BANGLADESH

A woman was allegedly stabbed to death by her husband in the capital’s Adabar area Monday night.

The victim is identified as Chandana Begum, 22, of Pirganj upazila in Rangpur while her suspected killer husband is Saju Hossain, of Bogra.

Saju, a garment worker, rented a room at Road No. 3 of Shekhertek this month, said Anwar Hossain, a sub-inspector (SI) of Adabar Police Station.

Saju stabbed Chandana indiscriminately around 11:00pm Monday at their rented house, the SI said.

The SI suspected that family feud might be the reason behind the killing.

Saju, however, managed to escape the scene immediately after the killing, the SI added.

Being informed by the other tenants of the house, police recovered the body around 1:00am Tuesday and sent it to Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy.

A Dhaka court on Tuesday took into cognisance the money-laundering charges against businessman Giasuddin Al Mamun.

After scrutinising the case dockets and other relevant documents, Judge Md Jahurul Haque of the Senior Special Judge’s Court passed the order in the morning.

During the hearing, Mamun, now in custody, was present in the dock.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on April 29 pressed the charges against Mamun bringing allegation that he siphoned off 4,18,853 British pounds to the United Kingdom.

On September 22 last year, the ACC filed the case with Cantonment Police Station against Mamun, a business partner of BNP chief Khaleda Zia's elder son Tarique Rahman.

According to First Information Report (FIR), Mamun opened two accounts with a London branch of NatWest Bank and laundered the money.

Of the total amount, 2,14,356 pounds was found in one of the accounts. The money was deposited between July 2003 and January 2005.

M Shahzad Ali, owner of Bangladesh Telecom, had deposited 17,286 pounds in November 2004 and his wife M Tahmina Ali deposited 27,323, pounds to the account.

A sum of 2,04,497 pounds was found in the other account of Mamun. The money was deposited there between March 2003, and October 2006.

Mamun did not disclose the sources of this account though he was asked to explain in two letters sent to him at Kashimpur Central Jail, the FIR added.

Trial of another money laundering case filed against Mamun and Tarique is going on with the Special Judge Court-3 of Dhaka.

Mamun, who stands accused in 13 other cases, has already been convicted and sentenced to 20 years in jail in three cases, two of which were for corruption.

The International Crimes Tribuanal-1 on Tuesday issued a contempt rule against a counsel for war crimes accused Salauddin Quader Chowdhury for violating a tribunal order.

Contemner Barrister Fakhrul Islam will have to explain by May 27 why punitive action would not be taken against him for violating its order.

The three-judge panel headed by Justice Md Nizamul Huq issued the rule following a petition moved by the prosecution.

On Monday, Justice Nizamul Huq cautioned Fakhrul as he called first prosecution witness Prof Anisuzzaman a liar during his cross-examination.

The tribunal also cautioned Salauddin on the same day about his behaviour in the courtroom.

A nephew of the junior home minister has allegedly beaten up a journalist for reporting 'nepotism' in awarding Food for Work Programme tender.

Abdullah Al Mamun, the local correspondent of Bengali daily Kaler Kantho, was admitted to the Pabna Medical College Hospital after the alleged beating on Monday morning.

State Minister for Home Shamsul Hoque Tuku, however, said that the incident involving his nephew Aminul Islam was result of a personal dispute.

Mamun's elder brother Al Mahmud Sarker is the Science and Technology Secretary of ruling Awami League's Pabna district unit.

"Police have been ordered to arrest the attackers," Tuku said.

Bera Police Station Officer in Charge Abdul Hye said a case was filed against six people, including Aminul. "We are trying to arrest the accused."

Mamun's brother told that Aminul, son of Badiul Alam, and his followers had been threatening his brother since the Bengali daily published a report titled 'Relatives of MP Tuku get T-R, Food for Work tenders' on Friday.

He said Aminul led 12-13 'miscreants', including Nazrul, Firoz, Halim, Zakir and Sagar, to beat his brother Mamun.

Witnesses said Aminul and his associates brought Mamun to a place in front of a temple when he was about to leave a restaurant at Bera upazila around 9:30am.

"Miscreants led by Aminul beat me up with rod. They hit my back, hand and shoulder," Mamun told

Hospital's orthopedic surgery unit chief Dr Reazul Haque said no bone of Mamun had broken but he would need rest.

Local journalists held a rally at Pabna Press Club to protest the alleged attack.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has declared a raise in the status of assistant teachers of government secondary schools from the third grade to the second grade.

The declaration came from a meeting of the Bangladesh Government Secondary Teachers Association at Dhaka Residential Model College on Tuesday.

She pointed out that her government had raised the status of headmasters and assistant headmasters of government secondary schools from the second grade to the first grade.

"I declare now from here that from this moment onward, assistant teachers are alleviated from the third grade to the second grade."

The association's general secretary Mohammad Imon Ali placed the long-standing demand of secondary assistant teachers before the Prime Minister in his welcome address.

"If we do not show proper respect to the teachers, we will not produce students with self-respect and the country will not progress far," Hasina said, adding that no one can now neglect the teachers.

