BANGLADESH

The agitating BUET students are yet to decide about their return to class though they welcomed removal of the Pro-Vice Chancellor and withdrawal of cases against them.

They now say the administration has to be shaken up alongside dropping criminal charges.

The government removed Pro-VC M Habibur Rahman on Sunday in the wake of movement by the teachers and students and the Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid hoped that classes would resume on Monday.

Asked about their decision following the latest developments, Avik Roy, a representative of the students, said, "We thank the government for removing the Pro-VC. Still, we have two demands unmet."

"We will return to class only after the cases are withdrawn and the hall administration is reorganised," he added.

Minister Nahid had agreed to the demands of the students after they had refused to halt nonstop agitation though their teachers called off theirs on Sep 3 on promises from the minister. On Sep 5, he told students that the Pro-VC would be removed, cases filed against the agitating students withdrawn and measures taken so that the students were not harassed after the agitation was over.

Nahid had sat with the agitating teachers and students last week as academic activities at the university remained suspended for almost three months.

In the meetings, he had assured the aggrieved that their demand of removing Vice Chancellor Prof SM Nazrul Islam would also be considered later on.

On Aug 7, students had said they would return only after the assurances were implemented.

After removal of Pro-VC, the minister said, ""I want to see them in the classroom tomorrow. I expect they will act responsibly."

He also pointed out that final reports were submitted to the two cases filed against the teachers and students.

"So the case does not exist anymore," he added.

The teachers, however, do not see any stumbling blocks to their returning to class.

"There is no major obstacle to resume classes," said BUET Teachers Association's General Secretary Prof Ashraful Islam after the Pro-VC's exit.

He, however, termed the cases 'sensitive'.

"I hope the cases will be withdrawn by tomorrow (Monday). We will decide about returning to class later on," he said.

Student representative Roy also indicated at taking the decision after discussing matters with their teachers.

BUET Vice Chancellor SM Nazrul Islam said a new academic calendar would be announced with the day of resumption of classes being the first day.

"No fresh formalities or notice are needed to be issued for beginning of the class," he said. Once activities resume, the VC expects to sit with the Teachers' Association.

Asked if the teachers would sit with the VC, General Secretary Prof Islam said, "The Association will take a call on that. The situation to return to class has been created, but we lack confidence in the VC."

"You (journalists) will be informed about our (teachers association) stance regarding the VC," he added.

The teachers began their demonstration in April accusing the VC Islam and Pro-VC Rahman of a slew of irregularities in the administration. The students also eventually jumped on the bandwagon.

In the wake of the joint movement, the authorities had advanced the Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr vacation by a month to close it on July 10 until Aug 24. The decision, however, failed to deter the protesters from going ahead with the movement.

The university resumed on Aug 25 but classes and examinations did not take place as the teachers and students pressed on with their protest.

Junior LGRD Minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak has finished giving his account in the murder case filed over the killings in the Feb 25-26, 2009 Peelkhana BDR mutiny.

After he finished his statement, defence lawyer Aminul Islam started quizzing him on Monday at the special court set up at Aliya Madrassa playground in the old part of the city.

On Aug 27, treasury bench Whip and Awami League leader Mirza Azam finished giving his testimony in the murder case filed over the killings in the Feb 25-26, 2009 Peelkhana BDR mutiny. He was then grilled by the defence.

The BDR mutiny saw 73 persons killed, including 57 army officials deputed to the force. After the bloody mutiny, the border force was revamped to form the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB).

A case has been filed against 150 students of the Jessore Science and Technology University for allegedly taking part in torching of a vehicle following deaths of two fellow students in road crash on Sep 5.

A bus ran over two students of the university at Shantala area killing them on the spot. In protest, the fellow students took to the streets and demanded compensation. They had vented out their anger by torching a Garai Paribahan bus.

Officer-in-Charge of Kotwali Model Police Station said, "The owner of the torched bus, Sharifuzzaman, filed the case around 11:30pm on Sunday."

Meanwhile, following the torching incident, a platform of the vehicle owners and workers in Jessore has enforced a transport strike on the Jhenidah, Kushtia, Chuadanga and Meherpur routes.

President of Bangladesh Paribahan Sangstha Sramik Samiti Azizul Alam Mintu alleged that apart from torching a vehicle, the agitated students had also smashed another one. He said the separate incidents had cost them around Tk 2 million.

Mintu said bus communication on the routes would remain shut until the administration assured them of safety.

Telecom regulator BTRC chairman Zia Ahmed has died of a heart attack.

Doctors at United Hospital pronounced him dead around 3:30am in the morning, Ahsan Habib Khan , a director general at BTRC, told bdnews24.com on Monday.

Ahmed, a retired major general, was appointed to head the national telecom regulator in February 2009 for three years. His contract was extended by another year this year.

