DT e-Paper 19-02-17

SECOND EDITION 

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2017 | Falgun 7, 1423, Jamadiul Awwal 21, 1438 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 293 | www.dhakatribune.com | 24 pages plus 8-page business supplement | Price: Tk10 

SI Akram’s family claims 

Babul planned murder › 4 

Dhaka 44th, not 2nd in air 

pollution ranking › 6 

Hasina seeks global 

support for relocating 

Rohingya refugees › 2 

Modi’s move to legalise 

Hindu migrants faces 

protests › 2 

Red meat 

strike in Dhaka 

suspended › 2 

AL’s Jafar elected 

Baghaichhari mayor in new 

EC’s first polls › 7

2 

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2017 

DT 

News 

Hasina seeks global support for 

relocating Rohingya refugees 

• Tribune Desk 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has 

sought support of international 

community to arrange temporary 

accommodation for Myanmar refugees 

in a healthy and safe environment 

in Bangladesh. 

The prime minister said this in 

a luncheon meeting with German 

Chancellor Angela Merkel on the 

sidelines of the 53rd Munich Security 

Conference at Hotel Bayerrischer 

Hof in Munich, Germany 

yesterday, reports BSS. 

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh 

has taken the issue of extruded Myanmar 

citizens from humanitarian 

point of view. But their stay and activities 

in Cox’s Bazar, an important 

tourist town, is causing destruction 

of environment, sanitation system, 

landscape and nature, forcing them 

to live in an inhumane condition. 

“So Bangladesh government 

wants to shift them to an open 

and healthy area by providing all 

the civic facilities,” she said seeking 

support of Germany and other 

countries in this regard. 

In their hour-long meeting, they 

discussed various issues relating 

to mutual interests including the 

ways of boosting relations between 

the two countries in the areas of 

trade and business, development 

and refugee issues, the prime minister’s 

Press Secretary Ehsanul Karim 

said while briefing reporters 

after the meeting. 

The prime minister informed 

the German chancellor about the 

socioeconomic progress of the 

country in different areas particularly 

in gender parity, women empowerment 

and poverty reduction, 

the press secretary said. 

After the meeting, Bangladesh 

and Germany signed a memorandum 

of understanding on upgrading 

current machine readable passport 

system of Bangladesh and a joint 

declaration of intent on political exchange 

on counter terrorism. • 

Modi’s move to legalise 

Hindu migrants faces 

protests 

• Shilajit Kar Bhowmik, 

Agartala 

A move by the Narendra Modi-led BJP 

government to legalise Hindus and 

other religious minorities infiltrating 

India from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan 

has been facing a vehement 

protest by indigenous people of the 

country’s Tripura and Assam states. 

Protesters say they will not accept 

the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 

that proposes to grant citizenship to 

religious minorities from the three 

neighbouring countries. 

On Thursday, Indigenous People’s 

Front of Tripura (IPFT) called a 48- 

hour shutdown in Gandacherra of Tripura, 

protesting police’s “high-handedness” 

during a dawn-to-dusk strike 

against the bill on February 8. 

The alleged police baton charge 

left at least 100 protesters injured, 

claimed IPFT. 

Spearheaded by the All Tripura 

Indigenous Regional Parties Forum 

(ATIRPF), indigenous groups -- IPFT, 

Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura 

(INPT), and National Conference of 

Tripura (NCT) -- called the February 

8 strike demanding revocation of the 

bill, which is now under the scrutiny of 

a parliamentary committee. 

As a tense situation has prevailing 

since Thursday, when seven more 

people including police personnel 

were wounded during a clash between 

the protesters and the police, the Gandachhera 

sub-divisional administration 

has imposed section 144 to prevent 

further untoward incidents. 

Meanwhile, many of the protesters 

have left for Delhi to stage a demonstration 

there on February 21 to press 

home their demand, said INPT General 

Secretary, Jagadish Debbarma. 

“States in the northeast have long 

been suffering from an influx of illegal migrants 

from the neighbouring countries,” 

INPT President Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhwal 

was quoted by The Times of India. 

ATIRPF Joint Convener Animesh 

Debbarma said: “Tripura has around 

10,000 sq kilometers and a population 

of 39 lakh. Where are the resources in 

Tripura to accommodate this influx? 

We cannot support this Bill.” 

The amendment bill was motivated 

by BJP’s vote bank politics 

and would only make way for illegal 

migrants to become Indian citizens, 

alleged Hrangkhwal, adding: “This 

will marginalise and dispossess the 

indigenous people, and the process of 

racial discrimination will continue in 

their own homeland.” • 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina holds a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday at Hotel Bayerischer Hof in 

Munich 

FOCUS BANGLA 

Myanmar opens 

border gate 

• Abdul Aziz, Cox’s Bazar 

Bangladesh is yet to decide whether 

to re-open its border for authorised 

movement of Myanmar nationals. 

The neighbouring country however, 

has already resumed issuing passes 

without notifying Dhaka officially. 

Neither of the countries had 

informed each other before closing 

the border on October 9 when 

three outposts of Myanmar’s Border 

Guard Police (BGP) came under 

attack, killing nine law enforcers 

and triggering a military crackdown 

in Rakhine State. 

On February 15, Myanmar 

ceased the four-month-long 

“clearing operations,” under which, 

reportedly over 1,000 Rohingya 

Muslims have been killed, many 

women raped and thousands 

detained. At least 70,000 

Rohingyas have fled to Bangladesh, 

according to the United Nations. 

Teknaf 2 BGB Commander Lt 

Col Abujar Al Zahid yesterday said: 

“Bangladesh closed the border on 

October 9 and Myanmar followed 

suit.” 

On Thursday noon, a passenger 

trawler tried to enter Bangladesh 

through the Naff River. BGB stopped 

them and learnt that the Myanmar 

authorities at Gate 1 had issued them 

passes. The trawler was pushed back 

since the BGB had not received any 

directives from the government. • 

Red meat strike in 

Dhaka suspended 

• Abu Hayat Mahmud 

Red meat merchants in the capital 

suspended their strike on Saturday 

evening after six days over their 

grievances. 

The strike had been called on February 

13 to demand proper and transparent 

trading practices for cattle. 

The strike suspension will continue 

till 5pm Sunday. 

Dhaka Metropolitan Meat Merchants 

Association and Bangladesh 

Meat Merchant Association will hold 

a joint press conference at 5pm after 

their separate meetings with the 

Ministry of Commerce and Dhaka 

North City Corporation (DNCC), said 

the associations leaders. 

“We will sit with the Ministry of 

Commerce at 11am, with another 

meeting due with DNCC at 2pm. If 

the meetings are fruitful, there’s no 

need to continue the movement,” 

said Rabiul Islam, secretary general of 

Dhaka Metropolitan Meat Merchants 

Association. 

Earlier on Friday, the red meat 

traders promised that they will sell 

meat at Tk300 per kg if the government 

eases complications over 

importing Indian cattle, stops extortion 

and unsanctioned taxes at cattle 

markets, especially Gabtoli. 

On Wednesday, leaders of DMM- 

MA and Dhaka Metropolitan North- 

South Mutton Traders Association in a 

media briefing claimed they had been 

forced to raise the price of red meat 

citing the same allegations. 

They also accused the leaseholders 

at Gabtoli of employing thugs to 

threaten them if they refused to pay. 

According to Rabiul, about 

Tk20,000-Tk30,000 has to be 

paid as extortion for each cow to be 

brought from the borders to Dhaka, in 

addition to the excessive payments to 

the leaseholders. 

DNCC Chief Estate Officer Aminul 

Islam told the Dhaka Tribune that the 

city corporation will take appropriate 

actions in this regard. 

When contacted, DSCC Mayor 

Sayeed Khokon declined to make a 

comment on the strike. At a press 

conference on Wednesday, he said 

DNCC Mayor Annisul Huq is handling 

the matter since the Gabtoli market is 

under his jurisdiction. 

While visiting Karwan Bazar on 

Friday morning, the capital’s biggest 

kitchen market, this reporter found 

chickens were on sale in abundance 

with only a few butcher’s shops selling 

red meat. 

In the wake of the situation, local 

butchers were charging Tk500-600 

and Tk700-800 for each kg of beef 

and mutton respectively. The crisis 

also pushed up the prices of poultry 

by Tk20-30 per kg. •

News 3 


PM: US pressured Joy over Yunus issue 



said her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy had 

to face pressure from the US State 

Department to keep Muhammad 

Yunus as the Grameen Bank managing 

director. 

She said the then US secretary 

of state, assistant secretary of state 

and US ambassador in Dhaka had 

threatened several times to withdraw 

the Padma Bridge fund if 

Yunus was removed from the post 

of Grameen Bank MD. 

She made the remarks while 

speaking at a reception organised 

by the German chapter of the Awami 

League on Friday. 

“The US ambassador always 

came to my office and threatened 

me that the fund for the Padma 

Bridge will be stopped if Dr Yunus 

was removed from the managing 

director post of Grameen Bank,” 

the prime minister was quoted as 

saying by UNB. 

She said the then US assistant 

secretary also came to Dhaka and 

repeated the same thing. 

“Hillary Clinton phoned me and 

exerted the same pressure. Even, 

the US State Department summoned 

my son Joy thrice and told 

him that we would face trouble,” 

she added. 

Hasina said US State Department 

officials had told Joy that 

Hillary Clinton would not accept 

the matter easily. “Convince your 

mother,” she recalled Joy saying, 

quoting them. 

Posing a question, Hasina said: 

“Why should such a person who received 

the Nobel Prize be so greedy 

for a simple post of managing director 

of a bank when her government 

offered him the post of Adviser 

Emeritus to the same bank?” 

She said that as per the country’s 

existing law, one can be the MD of 

any bank till 60 years of age. 

“But, he [Yunus] did not leave 

that post although he was more 

than 70 years old and this was very 

interesting. For that he continued 

his lobbying,” she said. 

Mentioning that the government 

did not remove Yunus from 

his post, Hasina said: “We tried to 

make him an adviser, but without 

accepting it, he went to the court 

after taking advice from Dr Kamal 

[Hossain] and the court gave its 

verdict.” 

She said the editor of a newspaper 

was involved in the matter 

as well and they had tried to float 

a political party during the army-backed 

1/11 regime. “But the 

people did not respond to their initiative.” 

Citing a Canadian court’s recent 

verdict dismissing the graft allegation 

in the Padma Bridge project, 

she said the truth must prevail. 

“Now it has been proven that 

Merkel: Islam is not the source 

of terrorism 


German Chancellor Angela Merkel 

said Islam itself was not the source of 

terrorism, on Saturday during a speech 

at the Munich Security Conference. 

“The joint fight against Islamic 

terrorism is one where we have the 

same interests and we can work 

together,” Merkel said 

Merkel, who has been critical of a 

US ban on travel from seven Muslimmajority 

countries, underscored that 

Islam itself was not the source of 

terrorism. She said it was critical to 

include Muslim countries in the fight 

against Islamist terrorism. 

“I think, those countries, first and 

foremost have to give a contribution. 

Because only in this way we would be 

‘Hillary Clinton phoned me and exerted the same pressure. Even, the 

US State Department summoned my son Joy thrice and told him that 

we would face trouble’ 

able to convince people that it is not 

Islam that is the source of terrorism. But 

a falsely understood Islam,” she said. 

Merkel told the conference 

adding that Europe’s ties with Russia 

remained challenging, but it was 

important to work with Russia in the 

fight against Islamic State of Iraq and 

the Levant (ISIL, known as ISIS) and 

similar groups. • 

there had been no corruption 

in the Padma Bridge project,” she 

said. 

Asked for a comment on the issue, 

a US embassy spokesperson 

responded to the Dhaka Tribune 

via email: “The United States was 

a strong proponent of the World 

Bank’s finding a way to work with 

the Government of Bangladesh to 

proceed with the Padma Bridge 

Project, recognising its importance 

to Bangladesh’s development and 

the region’s connectivity.” • 

BNP to give outline 

for ‘supporting 

govt’ soon 

• M. A. Ahad Chowdhury 

Tuhin, Bhola 

Correspondent 

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN 

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul 

Islam Alamgir has said that BNP will 

provide a framework for the “supporting 

government” during election 

timein the near future. 

The BNP leader made the 

comment at BNP’s third annual 

conference in Bhola. The conference 

was held on the grounds of the Bhola 

Islamic Complex yesterday. 

Mirza Fakhrul further said at the 

event that the public would not 

accept any attempts to keep his party 

or their leader, Khaleda Zia, away 

from politics. 

The BNP Secretary General said: 

“If the election is fair and impartial, if 

there is a level playing field, only then 

will the elections be held.” 

Earlier, on February 13, Mirza 

Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced 

the BNP proposal for a “supporting 

government” during election time at 

the party’s Nayapaltan central office 

in Dhaka. 

“We will place a proposal to Prime 

Minister Sheikh Hasina,” said the BNP 

leader. • 


‘Victims may 

sue World Bank’ 

• BSS 


said that the people affected by the 

World Bank’s decision to cancel financing 

for the Padma Bridge project, 

and the subsequent lawsuit in 

a Canadian court, would file cases 

against the bank. 

“The affected people will certainly 

file cases against the World 

Bank as they [WB] tried to involve 

them in false cases,” the premier 

said in response to a demand made 

by expatriate leaders and workers 

of European Awami League in Munich 

on Friday. 

“We are grateful to the Almighty 

as the people affected by the World 

Bank’s decision have finally got 

justice after a long suffering. They 

tried to implicate my son and 

daughter, sister, my cabinet members, 

advisers and secretaries with 

fictitious allegations,” she said. 

“However, I will say that a person 

can face any difficult situation if 

he/she remains on the path of truth 

and honesty,” the premier said. 

“The verdict of the Canadian 

court went in our favour as all 

members of my family and I myself 

were on the path of truth and honesty,” 

she added. 

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood 

Ali, President and General Secretary 

of European Awami League 

Anil Dasgupta and MA Gani Chowdhry, 

President of German Awami 

League Bashirul Alam Sabu, EU 

Awami League leaders Idris Farazi, 

Hasan Iqbal and Nurul Islam were 

present at the programme, among 

others. •

4 



News 

SI Akram’s family claims Babul 

Akter planned his murder 

• Arifur Rahman Rabbi 

Family members of Sub-Inspector 

Akram Hossain Liton have once 

again claimed that he was not killed 

in a road accident, but was murdered 

by criminals hired by his wife Bonani 

Bashir Bonni and former superintendent 

of police (SP) Babul Akter. 

“After Akram succumbed to his 

injuries at Dhaka Medical College 

Hospital (DMCH), Bonni took the 

body and did not allow the doctors to 

perform a post-mortem examination 

even though the body bore wounds 

from sharp weapons,” Akram’s sister 

Jannat Ara Parveen Rini told the 

Dhaka Tribune yesterday. 

She claimed that Babul’s cousin 

Sademul Islam Moon executed the 

murder plot hatched by Babul and 

Bonni, who supposedly had an extramarital 

relationship. 

Akram’s family held a press conference 

at Jhenaidah Press Club on 

Friday demanding Babul’s arrest. 

Akram was severely wounded 

when miscreants attacked him with 

sharp weapons in Shailkupa, Jhenaidah 

on December 28, 2014. He 

breathed his last on January 13, 2015 

at the DMCH. 

“Police initially tried to label it as 

a road accident. The then Shailkupa 

OC Hashem Khan did not record 

the case we wanted to file accusing 

Babul, Bonni, Moon and others of 

planning the murder. Then we went 

to the district’s SP Altaf Hossain. 

But he too asked us to drop Babul’s 

name,” she alleged. 

