DT e-Paper 14 April 2017

SECOND EDITION 

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017 | Boishakh 1, 1424, Rajab 16, 1438 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 347 | www.dhakatribune.com | 24 pages plus 24-page weekend supplement | Price: Tk10 

Boishakhi feast › 2 

Dessert saga › 9 

Dawn Kelso › 12 

How safe are women on 

Pohela Boishakh? › 3 

MEHEDI HASAN 

NOTICE 

Dhaka Tribune greets its readers, 

advertisers, hawkers, distributors 

and well-wishers on the occasion 

of Bangla New Year today. The day 

is a national and newspaper holiday 

and Dhaka Tribune will not be 

published tomorrow, April 15, 2017. 

However, our online team will keep 

you updated.

2 News 

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017 

DT 

How safe are women on Pohela Boishakh? 

• Arifur Rahman Rabbi 

and Esha Aurora 

After the massive public outcry 

over the sexual assault of several 

women on Pohela Boishakh in 

2015, the government imposed a 

cut-off time on celebrations last 

year in an attempt to treat the 

symptoms of the problem while 

overlooking the problem itself. 

Similarly this year, a cut-off 

time has been declared with all 

programmes at Dhaka University 

asked to wrap-up by 5pm, as instructed 

by Dhaka Metropolitan 

Police (DMP). 

It has been two years since the 

disturbing pictures of around 30 

men ripping off womens’ clothing 

in broad daylight in Suhrawardy 

Udyan surfaced all over social 

media. The perpetrators of those 

crimes are yet to be brought to 

justice, despite their photos being 

widely circulated. 

The memories of that incident 

are still very fresh in most people’s 

minds, deterring some women 

from going to Dhaka University 

premises for Pohela Boishakh celebrations 

this year. 

“I will not go to see the Mongol 

Shobhajatra this year, I still remember 

the images of those men tearing 

up women’s clothes and touching 

them right in front of the police and 

they did nothing!” said Jahan Ferdous 

Mim, a college student. 

The lack of initiative from law 

enforcement agencies especially in 

the case of sexual harassment is a 

big problem in Bangladesh. 

Such cases of sexual assault and 

harassment are usually treated with 

a pinch of salt and peppered with 

notes of victim blaming, without 

addressing the underlying internalised 

patriarchal values that our law 

enforcers also operate from. 

UNDP had initiated a gender 

sensitivity orientation programme 

in 2008 called ‘Police Reform Programme 

Phase II’ and introduced 

the country’s first victim support 

Several men surround and assault a woman in the crowd in front of Dhaka University's Teacher Student Centre on Pohela Boishakh in 2015. Despite many clear photos 

and CCTV footage, these men have not been apprehended 

DHAKA TRIBUNE 

centre at Tejgaon Police Station in 

Dhaka. 

When asked what they had 

learned during the programme, 

the participating police officials declined 

to comment and the Dhaka 

Tribune could not independently 

verify the extent of their capacity 

building training in handling victims 

of sexual assault and abuse. 

Although CCTV coverage and 

police special teams will be used 

at Ramna Batamul, Suhrawardy 

Udyan, DU and adjoining areas to 

help prevent sexual harassment, 

mugging and other crimes, women 

are still uncomfortable going to 

large public gatherings as often justice 

eludes the victim even when 

the perpetrators are found. 

Eti Laila Kazi, a private university 

lecturer, told the Dhaka Tribune 

she wanted to go to the Pohela 

Boishakh celebrations at Dhaka 

University but thought against it as 

large throngs of people gathered in 

one place “always results in some 

form of sexual harassment for 

women”. 

“I don’t want to go because 

women will invariably be touched 

inappropriately and be sexually 

harassed or assaulted and this will 

keep on happening unless people 

stop viewing women as objects,” 

she said. 

“Large public gatherings are 

always swamped with men touching 

you and some kind of verbal or 

physical sexual harassment is inevitable 

which makes public celebrations 

lose their appeal. I wish the 

police took this problem seriously 

and made an example of some people,” 

she said. 

Executive Director of Bangladesh 

National Woman Lawyers’ Association 

(BNWLA), Salma Ali, told 

the Dhaka Tribune that exemplary 

punishments are needed to deter 

further sexual harassment. 

“If people are prosecuted under 

due process and punished for 

the crime, such things could be 

deterred. But more often than not 

we see law enforcers are unable to 

arrest the accused or prevent such 

things from happening in public 

places,” she said. 

DU authorities and student 

groups blamed the on-duty law enforcers 

for failing to arrest or even 

stop the attackers on April 14, 2015. 

Some people did step forward 

to help, including Bangladesh Students’ 

Union’s DU chapter President 

Liton Nandi, who was injured 

while trying to rescue one woman. 

“I saw them assaulting a young 

woman and she fell on the ground 

while the youths were trying to 

take off her clothes,” he said. 

“As I came forward to rescue 

her, they started beating me and I 

also fell down and broke my right 

arm. Later, I saved the woman and 

covered her with my Panjabi.” 

Amid a wave of condemnation 

on social media at the time, 

a meme generating page on Facebook 

took up the cause of finding 

the perpetrators of the attacks. 

They published the photos of 

some Chhatra League leaders and 

demanded their arrest. 

On April 21, 2015, the page 

claimed that the government’s 

high officials had asked them to 

stop operations, although none of 

the admins responded to questions 

regarding this to verify the allegation. 