He had been sent into retirement by the BNP-led government as a Brigadier General. The ruling Awami League government promoted Ahmed, along with many others in similar cases, to major general in 2009 with retrospective affect.

Ahmed had served in the military's signals corps since his commission in 1975 and in a number of high profile positions on his way to making a general.

He served in Mozambique as a member of the United Nations peacekeeping force. After his retirement from the army, he worked as a consultant at various ICT (information and communication technology) oriented organisations.

Janaza and burial

Zia's body has been taken to his Baridhara DOHS residence from the hospital, Ahsan Habib Khan told bdnews24.com.

His first namaz-e-janaza will take place at Dhaka Cantonment's Garrison Mosque and a second at Baridhara DOHS Mosque before his burial at the Banani Army Graveyard.

An army team recovered a number of arms and explosives, including mortar shells and hand grenades, from hill tracts in Thanchi of Bandarban late on Friday night.

However, none could be arrested during the drive led by Bandarban Sadar Zone Commander Lt Col Imran A Rauf, an army official told bdnews24.com.

The recovery from Nadiapara area included 30-40 mortar shells and two or three hand grenades, he added.

At least five people, including a child and four female workers, died when a truck ran them over on Saturday in Faridpur's Madhukhali area.

Sub-Inspector of Madhukhali Police Station Abdur Rab told , "The incident occurred around 6pm when a truck lost control and ran over the workers who were returning home from their work place Altu Khan Jute Mill."

The truck tumbled into a roadside ditch, he added.

Police identified the deceased as – 'Momtaj', 35, 'Anowara' (40), 'Aleya', 17, 'Amiron', 30 and her 7-year-old daughter 'Afsana'.

All of them were from Parikkhitpur, the police officer said.

Water crisis has gripped Gazipur District Prison as the underground water table lowered out of the reach of the facility's deep tubewell.

Prison authorities said the problem started on the night of Sep 5 and they were having to make do with the water fetched from outside.

Jailor Amzad Hossain told bdnews24.com that around 0.2 million litres of water is required daily to meet the demand of more than 50 officers and workers, and the 883 inmates there.

"We are able to supply only about half the amount of water to meet drinking and showering demands by bringing it in tankers from an adjoining pond, a milk factory and the district's police line."

Gazipur Public Works Department Deputy Assistant Engineer Mohammad Mizanur Rahman said that the prison's tubewell went only 140-feet deep.

"The water table has gone out of its range after a number of deep tubewells were set up in close proximity of the prison. It has to be made at least 350-feet deep."

Dhaka Public Works Department's Power Division engineer Mohammad Lutfol Aziz told bdnews24.com that the prison's water pump was fine and that they would be installing deeper pipes on Sunday.

The government has imposed a ban on catching and selling of Hilsa fish for 11 days starting from Sep 25 to boost production of the delicious fish.

The Fisheries and Livestock Ministry on Saturday announced the ban during the main breeding period of Hilsa and said the step would help create scope for free breeding and an environment to boost Hilsa fish production.

According to the the Protection and Conservation of Fish Act-2011, the ban will be from Sep 25 to Oct 5 -- five days before and five days after the Purnima( full moon) of Bangla calendar month Aswin. This year the Purnima falls on Sep 30.

All sorts of sale and stock of Hilsa and Jatka have also been prohibited during the period. The programme also aimed to protect and conserve Jatka – hilsa fry less than 23 centimetres in length, the announcement said.

The offenders would be jailed for one to six months with a minimum fine of Tk 1000. The punishment and the fine would be doubled if one one is charged for violating the ban second time.

Currently around 7,000 square kilometres of water bodies are considered as breeding ground of Hilsha.

Dr Nirmal Chandra Das, Assistant Director of the 'Hilsa and Jatka Protection and Rehabilitation of Fishermen Project under the Fisheries Directorate, told bdnews24.com on Saturday that earlier it was said in the law that the ban would be imposed from Oct 14-24 every year.

"But the law has been changed and now the ban is efective five days before and five days after the Purnima( full moon) of Bangla calendar month Aswin."

He said the Fisheries Directorate and coastal district administrations had already taken necessary steps to implement the decision.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has hinted of taking tough measures to tackle the recent 'troubles' in several top educational institutions of the country, if necessary.

"We always want to solve any problem through mutual understanding, but that doesn't mean we can't be tough. We know how to be hard," she said in a meeting with the leaders of the front and affiliated organisations of the ruling Awami League at her official Ganabhaban residence on Saturday.

Terming the standoff at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and other educational institutions as 'regrettable', she said, "The Hounarable President appoints Vice-Chancellors to different universities. But a section of teachers were waging movement over their liking or disliking."

The Prime Minister also criticised the teachers for involving students in their their agitation.

The BUET students joined agitation launched by the teachers demanding resignation of the Vice-Chancellor and Pro Vice-Chancellor. The situation created stalemate at the premier engineering university where academic activities have been hampered for months over the issue.

The Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid last week assured to accept several of their demands including removal of the Pro VC. But the students were adamant not to go back to class unless their demands were implemented.

Prime MInister bitterly criticised the students who took blood from their own body using syringe and poured it onto the stair of the BUET VC office. "How come a boy takes blood from the body of a girl and pour it onto the stairs... this is perverted mentality."

"The lesson of arrogance that you've taught the student in the name of movement would not bring any benefit for the country in the long run. Who are teaching their students this they may also face the same situation," she said.

The Prime Minister regretted as the students lost valuable time of their academic life.

Sheikh Hasina also criticised the teachers for 'changing their face' after discussion with government. "Anyone can come to us and convey their problems. We never neglect anyone. Many make promises, but do not keep it. This is really deplorable."

Amid growing calls by the opposition to restore the caretaker government system, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday said politicians had not forgotten the 'repression and torture' inflicted by the military-backed caretaker government.

She said that politicians who were vocal for the caretaker system even would not be spared if a caretaker administration took charge.

The BNP and its allies have been demonstrating for revival of the caretaker government provision which the incumbent government annulled through the 15th amendment of the Constitution.

Sheikh Hasina, also the Awami League chief, said this during a meeting with leaders of the party's front organisations at her Ganabhaban residence.

As the caretaker government provision has been scrapped, the upcoming national election will be held under a political government, in line with the Constitution.

The BNP-led 18-Party Alliance has been alleging that a free, fair and credible election under a partisan government was 'impossible'.

Hasina alleged that those who supported the emergency-time caretaker administration (January 2007 to December 2008) were campaigning against the incumbent government to create 'confusion'.

bdnews24.com and Unicef have agreed a partnership to launch a Children's News Service to promote causes affecting 45 percent of Bangladesh's population.

The two organisations will enter an agreement at the newspaper's Mohakhali office on Thursday and the service will be launched later on.

"This will give us a unique opportunity to take the children's stories from across Bangladesh to a huge number of audience," Toufique Imrose Khalidi, Editor-in-Chief of Bangladesh's first Internet newspaper, said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Being part of our already-popular http:// kidz.bdnews24.com, the Children's News Service will get some natural advantage," he believed.

"We will train them, teach them the basics of journalism, create a manual for them to follow, hoping that many of them will become professional journalists in future."

Khalidi said such training would be organised in at least 20 districts initially and that bdnews24.com correspondents would be sensitised to the children's issues through workshops so that they could work as effective coordinators in their respective districts.

He added that bdnews24.com will continue the programme even after Unicef's partnership ends.

Unicef is considering the initiative as an opportunity for children to contribute in making a child-friendly news industry and for strengthening their rights.

"Around 45 percent of the population in Bangladesh are under 18. Unicef in partnership with bdnews24.com is keen to create a 'space' for children where they will be able to raise their concerns, share their aspirations for the future and contribute to decisions that affect their lives by suggesting solutions while playing an active role in mainstream media," said Unicef's Acting Representative for Bangladesh Michel Saint-Lot.

"We are hopeful that through this unique initiative, we will be able to hear the unheard voices of this nation, enable children to make a contribution to the news agenda and accelerate the process of upholding child rights for children in Bangladesh," Saint-Lot added.

The children will be responsible for the gathering of information, editing and publishing news under the supervision of bdnews24.com journalists.

The National Shishu Park will remain free for autistic children for two hours every Wednesday.

Dhaka City Corporation's (South) administrator Jillar Rahman announced the incentive for special kids with the support of Parents Forum for Differently Able, a forum of autistic children's parents.

He said autistic children would be able to enjoy the park between 3pm and 5pm.

The administrator said such initiatives should have been taken when this park started its journey but they are happy to announce it now, even if it was late.

Sajida Rahman Danny, President of the Forum, said they had been working for the last one year. "Now we also feel happy to be doing something for our kids. They have rights to enjoy like other children."

Autism encompasses a wide spectrum of disorders, ranging from profound inability to communicate and mental retardation to relatively mild symptoms.

It appears in the first three years of life and affects brain's normal development of social and communication skills.

As there is no national survey on autism, estimations suggest 8 per 1000 children are autistic in Bangladesh.

Global studies suggest boys are more likely to develop autism than girls. However, experts cannot pinpoint the reason.

Scientists are yet to identify the reason of the autism disorder.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said lack of efficiency in public administration is the main reason behind the deficiency in good governance.

"Lack of efficiency in public administration, and often weak financial management and irregularities are the main reasons behind the overall deficit of good governance in the country," she said in her question-answer session in Parliament.

Ruling party lawmaker Bazlul Haque Harun of Jhalkathi-1 constituency put forward the question.

"It's also true that the issues related to good governance and real democracy are long-term challenges," she said. "Long-term and combined efforts are needed for their proper implementation."

