina told a Durga Puja function that our Maa Durga has arrived by elephant. Is Durga her mother? We want to know which religion she actually believes in."

The opposition leader also slated Hasina for dropping the words 'Absolute Faith and Trust in Allah' from the constitution.

Criticising the trial for crimes against humanity during the nation's war of independence in 1971, the BNP chief had also claimed the government was targeting and arresting leaders of four-party alliance that BNP heads.

Hasina on Wednesday retorted that BNP has begun conspiring to save those people charged with war crimes.

"The four-party alliance had turned the country into a heaven for terrorism and corruption during its last term." Hasina said her (Khaleda) 'good boys' laundered abroad billions of public money that they had siphoned off.

"They must return the money or cases will be filed against them. The trial of those will be held on this land who steal money from the poor and orphans."

Khaleda's sons, Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman Coco, are charged in two separate money laundering cases. A Dhaka court on June 23 jailed Coco for six years and fined him Tk 190.41 million for siphoning off funds worth Singapore $2,884,000 and US $ 932,000 to Singapore.

Khaleda and Tarique are also accused in the Zia Orphanage Trusts case.

During her speech on Wednesday, Hasina said, "Our target is to keep every people of the country in peace. Children will go to schools. They will get stipends. Loans are being distributed in each of the districts. Our main target is a Bangladesh free of poverty."

Hasina promised her big audience of steps to expand rail line up to Nilphamari's Uttara Export Processing Zone, introduce master's courses in Nilphamari Government College and honours courses in Nilphamari Women's College and set up a youth training centre.