The Administrator of that page, 

Refayat Ahmed, was arrested on 

December 11, 2015 for anti-state 

and anti-government activities. • 

Two years on, Pohela Boishakh sexual assaulters still not brought to book 

• Md Sanaul Islam Tipu 

Police investigating the sexual 

harassment of women during the 

Pohela Boishakh celebrations at 

Dhaka University in 2015 have 

identified only one suspect, despite 

releasing photographs of 

eight others and posting a substantial 

reward for information 

which might lead to their arrest. 

According to witnesses, at least 

20 women were sexually assaulted 

in an hour by a group of rowdy 

youths on the evening of April 14, 

2015. 

Witnesses alleged that several 

police officers were standing 

nearby at the time of the incident, 

but did nothing to prevent the assaults. 

One officer is even said to 

have released two of the culprits 

who were caught red-handed by 

the public. 

Police in the first instance denied 

having any evidence of sexual 

assault and termed the incident 

“a mere scuffle”. 

In response to the mass public 

outcry which followed, Inspector 

General of Police AKM Shahidul 

Hoque told the media that they 

had recognised the faces of eight 

people and offered a reward of 

Tk 1 lakh for information which 

would lead to the arrest of each. 

Police also released photos of 

the eight suspected youths, who 

were captured on CCTV cameras 

installed around the scene. 

But two years on from the attacks, 

the Police Bureau of Investigation 

(PBI) has submitted 

a charge sheet accusing only one 

perpetrator, who is still awaiting 

trial. 

Detective Branch (DB) of police 

were given the responsibility to 

investigate the case. After eight 

months, the case investigation 

officer DB Sub inspector Dipok 

Kumar submitted a report before a 

Dhaka court in December 13, 2015 

which said he had failed to identify 

any of the suspects. 

But the IO later appealed to the 

court seeking the re-opening of 

the case following the arrest of a 

suspect, identified as Md Kamal, 

from Dhaka’s Chawkbazar on January 

27, 2016. 

Four weeks later, a Dhaka court 

directed the PBI for re-investigation 

in the case but investigators 

again failed to identify the suspects. 

On December 20 last year, the 

PBI submitted a charge sheet 

against the lone arrestee in the 

case. 

However, Kamal’s counsel Anisur 

Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune 

that his client is innocent and 

was not involved in the assaults. 

Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s 

court sent the charge sheet 

to the Dhaka Women and Children 

Repression Prevention Tribunal-3 

on January 2, where the charge acceptance 

is now pending. 

The Special Public Prosecutor 

of the tribunal, Mahmuda Aktar, 

told the Dhaka Tribune that the 

hearing on the charge sheet would 

be held on May 2. •

News 3 


MONGOL SHOBHAJATRA 

Carnival of intangible cultural heritage 


• Afrose Jahan Chaity 

A tradition that is being observed 

for more than two decades now, the 

Mongol Shobhajatra has become an 

intrinsic part of the Bangali cultural 

heritage on Pohela Boishakh. 

For the past 27 years, the colourful 

processions adorned with 

floats, banners and posters not 

only represented the welcoming 

of the Bangla New Year on the first 

day of the Bangla month Boishakh, 

but also cultural revolutions and 

movements against oppression. 

Brought out first in 1989, the 

procession of Bangla year 1396 was 

styled as Anondo Shobhajatra. The 

colourful procession was started by a 

few first year students of Dhaka University’s 

Faculty of Fine Arts with 

the help of their teachers to promote 

and celebrate folk art and culture. It 

was a breath of fresh air during the 

military dictatorship of HM Ershad. 

The Mongol Shobhajatra of this 

year, Bangla year 1424, is also special 

as the traditional procession 

received international recognition 

from Unesco. 

On November 30 last year, the 

Inter-governmental Committee on 

Safeguarding Intangible Cultural 

Heritage of Unesco stated that the 

Mongol Shobhajatra “symbolises 

the pride of the people of Bangladesh 

in their living heritage as well 

as their strength and courage to 

fight sinister forces, and their vindication 

of truth and justice.” 

The Fine Arts Faculty of Dhaka 

University will bring out the 

celebratory procession for Pohela 

Boishakh today in the morning 

which will have a float of a demon, 

among other colourful ones, portraying 

a militant and representing 

their stance against militancy. 

Moreover, a Mongol Shobhajatra 

procession will also be held in Kolkata 

for the very first time on Saturday, 

April 15. 

Aminul Hasan Litu, secretary 

member of Mongol Shobhajatra 

and Folk Culture Research and Expansion 

Centre, was one of the first 

year students of DU Fine Arts Faculty 

who worked for the very first 

procession in 1989. 

While talking to the Dhaka Tribune, 

Litu said: “At the time, we 

were frustrated over the political 

situation in the country and we 

thought of bringing out a positive 

demonstration to celebrate our cultural 

heritage. 

“We worked at a corner of our 

Fine Arts premises but had to face a 

lot of criticism regarding our work. 

We were mocked and our work was 

compared to trash. 

“But when we brought out 

the procession on April 14, 1989, 

everything changed. 

“A few faculty members helped 

us and we were appreciated by the 

DU vice-chancellor who later asked 

our dean why he was not invited to 

the procession. 