Akram’s family later filed the case 

with a Jhenaidah court accusing 

Moon, Bonni and her parents. There 

is no progress in the investigation, 

according to Shailkupa police. 

Rini further claimed that Babul 

and Bonni had known each other 

long before he married Mahmuda 

Khanam Mitu, who was stabbed and 

shot to death in Chittagong city on 

June 5 last year. 

Regarding Babul’s link to Akram 

murder, Home Minister Asaduzzaman 

Khan Kamal yesterday told reporters 

that he would be arrested if 

police found any concrete evidence 

against him. “The administration 

will work as per the law,” he said. 

The minister also added that police 

had not found any evidence to 

prove that Babul was involved in 

Babul Akter 

Mitu murder. 

Babul’s father-in-law Md Mosharraf 

Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune 

yesterday that he now suspected 

Babul’s involvement in the murders 

of his daughter and Akram. 

Rini met Mosharraf in January 

and claimed the alleged affair between 

Babul and Bonni to be the reason 

behind Akram’s murder. 

Babul has always denied the allegations. 

In a Facebook post on 

January 31, he claimed that he was 

in South Sudan when the attack on 

Akram took place. He also said he 

had no cousin named Sademul Islam 

Moon. 

He did not receive calls when the 

Dhaka Tribune contacted him yesterday. 

Rini said: “Akram married Bonni 

in 2005, but she always maintained 

communication with Babul. They 

used to talk over phone when Akram 

was abroad in a UN peacekeeping 

mission. 

“My brother understood 

everything but kept quiet. He told 

me that Babul and Bonni knew each 

other and that things would be all 

right after a while.” 

After Akram’s return from the 

UN mission, they bought a flat in 

Dhaka’s Moghbazar area. One day, 

Bonni went to her paternal house in 

Jhenaidah after having an argument 

with Akram. 

“When Akram contacted Bonni 

after a few days, she told him 

to come to Jhenaidah via Jamuna 

Bridge and take her to Dhaka with 

him. 

“When my brother reached Bardha 

of Shailkupa on his motorcycle on 

December 28, 2014, some miscreants 

attacked him with sharp weapons. 

We found him in critical condition,” 

Rini said. 

Akram was first taken to Jhenaidah 

Sadar Hospital and then to 

Faridpur Sadar Hospital as his condition 

deteriorated. Doctors then 

advised that he be transferred to the 

DMCH for better treatment, where 

he later died. 

“Bonni seemed indifferent when 

Akram was undergoing treatment. 

She behaved mysteriously,” Rini 

said. “Her family did not attend his 

janaza and instead went to Babul’s 

Magura house.” 

She claimed that after the case 

was filed, Babul tried to influence 

the investigation and it remained 

stalled for a long time. 

Shailkupa police station OC Tariqul 

Islam said he had no idea about 

the progress in Akram murder investigation. 

When contacted yesterday, 

he said he had heard that there had 

been constant pressure from the police 

high-ups not to make Babul an 

accused in the case. • 

Mitu’s father suspects Babul 


Eight months after the sensational 

murder of Mahmuda Khanam Mitu, 

her father now believes it is not impossible 

that Mitu’s husband, former 

police superintendent Babul 

Akter, was involved in the killing. 

When contacted yesterday after 

the home minister’s comment that 

the police had not found any concrete 

evidence of Babul’s involvement 

in Mitu murder, the victim’s 

father Md Mosharraf Hossain said: 

“Considering overall circumstances 

and developments in the investigation, 

we think that Babul might 

have been involved in this murder.” 

Asked about his previous statements, 

Mosharraf, a retired police 

inspector, said: “I did not ever say 

that Babul is innocent. Rather I said 

whoever is involved in the murder, 

police should find them out 

through investigation.” 

Mitu was stabbed and shot to 

death in front of her son near her 

house in Chittagong’s GEC intersection 

on June 5 last year. Babul was 

in Dhaka at that time to join the Police 

Headquarters as an SP. 

“We have learnt from media reports 

that Special Branch Sub-Inspector 

Akram Hossain Liton’s 

[killed in 2015] wife Bonani Binte 

Bonni and Babul had an extramarital 

affair. Recently we heard that 

Babul’s family gave shelter to Bonni 

in their home.” 

Akram’s sister Jannat Ara 

Parveen Rini met Mosharraf in 

January and alleged that the extramarital 

relation between Babul and 

Bonni was behind the murder. 

Babul denied the allegation in 

a Facebook post on January 31, 

saying that he had been staying in 

South Sudan in a UN Peacekeeping 

Mission when the murder took 

place. He also criticised the media 

who published fabricated news regarding 

him. 

Mosharraf said after the murder, 

Babul was questioned by the DB 

police. Later he lost his job. “Some 

people claimed he had been forced 

to quit. Meanwhile, Babul managed 

a job and left our home. The kids 

MITU MURDER CASE 

were admitted to a school but he 

took them away too.” 

Mitu’s father also alleged that 

Babul was not monitoring the murder 

case’s investigation properly, 

though he had filed the complaint. 

The sisters of SI Akram held a 

press conference in Jhenaidah on 

Friday where they alleged that 

Babul had conspired to kill Akram 

because of his extramarital affair 

and influenced the case’s investigation 

to show it as a road accident. 

Home Minister Asaduzzaman 

Khan Kamal yesterday told reporters 

that Babul would be arrested if 

they found any concrete evidence 

against him. 

“The administration will work 

as per the law.” 

The CMP DB is dealing with the 

case, but investigation is sluggish 

as the key accused, listed criminal 

Kamrul Islam Musa who shot Mitu 

after his accomplice Nabi stabbed 

her, remains to be caught. On December 

18, Babul admitted that 

Musa used to work for him as an 

informant. • 

Home minister: Babul 

will be punished if 

found guilty 


Legal action will be taken against 

former superintendent of police 

Babul Akter if any evidence of his 

involvement is found regarding his 

wife’s murder, said Home Minister 

Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal. 

“We have not yet found any 

particular evidence that can prove 

Babul’s involvement in the murder,” 

the home minister told reporters 

after an award giving ceremony 

at Tejgaon Adorsho School and 

College in Dhaka on Saturday. 

He further said anyone – whether 

they are a public servant or a 

police member or not – would be 

punished if they committed crime. 

Babul’s wife Mahmuda Khanam 

Mitu was stabbed and shot to death 

near her house in Chittagong’s GEC 

intersection area by three men on 

June 5 last year. 

On December 18, Babul admitted 

that Kamrul Islam Musa, one of 

the suspects in the murder, was one 

of his informants. 

He made the confession during 

his interrogation by Additional Deputy 

Commissioner (North) Mohammed 

Kamruzzaman of Detective 

Branch at Chittagong Metropolitan 

Police headquarters.•

News 5 


‘China will lead fight against 

climate change if US falters’ 

The Dhaka Tribune’s Abu Siddique catches up with visiting Executive Director of Global 

Development Institute at University of Manchester Prof David Hulme 


It is well established that Bangladesh 

is among the most vulnerable nations, 

if not the most vulnerable, in terms 

of affected people. So when you say 

Bangladesh faces climate change 

risks, are you proposing to add more 

to this discourse? How? 

Yes, there is a feeling across the 

world that Bangladesh is one of 

the most vulnerable countries. 

And also the people of Bangladesh 

are victims of climate change. But 

what is lacking in understanding is 

that Bangladesh is already acting 

to adopt to the situation and to 

get involved with mitigation. The 

scientists of the country are very 

intelligent and they are active to 

maintain international lobby to 

stop emitting carbon dioxide, and 

also take part in the discourse on 

which rich nations are taking their 

responsibility. 

When you go to the villages, 

the people may not know 

about climate change but they 

are well-aware of the climate 

variability. Therefore they are 

changing their cropping patterns 

and so on. 

How would you say Bangladesh 

is unique among the countries 

affected by climate change? 

Bangladesh is a unique in terms of 

a number of events. First of all, it 

is really a large country which is 

almost largely affected. It’s based 

on a delta, it’s low-lying, close to 

the Himalayas which is changing 

LGRD minister takes 

a jab at Ershad 

• Moazzem Hossain, 

Lalmonirhat 

Local Government and Rural Development 

Minister Khandaker Mosharraf 

Hossain took a jab at Ershad yesterday 

saying the Awami League might not 

give Jatiya Party (JaPa) a cakewalk by 

not contesting polls from the region 

next time. 

The minister was speaking at a programme 

in former enclave Bhitarkuti 

under Kulaghat union in Lalmonirhat 

Sadar Upazila. 

Addressing the new Bangladeshi 

citizens who resided in the former enclave, 

he said: “We (the Awami League) 

did not contest the polls from this area 

in the last elections as we had formed 

the Grand Alliance with your local politicians. 

“But that does not mean that we 

have forgone these electorates for 

good.” 

In the 2014 general elections, Jatiya 

Party contested in seven constituencies 

from the Grand Alliance in the Rangpur 

division. JaPa Chairman Hussein Mohammad 

Ershad is currently a member 

of parliament from Rangpur-3 constituency. 

However, the Awami League has 

three lawmakers from Lalmonirhat. 

Minister Mosharraf also said that 

in the past 68 years, people from the 

former enclaves have been ignored by 

different political parties except the 

Awami League. 

The minister visited different developmental 

projects at Bhitarkuti and 

Bashpochai. He attended a discussion 

with residents of the former enclaves in 

Lalmonirhat. • 

dramatically. River flows in 

monsoon and the dry period is also 

changing. 

Second thing is, Bangladesh is 

the largest among the Least Developed 

Countries. It is an example for 

the other small vulnerable nations 

for adopting with the changing patterns 

of climate. 

In your opinion, could Bangladesh 

deal with this impending 

catastrophe on its own? With its 

own resources? Or would you say 

an international collaboration is 

imperative whether in terms of 

adaptation technology or mitigation 

in the industrialised nations? 

Nobody can handle this alone. 

Climate change requires global 

action. In terms of finance, 

Bangladesh has already spent a lot 

of money on its own to tackle the 

impacts. Most of the money it has 

spent came from the government 

and the people. But in the future, 

it needs resources from developed 

countries who caused the global 

warming. 

The Paris agreement allows a 

temperature rise of 2 degrees that 

would be catastrophic for many 

countries. Why is it still being 

celebrated around the world? 

There was a Euphoria about Paris. 

Unfortunately, the celebration is 

because it was not a failure. There 

was a great worry that Paris will be 

like Copenhagen and would not be 

Son finally able to bring back 

mother’s body from India 

• Halim Al Raji, Dinajpur 

MEHEDI HASAN 

Khokon Sarkar took his mother Kanika 

Rani Sarkar to India for her treatment on 

December 26 last year. The duo finally 

returned home together yesterday, but 

Kanika was brought back dead, six days 

after her demise. 

Address-related complications of 

the deceased that led to confusion at 

Hili immigration check post are being 

blamed for the procrastination in shipping 

the body. 

Hailing from Dinajpur sadar, Khokon 

said he and his mother went to Malda 

district of West Bengal, after seeing a 

number of doctors for her kidney problems 

at home. 

Afterwards, he planned to take her 

to Vellore, a district of the Tamil Nadu 

state in India, for better treatment. 

“But, in the mean time, I ran out 

of money, thus, rushing to my home 

town to collect money. By this time, 

my mother’s physical condition 

deteriorated, forcing my relatives in 

Madla to admit her at a local hospital”, 

he said. 

According to Khokon, his relatives 

used an Indian address while 

hospitalising Kanika. Finally, the 

44-year-old woman died of her ailment 

while being treated at Malda Medical 

College and Hospital on February 13. 

“After hearing the news of my 

mother’s death, I trevelled to India 

again aiming at taking back the body 

home. But, I remained unsuccessful 

in this case, since the Hili land port 

authorities did not allow me to carry the 

body inside Bangladeshi territory over 

the Indian address issue,” said Khokon. 

“Ever since, I kept waiting for the 

problem to be addressed, with the 

an agreement. So there was a great 

breakthrough in that there was an 

agreement. But the Paris Agreement 

is not enough because this 

agreement does not stop the carbon 

from emitting quickly. But it 

gives us a base to talk further. 

What do you think about the position 

of US President Donald Trump 

against climate change? Do you 

think the future of climate change 

discussion is uncertain? 

We have to realise one thing about 

Trump. He said that climate change 

is a hoax. He also said separately 

that it might exist. He will tell 

you anything. The US is the global 

leader in many things. If it does not 

take leadership in climate change, 

then China will. And China will 

take over the world more quickly 

because of what Trump is doing. 

If he says climate change is a hoax, 

then I will be voting for China being 

more powerful. I will look to China 

having more of a voice in international 

affairs than they have had in 

the past. The US, if it fails on this, 

will be failing. • 

copse already starting to decompose,” 

he added. 

At last, Bangladeshi Deputy High 

Commission in Kolkata allowed transportation 

of the body, after Indian media 

covered the news. Khokon claimed 

he received the relevant documents 

from the deputy high commission on 

Friday, the fifth day after the death. 

Khokon after crossing the check 

post yesterday afternoon told local reporters 

that they would complete cremation 

of the deceased by night since 

her body has already started decaying. 

Office-in-charge of the check post, 

Md Aftab Hossain, said the Indian address 

mentioned in her death certificate 

caused the delay in returning her body. 

Upon finishing all necessary formalities, 

immigration police handed over 

the body to the family, after their Indian 

counterpart sent it to them, he said. • 

TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY 

DRY WEATHER 

LIKELY 

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19 

Dhaka 32 19 Chittagong 29 20 Rajshahi 32 19 Rangpur 32 16 Khulna 32 19 Barisal 32 20 Sylhet 32 14 

DHAKA 

TODAY 

TOMORROW 

SUN SETS 5:56PM 

SUN RISES 6:28AM 

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW 

33.1ºC 

12.8ºC 

Srimangal 

Srimangal 

Source: Accuweather/UNB 

PRAYER 

TIMES 

Cox’s Bazar 29 18 

Fajr: 5:55am | Zohr: 1:15pm 

Asr: 4:45pm | Magrib: 6:07pm 

Esha: 8:00pm 

Source: Islamic Foundation

6 



News 

Dhaka 44th, not 2nd in air pollution ranking 


Dhaka city does not rank second in 

the world in terms of air pollution, 

as some news reports have recently 

suggested. 

Although particulate pollution 

levels are quite high in the capital, 

World Health Organisation’s numbers 

say it is the 44th among the cities it 

monitors, in terms of fine particle 

(PM2.5) pollution. In terms of PM10, 

or coarse dust pollution, it ranks 71st. 

WHO continuously collects data 

on particle levels in air across the 

world from various sources. The 

data and summary reports can be 

seen here. 

The Guardian in a recent news 

article visualised some of the 

data, ranking the cities based on 

their level of pollution. One of the 

graphs, that ranked selected Asian 

cities, showed Dhaka in the second 

position. This was misinterpreted 

as a global ranking. 

According to WHO data, the city 

with the most polluted air in the 

world is Zabol, Iran for PM2.5 and 

Onitsha, Nigeria for PM10. 

However, this is no reason to 

celebrate. As the Dhaka Tribune 

has previously reported, PM2.5 

and PM10 levels in the city are 8-13 

times higher over the year than 

what experts deem safe. It goes up 

in the dry seasons of winter and 

summer, peaking in February. 

Poba demands effective steps to 

tackle Dhaka air pollution 

• Mahadi Al Hasnat 

Demanding effective governmental 

action to tackle air pollution in Dhaka, 

Poribesh Bachao Andolon (Poba) 

yesterday formed a human chain in 

front of Faculty of Fine Arts at Dhaka 

University. 