The High Court on Tuesday forbade publication of political novel 'Deyal' without correction by Humayun Ahmed on the assassination of the nation's founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the post-75 developments.


The suo moto ruling by the bench of justices A H M Shamsuddin Chowdhury and Jahangir Hossain came on Tuesday after Attorney General Mahbubey Alam brought to its attention the two sections of the novel published by a Bengali-language daily on May 11.

Alam objected to the depiction of Bangabandhu's youngest son Sheikh Rasel's killing in the two chapters.

The court on its own volition slapped an embargo on the publication of the book without correcting the portrayal.

The Information Secretary and the Education Secretary have been asked to contact the writer over the matter.

Even though Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was mentioned in the famed fiction writer's various writings, this is his first extensive foray into the assassination of the founding president and the post-75 events.

An elderly woman was burnt to death as a fire broke out at her house in Aditmari upazila of Lalmonirhat early Monday.

The dead victim is Joyfun Nesa, 76, wife of Hossain Ali of Chandonpat village in the upazila, reports our Lalmonirhat correspondent.

Locals and family sources said the fire was originated from an electric short circuit in the room of Joyfun Nesa’s younger son Jafor Ali and soon spread to four other adjacent rooms including Joyfun Nesa’s one.

All the family members except Joyfun Nesa managed to go out of the house safely.

Local people extinguished the fire after two hours of frantic efforts.

Ghulam Azam, considered by many as the symbol of war crimes during the Liberation War of Bangladesh, was yesterday indicted on five charges of crimes against humanity.

After framing the charges, the International Crimes Tribunal-1 set June 5 for the trial to begin with opening statement from the prosecution.

The charges against Ghulam Azam include involvement in murder and torture of unarmed people; and conspiracy, planning, incitement and complicity to commit genocide and crimes against humanity during the 1971 war.

The charges were based on 60 incidents of crimes against humanity.

Ghulam Azam was the ameer of East Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami during the Liberation War. He campaigned across Bangladesh and even in Pakistan (then West Pakistan) in an attempt to foil the liberation efforts.

He played a key role in forming Shanti (peace) Committee and Razakar, Al Badr and Al Shams forces, which actively helped the Pakistani forces in committing massacres across the country. Three million people were killed and over two lakh women were raped during the nine-month war.

Yesterday, Tribunal-1 Chairman Justice Md Nizamul Huq read out the charges with an introduction to the formation of the tribunal, a brief history of the Liberation War, a profile of Ghulam Azam and submissions of the prosecution and the defence along with the court's views on the case.

Justice Md Anwarul Haque and AKM Zaheer Ahmed are the other members of the three-member tribunal.

Justice Huq said the materials in hand support that Ghulam Azam had conspired with the occupation forces, planned and incited crimes, and was complicit in crimes against humanity; and he was responsible for commissioning of international crimes in 1971.

He did these by delivering speeches, issuing directives, making press comments and meeting heads of different civilian and army administrations, the tribunal chairman said.

“There is no bar to holding the trial after 40 years,” Justice Huq said while reading out the charges between 10:40am and 12:45pm yesterday.

“The tribunal also found that the trial can be held [against Azam] for offences committed in 1971 under this [International Crimes Tribunal] act of 1973.”

Ghulam Azam sat still in the dock as the tribunal chairman read out the charges.

The 89-year-old was wearing a Jinnah cap (a brown cap named after Pakistani leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah) and white punjabi and pajamas.

He was produced before the tribunal at 10:35am in a wheelchair. He first took a seat in the dock at the back of the courtroom. Following requests from his counsels, the tribunal allowed him to sit in the dock near the judges' bench.

On permission, the former Jamaat ameer stood up, grabbed his crutch with the right hand and walked to the dock unaided.

After the charges were read out, he was asked if he pleaded guilty or not guilty.

At that, he stood up and delivered a 10-minute speech.

He said, “I don't consider myself guilty.”

He said he was on the list of collaborators of Pakistani forces but claimed he was not a war criminal.

One of the charges against him was involvement in the torture and murder of 38 people in Brahmanbaria on November 11, 1971, including Shiru Miah, a sub-inspector of Mohammadpur Police Station.

The Pakistani forces with the help of their collaborators -- Razakar and Al Badr Bahini -- killed the 38 after receiving a written order from Ghulam Azam, the charges said.

The tribunal also charged him with conspiring to commit crimes on six occasions upon which different crimes against humanity were perpetrated across Bangladesh.

The former Jamaat chief was charged with planning to commit crimes on three occasions, which resulted in different crimes against humanity committed across the country.

He was also charged with 28 instances of provoking crimes and his complicity in 22 incidents of crimes against humanity.

The five charges against Ghulam Azam cover crimes against humanity; attempt, abetment or conspiracy to commit such crimes; other crimes under international law; complicity in or failure to prevent commissioning of any such crimes; and liability for crimes as an accomplice and commander, according to the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973.

If convicted, he could get the death penalty. The act only allows a convict to appeal to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court against his conviction and sentence.