“After that, we continued our 

protest against the military dictatorship 

and when it ended, we 

[the students involved with the 

first procession] decided to go to 

our home towns and also other districts 

for the next Pohela Boishakh 

and bring out the procession 

through out the country.” •

4 2017News 

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 


‘Sky-high demand, lack of monitoring fuel 

Ilish price hike’ 

Md Abu Bakkar Siddiq, owner of the wholesale fish market in Jatrabari, Dhaka, speaks with the 

Dhaka Tribune’s Asif Showkat Kallol about how the local Ilish business is suffering because of 

the import of Ilish from Myanmar, and why Ilish prices skyrocket before Pohela Boishakh 

Why does the price of Ilish fish 

increase so much during the 

last few weeks before Pohela 

Boishakh? 

That is because Ilish fish and panta 

bhaat [soaked rice] has become the 

staple of Pohela Boishakh celebration. 

Ilish fish is widely popular because 

of its distinctive taste – even 

children like it. In recent years, 

Ilish has become a must-have in 

every household in Bangladesh – 

be it rich, middle-class or poor – on 

Pohela Boishakh. This excessive 

demand is causing the price hike. 

However, Ilish is traditionally 

not a part of Pohela Boishakh cuisine. 

I remember that when I was 

child, the demand for Ilish was not 

as extreme as we see today. 

But how is it that the price is going 

out of control every year? 

Lack of monitoring on the government’s 

part is a major reason. We 

[local Ilish traders] have requested 

the government agencies to monitor 

the retail markets, because 

there is a huge price gap between 

the wholesale markets and the retail 

markets. There are instances 

of retailers increasing the price of 

Ilish manifold simply based on a 

rumour or a news of a big sale. 

But prices are high in the wholesale 

market too. 

You will find that a medium-sized 

Ilish fish costs around 

Tk600 in the retail market, but the 

same fish costs Tk300-400 in the 

wholesale market. The retail price 

is supposed to include the transport 

and rental costs only. But it 

turns out to be almost double the 

amount of what it should be. 

Why is no legal action being taken 

to stop this trend? 

Political influence and lack of coordination 

among government agencies 

are the main reasons. There 

is a law that says the difference of 

wholesale price and retail price 

should not exceed 10%. But that 

law is not implemented. 

What is the Ministry of Fisheries 

doing? 

Nothing satisfactory in the last three 

years. It has failed to bring modern 

RAJIB DHAR 

fishing technologies, as well as properly 

manage the fishing industry. 

What are the other problems in the 

local Ilish business? 

The major problem right now is 

import of Ilish from Myanmar. Myanmar 

Ilish is simply not as good 

in quality as Bangladeshi Ilish. But 

they are cheaper in price. At least 

300-400 tonnes of Myanmar’s socalled 

Ilish fish are being imported 

every day for the last three months. 

Their Ilish is smaller in size and 

does not taste as good as our Ilish 

does. This is having a huge negative 

impact on our local Ilish business. 

How is importing Myanmar Ilish 

affecting the local market? 

First, despite the export ban on 

Ilish in the country, the Myanmar 

Ilish that is coming to Bangladesh 

is somehow getting re-exported to 

India, North America and Europe. 

They are being exported as Bangladeshi 

Ilish, which is destroying the 

market of our local Ilish abroad. 

The second problem is that, since 

Myanmar Ilish is now available in 

abundance in our markets and is 

cheaper in price, our local 

produce is not selling. 

Ilish wholesalers are now 

forced to conserve their 

fish in cold storages. They 

are facing huge losses. 

Do you want a ban on Ilish 

import from Myanmar? 

Absolutely. The government 

should ban importing 

Ilish from Myanmar 

as our local production is 

enough. It will also save 

our hard-earned foreign 

currency. 

What is the status of 

local Ilish production? 

It is quite good. We produce 

nearly 800,000 

tonnes of Ilish annually. 

In 2016, we produced Ilish 

worth Tk20,000 crore. 

However, according to 

government estimation, 

we produce only 395,000 

tonnes of Ilish. 

The government authorities 

do not have real 

data on Ilish production, 

consumption and demand, 

which is another 

reason why they are failing 

to plan any market 

intervention. 

Has the ban on Ilish export had any 

impact on production? 

Yes, the income has gone down. 

The ban was imposed during the 

tenure of the last caretaker government 

when the local market saw 

an unprecedented price hike. But 

their other initiatives to sustain the 

local market were not implemented, 

so in the end, the ban did not 

bring the intended results. 

If the government prohibited 

Ilish import from Myanmar, local 

Ilish would be sold more and generate 

more income for both our 

fishermen and Ilish traders. 

Is our Ilish being smuggled to 

India? 

Not anymore. Smuggling was a huge 

problem even last year. In most cases, 

pirates in the coastal areas are involved 

in smuggling Bangladeshi Ilish 

to India. Last year, our fishermen 

could go to fish in the Bay of Bengal 

for two months due to the pirates’ 

activities. But the smuggling has reduced 

due to our law enforcement 

agencies’ efforts. They have been 

conducting raids against pirates. 

Has the fishermen’s lives improved 

over the years? 

Not significantly. Banglabandhu 

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman established 

a cooperative society for the 

fishery sector in Chittagong in 1973. 

But it has done little to improve the 

lives of fishermen since then. However, 

with the support of President 

Abdul Hamid, the society is being 

reorganised. Fishermen communities 

are being brought under the 

social safety net programme. They 

are getting ID cards and compensation 

for injuries or death. Around 

350,000 fisherment have been included 

in the programme so far. 

What do you think about Prime 

Minister Sheikh Hasina’s request 

not to consume Ilish on Pohela 

Boishakh? 

It is not good for our business. We 

cannot deny the fact that Ilish is 

now an integral part of the celebration. 