Hasina said her government had already taken numerous steps to ensure good governance and 'real democracy'.

Bazlul Haque had asked Hasina what sorts of steps her government had taken to establish a discrimination-free society and proper democracy.

The Prime Minister said the present government was implementing the Sixth Five-Year Plan and Perspective Plan 2010-2021 taking effective strategy to curb corruption, improve skills in the public administration and make reforms in various institutions for putting democracy on a stronger footing.

In response to a question from female member Faridunnahar Laily, Hasina said that the government embarked upon implementation of a long-term 'Perspective Plan (2010-2021)' which has a focus on poverty reduction, improvement of per capita income, proper monetary management, increasing revenue income and higher economic growth.

During the period of Perspective Plan, the she said total revenue earning of the country would be 20 percent of GDP, and national savings would be 39.1 percent and internal investment would be 38 percent.

Answering ruling party MP Abdul Latif from Chittagong-10 constituency, Hasina said the government took a slew of measures for the development of law and order. "Now, people celebrate their festivals spontaneously without fear," she added.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said she asked the Power Division to effect a two-hour daily outage to remind the people how much they had suffered earlier
.
"I have ordered the Power Division to enforce load-shedding for an hour in the morning and another hour in the evening so that people do not forget the suffering caused by loadshedding," the Prime Minister said in Parliament. "It helps in a way--it cuts power bill," she joked.

She made the comment during her question time.

Asked by Jatiya Party MP Mujibul Hoque, she said Ramadan was free of power crisis and stressed minimising power use for boosting production.

Responding to the question posed by Independent MP Fazlul Azim, the Prime Minister spoke about her government's plan to increase power production to 24,000 MW and claimed that the current production was 8315 MW.

"We left office in 2001 when the power production was 4300 MW. When we returned to power in 2008, the production was 3200 MW. Power production has become normal due to our prompt measures," Hasina added.

Currently, there are 51 power plants that are producing 3595 MW daily running on gas and oil.

Hasina mentioned the installation of grid line and sub-stations to import 500 MW of power from India and said, "The power will be available from the middle of next year."

According to the Prime Minister, daily gas production is 2200 mmcf now and power stations get 950 mmcf to 1,000 mmcf gas daily.

She hoped another 420 mmcf to 480 mmcf gas will be added to the supply line by next year.

Speaker Abdul Hamid said 100 KW power was being produced every day using solar power.

Fears of a fresh standoff over medical and dental college enrollment looms large as the lawyers who filed the lawsuits are yet to withdraw them while the government is not starting the admission process.

After weeks of street protests, prospective medical and dental college students called off their agitation for cancellation of only GPA-based admission on Sunday when Health Minister AFM Ruhal Haque assured them of considering traditional system if the lawsuits were dropped.

But students say lawyer Yunus Ali Akhanda who filed the petition does not pay heed to their request while Health Directorate officials tell bdnews24.com that they cannot advertise the admission test as long as the lawsuits are pending in the court.

Ashikur Rahman, one of the students who against the government move, says they have repeatedly requested lawyer Akhanda to withdraw the case. "Today (Wednesday) he said he will withdraw the petition on Sunday," Rahman said on Wednesday.

But the lawyer had a different story to tell bdnews24.com. "A third judge will hear my petition. But the government can start taking the examination since there is no stay order."

However, Acting Attorney General MK Rahman tells bdnews24.com that the government can start admission process as it was only a 'verbal' proposal and the court did not give stay order.

The Medical Education's Director of the Directorate General of Health Services Dr Shah Abdul Latif says they cannot do so in the absence of an official note from the Attorney General's office.

Aspiring medical students burst into protest on Aug 13 just a day after the Health Minister announced that GPAs in the SSC and HSC examinations would be the sole yardstick to ensure what he said 'quality' admissions in medical and dental colleges.

The dispute over the admission tests reached the High Court on Aug 14 when its ruling on the matter was sought.

Akhanda filed a supplementary appeal on Aug 27 requesting an order to hold the admission through traditional system, but it drew a split verdict.

Another lawyer Nazrul Islam also filed a petition on behalf of a guardian with the court against the government decision later. The lawyer says he cannot take any decision as he himself did not file the writ.

"But we are not proceeding with the petition. It will become invalid automatically."

Citing the Health Minister's claim 'it's not a decision, it's a proposal', Prof Rashid-E-Mahbub, a former President of Bangladesh Medical Association, said: "So, they can start the process (admission test) right away."

He said students did not file the case and so the government cannot impose condition on them. "It's their (government's) duty to settle the lawsuits."

Dr M Mushtuq Husain, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Chikitshak Sangsad, a forum of doctors, who earlier expressed solidarity with the protesting students, said students went back home and started studying again.

"The government can start the admission process now." He warned of further protests if the issues remained unsettled for long.