The tribunal took the charges into cognisance on January 9 this year, four days after the prosecution placed the charges. Ghulam Azam was sent to jail on January 11 after the tribunal rejected his bail.

Among other family members, Ghulam Azam's wife and his son former Brig Gen Abdullahil Aman Azmi were present at the courtroom during the charge framing yesterday.

After the indictment order was passed, they had lunch in the courtroom during the recess.

After the proceedings, Abdur Razzaq, chief counsel for the Jamaat leader, told the media that the tribunal had passed a “completely wrong order”.

The 25 leaders and activists of 18-party alliance including BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir accused of exploding 'bombs' at secretariat secured an anticipatory bail from the High Court on Monday.

Justice Mohammad Anwarul Haque, judge of a third bench of the HC, granted them bail till submission of the charge sheet in the case.

The case was filed with Shahbagh Police Station against 28 leaders and activists of 18-party alliance in connection with exploding 'bombs' at the Bangladesh Secretariat during the April 29 shutdown.

Among the accused, 25 secured the bail as they appeared before the HC bench around 10:30am for bail.

On May 7, two HC judges delivered dissenting orders on their bail petitions compelling the chief justice to sent the petition to a third bench.

Earlier on Sunday, the HC bench of Justice Md Anwarul Haque ordered the alliance leaders to surrender before the lower court by May 16 in connection with a case filed for torching a vehicle near the Prime Minister’s Office during the April 29 hartal.

The HC also ordered the law enforcers not to arrest or harass the accused until they appear before the lower court on May 16.

DISSENTING ORDER

On May 10, Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain sent the bail petition to the third bench of the HC since two judges of a division bench earlier passed dissenting order on the petition.

Earlier on May 7, a two-member HC bench delivered dissenting orders on seven separate bail petitions submitted by around 30 accused leaders, including BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, in the cases filed for blasts and arson during the April 29 shutdown.

Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury, the senior judge of the bench, granted anticipatory bail to the accused till submission of police reports in the cases, which were filed with Tejgaon and Shahbagh police stations.

He also issued seven separate rules upon the government to explain in three weeks why the petitioners should not be granted regular bail.

Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder, the other judge, however, directed the accused politicians to surrender before the magistrate's court concerned within seven days and ordered law enforcers not to harass or arrest them during that period.

The two judges had recently sent the bail petitions along with their orders to the chief justice.

TORCHING CASE

In another development on May 13, a Dhaka court fixed May 21 to decide whether it will indict Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and 44 other leaders and activists of the 18-party alliance in the vehicle torching case.

Earlier on May 10, inspector of the Detective Branch of Police Nurul Amin, also the investigation officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet against 45 leaders and activists of the BNP-led 18-party alliance, including Fakhrul, in the case.

Strictly scrutinized 100 armed cadres of the ruling Awami League in Bangladesh, who received 6-month long extensive commando training at Dehradun in India under the direct supervision of Indian espionage agency the Research and Analysis Wing are continuing various types of activities, including secret killing, abduction etcetera since June of 2010 with the mission of “clearing” a large number of politicians, media personnel and members of the civil society in Bangladesh. The team codenamed “Crusader-100” went to India during end September 2009 and stayed there till mid June 2010, where brilliant commando trainers of Indian Army gave extensive training to these people under the disguise of “training few young commandos of Bangladesh Army”. The entire project of “Crusader-100” was originally conceived by Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and the project was coordinated directly by the Bangladeshi Prime Minister and her defense advisor Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Tarique Ahmed Siddiqui.
Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Tarique Ahmed Siddiqui maintains special connection with Indian RAW and British MI6 for decades, since he was in army service. Such relations of RAW and MI6 with him was because of his family relations with Sheikh Hasina. When Bangladesh Awami League formed government in January 2009, Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Tarique Ahmed Siddiqui became extremely important in the government due to his official position as the defense advisor to the Bangladeshi Prime Minister as well as his personal identity of being the brother-in-law of Prime Minister’s younger sister Sheikh Rehana. The selection of the entire batch of ruling party cadres, who were sent to India for commando training were directly done by Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Tarique Ahmed Siddiqui and a few of his loyal colleagues and retired army officers, while on return of the members of the “Crusader-100” team from India, they were provided a hit list comprising names of opposition politicians, members of Bangladeshi media and some members of the civil society. According to information, the list contains names of more than 83 people, who are planned to be “cleared” by the members of the “Crusader-100” gang. The members of these specially trained hitters are housed inside several buildings at Dhaka’s Gulshan and Baridhara areas. The Baridhara “bases” of the hitters is maintained directly by Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Tarique Ahmed Siddiqui and each of such places are equipped with sophisticated surveillance equipments as well as entry of civilians are restricted within these premises. Leader of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, M Ilias Ali, who became victim of enforced disappearance recently, was also named in the list of Crusader-100 force. My New Delhi contacts disclosed few of the names of the hit list, which include, political leaders Amanullah Aman, Mirza Abbas, Sadeque Hossain Khoka, Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, M Ilias Ali, Habibun Nabi Sohel, Abdullah Al Noman, Barrister Abdur Razzaque, Shafiul Alam Pradhan, ASM Abdur Rob, Mufti Fazlul Haque Amini and Moulana Fazlul Karim. Awami League and RAW have decided “clearing” the listed names latest by December 2013, which they consider to be “vital” for the ruling party in Bangladesh in returning into power.
The gang of Crusader-100 is equipped with sophisticated small and medium range weapons, mostly with silencers as well as bullet-proof jackets, gas bombs and vehicles for their operations. Some of the members of this gang use satellite phones to skip interception of any of the Bangladeshi intelligence agencies. Each of the members of this gang received healthy financial package alongside various types of extra benefits, including apartments in Dhaka city for the members of their families and small businesses. They are not allowed to show faces during the day-time and mostly required to stay inside their bases in Dhaka city. In case of emergency, when the members of the team are required to go on street during the day time, they are compulsorily required to wear black-tinted helmets, to hide their faces from the public. By rotation, members of the team are secretly taken to India for a break of 7-10 days for “amusement” purposes. In such cases, they are allowed to cross Bangladesh-India borders without any travel documents.