A group of environmental leaders 

and activists under the banner of Poba 

also demanded strict implementation 

of existing environment laws and regulations, 

punishment of polluters, and 

creation of more awareness among 

Dhaka residents. 

Citing a report published by 

the United States-based research 

organisations Health Effects Institute 

and Institute for Health Metrics and 

Evaluation, they claimed that Dhaka 

holds second place in terms of air 

pollution, which has a severe negative 

impact on the country’s economy and 

public health. 

UK-based newspaper The Guardian, 

in a recent news article about this 

report, visualised some of the data, 

ranking the cities based on their level 

of pollution. One of the graphs, that 

ranked selected Asian cities, showed 

Dhaka in the second position. However, 

this was misinterpreted as a global 

ranking. 

World Health Organisation numbers 

say it is 44th among the cities 

it monitors, in terms of fine particle 

(PM2.5) pollution. In terms of PM10, 

or coarse dust pollution, it ranks 

71st, according to a Dhaka Tribune 

A bird’s eye view shows how Dhaka city has become a chaos of concrete structures over the years 

article published on February 16. WHO 

continuously collects data on particle 

levels in air across the world from 

various sources. 

“A middle class family in Dhaka must 

now spend an extra Tk10,000 per 

month due to the acute dust pollution 

in the mega city. The city’s hospitals 

are filled with patients affected by the 

pollution, suffering from breathing 

problems such as asphyxia, with most 

of them being children and the elderly. 

‘The government 

and authorities 

concerned pay little 

attention to the 

matter’ 

“However, the government and authorities 

concerned pay little attention 

to the matter,” Poba Chairman Abu 

Naser Khan said at the human chain. 

“Though we have environment-related 

laws and regulations for building 

and road construction to prevent 

pollution, they remain unenforced due 

to lack of will and awareness. 

“City corporation authorities have 

declared they would make Dhaka 

green and pollution free, but there is 

no sign of implementing what they 

promised,” he said. 

The speakers also demanded an 

end to the frequent city-wide road digging 

and building construction works, 

without complying with the rules, in 

order to reduce pollution. 

A monitoring system should be 

introduced as well to control air 

pollution, generated through brick 

kilns, unplanned development works, 

waste mismanagement, and poisonous 

smoke released from vehicles and 

industries, they said. 

Poba Assistant Secretary Abul 

Hasanat said pollution is negatively 

impacting the nation’s economy as 

city residents have to use more water, 

detergent, medicine etc. 

Household furniture and electronic 

devices become damaged too early 

due to the excessive dust in the air, 

while the residents wind up wasting 

thousands of work hours every day, 

he added. 

“We have to first stop the sources 

of the pollution. The city corporations 

and other authorities concerned must 

monitor road digging projects while 

they’re underway. 

“The mounting waste must be 

removed from roads and managed 

properly. Most importantly, those responsible 

for the air and dust pollution 

must be brought under exemplary 

punishment,” he said. 

The speakers at the human chain 

also called on the government to build 

public awareness about pollution and 

urged them to increase monitoring by 

city corporations and Rajuk to combat 

the problem. • 

DHAKA TRIBUNE 

India and Bangladesh have experienced 

the highest increase in 

air pollution levels since 2010. Indian 

cities of Gwalior, Allahabad, 

Patna, Raipur and Delhi are in the 

top 10 on WHO’s list. 

This is bad news for Bangladesh, 

because southwesterly winds regularly 

bring down trans-boundary 

pollution here from North India 

and even as far as Iran. A recent 

study by Bangladeshi researchers 

in Gazipur found fine particles 

from Iran and Middle East and 

heavier dust from north and central 

India in the air there. 

This is only the account of particulate 

pollution. The air in Dhaka 

is subject to other forms of pollution, 

in particular, gases emitted 

from vehicles and industry. 

The government’s Clean Air and 

Sustainable Environment Project 

(CASE) Director Munjurul Hannan 

Khan told the Dhaka Tribune that 

although Bangladesh has a high 

PM2.5 concentration, the other five 

variables of air have never crossed 

tolerable levels. He blamed the ongoing 

and unplanned construction 

in Dhaka for the rise in air pollution. 

“The city corporations should 

have taken steps to reduce pollution,” 

he added. • 

Transport strike in 

Sylhet called off 

• Mohammed Serajul Islam, 

Sylhet 

The transport strike in Sylhet enforced 

by the Sylhet Transport 

Workers’ Union earlier today has 

been withheld this afternoon. 

The workers’ union decided to 

hold off the strike after a meeting 

with senior police officials, said 

Rakib Uddin, general secretary of 

the workers’ union. 

Rakib said: “The police had initiated 

this disorderliness by attacking 

Mehedibagh microbus office as a 

way to get even after an unpleasant 

incident with a pickup driver. This 

operation was led by Kotwali police 

station Officer-in-Charge Sohel 

Ahmed, and five workers were severely 

injured during the operation.” 

“So the strike was enforced to 

protest against the attack and for the 

removal of the OC from his station. 

However, we have been given assurance 

by the senior police officials 

that measures would be taken in this 

regard, and therefore, have decided 

to withhold the strike,” he said. 

Sylhet Metropolitan Police Commissioner 

Golam Kibria presided over 

the meeting between the workers’ 

union and police, and former Sylhet 

City Corporation mayor Badar Uddin 

Ahmed Kamran, Sylhet Awami 

League General Secretary Shafiqur 

Rahman and Sylhet Upazila Chairman 

Ashfaque Ahmed were present. 

Locals have suffered immensely 

because of the strike, which lasted 

till midday, as the protestors put 

up barricades and tires set aflame 

to block roads. No inter-city transports 

were able to leave Sylhet because 

of the strike. 

Earlier, transport workers in 

Sylhet had enforced an indefinite 

strike demanding the removal of 

the Kotwali police station’s OC over 

a clash between police and workers. 

Additional Commissioner of Sylhet 

Metropolitan Police SM Rokon 

Uddin said the strike began at 6am 

Saturday. 

According to witnesses, the police 

arrested two transport workers 

– Turon and Liton – after they were 

found to be carrying alcohol on their 

pickup van around 7pm Friday. 

The transport workers blocked 

roads in Uposhohor area around 

9pm in protest against the arrest. 

The protesters and the police locked 

in a clash when the police asked the 

workers to remove the barricades. 

The police also charged the protesters 

with sticks and shot rubber bullets 

at them to disperse them. 

During the clash, around 15 people 

were injured. 

On receiving the news, Badar 

and Rokon went to the spot and 

tried to resolve the matter through 

dialogue between the two sides. 

Although the workers had removed 

the barricades on Friday 

night, they later called for an indefinite 

strike until their demands for 

the removal of the OC and release 

of the two workers are met. •

News 7 


Spike in fatal road crashes this year 

• Kamrul Hasan 

In the first 48 days of 2017, there 

have been 697 deaths in 585 road 

accidents across the nation. 

According to data collected 

by NGOs, this is higher than the 

number of deaths in the first two 

months of 2016. 

The National Committee to Protect 

Shipping, Roads and Railways 

(NCPSRR) found that 697 people 

were killed and 2,055 injured this 

year, till Friday. 

There were 644 accidents in 

the first two months of last year, 

causing 696 deaths and 2,162 injuries. 

Keeping in mind there are two 

more weeks of February left, this 

year’s death figures have already 

exceeded last year’s. 

The daily average last year was 

11 deaths, whilst in 2017, so far 

every day an average of 15 have 

been killed. 

NCPSRR collected the information 

from 20 national dailies, 10 

regional newspapers, eight online 

newspapers and news agencies. 

The country is going to face 

more accidents this year if effective 

measures are not taken soon, road 

safety specialists said. 

Buet’s Accident Research Institute’s 

Assistant Professor Kazi 

Shifun Newaz told the Dhaka Tribune 

that the recent accidents were 

mostly head-on collisions. 

“This indicates that the accidents 

were mostly caused by overtaking 

and over-speeding. 

“ARI’s findings suggest that for 

the lack of emergency response 

facilities, as much as 45% of the 

victims are killed after getting to 

hospitals,” he said. 

If there were immediate primary 

treatment facilities after accidents, 

many victims’ lives could be saved, 

he added. 

NCPSRR General Secretary Ashish 

Kumar Dey said there was a 

sudden increase in the number of 

three-wheelers and locally-built 

vehicles on highways, driving 

recklessly in dense fogs, unskilled 

motorcycle drivers and a lack of 

awareness among pedestrians and 

drivers of small vehicles. 

This may have pushed up the 

number of accidents, he said. 

ARI researcher Kazi Shifun said 

this deadliest rise of accidents 

could worsen in the future if they 

cannot be brought under control. 

To prevent this, major highways 

should be made four-lane, driving 

licences should only be issued 

to competent and knowledgeable 

AL’s Jafar elected Baghaichhari 

mayor in new EC’s first polls 

Female indigenous voters of Baghaichhari municipality in Rangamati wait in queue in front of a polling centre to cast 

their votes at the municipal election yesterday 

ZIAUL HAQUE 

• Ziaul Haque, Rangamati 

Awami League’s Jafar Ali Khan has unofficially 

won the Baghaichhari municipality 

mayoral election in Rangamati 

with a total of 3,796 votes. 

Trailing closely behind him is 

independent candidate Md Azizur 

Rahman with 2,227 votes, who chose 

the mobile phone as his symbol. BNP 

candidate Omar Ali got 1,797 votes. 

Returning Officer Md Nazimuddin 

declared the results yesterday 

evening. 

This has been the second ever election 

for Baghaicchari municipality since 

its establishment and the first for the 

newly formed Election Commission. 

27 candidates vied for councillor 

posts and six for reserved women 

councillor seats. 

Voting began around 8am and 

continued until 4pm. 

Across nine polling centres, the 

total number of voters was 10,177, 

with women outnumbering men by a 

large margin; 1,700 of the voters were 

indigenous people. 

While voting was in progress, all 

three mayoral candidates said polling 

was carried out smoothly but also 

simultaneously expressed apprehension 

regarding the possibility of 

forced voting through unauthorized 

outsiders. 

Jafar Ali accused Azizur Rahman 

of assembling cadre members from 

Chittagong’s Raujan and Rangunia 

Upazila to facilitate voter fraud. At the 

same time, Azizur Rahman complained 

that Jafar Ali’s men harassed and 

threatened his supporters. Both of 

them alerted the law enforcement 

about their respective concerns. 

Each of the three candidates was 

hopeful that a fair round of voting will 

ensure their own victory. 

Strong security measures taken 

by the authorities seem to have been 

effective as Rangamati ADC Amir 

Khasru told the Dhaka Tribune in the 

morning that additional law enforcement 

had been deployed at all polling 

centres and the Rapid Action Battalion 

(RAB) and Border Guard Bangladesh 

(BGB) members were kept on standby. 

He said they were prepared to avert 

any unpleasant situation and also 

maintain order immediately after the 

election. • 

drivers, more training should be offered 

to all workers, he added. 

He said that the government has 

to ensure ‘golden-hour treatment,’ 

which is first aid for trauma within 

an hour of accidents. 

“More cameras should be placed 

on roads to monitor vehicle speed.” 

“Most of all, the drivers should 

be taught the fact that life is more 

important than time,” he suggested. 

Bangladesh Road Transport Authority 

(BRTA) Secretary Sawkat 

Ali said they had already instructed 

transport owners to be disciplined. 

A number of safety measures had 

been taken to make highways safer. 

Mozzzammel Haque, secretary 

general of Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan 

Samiti, said there was no sign of 

discipline on highways. 

“Road safety can only be found 

in their promises, not actions.” • 

Bus strike called off in 

3 southern districts 

• Md Tariqul Islam, Barguna 

Bus owners and workers have postponed 

their strike for seven days in 

the southern districts of Patuakhali, 

Barguna and Barisal following assurance 

to fulfil their demands. 

The decision was taken in a 

meeting between Barguna Deputy 

Commissioner Dr Md Bashirul Alam 

and leaders of bus owners-workers 

associations Friday night at Barguna 

Circuit House auditorium. 

“We managed to convince the bus 

owners and workers to postpone their 

strike considering the immense suffering 

to commuters,” Dr Md Bashirul 

Alam told the Dhaka Tribune. 

“A five-member search committee, 

led by Additional Deputy Commissioner 

M Nuruzzaman, has been formed to 

find a solution,” he added. 

The committee will submit its 

report within a week. Then the district 

administration and bus owners-workers 

leaders will have another meeting 

over the issue. 

“We have postponed the strike, 

but will go for a tougher movement if 

our demands are not met 

within the next seven days,” said 

Road crashes kill 

6-yr-old, 4 others 


Barguna District Transport Workers’ 

Association President Sahabuddin 

Sabu. 

Bus owners and workers in the 

districts went on an indefinite strike 

on Thursday demanding keeping 

three wheelers off the highways and 

withdrawal of “fake cases” against 

transport workers. 

On February 13, police filed a case 

against 17 transport workers over 

a clash between bus workers and 

three-wheeler drivers at Barguna’s 

Amtoli. • 


Five people including a six-year-old 

boy were killed and 25 others injured 

in road accidents in Gopalganj 

and Sirajganj districts yesterday. 

In Gopalganj, a first-grader 

named Siyam was run over by a bus 

in front of the Kotalipara Upazila 

Parishad. He was killed on the spot. 

In Sirajganj, four people including 

an army official were killed and 

25 others injured in a head-on collision 

between a truck and a bus at 

Kamarkhanda upazila’s Konagoti area. 

Three of the deceased have been 

identified: Savar Cantonment’s 

Senior Warrant Officer Shafiq 

Ahmed Salam, 50, Meher Sheikh, 

35, and Liton Chatterjee, 32. 

Police rushed to the location 

and rescued the injured, sending 

them to Sirajganj Sadar Hospital. • 

‘We have called off 

the strike, but will 

go for a tougher 

movement if our 

demands are not 

met within the next 

seven days’


8 

World 


Scientists claim existence of 

drowned Pacific Ocean continent 

• Reuters, Sydney 

A continent two-thirds the size of 

Australia has been found beneath 

the south-west Pacific Ocean, scientists 

reported in the journal of 

the Geological Society of America. 

The land mass of 4.5 million 

square kilometres is 94% underwater 

and only its highest points 

- New Zealand and New Caldeonia 

- poke above the surface. 

“It’s rather frustrating for us 

geologists with the oceans being 

there,” said Nick Mortimer, a geologist 

at GNS Science in Dunedin, 

New Zealand. 

“If we could pull the plug on the 

oceans it would be clear to everyone 

we have mountain chains 

and a big high-standing continent 

above the ocean crust.” 

Mortimer was lead author of 

the paper titled “Zealandia: Earth’s 

hidden continent” which says the 

new discoveries prove what had 

long been suspected. 

“Since about the 1920s, from 

time to time in geology papers people 

used the word ‘continental’ to 

ZEALANDIA ‘LOST CONTINENT’ 

New Zealand is part of a previously unknown continent mostly 

submerged in the South Pacific, scientists said Friday 

AUSTRALIA 

Zealandia considered by geologists 

to be a massive mostly submerged 

continent 

It meets all criteria applied to 

the Earth’s 7 continents, 

NEW 

CALEDONIA 

Tasman 

Sea 

94% underwater 

Area: 

5 million sq km 

according to scientists 

elevation above 

surrounding area 

distinctive geology 

NEW 

ZEALAND 

well-defined area 

crust much thicker 

than that found on 

ocean floor 

Pacific 

Ocean 

Published in the Geological 

Society of America’s Journal 

500 km 

describe various parts of New Zealand 

and the Catham Islands and 

New Caledionia,” Mortimer said. 