Altogether there are 8,493 seats in all medical and dental colleges in Bangladesh. The number is 2,811 in the 22 government medical colleges and 4,245 in the 53 private ones.

The nine public dental colleges and medical colleges' dental units have 567 seats while 14 private dental institutes have 870 seats.

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid on Wednesday assured the agitating BUET students of their security and asked them to return to class.

The student representatives returned to the campus and said they would announce their decision on Thursday.

Emerging from a meeting with the minister, they had said they would decide their next move after discussion with fellow protesters on the campus.
Bent on seeing Vice-Chancellor S M Nazrul Islam go, the students of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology met Nahid at his Secretariat office at 4:15pm and the talks lasted for almost three hours.

The minister made the call after a meeting with the students, who considered resuming studies would be risky after the authorities had charged them with attack, vandalism, looting and ransacking. Teachers had also urged them to suspend their agitation after being convinced by the minister's assurance of removing the Pro-VC on Aug 3.

The meeting was attended by 16 representatives of the agitating students, accompanied by mechanical engineering Professor Muhammad Ehsan and industrial and production engineering Professor A K M Masud. Education Secretary Kamal Abdul Naser and University Grants Commission Chairman Prof A K Azad Chowdhury were also present in the meeting.

The student representatives and the minister later spoke to journalists.

The minister assured the students of the same steps he had promised the agitating teachers. He also told the students that the cases filed against the agitators would be withdrawn and they would not be harassed.

The teachers called off demonstrations on Tuesday and announced to return to classes following a meeting with Nahid on Monday night. Nahid had said Pro-VC Habibur Rahman would be removed and two cases the authorities had filed with the Shahbagh police against teachers and students would be withdrawn.

But the students remained firm on their position that the VC Islam would also have to be removed and said they wanted to speak to the minister.

Nahid said he heard the complaints from the students and issues relating to the problems were discussed.

"They have been assured so that a safe atmosphere prevails for education. Teachers and students should not be subjected to administrative harassment anyway. Stern action will be taken against irregularities including tampering with results."

BUET teachers began their demonstration in April accusing the VC and Pro-VC of different irregularities in the administration. The students also joined their cause eventually.

Regarding the demand of VC's removal the Minister said, "Everything required for return BUET its glorious tradition will be done."

Abhipriyo Chakrabarty, one of the student representatives, said, "We have been assured of no harassment."

"We are returning to the campus. Everyone is there. Decision will be taken after discussing issues with all."

The teacher AKM Masud said the issue of removal of the VC was also discussed at the meeting.

A senior Treasury Bench MP said on Wednesday that he believed "a syndicate of officials of the central bank, Finance Ministry and Sonali Bank" had been behind the Hallmark scam and that its target was to taint the government's image.

Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, speaking in Parliament, said those responsible must be given exemplary punishment.

The Awami League Presidium member said the Finance Minister's attempts to shrug off the scale of the scam had "shocked the public".

"It cannot be the work of one individual," Selim asserted, "officials of the Bangladesh Bank, the (finance) ministry and Sonali Bank were all involved."

"The problem is, the Sheikh Hasina government pays the price," Selim, a frontbench MP who was health minister in 1996-2001, said.

Fellow frontbencher MP Tofail Ahmed who also failed to make it to the Cabinet this time lent support to Selim.

"The only way to stop such scam in future is to give them exemplary punishment," said Tofail, industries and commerce minister in 1996-2001 Hasina administration.

Tofail was also critical of "the tradition of forming bank boards with political appointees with no experience in banking". The MP had on Tuesday raised questions about appointment of Supreme Court judges "on political considerations".

Selim said he was surprised that no charges were filed against "those involved" in the Tk 26.68 billion loan given allegedly against forged documents.

AMA Muhith said on Tuesday that given Bangladesh's Tk 400-billion portfolio of commercial bank loans, the Hallmark sum was tiny and that it would in no way affect the entire banking system.

Just two days earlier, the septuagenarian minister had come under fire from Jute and Textiles Minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui for failing to deal with Padma loan and Grameen Bank crises.


The state-owned Sonali Bank's branch at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel had given out about Tk 36 billion � just below 2 percent of the national budget � to textile firm Hallmark Group and other dubious organisations with no notable collateral.

Recent audits � one internal and another by the central bank � found that there were significant irregularities in the entire process.

Sheikh Selim, a policymaker of the ruling party and a cousin of the Prime Minister, rose on a point of order after the scheduled question-answer period had concluded.

Selim wondered what was behind the long silence since the central bank had detected the irregularities in 2010. "What is the reason behind their silence for over two years?" the MP asked.

He said the ministry was well aware which officials were behind the scam. "But there had been no action."

He said the government's image was being tarnished and alleged that 'a certain quarter' was plotting against the government.

Pointing out that the bank had only Tk 9 billion worth of paid-up capital, the Awami League Presidium member said the bank did not even have the authority to disburse such a large loan to one person.