Founder-mayor of Narayanganj City Corporation Dr Selina Hayat Ivy was sworn in on Sunday morning at a high-profile ceremony at the PM office, completing her investiture following a memorable election win.Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina administered the oath at her office to the mayor of the port city who clinched a landslide victory in a much-orchestrated election.

A Gallup Poll survey of 21 Asian heads of state ranks Sheikh Hasina seventh with 77 percent approval.

The Bangladesh prime minister received higher approval rating than her counterparts from Australia, New Zealand, Japan or India, according to the survey conducted in 2011.

The Washington-based Gallup Poll, specialising in public opinion surveys, found that just about a fifth of the people (19 percent) disapproved of Hasina and 4 percent would not answer.

The results of the survey conducted in the third year of her rule were published on Friday.

However, the survey showed majorities in more than half of the surveyed countries and regions approved of their chief executives, with leaders in Southeast and South Asia earning some of the highest marks in the region.

Results are based on face-to-face and telephone interviews with approximately 1,000 adults, aged 15 and more, conducted between April 5 and Dec 4, 2011.

It showed New Zealand prime minister John Key ranked 9th with an approval rating of 72 percent while the Indian chief executive Manmohan Singh ranked 11th with 59 percent approval. Australian prime minister Julia Gillard came 14th with 45 percent and Japan's Yoshihiko Noda ranked 15th with 44 percent.

The survey found more leaders in Asia lost support than gained it between 2011 and 2010, despite more residents expressing approval for their leadership than disapproval in most of the countries surveyed.

According to the report, the 20 percent approval rating that Pakistanis gave their president was the lowest in the region, while Laos topped with 97 percent followed by Cambodia and Sri Lanka in second and third.

The report said, Laotians, Cambodians, and Sri Lankans were most likely to express support for their leaders, with more than nine in 10 saying they approve of their job performance.

"Economic stability and peace dividends may help explain some of the relatively high approval that leaders of Laos, Cambodia and Sri Lanka get from their constituents."

"Laos' 7 percent or better economic growth since 2008, for example, likely contributes to residents' approval of President Choummali Saignason," the report said.

According to the report, Mahinda Rajapaksa in Sri Lanka may still be benefiting from residents' residual euphoria following the 2009 end of the country's 26-year civil war.

In contrast, political discord, internal strife, and geo-political complexities likely affected approval ratings for leaders in Hong Kong, Nepal and Pakistan.

"Pakistanis have never placed much confidence in President Asif Ali Zardari's leadership; throughout his tenure, the country has grappled with terrorism, challenging relations with the US and a struggling economy," the report said.

The report, however, did not elaborate on the Bangladeshi situation and why it finds itself among the top 10 in Asia despite its volatile politics, soaring food and fuel prices, and chronic utility crises including severe electricity and gas shortage.

It explained, recent government corruption scandals and economic troubles have likely tarnished the image of the Indian PM, who has seen a slight dip in his approvals.

Singapore's Lee Hsien Loong has maintained relatively high approval ratings compared with ratings that other leaders around the world received in 2011.

"Gradually declining approval ratings for Lee's People's Action Party may be contributing to the decline in his own rating," according to the Gallup report.

The leaders of Malaysia, Cambodia, and Taiwan saw marginal improvement in their already positive ratings.

The Gallup analysis says, compared with other global regions, there will be few elections in Asia and leadership will remain stable for the duration of 2012.

The findings suggest that those leaders without a majority of their constituents' support need to address the economic, social, and political concerns of their populations.

"Given the lack of support among residents in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and South Korea, these leaders in particular will continue to struggle in governing their respective countries."

South Korea's Lee Myung-bak will continue to grapple with engaging constituents concerned with corruption allegations and provocations involving North Korea, it said.

The survey has an error margin 2-4 percentage points, plus or minus.

The first war crimes tribunal of Bangladesh is scheduled to rule on Jamaat guru Ghulam Azam's indictment on Sunday, already having deferred the date twice.