“The difference now is that we feel 

we’ve gathered enough information 

to change ‘continental’ to the 

noun, ‘continent’.” 

Mortimer said geologists early 

in the previous century had found 

granite from sub-antarctic islands 

near New Zealand and metaphormic 

rocks on New Caledonia that 

were indicative of continental geology. 

If the recent discovery is 

accepted by the scientific community, 

cartographers will probably 

have to add an eighth continent to 

future maps and atlases. 

“The paper we’ve written unashamedly 

sticks to empirical observations 

and descriptions,” Mortimer 

said. “The litmus test will 

really be if ‘Zealandia’ appears in 

maps and atlases in five or 10 year’s 

time.” “Zealandia” is believed to 

have broken away from Australia 

about 80 million years ago and 

sank beneath the sea as part of the 

break up of the super-continent 

known as Gondwanaland. • 

Pakistan shuts 

key border 

crossing into 

Afghanistan 


Pakistani authorities shut down a 

second key border crossing into Afghanistan, 

halting trade supplies to 

the neighboring landlocked country 

and increasing tensions between 

the two nations in the wake of a 

bloody suicide bombing at a beloved 

shrine in Pakistan, officials said Saturday, 

reports the Associated Press. 

The border closure at Chaman 

in southwest Baluchistan province 

came after an attack on a Sufi shrine 

in southern Pakistan on Thursday 

left 88 worshippers dead. 

Pakistan closed the border at 

Torkham hours after the bombing 

and the Chaman border was shut 

late Friday, said a senior army official. 

A second official confirmed the 

details, saying trucks and shipping 

containers carrying trade supplies 

were parked miles away from the 

border crossings. Torkham connects 

Pakistan to Afghanistan’s Nangarhar 

province and Chaman is located 

near Spin Boldak in Kandahar. • 

Russia seeks ‘post-West’ order 

as US vows loyalty to allies 

• AFP, Munich 

Russia Saturday called for an end to 

an outdated world order dominated 

by the West, even as US Vice President 

Mike Pence pledged Washington’s 

“unwavering” commitment to its 

transatlantic allies in Nato. 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei 

Lavrov laid out a diametrically opposed 

global vision and offered “pragmatic” 

ties with the United States, just 

hours after Pence vowed to stand with 

Europe to rein in a resurgent Moscow. 

“I hope that (the world) will choose 

a democratic world order – a post-West 

one – in which each country is defined 

by its sovereignty,” said Lavrov. 

The time when the West called the 

shots was over while Nato was a relic 

of the Cold War, he said. 

In its place, Moscow wanted a relationship 

with Washington that is 

“pragmatic with mutual respect and 

acknowledgement of our common responsibility 

for global stability”. 

The two countries had never been in 

direct conflict, he said, and were close 

neighbours across the Baring Straits. 

But in the face of growing heat 

over its links to Moscow, Trump’s administration 

appears to be backing off 

the warmer words used earlier for the 

former Cold War foe. 

‘Greatest ally’ 

Exasperated and worried by Trump’s 

calling into question long-standing 

foreign policy assumptions, European 

leaders have warned Washington not 

to take transatlantic ties for granted. 

On a European roadshow this week, 

Trump’s lieutenants have sought to 

reassure jittery allies that the administration 

will hold fast to existing foreign 

policies, including maintaining sanctions 

on Russia over the Ukraine crisis. 

Hours before Lavrov addressed the 

Munich Security Conference, Pence 

told the same forum that the United 

States will stay loyal to its old friends. 

“The United States is and will always 

be your greatest ally. Be assured 

that President Trump and our people 

are truly devoted to our transatlantic 

union,” Pence said. 

The US would also not relent in 

pushing Russia to honour the Minsk 

ceasefire accords with Ukraine, he said. 

“The US will continue to hold Russia 

accountable, even as we search for new 

common ground, which as you know, 

President Trump believes can be found,” 

the vice-president said. • 

A woman shouts slogans during a protest against the policies of US President 

Donald Trump in New York City on February 17 

REUTERS 

Anti-Trump energy flags during 

a second day of protests 

• Reuters, New York 

A second consecutive day of protests 

against US President Donald 

Trump’s month-old administration 

appeared to lose momentum on 

Friday, with rallies in Chicago, Los 

Angeles and New York attracting 

small yet enthusiastic crowds. 

Activists had called for a “general 

strike” a day after thousands 

of immigrants across the United 

States stayed home from work and 

school during “A Day Without Immigrants” 

to highlight the contributions 

of foreign-born workers to 

the American economy. 

Strike4Democracy, one of the 

groups organising Friday’s strike, 

said more than 100 public protests 

were expected around the country. 

In New York, more than 16,000 

people responded to a Facebook 

page set up for a rally at Washington 

Square Park in Manhattan, but fewer 

than 200 protesters were at the park 

an hour after the posted start time. 

Crystal Thornebrooke, one of 

the organizers, said the event was 

intended to spark discussions 

about how activists can make progress 

in fighting Trump’s agenda. 

“Introducing ourselves to people, 

hearing people, hearing their 

concerns with our administration 

and then build from there - this is 

the preliminary stages of organisation,” 

she said. • 

New chief of Tamil 

Nadu wins bitter 

confidence vote 

• AFP, Chennai 

The new chief minister of India’s 

Tamil Nadu state won a confidence 

vote in the regional assembly Saturday, 

hours after legislators came 

to blows over a bitterly fought leadership 

contest. 

Shouting slogans, legislators disrupted 

the assembly ahead of the 

vote, ripping out microphones and 

breaking chairs as Edappadi Palanisamy, 

who was recently sworn in as 

Tamil Nadu’s chief minister, sought 

a majority for his government in a 

bid to cement his position. 

The death of Palanisamy’s predecessor 

Jayalalithaa Jayaram triggered 

a weeks-long battle over succession, 

with her close aide Sasikala 

hauled off to prison for graft just as 

she was on the verge of becoming 

chief minister of the southern state, 

clearing the way for Palanisamy to 

take the reins on Thursday. 

The 63-year-old secured his majority 

by winning 122 votes in the 

234-member state assembly on 

Saturday, hours after the speaker, 

who was whisked away to safety by 

marshals, evicted close to 90 opposition 

politicians for disrupting 

proceedings. •

World 

Thousands rally in Malaysia 

to back Islamic penal code bill 

• Reuters, Kuala Lumpur 

Tens of thousands of Malaysians rallied in the 

capital on Saturday to support the adoption of 

a strict Islamic penal code, a proposal religious 

minorities fear could infringe their rights. 

Prime Minister Najib Razak has thrown 

his weight behind the contentious bill, which 

seeks to incorporate parts of the Islamic penal 

code, or “hudud”, into Malaysia’s existing Islamic 

legal system. 

Najib, who is currently embroiled in a corruption 

scandal, is hoping to burnish his Islamic 

credentials in order to boost his chances 

in national elections that must be held by August 

2018. 

Critics of the bill warn that it could pave 

the way for full implementation of hudud, 

which prescribes punishments such as amputations 

and stoning, and disrupt the fabric 

of Malaysia’s multi-cultural and multi-religious 

society. 

“The so-called ‘empowerment’ of the Shariah 

Court will only exacerbate the unequal 

treatment of Muslims and non-Muslims before 

the law,” said Bebas, an NGO that organised 

a smaller counter-rally. 

No official figures were available on how 

many people attended Saturday’s peaceful 

support rally in Kuala Lumpur, but estimates 

were in the tens of thousands. 

Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, deputy president 

of the hardline Islamist opposition Parti Islam-se 

Malaysia (PAS), one of its organisers, 

said 100,000 people were expected to attend. 

The PAS presented the bill in parliament 

last year but later withdrew it in order to fine 

tune the legislation. It is now expected to be 

reintroduced in the next parliamentary session, 

in March. • 

9 


DT


10 

Business 


CAPITAL MARKET SNAPSHOT: PAST WEEK 

DSE Broad Index 5,590.7 1.4% ▲ Index 1,306.2 1.7% ▲ 30 Index 2,027.7 1.3% ▲ Turnover in Mn Tk 53,504.0 45.1% ▲ Turnover in Mn Vol 1,458.4 33.6% ▲ 

CSE All Share Index 17,309.4 1.5% ▲ 30 Index 15,106.0 1.9% ▲ Selected Index 10,489.0 1.5% ▲ Turnover in Mn Tk 3,180.7 34.0% ▲ Turnover in Mn Vol 104.1 4.4% ▲ 

Biman incurs over Tk57cr loss 

since UK cargo ban from Dhaka 

• Ishtiaq Husain 

Biman used to transport on an average 25 tonnes of cargo on each UK bound flight before the imposition of ban 

Biman Bangladesh Airlines has incurred 

a loss of over Tk57 crore as 

the British government put a ban 

on direct air cargo shipment from 

Dhaka to London a year back. 

“If the ban continues till March 

this year, the total loss would cross 

Tk61 crore,” said the Biman officials. 

They said: “The national flag 

carrier is currently incurring a loss 

over Tk5 crore each month because 

of the air cargo ban.” 

Biman officials, however, expect 

that the direct cargo ban will be 

withdrawn within March this year 

as they have already undertaken 

some measures following the ban 

imposed by UK. 

On March 8 last year, the UK 

government imposed the temporary 

ban on direct air cargo shipments 

from Dhaka to London, 

citing security concern while Australia 

came up with the same move 

in December 2015. 

Shakil Meraj, general manager 

of Biman, said: “We have improved 

our scanning system in guidance 

with Redline Assured Security, to 

improve the overall security of the 

cargo complex at Shahjalal Airport.” 

“We are hoping that the UK government 

would soon withdraw the 

temporary ban on the direct air cargo 

flight on Dhaka-London route. 

Otherwise, Biman would face a 

huge loss in the coming days,” said 

Shakil. 

According to cargo department, 

it has installed multi-featured full 

web-based cargo spot system, introduced 

automated cash receiving 

system through in cargo, earlier 

which was handled manually, set 

up rapid scanner for scanning cargo 

goods, regularise the training of 

cargo personnel. 

Besides, it has set up cargo archway 

and security scanners placed 

in every entry point of cargo to ensure 

security while the department 

is going to set up semi automated 

warehouse in collaboration with 

CAAB and Bangladesh Machine 

Tools Factory. 

Revenue earning growth from 

the transportation of cargo goods 

has increased 15.84%, which was at 

39.10 in 2014-15 fiscal year, according 

to sources. 

But, the latest ban would affect 

on its cargo revenue heavily as 

it earned a total of around Tk536 

crore by carrying 40,911 tonnes of 

cargoes to different destinations in 

FY2015-16. 

Biman used to transport on an 

average 25 tonnes of cargo on each 

UK bound flight before the imposition 

of ban. 

National carrier cargo department 

sources, after imposition of cargo 

ban Biman incurs Tk32 lakh loss in 

each Dhaka-London flight. As the airliner 

has been operating four flights 

in a week, per week loss turned over 

Tk1 crore while a total monthly loss 

now stands over Tk5 crore. 

Meanwhile, the national flag 

No gas for industries built in unplanned way 

COURTESY 

carrier, has signed a code-sharing 

agreement with Etihad and Emirates 

Airways to transport cargoes 

in European destinations including 

London route. 

According to sources, Biman is 

now carrying its cargo in its regular 

flights through Abu Dhabi from 

where Etihad Airlines shifts them 

to 13 others European destinations 

including London. 

According to an agreement 

signed between Biman and Etihad, 

Biman would be able to transport 

48,500kg cargo in a week. The national 

carrier would share its revenue 

with the Etihad. • 

Biman to procure 

3 more aircraft 


Biman Bangladesh Airlines has decided 

to procure three Bombardier 

Dash 8 Q400 aircraft from Canada 

to strengthen fleet for ensuring 

smooth operation in domestic and 

regional routes. 

Biman board of directors, highest 

policy-level forum of the organisation, 

made the decision recently. 

The process to purchase three 

aircraft would be completed on government 

to government procurement 

basis, according to Biman. 

Bombardier, a Canadian aircraft 

manufacturer of Dash 8 Q400, 

is a series of twin-engine medium-range 

turbo-prop aircraft. 

The top management had earlier 

considered to buy French-Italian 

based ATR 72 and Dash 8 Q400 aircraft. 

Finally, most of board members 

favoured to buy Dash 8 Q400 

aircraft instead of ATR 72. 

Now, national flag carrier has 

two Dash 8 Q400 aircraft in its 

fleet. In 2015, the airliner has added 

this aircraft in its fleet on the lease 

basis from Egypt’s Smart Aviation 

for five years. 

While talking to Dhaka Tribune, 

General Manager of Biman Bangladesh 

Airlines Shakil Meraj said: “As 

Biman acquired two Dash 8 Q400 

aircraft on lease basis for five years, 

the national flag carrier will have 

to add more aircraft to continue 

domestic and regional routes after 

the expiry of the agreement.” 

“For the continuation of smooth 

operation, the management of the 

airlines finally decided to purchase 

three more aircraft. If one aircraft, 

out of the two aircraft, is grounded, 

Biman is to cancel around 50% 

flights due to lack of aircraft,” said 

Shakil Meraj. 

Currently, national flag carrier 

is operating 7 domestic routes and 

two regional routes including Kolkata 

and Kathmandu by Dash 8 

Q400 aircraft. • 

• SM Najmus Sakib 

State Minister For Power, Energy 

and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid 

said if industrial units are set 

up in unplanned way, the government 

will not supply gas and energy 

to those plants. 

He urged the investors to develop 

their plants in designated industrial 

zones, not in farm lands. 

Nasrul said building industries 

here and there is not good for environment 

and this is also an “unhealthy 

business practice.” 

He warned: “If you build industries 

in nonindustrial zones or on 

farm lands, we cannot assure you 

of providing necessary electricity 

and gas supplies to your plants.” 

Nasrul Hamid was speaking at 

the closing ceremony of the 12th 

International Plastic Fair 2017 in 

Dhaka yesterday as the chief guest. 

The four-day fair took place on 

February 15-18 at the Bangabandhu 

International Conference Center. 

“I strongly discourage you all 

not to build industries out of industrial 

zones if you want necessary 

supports from our part. Building 

industries here and there is an unhealthy 

business practice.” 

State minister, however, assured 

investors in industrial zones 

of supplying necessary power and 

gas to their industrial plants. 

About the country’s electricity 

situation, he said the government 

has achieved “a lot” in power 

generation, though it’s yet to reach 

its goal. •

Business 11 



BTRC wants to fix mobile data pricing 


Bangladesh Telecommunication 

Regulatory Commission is planning 

to introduce the Cost Modelling 

System for fixing data prices to 

protect public interest. 

According to the industry insiders, 

such cost modelling helps 

subscribers avail data services at 

an affordable price where mobile 

operators face little or no competition, 

but in Bangladesh, the scenario 

is different. 

Here the operators are facing a 

breakneck competition to survive 

in the market, they said, adding 

that before introducing the cost 

modelling system, the regulator 

should know the status of Bangladesh 

in data pricing in terms of 

global context. 

BTRC sources said they are 

closely working on fixing the system 

in the best interest of valued 

subscribers. What the mobile operators 

are pricing now is a little bit 

higher, according to the regular. 

Meanwhile, the regulator has 

already singed a Memorandum 

of Understanding (MoU) with the 

International Telecommunication 

Union (ITU). 

As per the MoU, ITU will send a 

consultant to BTRC that will advise 

the regulator to provide a way for 

the commission to find a right way 

for fixing the data price. 