"But there has been no criminal case for such an instance of loot and plunder."

Dissatisfied with the investigations so far, Selim said, "Anti-Corruption Commission is merely interviewing them. They should be remanded into police custody for interrogation and asked whether the money is still in the country or has been laundered abroad."

An Awami League advisor, MP Tofail began by thanking Selim and said, "I fully agree with him."

He said compared to the worldwide slowdown, Bangladesh's economy is rather steady. "Bangladesh's development would be badly affected without strict discipline in the banking and financial sectors."

He said 'one bank' had given out loans to a businessman without collateral. "The board of directors, central bank and the finance ministry cannot shirk their responsibility in this regard," said Tofail.

He mentioned that certain prime ministerial advisor had already been named as being involved with the scam and demanded proper steps. He warned that if there was not enough action or measures then the blame would have to be shouldered by the government.

This is not just because of a single manager, he said. "Let him be arrested and exemplary punishment meted out."

'The less Muhith speaks the better'

Sheikh Selim said during his brief deliberation that the Finance Minister had surprisingly said the other day there was no need for such hullabaloo over the Hallmark matter.

"What kind of a statement is that?" he asked and continued to say, "Tk 40 billion may not be a large sum to him, but it is big deal for the people of Bangladesh."

Even if there has been an irregularity over Tk 1 or Tk 10, it should not be taken lightly, he said.

"I realise that he has become old," said Selim of the 79-year old Muhith who dismissed the Hallmark scam as nothing significant for the government.

"I request that he does not make such statements. The less he speaks the better."

Tofail also derided Muhith for blaming the media for the hype. "But there is no reason to do so. The media is only doing its job."

BUET teachers on Tuesday called off their demonstrations and will return to classes on assurances from the Education Minister, but the students have refused to relent until Vice-Chancellor SM Nazrul Islam is removed.

Minister Nurul Islam Nahid had assured the BUET Teachers' Association leaders of withdrawing Pro-VC Habibur Rahman and dropping the two cases against the demonstrating students and teachers at a meeting on Monday midnight.

Afterwards, association leaders sat with the protesting students and general teachers since Tuesday morning separately to discuss the situation and minister's assurance while VC Islam in the afternoon ordered withdrawal of the cases filed with the Shahbagh police.

However, students at a press conference on the BUET campus in the afternoon declared they would not return to classes until their demands were met. Hours later, at another press briefing, their teachers declared that they were ending their demonstrations to resume classes.

At the students' press meet, chemical engineering student Merina Jahan renewed their demand that the government withdraw the VC and Pro-VC together.

"Our one and only demand is removal of the VC and the Pro-VC. We won't return to classes until our demands are met (fully)," she said while reading out a written statement.

"We believe we are not safe on the campus where there are people who have implicated us in false cases," she said.

The student said these people did not care even when they saw the blood of the students spilled on the campus.

She urged the Education Minister to come to the BUET campus. "Please come here. Listen to us. Take the decision after understanding our emotions and the reality."

Later at the teachers' press briefing, BUET Teachers' Association President Professor Mojibur Rahman said the teachers decided to return to their classes according to the minister's assurance to take necessary steps to meet the demands of the students and teachers.

He, however, said they were not going back on their demand for the ouster of the VC. "I hope the matter will be resolved through discussions."

Responding to a query on the students continuing with their demonstrations, Association General Secretary Professor Ashraful Islam told bdnews24.com : "This is a matter for the students. The Minister and Education Secretary will come to campus (Wednesday). We hope to reach a resolution on the matter on discussion with them."

"But some preparations are needed to be made for that to happen. New academic calendar has to be prepared as the university has been closed for a long time. It'll take two or three days."

Computer science Professor Humayun Kabir also told reporters that Education Secretary Kamal Abdul Naser told the teachers that he would pay a visit to the campus on Wednesday along with minister Nahid.

The university's Teachers' Association leaders sat with the students earlier in the day after the minister assured the teachers at a meeting on Monday midnight of removing the Pro-VC and dropping the two cases against the agitating students and teachers.

The 'assured' teachers on Tuesday morning informed the students about the whole situation and the minister's assurance leading them to decide to return to classes 'very soon'.

BUET teachers began their demonstration in April accusing the VC Nazrul Islam and Pro-VC Habibur Rahman of different irregularities in the administration. The students also joined their cause eventually.

In the wake of joint movement, the BUET authorities had advanced the Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr vacation by a month to close it on July 10 until Aug 24. The decision, however, failed to deter the protesters from going ahead with the movement.

The university activities resumed on Aug 25 but classes and exams did not take place as the teachers and students continued with their protest.

Education Minister Nahid met the teachers' association leaders on Monday midnight at his official residence and asked them to return to the regular curricular activities.