The International Crimes Tribunal–1, set up on Mar 25 of 2010, on the 39th anniversary of Bangladesh's independence, is trying crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.

The prosecution's numerous charges against the former Jamaat-e-Islami chief mainly consist of incitement, conspiracy, complicity and command responsibility for crimes against humanity.

Ghulam Azam, a former chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, arguably the largest Islamist organisation in the subcontinent, is allegedly among the key people who pioneered anti-liberation efforts in 1971 colluding with the Pakistani military junta of that time.

Azam is widely perceived to have been among core group of right-wing supporters of the Pakistani Army, who came out strongly in support of a united Pakistan.

Ghulam Azam, then chief of Jamaat, was instrumental in setting up the infamous Peace Committee at the national level. The Razakars, an auxiliary force set up mainly to actively thwart the liberation forces, are said to have been mobilised through the Peace Committees across Bangladesh.

Among the most notorious vigilante militia are the Al Badr, whose membership is said to have been mainly dominated by the Jamaat's student wing, called the Islami Chhatra Sangha at that time.

The Al Badr is alleged to have spearheaded execution of the intellectual elites of Bangladesh just days before Bangladesh's victory on Dec 16, 1971.

On Dec 12, 2011, the prosecution brought a 52-point charter of charges against Azam and appealed for his arrest. Later, following the tribunal order, charges were re-arranged and presented to the tribunal on Jan 5.

He was produced before the tribunal on Jan 11 and sent to jail the same day. Since that evening, Ghulam Azam has been kept at the prison cell of the Bangabandhu medical university for better treatment considering his delicate health.

Azam had allegedly led the infamous 'peace committees' and collaborated with the Pakistan Army during the Liberation War. He also spoke in favour of Pakistan to the Middle Eastern countries during the war, according to the prosecution.

He stayed in London for seven years after 1971 and returned to Bangladesh in 1978 during BNP founder Ziaur Rahman's rule. Having led Jamaat for long, Azam retired from active politics in 1999.

His party remains a key ally of the main opposition BNP. Two Jamaat leaders, also behind bars for war crimes charges, have even served as ministers during the BNP's last tenure in government between 2001 and 2006, when Azam's party was part of the ruling coalition.

Garment workers blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway protesting against the detention of a fellow worker for a second day on Sunday, a day after violence between police and workers had left at least 100 people injured.

One female worker died after being run over by a speeding bus during the violence on Saturday.

Ashulia Police Station officer-in-charge (investigation) Mustafa Kamal said on Sunday that the workers brought in tree trunks to block the highway near Narshinghapur and set them on fire around 9am. They also vandalised around 25 vehicles.

He said chases and counter-chases also took place between the workers and the police on Sunday and at the height of the clash around 10am had fired rubber bullets and tear shells.

Operations in about 100 factories remained suspended on Sunday amid fear of further violence.

On Saturday, police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to bring the situation under control after the protesting workers blocked the road, smashed vehicles and attacked police. Some 100 people including 10 police officials were injured in the violence on Saturday.

The workers took to the street to protest against detention of a worker of Hameem Group's Artistic Design Limited who was detained on Thursday after he allegedly attacked an official of the group.

Thursday's detention of the worker followed an altercation with an official over talking on mobile phone during work. The authorities of Artistic Design handed over the worker to the police as he had allegedly beat up the official.

Opex Sweater worker 'Nahara', 30, died when she was run over by a bus while trying to flee police action.

The newly-formed Election Commission will hold talks with political parties if needed regarding the use of electronic voting machines in the national polls, the chief election commissioner has said.The EC will again take the initiative to hold dialogue with political parties to make use of EVMs in the national polls acceptable to everyone. The new commission has not yet taken a decision on the matter, Kazi Rakib Uddin Ahmed told journalists at the EC secretariat on Tuesday.This is first time the new CEC has talked about EVMs after taking office on Feb 9.When the previous EC talked to political parties on the issue, they suggested using EVMs in other polls prior to their use in the national polls. BNP strongly opposed their use, while Awami League extended full support.At the end of the previous commissions tenure, former CEC A T M Shamsul Huda said that they are completing all preparations needed for the use of EVMs in the national polls.The former EC also instructed BUETs IICT to develop prototype of the present EVM to be used in the national polls.New CEC Kazi Rakib said, Technology has seen massive development. So we will not lag behind the technology.Talks are going on with BUET to make the current EVMs more precise and reliable, so that normal voters do not face any problems and can cast their votes properly.

Awami League (AL) lawmaker and former state minister for home Tanjim Ahmad Sohel Taj resigned as parliament member on Monday.A confidential parliament source confirmed about the matter on Monday.
According to source, Sohel’s additional personal assistant Abu Kawsar sent the resignation letter to the speaker’s office at about 1030am.However, acting parliament secretary Mahfujur Rahman said that he knew nothing in this regard.
Earlier, Sohel Taj, son of country`s first Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmed, sent a letter to cabinet secretariat asking why a huge amount of money was sent to his account after two and a half years and why no gazette notification on his resignation was issued.
Meanwhile, he demanded that the government take back around Tk 40 lakh deposited in his account in remuneration and allowances for the post.
Earlier on June 1, 2009, he stepped down as state minister for home affairs about five months into his appointment.
Sohel Taj, son of country`s first Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmed, submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her Office on the same day.
Later, he was made a minister without portfolio.
Sources said Sohel Taj did not specify any reason except `personal ground` for his resignation.