BTRC Chairman Dr Shahjahan 

Mahmood told the Dhaka Tribune 

that the regulator is working on it 

and hopeful to launch the system 

at the earliest possible time, considering 

the subscriber’s interest. 

“Since I assumed the office as a 

chairman, I have always focused 

on quality mobile services in the 

telecommunication industry. Then 

we held a public hearing to listen to 

the complaints of subscribers. We 

will do more to ensure public interest,” 

added Shahjahan. 

Seeking anonymity, an official of 

a mobile operator said the regulator 

should select a consultant who 

must be from a reputed company, 

either in local or international arena, 

plus he must have a huge experience 

in cost modelling, or else the 

output he will provide would not 

be acceptable. 

With reference to previous audit 

appointments to different mobile 

companies, the official said the 

pick of a reputed consultant is a debatable 

issue. 

For Voice Call, BTRC has set a 

benchmark that does not allow any 

operator to charge below 0.24 paisa/minute. 

An official of another mobile operator 

said if the market does not 

witness enough competition among 

mobile operators, cost modelling 

could be introduced there. • 

Pharma sector in need of skilled 

manpower to grab global market 

• Ibrahim Hossain Ovi 

The shortage of skilled manpower is the key 

challenge to the country’s pharmaceutical industry 

to penetrate global market. 

The sector people came up with the remarks 

while addressing a discussion on “Preparedness 

of Bangladesh pharmaceutical industry 

for the future potentials and challenges”. 

The discussion was a part of Samson H 

Chowdhury Memorial Conference 2017 held 

in the capital yesterday which focused on the 

prospect and problems of Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical 

sector. 

“We have already a strong base in domestic 

market. We need to have presence in global 

markets, but the government policy is not in 

favour of the industry,” said Tapan Chowdhury, 

managing director of Square Pharmaceuticals 

Limited. 

According to Bangladesh Association of 

Pharmaceutical Industries (BAPI), Bangladesh 

meets 97% of local demands domestically. Of 

the total demands, 87% are met by local companies 

while 13% by the multinational companies. 

Tapan urged the government to allow the 

sector people to pay foreign bills for business 

expansion from their export retention. 

“There is huge potential for export and the 

target should be on generic products, but the 

most important thing is human resources, 

which we are lack in,” said Salman F Rahman, 

vice-chairman of Beximco Group. 

“The basic ingredient of Bangladesh’s success 

in pharmaceutical industry is white colour 

professionals. We enjoy low-cost professionals,” 

said Salman. 

It is high time that the academicians designed 

the course based on the industry 

needs, he added. 

“The sector people have to be innovative 

and focus should be on formulation of generic 

products having a market worth $112 billion,” 

said Abdul Muktadir, chairman and managing 

director of Incepta Pharmaceutical. 

For boosting the export, he suggested promotion 

of products through agents and marketing 

in the global markets. 

In July-January period of the current fiscal 

year, Bangladesh earned $52.64 million, which 

is 8.5% higher compared to $48.50 million in 

the same period a year ago. • 

Call for joint investment to 

reduce India-BD trade gap 

• Anwar Hussain, Chittagong. 

Indian business delegation emphasised joint 

investments to narrow trade gap between 

Bangladesh and India which reached around 

$5bn last fiscal year. 

The suggestion came in a views-exchange 

meeting between the delegation from India’s 

Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry 

and the leaders of Chittagong Chamber of 

Commerce and Industry yesterday. 

The meeting was held at Bangaba. 

The Indian delegation also expressed its 

consent about setting up an engineering institute 

in Chittagong to produce skilled manpower 

and enhance bilateral trade. 

The 15-member delegation comprised of representatives 

from consultancy, education, engineering, 

finance, health, IT, shipping, logistics, 

skill development and transportation sectors. 

The delegation also expressed eagerness to 

build skilled manpower through giving training 

on engineering and IT. 

With the CCCI Senior Vice-President Nurun 

Newaz Salim in the chair, the views-exchange 

meeting was attended by the head of the delegation 

RN Lahiri, India’s assistant high commissioner 

in Chittagong Somnath Halder and CCCI 

Director Mahfuzul Haque Shah, among others. 

Nurun Newaz Salim underscored the importance 

of ensuring trade facilities, removing 

all barriers and developing infrastructures. 

He also called upon the visiting delegation 

to invest in Mirsarai Economic Zone near Chittagong 

city. 

Halder recommended joint investment in 

the sectors like cement, fish processing, fruit 

and food for reducing the trade gap between 

the two countries. 

In fiscal year 2015-16 Bangladesh imports 

from India reached $5,453m a year while exports 

to India are $689.62m. •


12 

Editorial 


TODAY 

Celebrating the 

wrong kind of girl 

power 

When we celebrate stories like these, we 

make other women, who do take time 

for themselves and their babies, appear 

weak 

PAGE 13 

Can you feel the 

love? 

I took a CNG back home and the driver 

turned out to be one of the most 

gloriously self-educated men I have 

come across in a long time 

PAGE 14 

Lives lost too soon 

RAJIB DHAR 

The stakes are high 

for Palestine 

One commentator has observed that US 

gives Israel money, arms, and advice. 

Israel takes the money, it takes the 

arms, and it rejects the advice 

PAGE 15 

Be heard 

Write to Dhaka Tribune 

FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, 

Shukrabad, Dhaka-1207 

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opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com 

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DhakaTribune. 

The views expressed in opinion 

articles are those of the authors 

alone and they are not the 

official view of Dhaka Tribune 

or its publisher. 

Countless lives are lost in Bangladesh to cancer every year. 

It is all the more tragic when children are the ones being 

afflicted. 

There are somewhere between 1.3 million and 1.5 million 

childhood cancer patients in Bangladesh, according to the World 

Child Cancer Report -- and right now we lack the capacity to take care 

of most of them. 

Our resources to combat cancer remain woefully inadequate -- 

only five hospitals in Dhaka and five government hospitals in other 

districts are providing cancer treatment, and there are simply not 

enough beds. 

It is important that we address these shortages -- the lack of 

infrastructure, inadequate knowledge of skills of doctors on duty, 

and the scarcity of drugs are causing the untimely deaths of many 

children. 

These deaths are on our conscience. 

If diagnosed at the right time, cancer is curable 95% of the time, 

but we are too often too late. 

The unacceptable lack of resources in our health sector, which 

we are seeing right now, needs to be treated by the government as a 

matter of utmost priority. 

A general lack of awareness about the deadly illness has also 

persisted in society, and the government has a duty to ensure that 

those with children suffering from non-communicable diseases such 

as cancer know where to go for help. 

It is about time we fought the bane of childhood cancer head-on, 

and provided the nation’s children with the treatment they deserve. 

Bangladesh should make the right investments in treatment 

facilities and overall accessibility, so that no more children have to die 

before it is their time. 

It is about time we 

fought the bane of 

childhood cancer headon, 

and provided the 

nation’s children with the 

treatment they deserve

Opinion 13 



Celebrating the wrong kind of girl power 

The story of an SSC candidate giving birth should disturb us all 

• Shammi Quddus 

did not 

worry about her 

situation, instead, 

“Swarnali 

after giving birth 

to a baby boy, she took merely 

10 minutes to return to the 

examination hall.” 

On February 14, 2017 I was 

shocked to read an article 

published in a leading newspaper 

about how an SSC examinee at 

Sarishabari Reazuddin Talukdar 

High School Exam Centre in 

Jamalpur gave birth to a boy and 

went back to her math exam in 

“merely 10 minutes.” 

The story was making the 

rounds on social media, being 

celebrated as a shining example of 

girl power, reaching its peak when 

an RJ at a popular radio channel 

talked about this “strong” girl in 

glowing terms. As a woman, and as 

a mother, I was deeply disturbed. 

I do not see girl power in this 

story. I see oppression and grave 

danger to a girl’s life. First, why 

is a 16-year old girl pregnant in 

the first place? Given our social 

context, it is reasonable to assume 

the girl is also married. 

This is against the law. 

The 1929 Child Marriage 

Restraint Act made it a criminal 

offense to marry, or facilitate 

the marriage of, a girl under 

the age of 18 or a man or boy 

under the age of 21. The act was 

unfortunately amended in 2016, 

which lowered the age for girls to 

16 under “special circumstances,” 

but the amendment was made in 

November 2016, thus, when this 

girl was married off, it was done in 

violation of the law. 

This story itself could be 

grounds for legal action against 

her family. I realise there is a 

possibility that she is an olderthan-usual 

SSC candidate and 

above 18 years of age in which 

case the article first-and-foremost 

should clarify that point, so as not 

to appear complicit in overlooking 

a case of child marriage rather 

than glossing over her age as a 

non-issue. 

Second, even if this mother 

was above 18, a woman does not 

recover from childbirth in “merely 

10 minutes.” After the baby is 

born, the cervix and uterus are 

dilated and need to contract in 

order for the bleeding to stop. 

The first few moments right after 

birth are extremely critical since 

perineal tears and hemorrhaging 

can cause a woman to lose a lot of 

blood. 

Thus, even after a natural birth, 

a mother needs to be monitored 

to make sure she is out of danger. 

During childbirth, a mother’s body 

is full of adrenaline -- the fight-orflight 

hormone -- to give her the 

energy needed to push out a baby. 

It is the same hormone that 

makes your heart pound and eyes 

dilate when you need to run away 

from someone holding a gun, for 

instance. Understandably, many 

mothers will often want to get 

up and be active right after the 

delivery because of the effects 

of adrenaline. Just because this 

young girl got up and went back to 

her exam, it is not necessarily an 

indication of her having recovered, 

rather her adrenaline levels not 

having returned to normal. 

It is entirely possible that her 

labour came on very suddenly and 

there was no time to move her to a 

medical facility, in which case we 

should be talking about how we 

can avoid and better manage such 

dangerous situations rather than 

celebrating it. 

Finally, celebrating this as 

an example of girl power gives 

men and women the impression 

that “strong” women do not let 

anything stand in their way, not 

even the birth of a baby. 

This sets impossible standards 

on women at the expense of their 

health and even their life. It is not 

normal or healthy to jump back 

into things right after having a 

child. 

Both the baby and the mother 

need time to recover and bond 

-- they need months not minutes. 

When we celebrate stories like 

these, we make other women, who 

do take time for themselves and 

their babies, appear weak. We give 

implicit permission to employers 

to deny women the maternity 

leave that they are due because 

they rationalise that women and 

babies can do without it. They 

can’t. 

The 160-word news story from 

Jamalpur was perhaps a blip 

on most of our radars, but the 

very fact that it was a blip and 

not a storm demonstrates how, 

as a society, we are comfortable 

normalising injustices which 

Becoming a mother is no joke 

When we celebrate stories like these, we make other women, who do 

take time for themselves and their babies, appear weak. We give implicit 

permission to employers to deny women the maternity leave that they 

are due because they rationalise that women and babies can do without 

it. They can’t 

should, instead, disturb us deeply. 

This story should have 

been about how our legal and 

social system failed to protect a 

child from getting married and 

pregnant. The article should have 

been about the dangers of birthing 

in a non-medical facility. 

The article should have 

been about the unreasonable 

expectations on women to be 

superhuman. Instead, we are 

celebrating the “girl power” of a 

child who just had a baby and had 

to go back to an exam. 

Unless we first learn to identify 

the injustices being done to 

women we will never be able to fix 

them. • 

Shammi Quddus is a dual degree MBA 

and MPA/ID graduate student at the 

Stanford Graduate School of Business 

and Harvard Kennedy School. She is a 

World Economic Forum Global Shaper 

of the Dhaka Hub. She can be reached at 

shammi@stanford.edu or on Twitter at 

@shammiquddus. 

BIGSTOCK

14 



Opinion 

Can you feel the love? 

Love resides in the small things 

Love doesn’t have to wait for Valentine’s Day 

I took a CNG back home and the driver turned out to be one of the most 

gloriously self-educated men I have come across in a long time 

• Meghna Alam 

Valentine’s Day this year 

had love flowing towards 

me from all directions. 

Let me list the ways: 

1. I met an extremely kind 

man at the embassy who 

selflessly helped me to submit my 

application directly without an 

agency, called at my number to ask 

for added documents to speed up 

the process, and accepted them 

way beyond the fixed time limit. 

2. I met a man who accepted a 

torn Tk1,000 note, the last note 

in my purse that everyone was 

refusing to take, in exchange of his 

service -- without complaining. 

3. My phone switched off 

because it ran out of charge. I met 

a student at my university who 

let me send boring and timeconsuming 

official e-mails from 

his phone, even though we were 

not friends and he did not make 

any flirtatious moves towards me. 

4. I met a nice teacher who 

went home leaving his phone 

charger behind for me so I could 

charge my phone while I remained 

at the university. 

5. I finally took a CNG back 

home and the driver turned out 

to be one of the most gloriously 

self-educated men I have come 

across in a long time; and I smiled 

from ear to ear when I heard the 

inspirational story of his struggle. 

His elder son studies at Dhaka 

University, he has adopted his 

sister’s daughter, he gives credit 

to his wife for guiding his sons, 

and he dreams of going back to his 

village once his sons settle down. 

Maybe, in life, when being 

yourself means carrying your heart 

on your sleeve and being hurt on 

a regular basis, you should still 

remain the same, just so you don’t 

miss out on connecting with the 

ones who are the same -- because 

one such soul is more valuable 

than a thousand masks. • 

BIGSTOCK 

Meghna Alam is a social activist and 

a senior executive officer at Young 

Economists’ Forum (YEF). This article 

previously appeared on Meghna Alam’s 

Facebook profile at facebook.com/ 

pulchritudinous.megh.

The stakes are high for Palestine 

The Palestinian issue is one of growing complexity 

P O S T 

BREAKFAST 

Opinion 15 



• Muhammad Zamir 

The state visit to 

Bangladesh by Palestinian 

President Mahmoud 

Abbas has underlined 

once again the firm commitment 

of our country for the people 

of Palestine and for Palestine 

achieving sovereign statehood. 

This was an important visit, given 

the recent evolution taking place 

in the international arena with 

regard to Palestine. 

One commentator 

has observed that US 

gives Israel money, 

arms, and advice. 

Israel takes the 

money, it takes the 

arms, and it rejects 

the advice 

The latest run of events 

started with the dramatic vote on 

December 23 in the United Nations 

Security Council in which the 

United States allowed a resolution 

condemning Israeli settlement 

construction to pass. This offered 

a glimpse of how Trump, the 

then President-elect, and the 

Israeli Prime Minister intended 

to overhaul the relationship 

between their two countries. 

They stood shoulder-to-shoulder 

and undertook tense diplomatic 

maneuvering ahead of the vote 

-- but failed to stop the resolution 

being adopted by a 14-0 vote, with 

the US abstaining. 

The vote was a blow for Israel 

and a censure for its settlement 

building in the West Bank and 

east Jerusalem. The resolution 

exacerbated divisions between the 

outgoing Obama administration 

and the incoming Trump Administration. 

Obama’s foes in Israel and 

in the US Congress also remarked 

angrily that by failing to veto the 

resolution, the outgoing president 

had turned his back on diplomatic 

precedent under which Washington 

had shielded Israel at the UN. 

The sensitivity of the situation 

has increased with President 

Trump’s expressed vow of 

moving the US embassy from 

Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, breaking 

with the practice of several of his 

Palestine in ruins 

predecessors who campaigned 

saying they would move the 

embassy during their campaigns 

but refrained from such action 

once they were in the White 

House. Trump’s nominee to 

become the next ambassador to 

Israel, David Friedman, has also 

been an outspoken supporter of 

Israeli far-right settler groups and 

has repeatedly cast doubt on the 

notion of a two-state solution to 

the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. 