He and Prof Mojibur Rahman around 1am on Tuesday told reporters about the decisions of their meeting.

The minister told reporters, "We will withdraw the Pro-VC. The cases will be dropped as well very soon."

Nahid also assured them of taking steps against all irregularities plaguing the top engineering university in the country and hoped that all teachers will now resume regular academic activities.

But the meeting failed to agree on the removal of the VC which would have made the agitating students to call their demonstrations off.

However, BUET VC Nazrul Islam on Tuesday afternoon told bdnews24.com : "I have ordered withdrawal of the cases following the decision taken at the meeting between the BUET Teachers' Association and the Education Minister."

The BUET authorities had filed two cases with the Shahbagh police around Sunday midnight accusing around a hundred teachers and students of attacking the offices of the VC and Pro-VC, vandalism, ransacking records and looting Tk 300,000.

Foreign Minister Dipu Moni is going to meet US Acting Secretary of State William J Burns at the State Department in Washington on Wednesday.

Press Minister at Bangladesh Embassy in Washington Swapan Kumar Saha confirmed it on Tuesday night.

"The minister is having a meeting with the lawyers of Bangladesh-India maritime boundary case today and she will meet the acting Secretary tomorrow," he said.

Moni will also meet Michael Delaney, Assistant US Trade Representative, the US negotiator on Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, Saha added.

Dhaka and Washington are at loggerheads over TICFA as the US administration is reluctant to have anymore negotiation on the issue.

Sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the minister was expected to discuss issues including Grameen Bank.

The foreign minister on Sunday told reporters that concern of international community on Grameen Bank was 'baseless' and Bangladesh would engage with them wherever and whenever possible to remove their anxiety.

Meanwhile, Dhaka and Washington are going to hold first ever formal foreign secretary level talks on Sept 19 and 20, diplomatic sources said.

"Foreign Secretary Mohamed Mijarul Quayes will lead the Bangladesh side while Undersecretary of the State Department Wendy Sherman will be his counterpart," said an official of the ministry.

Trade, development and security issues will dominate the meeting, he added.

Under the partnership agreement between Bangladesh and US, there will be foreign secretary level meeting every year where both the parties will discuss to take the relationship forward.

The agreement was signed when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came to Dhaka in May.

Before her visit, Sherman visited Dhaka and Bangladesh and US held first-ever security talks in April.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Tuesday came down hard on the World Bank as he accused its Institutional Integrity Unit of 'jihadi' attitude and said the cell had no accountability.

"The World Bank has an integrity cell. It's a jihadist institution and it must be corrected. I've worked with it," he said at a roundtable at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in the city.

"Jihad, I mean in a bad sense. He who thinks that I'm doing a corruption inquiry, it's a jihad. He destroys it. And let's try to avoid it."

About the ethics of the investigations unit, he said, "The integrity unit doesn't believe in right means for right ends. This unaccountable office at this jihadi spirit they are very much against corruption."

The Anti-Corruption Commission organised the roundtable titled 'Role of Information and Communication Technology in Combating Corruption'.

The Finance Minister hinted last week that all the misunderstandings with the Washington-based lender had been cleared. But several newspapers on Aug 25 said the World Bank would not finance the Padma bridge project as the Prime Minister's Economic Affairs Advisor Mashiur Rahman did not agree to step down as per the fourth condition for reviving its pledged financing.

Asked about the latest development on the funding for the country's largest-ever infrastructure, he had told reporters that a formal statement would be made soon. But he did not issue any formal statement until Tuesday.

According to media reports, the Finance Minister on Monday expressed his desire to step down at the Cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. There was also heated exchange of words between Muhith and some other members of the cabinet at the meeting.

Muhith came up with his remarks on Tuesday at such a time when the government was trying to persuade the global lender to review the decision to not to release the promised loan to build the 6.15-kilometre bridge.

The World Bank on June 29 finally cancelled $ 1.2 billion fund for the $2.9 billion project, saying it had 'credible evidence' of high-level corruption by government officials, SNC-Lavalin executives and private individuals for the project.

Although the government later decided to build the bridge with its own resources, the Ministry of Finance has been trying simultaneously to bring the World Bank back on board .

The Bank put forward four conditions for any reconsideration of its funding support for constructing the bridge, which is expected to increase Bangladesh's GDP growth rate by 1.2 percent.

As per the WB conditions, Information and Communications Technology Minister Syed Abul Hossain, who was the Communications Minister when the allegation was raised, stepped down and former Bridges Division Secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan went on leave.

Four Bangladeshi workers were killed on Tuesday in a traffic accident in Oman.

The accident took place Tuesday where five Bangladeshis were also injured, Labour Counsellor of Bangladesh Embassy in Oman AKM Rabiul Islam told bdnews24.com by telephone.

He said the deceased were identified as Mohammad Helal, 27, Mohammad Belal Hossain, 25, Asaduzzaman, 30, all of Swandip, and Mohammad Jamal, 45, of Chittagong's Raojan.