A Dhaka Court has indicted journalist Shafiq Rehman, daily Naya Diganta editor Alamgir Mohiuddin and its publisher Shamsul Huda for libel. The Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrates court of Hakim Shahriar Mahmud Adnan framed charge against the three on Thursday.
Bangladesh Quoran Shiksha Mission president Maolana Abu Bakar Siddique, who is also Awami Olama League vice-president, filed a case accusing the three for hurting religious sentiment and defaming Islam on Mar 6 in 2011.
According to the case statement, Naya Diganta ran a column on Feb 25 in 2011 written by Shafiq Rehman titled Not a chance editor, a chance adviser quoting former chief justice ABM Khairul Haque. In another column in the same newspaper, Shafique Rehman identified Khairul Haque as Chance Muhammad, it was alleged in the case.
It was alleged in the case that Shafiq Rehman criticised prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) by writing the column and hurt emotions of the Muslims and the religion Islam was defamed.
But the judge took into cognisance only the charge of the defamation.
All the three accused pleaded their innocence after the charge was read out before them.
A T M Golam Daud argued for the plaintiff while Abdullah Mahmud Hasan stood for the accused.

Missing BNP leader M Ilias Ali's wife met his party chief again on Wednesday.

Tahsina Rushdir Luna had also met Khaleda Zia on May 3.

Khaleda's press secretary Maruf Kamal Khan told that she went to the opposition chief's office at Gulshan around 9pm and was there for more than one hour.

Khaleda's aide added that Luna went to the party chairperson's Gulshan office alone.

Luna had previously called on Khaleda on Apr 21 following the disappearance of her husband.

Ilias, one of the organising secretaries of BNP and a former MP from Sylhet, and his driver went missing in the early hours of Apr 18. His car was found abandoned in the capital's Mohakhali area.

BNP has been alleging that 'government agencies picked him up', but the government has been refuting the allegation, saying it was a 'drama staged by the BNP'.

The Rapid Action Battalion and police have raided several places at Pubail in Gazipur and Dhaka in search of Ilias, but to no avail.

The fate of the Teesta deal has become uncertain, BBC Bangla radio reported quoting a 'highly-placed' official of the Indian government.

The Indian government has also informed Bangladesh's foreign minister Dipu Moni that the signing has been put off for now, it said on Wednesday.

Even though the Teesta water sharing pact was to be signed between the two neighbours during the Indian prime minister's visit to Bangladesh in September last year, it was halted at the last moment due to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's opposition.

Bangladesh, in return, halted the transit agreement.

Banerjee, who is also a Trinamool Congress leader, claimed that she was not shown the draft before. Indian PM Manmohan Singh had apologised for the halt in the face of intense media criticism in Bangladesh and India, and expressed his frustration over the failure.

The agreements are on hold since then and the two governments have been regularly holding talks over the deals. The deals also came up at foreign minister-level talks during Dipu Moni's recent visit to India.

While her Indian counterpart SM Krishna assured that the Indian central government is working to ease the water-sharing pact, Dipu Moni told the Indian media that the relation between Bangladesh and India would be 'hit strongly' if the pact is not reached.

India has given up on transit through Bangladesh in the future, which was to be given in return of the deal, the BBC source said.

Instead, the country is undertaking work to link Mizoram with Myanmar through Kaladan River as an alternative route for transit, the Indian official reportedly said.

"This would hike India's costs, but there is no alternative," the official was quoted as saying.

Awami League MP Tanjim Ahmed, also known as Sohel Taj, has expressed his surprise and frustration over speaker Abdul Hamid's rejection of accepting his resignation from parliament.

"I am surprised, stunned. I have talked to the speaker on more than two occasions after sending the resignation letter and have made it clear that I am resigning consciously and willingly. None pressured me," Tanjim, who is currently at Maryland, has told by phone.

"The honourable speaker assured me that he would let me know about his decision over my resignation. But he did not do that, rather he talked to media," Taj added.

Speaker Abdul Hamid on Wednesday said his office did not accept Taj's resignation from parliament on technical grounds and that the letter was not properly submitted.

The Speaker pointed out that the letter was not accepted as it did not have the words 'willing to resign' in line with the Section 67 of the Constitution.

"One has to write his resignation letter himself. But Sohel Taj's one was typewritten."

"Moreover, the signature and the date were written using two types of ink and they seemed to have been written by different people," he added.

The Gazipur-4 MP's personal aide had handed in the letter to the Speaker's office on Apr 23, nearly three years after the son of Bangladesh's Liberation War-time prime minister, Tajuddin Ahmed, had 'resigned' as a junior minister.


He joined Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's cabinet as the state minister for home on Jan 6, 2009. Only five months into taking of oath, he had resigned on May 31 the same year. After his resignation, the government had said that the president had not accepted the resignation.