Such a measure is being 

considered despite critics pointing 

out that moving the embassy, in 

all likelihood would inflame Arab 

opinion and make it difficult for 

the US to ever broker a peaceful 

accord between Israel and the 

Palestinians in future. 

It needs to be remembered 

here that the Palestinians see 

Jerusalem, which is sacred to 

Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, 

as the future capital of their 

proposed future state. It is also 

generally agreed within more 

than 100 countries, that have 

recognised Palestine as an 

independent entity, that a decision 

to move the US embassy might 

cause outrage among Palestinians 

and could erupt into violence. 

It would be pertinent to 

recall here the initial efforts of 

former President Obama in this 

regard. He had identified the 

expansion of Jewish settlements 

on the West Bank as the principal 

obstacle to the emergence of a 

viable Palestinian state alongside 

Israel. In this context, Obama 

had subsequently confronted 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin 

Netanyahu several times with a 

demand for a complete settlement 

freeze but each time the president 

had backed down. 

Netanyahu demonstrated 

through his action that he was 

more interested in land than in 

peace. Between 2009 and 2014, 

settlements in the Palestinian occupied 

areas have expanded by at 

least 23% under Netanyahu’s leadership. 

Despite this flagrant abuse 

of international law, last September. 

President Obama signed an 

agreement to give Israel $38 billion 

in military aid for the period (2018- 

2028). This was a reflection of 

Israel’s degree of influence within 

the different corridors of US power. 

One commentator has observed 

in this regard that US gives Israel 

money, arms, and advice. Israel 

takes the money, it takes the arms, 

and it rejects the advice. 

Despite the controversy 

created by Trump and Israel, 

the adoption of the UN Security 

Council Resolution of December 

23 encouraged nearly 70 countries 

and members of different civil 

society groups to convene a 

Conference on Palestine in Paris 

in the third week of January, 2017. 

It was directed towards exploring 

ways to restart the long-stalled 

Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts 

which has placed leaders from the 

two sides at odds. 

Participants led by French 

President Francois Hollande 

tried to agree on measures aimed 

at ensuring the support of the 

international community for the 

two-state solution as a reference 

for future direct negotiations. 

The summit ended with delegates 

warning that neither side should 

take unilateral steps that could 

jeopardise future negotiations. 

Abbas termed the effort as positive 

but Netanyahu dismissed the 

Conference and said that Israel 

was not bound by the outcome of 

the meeting. He also characteristically, 

assured of support from 

the new US administration, stated 

that the meeting “is not going to 

obligate us. It’s a relic of the past; 

it’s a last gasp of the past before 

the future sets in.” This was a reflection 

of the views of the settler 

movement which not only holds 

important political power in Israel 

as key constituents of Netanyahu’s 

coalition but also is pushing hard 

for more construction in the West 

Bank. 

It would be significant to 

mention here in this regard two 

important data -- that since 

October 2015, 247 Palestinians, 

40 Israelis, two Americans, a 

Jordanian, an Eritrean, and a 

Sudanese national have been 

killed in a wave of violence in 

the disputed areas, according to 

an AFP news agency count and 

that a poll conducted last year 

suggests that a slight majority of 

Palestinians (51%) and Israelis 

(59%) still support the two-state 

solution -- despite the high degree 

of mutual mistrust. 

Al-Jazeera, interestingly, on 

January 19 informed that Russia 

has been very involved in trying 

to build bridges between the different 

factions within the Palestinian 

community -- Fatah and the 

Palestinian authority, Hamas, as 

well as those existing within the 

Palestinian diaspora. This is being 

attempted to create a Palestinian 

unity government given the new 

global reality that is unfolding 

after the US Presidential election. 

The re-emergence of Russia as a 

key player in the intra-Palestinian 

political domain is indicative 

of this new global order. The 

Moscow declaration in the third 

week of January about forming a 

Palestinian unity government was 

an outcome of intense meetings 

over the past month in Doha, 

Montreux in Switzerland, Cairo, 

Lebanon, and finally Moscow. 

Alaa Tartir of Al-Shabaka, the 

REUTERS 

Palestinian Policy Network has 

reported that such a government 

would be political and not 

technocratic in nature, and would 

be responsible for fulfilling three 

main goals: Unifying the publicsector 

institutions between 

Gaza and Ramallah, addressing 

the urgent issues related to 

the Palestinian security sector, 

electricity and reconstruction of 

Gaza; and preparing for Palestinian 

National Council, Palestinian 

Legislative Council, local and 

presidential elections. 

Despite all these developments 

the existing stakes have been 

raised once again by Israel on February 

6 through the Israeli Knesset 

controversially voting and approving 

by 60 to 52 a contentious bill. 

It retroactively legalises thousands 

of settler homes built on privately 

owned Palestinian land in the occupied 

West Bank. This has drawn 

widespread anger from Palestinian 

leaders and rights groups. 

We have an interesting year 

ahead. 

President Abbas’s visit to 

Bangladesh so soon after the 

Moscow initiative has underlined 

the importance that Palestine 

attaches to Bangladesh and the 

constructive role that Bangladesh 

can play in upholding Palestinian 

interests within the United 

Nations, the Organisation of the 

Islamic Conference, and other 

international bodies. We should 

also create opportunities for 

Palestinians to be able to share in 

the economic development that is 

taking place in our country. • 

Muhammad Zamir, a former 

Ambassador and Chief Information 

Commissioner of the Information 

Commission, is an analyst specialised in 

foreign affairs, right to information and 

good governance.

16 



Downtime 

CROSSWORD 

ACROSS 

1 Dry, of champagne (3) 

3 Very small (3) 

8 Augury (4) 

9 Present (3) 

10 Literary ridicule (6) 

11 Climbing palm (6) 

14 Makes level (5) 

17 Showy deed (5) 

20 Disconnect (6) 

24 Whirlpools (6) 

26 Grievous distress (3) 

27 Petty quarrel (4) 

28 Emphasise (6) 

29 Bashful (3) 

DOWN 

1 Cicatrix (4) 

2 Young horse (4) 

3 Table-shaped hill (4) 

4 Silly (5) 

5 Combine (5) 

6 Hill (3) 

7 Water pitchers (5) 

12 Liable (3) 

13 Metal (3) 

15 Fermentation tank (3) 

16 No score (3) 

17 Meat dishes (5) 

18 Beneath (5) 

19 Long lock (5) 

21 Serpents (4) 

22 Toddlers (4) 

23 Desire with rivalry (4) 

25 Small spot (3) 

CODE-CRACKER 

How to solve: Each number in our 

CODE-CRACKER grid represents a 

different letter of the alphabet. For 

example, today 23 represents D so fill D 

every time the figure 23 appears. 

You have two letters in the control 

grid to start you off. Enter them in the 

appropriate squares in the main grid, then 

use your knowledge of words to work out 

which letters go in the missing squares. 

Some letters of the alphabet may not be 

used. 

As you get the letters, fill in the other 

squares with the same number in the 

main grid, and the control grid. Check 

off the list of alphabetical letters as you 

identify them. 

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 

CALVIN AND HOBBES 

SUDOKU 

How to solve: Fill in the blank spaces with the 

numbers 1 – 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must 

contain all nine digits with no number repeating. 

PEANUTS 

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS 

CODE-CRACKER 

CROSSWORD 

DILBERT 

SUDOKU

Feature 

17 



Work environment 101 

• Nahid Farzana 

Starting a business is no 

game. You have to work 

very hard, long hours, 

build your network of 

contacts, and find your value to 

beat back the competition. If you 

want to be a good entrepreneur, 

you need to look around the 

corners and adjust your game 

plan accordingly. You need to 

plan your time, budget, effort, 

and everything to build up 

your startup. You also need 

to think a lot about your work 

environment and space. Your 

work environment can help or 

harm your success. These are few 

important points that you need to 

keep in mind: 

Partners set the culture 

Any company culture is usually 

set by its initial partners. Though 

it changes over time, some basics 

remain intact. Researches show 

that most employees want a 

better work culture than a higher 

salary. A solid team culture and 

bonding will surely cut down 

hiring and recruiting costs. You 

and your partners are likely to 

motivate the employees to get the 

best out of them. How you choose 

your team will define the values 

of your company. 

Workspace impacts 

productivity 

The work place needs to cater to 

you and your employees in such 

a way so that you can concentrate 

fully on your work. Each person 

has different preferences about 

his or her workplace. But you 

should always take advantage of 

those differences and use them 

to achieve the ultimate goal, 

which is increasing productivity. 

If you are distracted or if the 

workspace is disorganised, you 

will continuously lose focus. 

The workplace should 

represent your values. Customise 

it accordingly. It is not necessary 

that you should spend a fortune 

to decorate your workplace. But, 

within a small budget, you can 

show what your values and ideas 

are. 

Client perceptions 

Your clients might often visit your 

office. Though communications 

usually occur through email, 

Skype, or phone calls, but office 

visits are on the list too. Now, 

when they visit- it matters how 

your workspace looks. If it looks 

too shabby, you won’t look 

professional. On the other hand, 

if it looks expensive, clients 

might think you will be charging 

too much. So, you must strive to 

reach the right balance. 

The workspace must also 

be comfortable enough for the 

clients. They should feel relaxed 

and at ease. This will ensure 

better communication with 

the clients, and your business 

meetings will be more like 

friendly discussions. • 

PHOTO: COURTESY 

This article has been 

published under special 

arrangement with SD Asia 

First ever machine learning conference 

to be held 

• Feature desk 

Information and Communication 

Technology (ICT) Division, in 

association with Google Developer 

Group (GDG) and technology 

organisation Preneur Lab, are going to 

jointly organise a conference on machine 

learning (ML) technology on February 

20. 

Titled “Tensor Flow Machine Learning 

Summit -2017,” the four-hour-long 

conference will be held at Bangladesh 

Computer Council (BCC) at Agargaon, in 

the capital, the CEO of Preneur Lab Arif 

Nezami informed in a media statement. 

Machine learning is a type of artificial 

intelligence that enables computers 

to learn without being explicitly 

programmed. 

Bangladesh Association of Software 

and Information Services (BASIS) 

President, Mustafa Jabbar is scheduled 

to inaugurate the session as chief guest 

while ICT division Additional Secretary 

Haroon-or-Rashid, and LICT project’s 

Component Leader Sami Ahmed, will be 

present as special guests. 

Anyone can attend the summit by 

registering here: bit.ly/tensorflowbd. • 

PHOTO: BIGSTOCK


18 

Sports 


Mahmudullah’s 

Quetta clinch 

PSL thriller 

• Tribune Report 

Mahmudullah’s Quetta Gladiators 

sealed a thrilling five-wicket victory 

against Lahore Qalandars in the 

PSL T20 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium 

yesterday. Bangladesh’s Mahmudullah 

did not get to bat but bowled 

two overs, conceding 23 runs. 

Asked to bat first, Lahore posted 

200 runs for three wickets with 

England opening batsman Jason 

Roy top-scoring with 51. Fellow 

opener Fakhar Zaman (47) and 

middle-order batsman Mohammad 

Rizwan (46 not out) chipped in 

with vital contributions. 

BRIEF SCORE 

QUETTA GLADIATORS 202/5 in 

18.5 overs (Pietersen 88*, Sarfraz 45) 

beat LAHORE QALANDARS 200/3 

(Roy 51, Fakhar 47) by five wickets 

South Africa’s Cameron Delport 

(35*) scored some quickfire runs to 

propel Lahore to a big total. 

Spinner Hasan Khan was the 

most successful Quetta bowler 

with two wickets. 

In reply, Quetta reached their 

destination with seven deliveries 

remaining, former England batsman 

Kevin Pietersen blasting his 

way to a brilliant 42-ball 88, featuring 

three fours and as many as 

eight sixes. 

Captain and wicket-keeper 

Sarfraz Ahmed provided valuable 

support, smashing a 25-ball 45. 

Former Proteas batsman Rilee 

Rossouw earlier set the tone for the 

victory by hammering 33 runs off 

18 balls. 

Seamers Sohail Tanvir and Mohammad 

Irfan bagged two wickets 

apiece. • 

2ND SHEIKH KAMAL INTERNATIONAL CLUB CUP 

Abahani begin with defeat 


Bangladesh Premier League champion 

Dhaka Abahani Limited began 

their Sheikh Kamal International 

Club Cup Football 2017 campaign 

with a shocking 1-0 defeat against 

Maldives club TC Sports in the 

opening day of the tournament’s 

second edition at MA Aziz Stadium 

in Chittagong yesterday. 

South Korean club Pocheon 

Citizen FC handed five-time Kyrgyzstan 

League champion FC Alga 

Bishkek a 2-0 defeat in the inaugural 

match. Jang Yong IK put the 

Koreans ahead in the 14th minute 

before man of the match Ji Kyeong 

Deuk doubled the lead five minutes 

later. 

It was the first match for Abahani’s 

recently appointed head coach 

Drago Mamic of Croatia. The Sky 

Blues brought in defender Yeasin 

Khan and Nigerian striker Emeka 

Darlington from Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi 

Club. Both started the 

game but were unable to gel in the 

new team formation. 

Abahani stumbled at the 

beginning of the game, conceding 

an early goal in the 16th minute 

following a shocking display from a 

defender. Mohammad Ibrahim put 

the Maldives outfit ahead, tapping 

home into an empty net after 

Hasan Ibrahim’s low cross met him 

at the edge of the six-yard box. The 

Sky Blues dominated the rest of 

the game but failed to get onto the 

scoresheet. 

Abahani will take on Pocheon in 

Action from the 

group stage game 

between Dhaka 

Abahani Limited of 

Bangladesh and TC 

Sports of Maldives 

in the second Sheikh 

Kamal International 

Club Cup Football 

at MA Aziz Stadium 

in Chittagong 

yesterday 

RABIN CHOWDHURY 

their second Group B game tomorrow. 

Meanwhile, two other clubs 

from the host nation, Mohammedan 

Sporting Club and Chittagong 

Abahani will take to the field today. 

The Black and Whites will take on 

Manang Marshyangdi Club at 4pm 

while reigning champion Chittagong 

Abahani play Shaheen Asmayee 

FC at 7pm. 

A total of eight clubs from six 

countries are taking part in the 13- 

day long tournament. • 

Minhajul hints Mustafizur return in SL Tests 

• Ali Shahriyar Amin 

Chief national selector Minhajul 

Abedin Nannu informed that paceman 

Mustafizur Rahman might return 

to the Test squad ahead of the 

Sri Lanka series. 

However, opening batsman 

Imrul Kayes’s return may be prolonged 

due to lack of match fitness. 

Mustafizur returned to the international 

fold after a five-month 

layoff in December last year against 

New Zealand after undergoing 

shoulder surgery in the middle of 

2016. He took part in two ODIs and 

as many T20Is during the New Zealand 

tour. 

Later in the two-Test series, he 

was not risked by the Bangladesh 

team management. He also missed 

the historic one-off Test match 

against India last week. 

In the meantime, Mustafizur 

played two four-day matches in 

the Bangladesh Cricket League recently 

and bagged four wickets. 

Now, the pacer is looking to get fit 

by playing the longer version of the 

game, said Minhajul. 

“We witnessed two BCL matches 

where Mustafizur played. His 

fitness level has improved significantly. 

He has bowled in good 

rhythm in the matches. I think he 

is fit enough to play Test cricket,” 

Mihajul told the media in Mirpur's 

Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 

yesterday. 