She made a similar request last 

year too. But I understand that she 

made such a request to help with 

the ban on Ilish catching during the 

period of January-April, which is 

the breeding season of Ilish. 

What is your opinion of online Ilish 

sale ? 

It is a good initiative. But the price 

must be reasonable. •

Home Minister: No security risks 

surrounding Pohela Boishakh 

• Arifur Rahman Rabbi 

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan 

Kamal has said he sees no security 

threat for the start of Bangla New 

Year celebrations today despite the 

execution of HujiB leader Mufti 

Hannan and his two aides. 

The minster briefed reporters 

yesterday after inspecting security 

measures for the Pohela Boishakh 

festivities at Ramna Botomul in 

Dhaka. 

Mufti Hannan of the banned 

militant outfit Harkat-ul Jihad 

al-Islami Bangladesh (HujiB) and 

his cohorts Sharif Shahedul Alam 

Bipul and Delwar Hossain alias 

Ripon were sent to the gallows on 

Wednesday night for carrying out a 

grenade attack on the then British 

high commissioner Anwar Choudhury 

in Sylhet on May 21, 2004. 

Asked if there is any security 

risk following their hanging, Asaduzzaman 

said the security forces 

were doing “everything necessary” 

to ensure public safety. 

“We sense no hint of a threat,” 

he said. “Uniform and plainclothes 

law enforcers and intelligence 

teams will remain vigilant across 

the country. There will be check 

posts (and) officers will check any 

person if they deem it necessary.” 

The minister urged city residents 

not to carry any bag with them, although 

he said photojournalists 

who need to carry backpacks should 

show their identity cards to police. 

Motorcyclists will not be allowed 

to carry any co-rider on their bikes 

on the day, said Asaduzzaman, asking 

car owners and drivers to park 

their vehicles at designated places. 

Earlier on Thursday, law enforcers 

participated in an active drill 

at Ramna to better prepare for any 

possible emergency situation. 

Inspector General of Police AKM 

Shahidul Haque, Dhaka Metropolitan 

Police Commissioner Asaduzzaman 

Mia and other high-ups 

were present. • 

A volunteer health professional takes the blood pressure of a young woman at Mirpur Bihari camp, while other women and 

children await their turn, in a photo taken yesterday. The volunteer is a member of the One Taka Medical Camp, a project run 

by the NGO Bidyanondo, in which health professionals provide basic healthcare services and medication for Tk1 to the poor 

and underprivileged 

RAJIB DHAR 

DMP’S INSTRUCTIONS FOR POHELA 

BOISHAKH PROGRAMMES 

• Ban on outdoor programme after 5:00pm, the events must end at DU by 

6pm. Indoor celebrations can be held with permission. 

• Ban on playing vuvuzelas during Pohela Boishakh programmed wearing of 

masks will not be allowed but revellers can hold a mask in their hand 

• People, who will come before the Mongol Shobhajatra rally, will only be 

allowed to take part. No participation in midday is allowed. 

• Special teams will be deployed at Ramna Batamul, Suhrawardy Udyan, 

DU and adjoining areas to prevent sexual harassment, mugging and other 

crimes. 

• CCTV and plain cloth police to help prevent eve teasing 

• Bar on riding pillion for motorcycles. However, each case of a rider carrying 

their wives or children will be considered individually. 

• Women cannot carry any bags 

• Ramna and Suhrawardy Udyan will have separate entry and exit points and 

visitors will be frisked thoroughly 

• Vehicles except of carrying DU stickers will not be allowed in the university 

area from 6pm today to 9pm tomorrow. 

• Hawkers will not be allowed at Ramna and DU 

• Drivers have to stay near their parked cars so that they can move the vehicles 

if needed 

News 5 


Warrant issued for 3 

fugitives accused in 

cocaine haul case 

• FM Mizanur Rahaman, 

Chittagong 

A Chittagong court yesterday issued 

an arrest warrant for three fugitives 

accused of smuggling liquid 

cocaine in the guise of sunflower 

oil from abroad in 2015. 

The court of Chittagong Metropolitan 

Magistrate Abu Saleh 

Mohammed Noman issued the 

warrant after accepting the charge 

sheet submitted by RAB-7 in a case 

lodged with Bandar police station, 

public prosecutor Advocate Md 

Fakhruddin Chowdhury said. 

On April 3 this year, RAB-7 Additional 

Superintendent of Police 

Md Mohiouddin Faruki pressed the 

charges against 10 people before 

the court of Metropolitan Magistrate 

Harun-ur-Rashid, 15 months 

after investigations began. 

The three fugitives are Mostak 

Ahmed Khan and Bangladeshi-born 

UK citizens Fazlur Rahman, 

from Faridganj of Chandpur, 

and Md Bokul Mia, from Rajnagar 

of Moulvibazar. 


Hefazat demands 

withdrawal 

of Mongol 

Shobhajatra 

• Anwar Hussain, Chittagong 

Hefazat-e-Islam yesterday called for 

the withdrawal of the government’s 

order of mandatory Mongol Shobhajatra 

procession in educational institutions, 

calling it “anti-Islamic”. 

Azizul Haque Islamabadi, the 

central organising secretary of the 

radical Islamist platform, made 

the demand in a press release. He 

claimed that Mongol Shobhajatra 

is a part of Ganesh worship and 

therefore “goes against the fundamental 

tenets of Islam”. 

“Muslims only seeks blessings 

to Allah. The Muslims who will 

take part in the Mongol Shobhajatra 

procession will not remain 

Muslims,” he said. 