The ruling Awami League general secretary has echoed the views of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the need to initiate a political dialogue with all political parties.

Syed Ashraful Islam, however, did not give any date or process of holding the talks to resolve 'differences'.

Clinton, during her recent visit to Dhaka, had underlined the need for and encouraged to initiate dialogue among the political actors of the state to settle all disputes.

"The political dialogue has to be held as it has no alternative (to ease an increasingly volatile political situation)," he said replying to reporters queries at the parliament building on Wednesday.

When asked about the date and process of talks, the local government minister said," Everybody will know that once the process starts."

Diplomatic quarters have been suggesting holding talks ever since the ruling coalition and the opposition took diametrically opposite stance on the issue of caretaker government.

The European Union on Wednesday joined the United States in calling the major parties in Bangladesh for a political dialogue.

An EU delegation in Bangladesh made the call at a press conference in Dhaka marking the 62nd Europe Day and 40 years of partnership between Bangladesh and the European Union.

Jatiya Party (JP), one of the key of the ruling coalition, also believes 'it's necessary to hold talks before the next general elections'.

JP chief Hussein Muhammad Ershad on Tuesday spoke in favour of initiating national polls dialogues in parliament.


"Our stance is clear ... we are ready to sit for talks or discussions with the government over the issue of non-partisan government," BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said on Wednesday.

"However, they (government) will have to announce that they have morally accepted the stance," he added.

Dhaka University Chancellor and President Zillur Rahman has urged Unesco Director General Irina Bokova to consider making Bengali one of the official languages of the United Nations.

"I hope the UN would consider the matter with importance showing respect to Bangla-speaking people in the world," he said at a special convocation organised at Dhaka University on Wednesday to confer an honorary Doctorate of Laws degree on Bokova.

Rahman pointed out that Unesco's initiative to mark Feb 21 as the International Mother Language Day in recognition of the sacrifices of the language martyrs of 1952 has been a great inspiration for Bangladesh. "I hope Unesco will come forward in establishing Bangla as one of the official languages in the UN."

A chamber justice of the Appellate Division has stayed a previous High Court (HC) order for four weeks that asked the inspector general of police (IGP) to appear before it on May 16.

Police chief Hasan Mahmud Khandaker on Tuesday received summons from the High Court to explain steps taken to locate two 'missing' Islamic University (IU) students who allegedly went missing almost three months back.

In response to a government appeal, the Appellate Division justice, Syed Mahmud Hossain, passed the order on Wednesday.

Attorney general Mahbube Alam and deputy attorney general Sarder Mohammad Rashed Jahangir argued for the state during the hearing.

"Besides staying the High Court's previous order for four weeks, the court also ordered to move to it with a regular appeal with four weeks," Rashed Jahangir told .

According to the petition filed over the 'disappearance' of the duo, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel in plain clothes picked up the two IU unit leaders of Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS) from a bus at Nabinagar in Savar while they were returning to Kushtia from Dhaka on the night of Feb 4.

The missing leaders are Al Mukaddas of Al-Fiqh and Mohammad Waliullah of Dawah departments. Mukaddas is the cultural secretary of the university unit of the ICS while Waliullah is its finance secretary.

A four-day strike was observed at the university in Kushtia town in protest against the 'forced disappearance' of the two leaders.

Following a writ appeal, the High Court on Feb 15 issued a rule asking the government officials to explain why they should not be directed to produce the duo before it to prove that they were not detained illegally.

Hearing the writ petition, the bench of justices Abdul Awal and Mohammad Ashraful Kamal had issued the summons to the IGP on Tuesday.

Police on Thursday pressed charges against BNP's acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and 44 others for their alleged role in torching a bus in front of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) during the Apr 29 general strike.

Detective Branch inspector Nurul Amin, who is investigating the case, pressed the charges with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in the morning and sought arrest warrants.

Tejgaon police filed a case on Apr 29 accusing the leaders of the BNP and its allies of backing the strikers who allegedly set the bus on fire in front of the PMO.

Among the accused, BNP's joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi was arrested and sent to jail, pending further order, while another joint secretary general Mahbubuddin Khokon was on bail.

Defence lawyer Masud Ahmed told that if convicted in the case, one may face up to two years in jail. According to the law, there is a 30-day deadline to finish the case as it was filed under the speedy trial act. The investigator may get an extension of 15 days if it is not concluded in 30 days.

The charge-sheeted accused also include BNP leaders MK Anwar, Hannan Shah, Sadeque Hossain Khoka, Mirza Abbas, Khandoker Mosharraf Hossain, Amanullah Aman, Ruhul Kuddus Talukdar Dulu, Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, Fazlul Haque Milon, Sharif Uddin Chowdhury Anne, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal president Sultan Salahuddin Tuku, Liberal Democratic Party president Oli Ahmed, Jamaat-e-Islami acting chief Mokbul Hossain, BJP President Andalib Rahman Partha and Swechchhasebak Dal president Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel

After a week of the government announcement to procure rice and paddy from the local market, the Directorate General of Food sent letters to its offices in different districts fixing targets to buy the Boro crops.