“There is some doubts regarding 

Kayes. According to the doctor’s 

report, it is difficult to say how 

quickly he will regain match fitness 

for a Test. He will play a BCL match 

[today]. I think he needs at least 

two BCL matches to regain match 

fitness. We had a bad experience 

regarding Imrul’s muscle injury in 

Hyderabad. He had to pull out at the 

last moment. So we are more aware 

of his fitness this time,” he said. 

Minhajul stated that there will 

be no major changes in the Test 

squad for the upcoming Sri Lanka 

series. The squad will be announced 

tomorrow. 

“There will be no major changes. 

Probably one or two minor 

changes can be made from the 

squad that played in Hyderabad. 

We are emphasising on skill fitness. 

The Sri Lanka series is very 

important for us. We played three 

Tests on foreign soil in the last two 

months. I think we can use the experience 

from these three Tests in 

the upcoming Sri Lanka Tests.” 

Opener Tamim Iqbal, all-rounder 

Shakib al Hasan and middle-order 

batsman Mahmudullah are 

playing in the PSL in Dubai. Tamim 

and Shakib are playing for Peshawar 

Zalmi while Mahmudullah is 

featuring for Quetta Gladiators. The 

trio will join the team directly in Sri 

Lanka, informed the chief selector. 

The national side's practice 

camp this Thursday. 

Bangladesh team will fly off to 

Sri Lanka on February 27. There, 

the Tigers will play two Tests, three 

ODIS and two T20Is. The tour will 

start with a two-day warm-up 

game, beginning March 2. •

Sports 19 



Bangladesh 

women end 

Singapore tour 

with loss 


Bangladesh women’s football team 

finished their Singapore tour with 

a narrow 2-1 defeat against Malaysia 

in the Women’s Development 

Tournament last Friday night. Sirat 

Jahan Shopna netted the consolation 

goal in injury time. 

Shopna also earned Bangladesh 

a penalty in the 73rd minute but 

striker Sabina Khatun’s shot was 

saved by the Malaysian goalkeeper. 

Malaysia were leading 1-0 at that 

time with the opening goal coming 

in the 44th minute. The Malaysian 

goalie made another big save in the 

89th minute to deny Sabina. 

Malaysia doubled the lead in the 

90th minute before Shopna pulled 

one back three minutes into injury 

time. 

Earlier, Bangladesh began their 

campaign in Singapore with a 3-0 

defeat against host Singapore last 

Thursday night. Despite the defeat, 

Bangladesh will not be disheartened 

as Singapore are better than 

them, both in terms of ranking and 

experience. • 

Guardiola rules 

out Barca return 

• AFP, Manchester 

Manchester City manager Pep 

Guardiola says he will never go 

back to Barcelona as their coach 

amid growing uncertainty about 

present incumbent Luis Enrique's 

future. 

Athletic Bilbao coach Ernesto 

Valverde is reportedly a contender 

for the job if Enrique leaves, along 

with Eusebio Sacristan of Real Sociedad 

and Everton's Ronald Koeman, 

who as a player scored the 

goal that secured them their first 

European Cup in 1992. 

"No, I will never go back to Barcelona 

to be coach there. My period 

there is gone." 

"Barcelona are still the best 

team in the world," said the 

46-year-old Spaniard. "It's always 

a surprise because they are so, so 

good, but in football anything can 

happen. • 

Action from the 2017 Roll Ball World Cup group stage game between Bangladesh and Nepal in Dhaka yesterday 

2017 ROLL BALL WORLD CUP 

Bangladesh men, women win big 


Bangladesh men's team continued 

their winning streak in the 2017 

Roll Ball World Cup 2017 while the 

women's side began their campaign 

with a comfortable victory 

on the second day of the mega 

event in the capital yesterday. 

The men's team, who thrashed 

Hong Kong 19-1 in their opening 

match last Friday, strolled onto another 

convincing win against Bhutan, 

this time by 9-2, in a Pool D tie 

at Shaheed Sohrawardy Indoor Stadium 

in Mirpur in the afternoon. 

Hasan Hridoy, who netted nine 

goals in the previous game, and 

Arafat scored four goals each for 

the home side while Shohag added 

the other. 

The women's team, on the other 

hand, also played at the same venue 

as they outplayed south Asian 

neighbours Nepal 8-2 to set one 

foot in the knockout stage. Zannat 

Zebin Hia created a world record by 

scoring five goals. No other woman 

has ever scored this many in the 

Roll Ball World Cup. 

Zannat, also the captain, led 

from the front, scoring the opener 

in the third minute but Nepal 

equalised immediately. Raisa put 

the home side ahead again in the 

12th minute before Sathi made 

MD MANIK 

it 3-1 at the stroke of half time. 

Zannat bagged four more goals 

after resumption while Noushin 

added the other. Sreshtha then 

notched the consolation for the 

visiting side. 

Bangladesh will play their last 

Pool D match, against Philippines 

in Mirpur's Indoor Stadium today 

afternoon. A draw would be 

enough for the Bengal women to 

move through to the pre-quarterfinals. 

Bangladesh men, meanwhile, 

will contest their last two group 

matches today at two different venues. 

They will face Myanmar in the 

day's first match at the Indoor stadium 

in the morning before taking 

on Fiji in the last game at National 

Handball Stadium in the evening. 

Only a draw in one of these matches 

will confirm the home side's 

place in the next round. 

Meanwhile in the day's other 

matches, France, Mayanmar and 

Belarus defeated China, Fiji and 

Turkey respectively while Zambia 

drew with Chinese Taipei at Sheikh 

Russel Roller Skating Complex in 

Paltan. 

Latvia, Denmark, Pakistan, 

Argentina and Sierra Leone beat 

Uruguay, Turkey, Guinea, Tanzania 

and Oman respectively at the 

Handball stadium. •


20 


Sports 

Juventus’ 

Argentinian forward 

Paulo Dybala vies 

with Palermo’s 

Bulgarian midfielder 

Ivaylo Chochev 

during the Italian 

Serie A match at 

Juventus Stadium in 

Turin on Friday 

Old boy Dybala stars as Juventus go 10 points clear 

• AFP, Turin 

AFP 

Juventus went 10 points clear at 

the top of Serie A on Friday with 

a 4-1 win over struggling Palermo 

in a perfectly-timed boost ahead 

of their Champions League trip to 

Porto next week. 

Former Palermo star Paulo Dybala 

played a pivotal role as the 

Argentina international pushed 

his former employers closer to the 

drop by scoring twice, creating another 

and also seeing a free-kick 

come back off the woodwork. 

Palermo started the day eight 

points from safety and they were 

under the cosh almost from the 

start on Friday. 

Dybala, who moved to Turin 

after three seasons at Palermo in 

2015, was just centimetres from 

the opener after only five minutes 

when he clipped the post with a 

left-footed free-kick. 

But the Sicilians' resistance 

didn't last as Claudio Marchisio put 

Juventus ahead in the 13th minute, 

finding the net after goalkeeper Josip 

Posavec could only parry Gonzalo 

Higuain's close-range shot. 

At the other end, veteran 'keeper 

Gianluigi Buffon got down low to 

keep out Palermo's top scorer Ilija 

Nestorovski's attempt from a tight 

angle. 

It was a brief scare for the champions 

who went into the break 2-0 

ahead when Dybala curled in a 

picture-perfect free-kick, this time 

to the left of Posavec's despairing 

dive and into the top corner. 

Higuain added a third and his 

19th league goal of the season in 

the 63rd minute, latching onto Dybala's 

delicately-weighted pass between 

two defenders. 

Higuain repaid the favour to his 

international teammate one minute 

from time with a cheeky backheel 

allowing Dybala to slot the ball 

home. 

Palermo scored an injury-time 

consolation through an Ivaylo 

Chochev header but Juventus 

eventually strolled to victory. • 

Lowly Leganes hand Barca 

chance to lick PSG wounds 

• AFP, Madrid 

Still reeling from their humiliation 

at the hands of PSG, Barcelona 

can't afford a Champions 

League hangover as they 

return to La Liga action at 

home to Leganes today. 

Barca trail league leaders 

Real Madrid by a point, but 

have also played two games 

more than their title rivals, 

leaving Luis Enrique's men 

little room for error in their 

quest for a third straight La 

Liga title. 

Enrique has been the fall 

guy for Barca's disastrous 

showing in a 4-0 thrashing in 

Paris on Tuesday with fans, 

media and even the club's 

players criticising his tactical 

set up. 

Key midfielders Sergio 

Busquets and Andres Iniesta, 

who were overrun by PSG's 

pace and power, insisted Barca's 

problem was not one of 

attitude one but being outplayed 

thanks to PSG boss 

Unai Emery's master plan. 

Even Lionel Messi was off 

LA LIGA 

Real Sociedad v Villarreal 

Valencia v Athletic 

Celta Vigo v Osasuna 

Barcelona v Leganes 

colour as his mistake led to 

PSG's second goal, but Javier 

Mascherano claimed the fivetime 

World Player of the Year 

is the only Barca player who 

can't be questioned. 

Fortunately for the Catalans, 

they couldn't have 

picked better guests for a time 

of crisis as Leganes travel to 

City's Jesus 

out for 'two to 

three months' 

• AFP, Manchester 

Man City manager Pep Guardiola 

warned that teen sensation Gabriel 

Jesus could be out of action for up 

to three months and might not play 

again until next season. 

The 19-year-old Brazil striker, 

who has scored three goals in five 

games since joining City in the January 

transfer window, broke a bone 

in his foot during City's 2-0 win 

away to Bournemouth in the Premier 

League on Monday. 

"He's coming back when he is 

fit," Guardiola told a news conference 

on Friday. "I don't know if it 

will be the end of this season or 

next season...His recovery is between 

two and three months." 

City paid Brazilian club Palmeiras 

an initial £27 million for Jesus. 

The striker scored at West Ham 

United and twice against Swansea 

City and Jesus was hoping to become 

the third City player - after 

Emmanuel Adebayor and Kevin De 

Bruyne - to score on each of his first 

three Premier League starts. 

But he lasted just 15 minutes at 

south-coast side Bournemouth's 

Dean Court ground before going off 

injured. 

Jesus had an operation on the 

damaged metatarsal in Barcelona 

on Thursday, and is expected to 

spend some of his recovery time 

back home in Sao Paulo. 

There remains a chance he could 

return before the end of the current 

campaign, but Guardiola made it 

clear he will not rush the forward 

back into first-team action. • 

the Camp Nou having been 

dragged into a battle against 

relegation by a 12-game winless 

run. 

Ironically, Enrique had rotated 

heavily throughout the 

first two months of the year to 

ensure Barca were not physically 

worn down before their 

trip to the French capital. 

Despite a first free midweek 

of the year to come after 

today, though, Enrique is 

expected to ring the changes 

again with Lucas Digne, Rafinha, 

Ivan Rakitic, Denis Suarez 

and Arda Turan all in contention 

to come into the side. 

Sevilla can leapfrog Barca 

into second for at least 

24 hours as they warm up 

for their Champions League 

clash with Leicester City on 

Wednesday by hosting the onform 

Eibar. •

Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic returns to Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia 

during their semi-final in the WTA Qatar Total Open in Doha on Friday 

AFP 

Sports 

21 


Pliskova, Wozniacki in Qatar final 

• AFP, Doha 

Karolina Pliskova and Caroline 

Wozniacki will meet each other in 

the Qatar Open final after both won 

two matches on a long, soggy and 

gruelling Friday in Doha. 

On another day punctuated 

by heavy showers and thunderstorms, 

meaning long delays for 

the players, Czech Pliskova beat 

Zhang Shuai of China 6-2, 6-0, then 

Dominika Cibulkova in an exciting 

semi-final 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. 

Her playing day began at 12:30 

local time (0930 GMT) ending just 

before 11pm. 

Similarly Dane Wozniacki first 

beat American qualifier Lauren 

Davies 7-5 6-1, then Olympic gold 

medallist Monica Puig 6-1, 6-2, finishing 

past midnight. 

Puig was also playing her second 

match of the day having earlier 

completed her victory against Daria 

Kasatkina of Russia, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4. 

Pliskova, speaking before she 

knew who her final opponent 

would be, said "every final is 

tough". 

The pair have met three times 

before, with Wozniacki winning on 


every occasion. However they have 

not met since 2014. 

Pliskova, 24, is ranked number 

three in the world, Wozniacki, who 

is two years older, is number 18. 

Incredibly, it also means the 

rain-ravaged tournament may 

even finish on time, despite the 

schedule being battered because 

of the terrible weather conditions 

throughout the week. 

Friday was one of the worst days 

yet, with delays up to around five 

because of thunderstorms. 

It took some 12 hours to complete 

just five singles matches. • 

Chelsea to hold Costa 

talks at end of season 

• AFP, London 

Antonio Conte is "confident" 

Diego Costa will remain with 

Chelsea, even though talks 

over the striker's future with 

the club will have to wait until 

the end of the season. 

Last month saw Costa, Premier 

League leaders Chelsea's 

leading scorer this season with 

15 goals, linked to a lucrative 

move to the cash-rich Chinese 

Super League. 

Nothing, however, came of 

the reported interest and now 

there are suggestions that Costa, 

whose current contract has 

more than two years to run, 

could extend his time with the 

CRICKET 

STAR SPORTS 2 

2:18 PM 

Sri Lanka Tour of Australia 2017 

2nd T20I 

FOOTBALL 

STAR SPORTS SELECT HD 2 

8:16 PM 

Bundesliga 2016/17 

Monchengladbach v RB Leipzig 

10:16 PM 

FC Koln v FC Schalke 04 

TEN 1 HD 

1:50 AM 

French Ligue 1 2016/17 

PSG v Toulouse 

TEN 2 

9:50 PM 


Montpellier v Saint- Etienne 

12: 50 AM 

FC Lorient v Nice 

TEN 3 

12:00 PM 

A-League 2016/17 

Central Coast Mariners v 

Melbourne Victory 

9:50 PM 


Olympique Lyon v Dijon 

SONY SIX 

DAY’S WATCH 

Blues by signing a new deal. 

Conte said he was unaware 

of any contract discussions, 

adding he expected everything 

to be sorted out once the current 

campaign was over. 

"I don't know about this situation," 

said Conte, speaking 

ahead of yesterday’s FA Cup 

fifth-round tie against Wolverhampton 

Wanderers. 

"I think now it's very important 

to be focused on the present 

and not to look so far forward. 

At the end of the season 

we will see the situation." 

Conte, asked if he was confident 

that 28-year-old Spain 

striker Costa would still be at 

Stamford Bridge next season. • 

5:00 PM 

La Liga Santander 2016/17 

Real Sociedad v Villarreal 

7:50 PM 

The Emirates FA Cup 2016/17 

Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur 

10:00 PM 

Blackburn Rovers v Manchester 

United 

12:00 AM 


Celta Vigo v Osasuna 

1:45 AM 

The Emirates FA Cup 2016/17 

Sutton United v Arsenal 

SONY ESPN 

5:30 PM 

Serie A TIM 2016/17 

Bologna v Inter Milan 

11:30 PM 

Roma v Torino 

2:00 AM 


FC Barcelona v Leganes 

SONY ESPN HD 

2:00 AM 

Serie A TIM 2016/17 

AC Milan v Fiorentina 

TENNIS 

SONY ESPN 

8:30 PM 

ATP World Tour 500 2017 

Rotterdam Open Day 7 Final

22 



Showtime 

NoC revoked for Farooki’s film 

• Nasir Rayhan 

Celebrated director Mostofa 

Sarwar Farooki’s latest product 

Doob: No bed of Roses has had its 

‘no objection certificate’ revoked 

by the censor board. The film 

is reportedly based on the late 

Bangladeshi writer and filmmaker 

Humayun Ahmed’s life, which 

has hit a roadblock after Meher 

Afroz Shaon, the widow of the late 

author, sent an official objection 

letter against the movie to 

Bangladesh Film Censor Board. 