“Therefore, we demand the 

withdrawal of the government’s 

order immediately,” the press release 

read. 

The Hefazat leader also urged 

Muslims to refrain from taking part 

in the procession. • 

The cocaine haul was uncovered 

when the Directorate of Customs 

Intelligence and Investigation 

acted on a tip-off and seized 

a container carrying 2,140kg liquid 

cocaine in 107 drums at Chittagong 

Port on June 6, 2015. 

CIID officials said the container 

was shipped from Montevideo, 

Uruguay after being imported from 

Bolivia and arrived via Singapore at 

Chittagong on May 13 the same year. 

The container, imported by 

Khan Jahan Ali Limited, carried the 

number CDHU-9145769/193844, 

along with the address of Nabi Market 

at Khatungonj in Chittagong, 

said CIID officials. 

Six people have already been 

arrested in the case. They are CO- 

SCO Shipping Agency Manager 

AKM Azad, Mondol Group’s Commercial 

Executive Atikur Rahman, 

real Estate company official Mostafa 

Kamal, Prime Hatchery Limited 

Manager Golam Mostafa Shohel, 

security company official Mehedi 

Alam and C&F company official 

Saiful Islam. • 

TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY 

DRY WEATHER 

LIKELY 

FRIDAY, APRIL 14 

Dhaka 38 23 Chittagong 32 24 Rajshahi 37 22 Rangpur 34 22 Khulna 38 21 Barisal 37 23 Sylhet 35 21 

DHAKA 

TODAY 

TOMORROW 

SUN SETS 6:20PM 

SUN RISES 5:38AM 

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW 

37ºC 17.6ºC 

Rajshahi 

Tetulia 

Source: Accuweather/UNB 

PRAYER 

TIMES 

Cox’s Bazar 32 24 

Fajr: 5:10am | Jumma: 1:15pm 

Asr: 5:00pm | Magrib: 6:28pm 

Esha: 8:15pm 

Source: Islamic Foundation

6 News 



Country set to observe 

Pohela Boishakh 

• Tribune Desk 

People across the country have 

chalked out plans to celebrate the 

first day of Bangla New Year 1424 

collectively through there are security 

concerns. 

Law enforcers are kept on high 

alert as several Islamists groups 

have issued threats and statements 

against the observance of the day, 

particularly the iconic Mongol 

Shobhajatra procession, terming it 

anti-Islamic. 

Moreover, hate speech and 

threats issued by some banned 

militant groups including Ansar 

al-Islam against the Bangali culture 

have created some tension as those 

outfits have killed dozens of people 

– mostly secularists and non-Muslims 

– in the last couple of years. 

In many places, the police have 

asked people to wrap up outdoor 

programmes by 5pm. 

To mark the day, people usually 

prepare foods, clean their houses, 

and invite relatives and friends to 

the festival. They wear new clothes 

and feed the needy people while 

enjoying the day seeking blessings 

for the year to come. 

Fair pavilions and shops have been 

set up in localities and market places 

showcasing traditional items and different 

types of sweets. The traders 

are eagerly waiting for the crowd to 

throng the fair premises today. 

The celebrations cover farewell 

of the outgoing year and welcoming 

the New Year through colourful 

Mongol Shobhajatra, cultural performances, 

and sightseeing and roaming 

around with friends and families. 

Replicating the observance of 

Mongol Shobhajatra in Dhaka, the 

students of different educational 

institutions and socio-cultural 

groups are set to bring out the procession 

in the morning. 

Organisers were working relentlessly 

until last night to make the 

procession and other events successful. 

Police in uniform and plain 

clothes will patrol all the areas 

across the country especially the 

tourist spots where people will observe 

the day in large groups. Tight 

security measures have also been 

taken for the event venues in Dhaka. 

On the other hand, the indigenous 

groups of the Chittagong Hill 

Tracts have been carrying out different 

programmes as per their unique 

rituals that last three to five days. 

The Marma community people 

started observing their five-day Sangrai 

to welcome the New Year by 

holding a colourful procession from 

Rajarhat field in Bandarban town yesterday, 

our correspondent reported. 

In Sylhet city, the universities 

and colleges have organised programmes 

in more than 50 spots. 

The city corporation is holding a 

five-day-long Boishakhi fair on the 

bank of the Surma River where art 

and cultural competitions and performances 

will take place. • 

Police intercept a procession of the National Non-Government Teachers-Employees Front in front of Ashwini Kumar Hall 

in Barisal city brought out demanding regularisation of job, 5% annual increment and festival bonus on Pohela Boishakh 

yesterday 

ANISUR RAHMAN SWAPAN 

Another 7-murder convict surrenders 

• Tanveer Hossain, 

Narayanganj 

One more death-row convict in 

the sensational Narayanganj seven-murder 

case surrendered before 

a Narayanganj court yesterday. 

District and Sessions Judge Syed 

Enayet Hossain sent Jamaluddin, 50, 

to jail after he surrendered before it 

at noon, court police Inspector Shohel 

Alam told the Dhaka Tribune. 

Jamaluddin is a close aide of 

former local Awami League leader 

Nur Hossain, who was given death 

penalty for masterminding the 

murders. 

On January 16, a Narayanganj 

court sentenced Nur Hossain, sacked 

commanding officer of RAB 11 Tareque 

Sayeed Mohammad, sacked Maj 

Arif and 23 others to death for the 

politically-motivated killings in 2014. 