"The launch of the drive to buy rice and paddy needs completion of particular processes after the decision is taken. We sent the letters after finishing the process on Tuesday," Director General of Food Directorate Ahmad Hossain Khan told .

He claimed that the letters had reached the local offices.

The crop procurement committees at district and upazila levels had already finished preparations, he said adding the drive to buy the crops would start next week.

At a meeting on Apr 30, the Food Planning and Monitoring Committee (FPMC) of the food ministry had decided to collect rice and paddy of the Boro season from May 3.

Food Minister Abdur Razzak had said the government would procure rice at Tk 28 a kg and paddy at Tk 18 a kg until September.

Tenth witness in the sensational 10-truck arms haul case, a police official, told a port city court on Tuesday that a number of National Security Intelligence (NSI) officials had pressured against the seizure.

Then deputy commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) Abdullah Hel Baki made his submission in the court of S M Mojibur Rahman, the Chittagong Metropolitan Sessions Judge and Senior Special Tribunal-1 judge.

Baki said the NSI officials were at the jetty of state-owned Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Factory Ltd (CUFL) during the seizure on the night of Apr 1, 2004.

Six people, including the then deputy director, Maj Liakat Hossain, came to meet him with two police officials on duty at the police camp at the coal depot northeast of the jetty.

"Maj Liakat asked me, 'Why are you making the seizure? DG [NSI director general] Brigadier General Abdur Rahim knows about this.' He then passed me his mobile phone and asked me to talk with the DG on line."

Baki, who is currently the Sylhet Metropolitan Police's additional commissioner, added that they got very irritated when he declined to talk over phone with Rahim.

He continued that his senior, then CMP Commissioner Sabbir Ali, told him not to get into conflict with the NSI officials without proper evidence.

"They were not arrested as I thought that NSI's involvement would come out during the probe anyway. Also, Maj Liakat put pressur on me."

"Even the probe committee led by the home secretary did not accept my claims about their involvement," Baki added.

The police official also identified Liakat Hossain in the court, who is accused of overseeing the unloading of the cache of arms at the jetty that night.

Former NSI chiefs Rahim and Rejjakul Haider, Liakat, then Industries Minister Matiur Rahman Nizami and State Minister for Home Lufozzaman Babar are accused in the case.

The project cost of the 1.8-km Mirpur-Airport Road flyover through the restricted Dhaka Cantonment zone, an overpass and a connecting bridge at Banani rail crossing has doubled.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Tuesday approved the revised Construction of Flyover at Mirpur-Airport Road and Overpass at Banani Rail Crossing project, for which the cost has gone up to Tk 3.6 billion from the original outlay of Tk 1.92 billion.

The approval was given at its meeting held in the NEC conference room in city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, with ECNEC chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

The deadline to implement the project has also been extended by one year.

The top economic policymaking body of the government approved a total of seven development projects, including one for the construction of the flyover, Acting Planning Division Secretary Bhuiyan Shafiqul Islam told reporters after the meeting.

The army's Special Works Organisation (SWO), and the Roads and Highways Department of the communications ministry took charge of the project last June 2010 with the target of completing it by June 2012.

In the revised project plan, the implementation deadline has been extended by one year. The total project cost be borne by the national exchequer.

Installations from about seven acres of land are being removed and relocated from the restricted Dhaka Cantonment zone to implement the project.

The project cost have been revised due to more space required for two additional lanes dedicated to the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, inclusion of a new connecting bridge, increased width and length of the flyover and overpass and the overall increase in the cost of the project work.

The revised project aims to ease the city's nagging traffic jam, ensure signal-free uninterrupted traffic operation, and to reduce road mishaps and development of traffic management at the Banani railway crossing and its neighbouring areas including Army Stadium and Naval Headquarters.

Starting from Matikata, the flyover ends at Radisson Hotel. People using the flyover would not face the cantonment's check posts. At present, the residents of Mirpur and Pallabi have to take a long detour at Bijoy Sarani or Agargaon to go to airport putting extra pressure on the busy Airport Road.

The 0.8-km Banani overpass will have six lanes and a designated road. A link bridge will connect the overpass with the flyover.

BNP Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and other senior leaders met Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Monday night after being granted a seven-day reprieve by the High Court.

He was accompanied by A S M Hannan Shah, Mirza Abbas, Amanullah Aman and other top brass of the party during the visit to Khaleda's Gulshan office.

Fakhrul and other senior BNP leaders, after spending a week in 'hiding', appeared before the High Court earlier in the day to press for their anticipatory bail plea in two cases filed over bomb blasts, arson and vandalism during Apr 29 countrywide shutdown.

The bench of justices Moinul Islam Chowdhury and Mohammad Nazrul Islam Talukder gave a split verdict on the petition but gave them respite for seven days by ordering police not to harass them during the intervening period.

Immediately after the order, the BNP spokesperson went to the party's headquarters in Naya Paltan and vowed to continue anti-government demonstrations on the streets.