The movie was filmed towards 

the end of 2016, and controversy 

regarding it has followed ever 

since. Rumours started making 

rounds about the story of the 

movie being centred around the life 

of late author Humayun Ahmed. 

Shaon submitted an objection 

letter to the authority on February 

13, where she demanded a 

thorough diagnosis of the movie 

and lawful action, if links to 

the author’s personal life is 

substantiated. 

The Information Ministry 

then asked Bangladesh Film 

Development Corporation (BFDC) 

to revoke the ‘no objection 

certificate’ granted to the film on 

February 15, Variety magazine 

reported. 

According to the Managing 

Director of BFDC Tapan Kumar 

Ghosh, it was BFDC that approved 

the script of the film. The BFDC 

reviewed and approved the script 

on March 8, last year. It also 

previewed the film on February 

12, before issuing the no objection 

certificate. 

But just a day later, the BFDC 

sent the production a letter, stating 

that the certificate had been 

cancelled due to a letter from the 

Bangladesh Information Ministry. 

The Third Person Singular 

Number director Farooki has 

always denied the allegation about 

the film being a biopic of Humayun 

Ahmed. The director condemned 

the ban, and said that he will take 

the matter to court. “Yes, my film 

handles a so-called taboo subject, 

but it doesn’t show anything 

explicit and hence doesn’t violate 

any censor code. This goes against 

the freedom of expression,” Farooki 

told Variety. 

However, Farooki remains 

optimistic about his work as 

he clarified that the ban is a 

temporary one. “Our film has 

not been permanently banned! 

It is indefinitely blocked due 

to the unjust suspension of 

NoC! However, we believe this 

suspension will be lifted and we 

shall overcome!” he wrote on 

Facebook, on Friday. 

Irrfan Khan, one of the central 

attractions and co-producer of 

the movie has expressed shock 

upon hearing the news. “I am 

really surprised to know that the 

government of Bangladesh has 

blocked the film. This is a human 

story that deals with complex male 

PHOTO: COURTESY 

and female relationships in a subtle 

and balanced way. What harm will 

it cause to the society if seen?” the 

acclaimed Lunchbox actor said to 

the Variety magazine. 

Irrfan plays the lead role in 

Doob: No Bed of Roses. Aside 

from Irrfan, Doob also features 

Parno Mitra from Kolkata, Nusrat 

Imroz Tisha, and Rokeya Prachi 

from Dhaka. The movie is an 

Indo-Bangla venture where Jaaz 

Multimedia represents Dhaka, and 

Eskay Movies represents Kolkata.• 

WHAT TO WATCH 

The Final Destination 

2:45 pm, Movies Now 

After a young man’s premonition of a 

deadly race-car crash helps saves the lives 

of his peers, “Death” sets out to collect 

those who evaded their end. 

Cast: Bobby Campo, Shantel VanSanten, 

Mykelti Williamson, Krista Allen, 

Stephanie Honore, Lara Grice 

You Don’t Mess with the Zohan 

4:00 pm, Zee Studio 

An Israeli Special Forces soldier fakes his 

death so he can re-emerge in New York 

City as a hair stylist. 

Cast: Adam Sandler, John Turturro, 

Emmanuelle Chriqui, Nick Swardson, 

Lainie Kazan • 

The Dark Knight Rises 

8:30 pm, HBO 

Eight years after the Joker’s reign of 

anarchy, the Dark Knight, with the help 

of the enigmatic Selina, is forced from his 

imposed exile to save Gotham City, now 

on the edge of total annihilation, from the 

brutal guerilla terrorist Bane. 

Cast: Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Tom 

Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne 

Hathaway 

The Jungle Book 

5:00 pm, Star Movies 

After a threat from the tiger Shere Khan 

forces him to flee the jungle, a man-cub 

named Mowgli embarks on a journey of 

self discovery with the help of panther, 

Bagheera, and free spirited bear, Baloo. 

Cast: Neel Sethi, Ritesh Rajan

Showtime 

23 



From TV to the red carpet 

• Showtime Desk 

Many Hollywood stars have 

started their careers in the 

film industry after getting 

success from the small screen. 

Pierce Brendan Brosnan from 

Remington Steele, Johnny Depp 

from 21 Jump Street, and David 

Duchovny from X files are also 

among them. These TV stars are 

not only popular, but talented 

as well. Here goes five Oscar 

nominees who have some very 

amusing TV credits that you most 

likely do not remember: 

PHOTOS: HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 

RYAN GOSLING (Best Actor, 

La La Land) 

After beginning his TV career 

with The New Mickey Mouse 

Club, Gosling starred as the title 

character in Young Hercules 

(1998-99), a Fox Kids Network 

spin off of the Kevin Sorbo 

series Hercules: The Legendary 

Journey. 

CASEY AFFLECK (Best Actor, 

Manchester by the Sea) 

In the 1990 miniseries The 

Kennedys of Massachusetts, 

Affleck played Robert F. Kennedy 

as an adolescent. 

EMMA STONE (Best Actress, 

La La Land) 

Billed at the time as Emily Stone, 

she played Laurie Partridge (a role 

originally played by Susan Dey) in 

The New Partridge Family, a 2005 

update of the 1970s series. 

NAOMIE HARRIS (Supporting 

Actress, Moonlight) 

The British actress was first 

seen by US audience as Ami in 

Nickelodeon’s sci-fi series The 

Tomorrow People (1994-95). 

MAHERSHALA ALI 

(Supporting Actor, 

Moonlight) 

Using his real first name of 

Mahershalalhashbaz, Ali 

appeared as Dr Trey Sanders for 

one season (2000-2001) of the 

Jill Hennessy medical drama 

Crossing Jordan. • 

Kolkata to host 

‘Bangladesh Film Festival’ 


A four-day long, ‘Bangladesh 

Film Festival’ is to take place in 

Kolkata. On the occasion of the 

International Mother Language 

Day, Federation of Film Societies 

of India (FFSI) has undertaken 

this initiative. A total of ten films, 

including the latest blockbuster 

Aynabaji, are scheduled to be 

shown throughout the festival at 

Nandan. 

The festival will commence on 

February 21, and it is scheduled 

to end on February 24. Acclaimed 

Indian director, Goutam Ghoshe 

will inaugurate the festival, while 

prominent Bangladeshi director, 

Morshedul Islam will occupy the 

chair of the chief guest. Munira 

Morshed Munni will grace the 

occasion as the guest of honour, 

and Arkadeb Bhaduri from Nandan 

will be present as a special guest. 

Cast and crews of the selected 

films are also supposed to be there 

during the festival. The festival 

will outset with the projection 

of Abu Sayeed’s Kirtonkhola. 

Morshedul Islam’s Anil Bagchir 

Ekdin will also be projected on 

the first day of the festival. On the 

second day of the festival, Abu 

Shahed Emon’s Jalaler Golpo, 

and Amitabh Reza’s Aynabaji will 

be screened as well. The movies 

scheduled to be screened on the 

third day of the event are Ahsan 

Kabir Liton’s Prottaborton, and 

Morshedul Islam’s Amar Bondhu 

Rashed. 

Moreover, Shabnam Ferdousi’s 

documentary Bhashajoyeeta, 

Khandokar Sumon’s Pounoponik, 

Tasmiah Afrin Mou’s Kobi Swamir 

Mrittur Por Amar Jobanbondi, and 

Nurul Alam Atique’s Doob Satar 

are scheduled to be projected on 

the final day of the festival. • 

Karisma and her mysterious relationship 


It was a joyous occasion in the 

Kapoor household, as veteran 

actor Randhir Kapoor celebrated 

his 70th birthday on Wednesday. 

Randhir’s daughters, Kareena 

Kapoor Khan and Karisma Kapoor 

organised the grand party. Many 

known faces of the industry and 

all the Kapoors were seen at the 

party. However at this party, photo 

journalists successfully revealed a 

mystery about Karisma Kapoor. 

Rumour has it that, 90’s 

Bollywood-beauty Karisma Kapoor, 

and Sandeep Toshniwal, CEO of an 

Indian pharmaceutical company, 

are planning to tie the knot as soon 

as the matter of Sandeep’s divorce 

is settled. He is married to a Delhibased 

dentist, Dr Ashrita. 

According to a report, this 

Bollywood sensation was seen 

introducing her rumoured 

boyfriend Sandeep, to the 

guests at her father Randhir 

Kapoor’s 70th birthday bash, 

last Wednesday. The event was 

held at the Kapoor’s farmhouse 

in Chembur. The rumour of their 

affair has been going around for 

a few years now. As is evident 

in the pictures, Karisma and 

Sandeep were busy interacting 

with everyone at the party. The 

rumoured couple have made 

public appearances together 

before, but this was the first time 

the former was seen introducing 

him to her family in public, as well 

as her Bollywood clan. Karisma’s 

mother, Babita was also seen in 

the pictures. • 

Source: Spot boyE 

PHOTOS: MISS MALINI

24 



MYANMAR OPENS 

BORDER GATE PAGE 2 

Back Page 

MERKEL: ISLAM IS NOT THE 

SOURCE OF TERRORISM PAGE 3 

BIMAN INCURS OVER 

TK57CR LOSS PAGE 10 

MOHAMMADPUR SLUM FIRE 

Victims tired of rebuilding 

• Tarek Mahmud and 

Kamrul Hasan 

After losing their homes and belongings 

in a fire, the poverty 

stricken shanty-dwellers of Bashbari 

slum in Mohammadpur, Dhaka, 

are now afraid to begin again as 

they are tired of repeatedly experiencing 

such incidents. 

Over the last 17 years, this was 

the fifth time that a fire had gutted 

their properties. The slum residents 

suspect that drug-related 

disputes are behind the recurring 

incidents, which cause tremendous 

suffering. 

While law enforcement agencies 

and local public representatives 

could not confirm if the fire 

was a drug-related arson attack, 

police admitted that the slum was 

one of the biggest drug sites under 

Mohammadpur Police Station’s jurisdiction. 

Mohammad Babul, a 40-yearold 

cook, told the Dhaka Tribune 

that he had been living in the shanty 

since his boyhood. He was a survivor 

of several such fires, but the 

latest incident had raised doubts 

in his mind about reconstructing 

once again. 

He said: “This is not a new experience 

for me. The dispute between 

the ‘elite’ affects us badly as 

we are caught in the middle. It was 

more horrible this time, as we lost 

everything, and for this I am afraid 

to begin again.” 

The lives of part-time domestic 

A shocked couple sits on the remains of their home in Dhaka’s Bashbari slum on Thursday shortly after a fire that gutted more 

than 200 structures in the shanty town 

MEHEDI HASAN 

help Rina Akhter and her husband 

Sekandar Mia were plunged into 

similar uncertainty. The fire was the 

second incident that caused them 

to lose their possessions and home, 

after they had lost their house to 

river erosion five years earlier. 

Furthermore, scrap metal trader 

Abdur Rahim and garage workers 

Shah Alam and Mir Hossain were 

among the many that had not just 

lost their homes but also their 

livelihood, as their shops were destroyed 

by the fire as well. 

The fire, which broke out in 

the early hours of Thursday, burnt 

three quarters of the slum to ashes, 

causing immense losses for over 

200 families. 

Many of them having lost their 

Growing up with Sheba Prokashoni 

• Afrose Jahan Chaity 

Even after 53 years, Sheba Prokashoni 

is still going strong in the 

world of publishing, with older 

patrons bringing their children to 

Sheba’s Amar Ekushey Book Fair 

stall to help them discover the 

world of literature. 

This year’s main attraction 

was the 450th edition of “Mastermind,” 

one of the books in the 

beloved “Masud Rana” series by 

Qazi Anwar Husain, the founder of 

Sheba Prokashoni. In addition, 20 

new thrillers, spy and crime novels 

were also released. 

NRB Bank Unit Head of Corporate 

Banking Momtazul Karim 

has over 500 Sheba Prokashoni 

books in his collection. He reminisced 

about his teenage years, 

saying: “I was not allowed to read 

these books but I have seen my 

parents, grandmother and elder 

brother reading Bengali translated 

western classics and I desperately 

wanted to read them. Once, before 

my SSC exams, I got caught with 

a Masud Rana book hidden under 

my exam notes.” 

He stressed the importance of 

reading: “This platform makes 

learning about history and global 

literature far more accessible 

to people because they publish 

everything in Bangla.” 

Mominul Islam, a Sheba Prokashoni 

staff, said: “Even though 

our stall is in a corner, this year we 

have seen record sales. As you can 

see, there’s always a small crowd 

gathered around here buying at 

least 2-3 books each.” 

What makes Sheba Prokashoni 

famous is their publication of 

beloved classics such as “Tin Goeyenda” 

and the “Masud Rana” 

series and their Bangla translations 

of Great Expectations, Three 

Musketeers, Les Miserables, She, 

Return of She, Three Comrades, 

The Count of Monte Cristo and 

The Tale of Two Cities. 

Yesterday, the book fair saw the 

arrival of 156 new books and 51 

book covers were unveiled. • 

homes in the incident, some took 

shelter in Bashbari High School 

while those with nearby relatives 

requested their assistance. 

Among about 50 families that 

took shelter at the high school was 

that of rickshaw puller Mokhles. 

He was seen sitting close to the 

remains of his shanty yesterday, 

as he talked about the possibility 

of getting more relief from the authorities 

with others. Rather than 

wait, some had already begun 

constructing new homes with halfburnt 

tin. 

Another rickshaw puller, Mohammad 

Yunus, stressed the need 

for more relief as he said they were 

suffering from an acute water crisis. 

Tarequzzaman Rajib, councillor 

of Dhaka North City Corporation’s 

(DNCC) Ward Number 33 which includes 

Mohammadpur, gave 30kgs 

of rice, Tk3,000 in cash, a lungi, a 

sari and a children’s shirt to each 

affected family. 

The local lawmaker said a decision 

on providing house-building 

materials to the affected dwellers 

was yet to be made, adding that he 

could not confirm the slum dwellers 

suspicions of the fire being 

drug-related. 

Local resident Mahadi Hasan 

said the slum was a cause for concern 

for the other building residents, 

mainly due to security issues. 

The fire caused substantial 

damage to some flats of the buildings 

adjacent the slum. 

He claimed to have asked to 

move the shanties from the present 

location, but the local councillor 

preferred building less fire-hazardous 

houses for the dwellers instead. 

Mohammadpur police station 

Officer-in-Charge Jamal Uddin Mir 

said they were investigating the 

incident, but the motor-bikers who 

allegedly set fire in the shanties 

were yet to be traced. • 

Bangabandhu graphic novel 

issue 3 comes out today 

• Afrose Jahan Chaity 

“Mujib-3,” the third issue of a 

graphic novel on the early days of 

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu 

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, will 

hit the shelves of Amar Ekushey 

Book Fair 2017 today. 

The Centre for Research and 

Information (CRI) (100/101), a 

non-profit research organisation 

and also the publisher, will hold 

the launch at its stall in Bangla 

Academy at 4:30 pm, said 

CRI executive director Sabbir 

Bin Shams. 

The graphic novel is based on 

Bangabandhu’s unfinished autobiography, 

to be presented in 

12 issues. 

“Our first and second episodes 

depicted the turn of momentous 

events that took place in his 

school years and college life. This 

new one will focus on how he 

made his foray into the complex 

world of politics, braving all odds,” 

Sabbir said. 

CRI published the 24-page first 

issue, titled “Mujib,” on his 95th 

birth anniversary on March 17, 

2015. • 

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 

8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com

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