Among the death row convicts, 

four are still at large. 

Earlier, Magura police detained 

absconding convict sergeant 

Enamul Kabir on February 5, former 

army soldier Abdul Alim surrendered 

before a court on February 

12, and Nur Hossain’s another 

aide Wahiduzzaman Salim surrendered 

on February 14. 

On February 8, the High Court accepted 

appeals filed by 16 death-row 

convicts against their sentences. • 

Madrasa girl 

saved from 

child marriage 

• Nazmul Huda Nasim, Bogra 

A mobile court yesterday foiled the 

wedding of an underage madrasa 

girl in Adamdighi area of Bogra. 

The father of the to-be bride was 

speared after he gave an undertaking 

that he would not marry off his 

daughter in the next two years. 

Mozahar Hossain of Adamdighi 

upazila arranged the wedding of his 

16-year-old daughter Mina Parvin, a 

10th grader at a local madrasa, with 

Mostakin Hossain, 32, son of Jalil 

Hossain from the same area. 

Being informed, Upazila Nirbahi 

Officer Rezaul Karim conducted the 

mobile court at the venue, saving 

the teenager from child marriage. 

The bridegroom and his relatives 

fled the scene sensing the 

presence of the officials. 

The government recently introduced 

an amendment to the Child 

Marriage Restrain Act under which 

men and women can get married 

before 21 and 18 upon consent of the 

parents and approval of a court. •

Woman killed in gunfight 

with BGB 

• Abdul Aziz, Cox’s Bazar 

A woman of Myanmar origin involved in 

yaba trading was killed in a gunfight with the 

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members in 

Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar yesterday. 

Four of the woman’s associates were also 

injured in the skirmish on the Naf River. The 

deceased is Jaheda Khatun, 50, wife of one 

Kalu Miah of Myanmar’s Maungdaw. 

“The drug traders opened fire on a patrol 

team of the BGB from their boat in the 

morning,” BGB Cox’s Bazar Commander Col 

Rakibul Haque told the Dhaka Tribune. 

“In retaliation, the BGB members fired 

back in defence, leaving one dead and four 

injured. A boat was seized with huge yaba 

tablets,” he added. • 

Five jailed for killing a boy 

• Hedait Hossain Molla, Khulna 

A special tribunal in Khulna yesterday sentenced 

five people to life-term imprisonment 

for the murder of a boy from Jessore over a 

land dispute. 

The verdict was announced by Khulna’s 

Divisional Speedy Trial Tribunal Judge MA 

Rob Hawlader in presence of four of the convicts. 

The convicts are Dabir Uddin, Mahir Uddin, 

Kahir Uddin, Jahir Uddin and Kabir Uddin. 

Of them, Kabir is on the run. 

Two more accused in the case will be tried 

by a juvenile court in Jessore. 

On December 11, 2013, the victim, Maruf, 

was beaten to death with sticks and cricket 

bats in Keshabpur’s Shantola area. 

Land dispute was proven as the main motive 

behind the murder. 

The trial began at a Jessore Judge’s 

Court, but the case was transferred to the 

Khulna Divisional Speedy Trial Tribunal for 

quick trial. • 

News 7 


DT


8 

World 


SOUTH ASIA 

Pakistan mob kills student 

over alleged blasphemy 

Police in Pakistan say a mob has 

killed a university student over 

alleged blasphemy. Police officer 

Saleem Khan says a group of 

students at the Abdul Wali Khan 

University in the northwestern city 

of Mardan attacked Mohammad 

Mashal, accusing him of sharing 

blasphemous content on Facebook. 

Khan says the university has 

been closed indefinitely to prevent 

further violence. AP 

INDIA 

Assembly bypolls: BJP 

wins 5, Congress bags 3 

The BJP on Thursday won half of 

the 10 Assembly seats in bypolls 

across seven States and Delhi while 

the Congress bagged three and the 

Trinamool Congress and the JMM 

one each with all but two of the 

seats being retained. Maintaining 

its hold, the ruling Congress in Karnataka 

retained the Nanjangud and 

Gundlupet Assembly seats in which 

the party and the BJP had played for 

high stakes. THE HINDU 

CHINA 

Trump: China is not 

manipulating currency 

US President Donald Trump 

reversed himself Wednesday and 

said China is not manipulating its 

currency to gain a trade advantage. 

In an interview with the Wall 

Street Journal, Trump appeared to 

lay to rest a simmering issue that 

threatened to erode relations with 

Beijing, just days after his meeting 

with Chinese President Xi Jinping 

in Florida. AFP 

ASIA PACIFIC 

At least 11 dead in 

Indonesian boat accidents 

At least 11 people were killed 

Thursday in two separate boat 

accidents on Indonesia’s main 

island of Java, officials said. Five 

others were reported missing in 

the waters of a vast archipelago 

that relies heavily on boat transport 

but has a poor safety record. 

Boat accidents are common in 

Indonesia. AFP 

MIDDLE EAST 

Rebel court sentences 

Yemen journalist to death 

A Yemeni court in the rebel-held 

capital has sentenced a veteran journalist 

to death on charges of spying 

for neighbouring Saudi Arabia, the 

press union and rebel media said 

Thursday. Prosecutors alleged that 

Jubaihi had been receiving a monthly 

salary of $1,200 from Riyadh since 

2010, four years before the rebels 

overran the capital. AFP 

Russia, US at odds as OPCW probes 

Syria gas attack 


The international body on chemical 

weapons control is testing samples 

from a suspected nerve gas 

attack that killed at least 87 people 

in Syria last week and could produce 

a report on the matter within 

three weeks, the British delegation 

to the commission said Thursday. 