Thirteen Bangladeshis along with nine Omanis and Indians were travelling to Al Ghani area, some 400 kilometres from capital Muscat, on a bus which collided with another bus at 4:00am Bangladesh time, Islam said.

"Three of the injured Bangladeshis are in critical condition."

The embassy would send the remains of the deceased as soon as possible, he added.

The High Court's judgement on the ruling of the Speaker was 'provocative and conspiratorial', Minister Without Portfolio Suranjit Sengupta said on Tuesday.

His remarks came during an unscheduled discussion on the first day of its 14th session of Parliament.

Suranjit said, "Parliament won't exist if the Speaker's ruling is not enforced, nor does this judiciary or these judges. Issuing a verdict against his [Speaker] ruling is not only provocative, but also conspiratorial."

Speaker Abdul Hamid issued a ruling in May saying High Court judge Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury violated the Constitution by making 'derogatory comment' about Parliament.

Following the observation, the bench of Justices Hasan Foez Siddique and ABM Altaf Hossain on July 24 declared the Speaker's June 18 ruling was 'non-existent in the eye of law' and 'has no legal basis after a petition sought the court's intervention over the Speaker's ruling that Justice Choudhury violated the Constitution's Article 78 (1).

Speaker Hamid pointed out on Tuesday, "The judiciary is certainly independent, but Parliament is sovereign."

He said that the Constitution was the highest law of the country and Parliament was its custodian. Addressing the MPs, Hamid said, "Let there be no doubt, let no one say this is a subjudice matter. We can most certainly discuss it here."

Suranjit later dubbed the court's verdict ad 'irresponsible'. "There is no martial law in which justices did not collude."

Earlier, Awami League lawmakers Tofail Ahmed and Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, speaking on a point of order after the question-answer session, set the House on fire.

Parliament became heated with the MPs demanding revival of Bangladesh's original constitution of 1972, which allowed Parliament to impeach judges.

A former Commerce Minister and a long time party stalwart, Tofail also questioned the qualifications of the judges of the bench.

He said, "Now the High Court judges are appointed on political grounds, and I don't think Justice Altaf Hossain has even completed the mandatory 10-year attachment with the High Court before being appointed to the bench."

"I strongly believe this verdict was not decided in the courtroom," Tofail added.

He said, "We appoint High Court judges on political grounds, and I don't think Justice Altaf Hossain has even completed the mandatory 10-year attachment with the High Court before being appointed to the bench."

He said the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs should keep an eye on these appointments.

Tofail ended with a proposal to revive Bangladesh's original constitution of 1972, which allowed Parliament to impeach judges.

Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal MP Mainuddin Khan Badal said the court's observation was 'obsolete, obscene and obnoxious'. "This is a rather ominous sign," he added.

Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim also spoke on the same issue before Tofail. "The justices have given a bizarre, eerie verdict. The justices have stepped beyond their line."

"An independent judiciary does not mean anyone can say anything according to their own wishes. Justices are not beyond law. The judiciary is independent, but not sovereign."

He also demanded formation of Supreme Judicial Council to 'impeach' the Supreme Court judges.

Addressing the Speaker, Tofail raised questions over the identity and qualification of Deputy Attorney General Biswajit Roy who argued at the hearing against the Speaker.

He also questioned Justice ABM Altaf Hossain's qualifications for being a judge.

The senior ruling Awami League MP claimed recently appointed Justice Zafar Ahmed, nephew of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury, did not complete the mandatory 10-year attachment with the High Court as an advocate.

Justice Zafar Ahmed was enlisted as a lawyer in High Court Division in 1995.

Awami League MPs Sayedul Haque, Sheikh Fazle Noor Tapash, Fazle Rabbi Mia, Worker's Party's Rashed Khan Menon, JaSaD MP Hasanul Haque Inu and Jatiya Party MP Mujibul Haque Chunnu also harshly criticised the judges.

Menon said, "The two judges have violated the Constitution's Article 78. A Supreme Judicial Council can be formed against them and a motion condemning it can be adopted in Parliament."

However, Tapash told Parliament, "A vested quarter wants to lead Parliament and the judiciary to confrontation. We cannot fall for this trap. The court has given its observation over the Speaker's ruling. It cannot be called a verdict."

"This is an observation, there is no legal binding," he pointed out.

At this point, Speaker Abdul Hamid told him the court gave its verdict, not just observation.

"As the Speaker of this Parliament, I would like to say that this is not a case over land dispute or murder charges. This is a discussion about the Constitution. It cannot be sub-judice."

He said he would comment further on the issue later.

Dr. Anwarul Abedin, The Honorable Founder and Chairman of AIUB is NO MORE. Innanillahi owa innaalaihi rajiun. Let us pray for the eternal repose of his soul.