The report comes one day after 

Russia vetoed a Western-backed 

UN Security Council resolution demanding 

a speedy probe into the 

April 4 attack on Khan Sheikhoun. 

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki 

Haley said the veto left Moscow 

with “a lot to prove.” 

The Organisation for the Prohibition 

of Chemical Weapons has a 

standing fact-finding mission on 

Syria to investigate alleged chemical 

weapons attacks, but does not 

apportion blame. The OPCW’s executive 

council held a session of its 

Assad: Chemical attack 100% fabrication 

• AFP, Damascus 

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad 

said a suspected chemical weapons 

attack was a “fabrication” 

to justify a US military strike, as 

Moscow digs in to defend its ally 

despite increasing strains with 

Washington. 

In an exclusive interview with 

AFP in Damascus – his first since 

the alleged April 4 attack prompted 

a US air strike on Syrian forces 

– Assad said his army had given up 

all its chemical weapons and that 

Syrian military power was not affected 

by the US strike. 

“Definitely, 100% for us, it’s fabrication,” 

he said in the interview 

on Wednesday in reference to the 

alleged chemical weapons attack. 

“Our impression is that the West, 

mainly the United States, is handin-glove 

with the terrorists. They 

fabricated the whole story in order 

to have a pretext for the attack.” 

SYRIA CHEMICAL ATTACK 

UN Security Council vote 

Russia on Wednesday vetoed 

a resolution demanding that the 

Syrian government cooperate 

with an investigation 

Ten members supported 

the resolution 

Permanent members 

Britain France United States 

China Russia 

Abstained Vetoed 

Other members 

Two-year terms 

Until 

Until 

Dec 31, 2017 Dec 31, 2018 

Egypt 

Japan 

Senegal 

Ukraine 

Uruguay 

Bolivia 

Against 

Ethiopia 

Abstained 

Italy 

Kazakhstan 

Abstained 

Sweden 

Civilians gassed 

Areas controlled 

as of March 30 

LEBANON 

executive council on Thursday to 

address the attack on Khan Sheikhoun, 

in the rebel-held province of 

Western leaders including US 

President Donald Trump have accused 

Assad of being behind last 

week’s attack in the rebel-held 

town Khan Sheikhun, saying 

his forces unleashed a chemical 

At least 87 civilians, 

including 31 children, 

killed in sarin gas Aleppo 

attack April 4 

Idlib 

Latakia Rebels 

Khan 

Sheikhun 

Syrian regime 

US missiles hit and allies 

air base April 7 Homs 

The United States 

accused Syrian 

regime forces of 

carrying out the 

gas attack 

Damascus 

Turkey and 

rebel allies 

TURKEY 

Kobane 

Kurds 

JORDAN 

Raqa 

Sources: ISW/SOHR/UN 

IS Group 

IRAQ 

25 km 

weapon during an air strike. 

The suspected attack killed at 

least 87 people, including many 

children, and images of the dead 

and of suffering victims provoked 

global outrage. • 

US’ first female Muslim judge found dead 


A groundbreaking black jurist who became 

the first Muslim woman to serve 

as a US judge has been found dead in 

New York’s Hudson River. 

Sheila Abdus-Salaam, a 65-year-old 

associate judge of New York’s highest 

court, was found floating off Manhattan’s 

west side on Wednesday, a police 

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad 

AFP 

spokesman said. 

Police pulled her fully clothed body 

from the water and she was pronounced 

dead at the scene. Her family identified 

her and an autopsy would determine 

the cause of death, the spokesman said. 

Police said her body showed no obvious 

signs of trauma, and they declined 

to speculate on the cause of her death. 

Abdus-Salaam, a native of Washington 

DC, became the first African-American 

woman appointed to 

the Court of Appeals when Democratic 

Governor Mario Cuomo named her 

to the state’s high court in 2013. 

Chief Judge Janet DiFiore said her 

colleague will be “missed deeply”. 

“Her personal warmth, uncompromising 

sense of fairness and bright legal 

mind were an inspiration to all of us . • 

Idlib, northern Syria. 

Britain’s delegation to the 

OPCW tweeted from the executive 

session that the “Fact Finding 

Mission is working to gather 

evidence” and has already started 

testing samples in a lab. 

Russia’s foreign minister, 

Sergey Lavrov, said Thursday he 

expected the OPCW to conduct an 

extensive probe into the attack, 

and insisted the organization visit 

both Khan Sheikhoun and the 

air base struck by US missiles. But 

Moscow vetoed a Security Council 

resolution that would demand a 

speedy investigation a day earlier. 

Russia is a steadfast backer of 

the Syrian government amid that 

country’s bloody 6-year civil war. 

In northern Syria, US-backed Ku- 

The Syrian army meanwhile issued 

a statement saying that the US-led 

coalition attacked a position of the 

Islamic State group in the eastern 

province of Deir el-Zour, killing hundreds 

of fighters and civilians, many 

of them from poisonous gas. • 

Trump puts chief 

strategist Bannon 

at arm’s length 


US President Donald Trump has 

declared: “I am my own strategist.” 

That would seem to bode poorly for 

his actual strategist, Steve Bannon. 

And Trump now appears to be 

publicly distancing himself. 

In an interview with The New 

York Post, the president said “I like 

Steve” and called his adviser “a 

good guy” — but one who wasn’t 

really all that involved with his 

winning election campaign. He 

said his warring senior officials, including 

Bannon, must “straighten 

it out or I will.” In a second interview 

with The Wall Street Journal, 

he dismissively called Bannon “a 

guy who works for me.” 

The unusual public, lukewarm 

support from the boss has Bannon’s 

friends and advisers worried 

he will soon be out of a job. But 

shedding Bannon would be no simple 

staff shake-up. 

“I think it’s important to recognise 

the value of the base. It’s important 

to recognise the base sees 

their advocate in Steve Bannon,” 

said Michael Caputo, a former 

Trump campaign adviser who has 

known the president for decades. 

Bannon is not the only Trump official 

to find himself in the hot seat in 

a White House divided. Press Secretary 

Sean Spicer has also come under 

fire for comments he made about the 

Holocaust on Tuesday. •

World 9 



China warns against force in Korean 

Peninsula as US warships near 


Military force cannot resolve 

tension over North Korea, China 

said on Thursday, while an influential 

Chinese newspaper urged 

the North to halt its nuclear program 

in exchange for Chinese 

protection. 

With a US aircraft carrier group 

steaming to the area and tension 

rising, South Korea said it believed 

the United States would consult 

it before any pre-emptive strike 

against the North. 

Fears have been growing that 

the reclusive North could soon 

conduct its sixth nuclear test or 

more missile launches in defiance 

of UN sanctions and stark warnings 

from the United States that a 

policy of patience was over. 

China, North Korea’s sole major 

ally and benefactor, which nevertheless 

opposes its weapons program, 

has called for talks leading 

EU-Turkey ties hang in 

referendum balance 

• AFP, Brussels 

The future of badly strained 

EU-Turkey relations hangs in the 

balance Sunday when President 

Recep Tayyip Erdogan asks voters 

to give him increased powers that 

opponents say will lead to authoritarian 

rule. 

Ties with the EU are a key issue 

for Turks long-promised membership 

of the bloc and Erdogan has 

rounded savagely on Brussels at 

the slightest criticism of his actions. 

As for Turkey’s EU membership 

bid, it would be back “on the table” 

after the referendum, he said 

Sunday. 

Analysts say Erdogan’s stinging 

rhetoric is meant to appeal to 

Turkish nationalists whose votes 

will be crucial in Sunday’s referendum 

which looks too close to call. 

The hopeful flip side is that he 

is at heart a pragmatist who will 

come to terms with the EU when 

the dust settles. 

For the moment however, 

things are about as bad as they get. 

The Nazi jibes in particular 

seem a new departure as Ankara 

lashed out after the cancellation 

in several EU member states of 

pro-Erdogan referendum rallies. 

At the same time, analysts said, 

the EU and strategically-placed 

Turkey still had many shared interests 

as major trading and investment 

partners. • 

to a peaceful resolution and the 

denuclearisation of the peninsula. 

Military force cannot resolve the 

issue,” Chinese Foreign Minister 

Wang Yi told reporters in Beijing. 

“Amid challenge there is opportunity. 

Amid tensions we will 

also find a kind of opportunity to 

return to talks.” 

While US President Donald 

Trump has put North Korea on notice 

that he would not tolerate any 

provocation, US officials have said 

his administration was focusing 

its strategy on tougher economic 

sanctions. 

Trump has diverted the USS 

Carl Vinson aircraft carrier group 

towards the Korean peninsula, 

which could take more than a 

week to arrive, in a show of force 

aimed at deterring North Korea 

from conducting another nuclear 

test or launching more missiles to 

coincide with important events 

and anniversaries. • 

European court rules 

Russia mishandled 

Beslan school siege 

• Reuters, Moscow 

Russian authorities breached European 

human rights laws when 

they stormed a school seized by 

Islamist militants in 2004, contributing 

to the deaths of more 

than 300 hostages, the continent’s 

rights court ruled on Thursday. 

Militants demanding the withdrawal 

of Russian troops from 

Chechnya seized some 1,100 children, 

parents and teachers as they 

celebrated the first day of the school 

year in September 2004. On September 

3 the siege ended in a series 

of explosions and a bloody shootout 

when Russian forces moved in. 

Among the more than 330 dead 

were at least 180 children. A further 

750 people were wounded 

when security forces used “tank 

cannon, grenade launchers and 

flamethrowers” while trying to 

free more than 1,000 hostages at 

the school in the southern Russian 

town of Beslan. 

This, said the European Court of 

Human Rights in Strasbourg, “contributed 

to the casualties among 

the hostages” and did not respect 

the hostages’ “right to life” by failing 

to restrict lethal force to what 

was “absolutely necessary”. • 

WHO: Two billion people drinking contaminated water 

• AFP, Geneva 

Hundreds of thousands of people die 

each year because they are forced to 

drink contaminated water, the WHO 

said, urging large investments to help 

provide universal access to safe drinking 

water. 

“Today, almost two billion people 

use a source of drinking-water contaminated 

with faeces, putting them at 

risk of contracting cholera, dysentery, 

typhoid and polio,” Maria Neira, who 

head’s WHO’s public health department, 

said in a statement. 

“Contaminated drinking-water is estimated 

to cause more than 500,000 

diarrhoeal deaths each year and is 

a major factor in several neglected 

In this file photo, the USS Carl Vinson, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, as it departs its 

home port in San Diego, California August 22, 2014 

REUTERS 

tropical diseases, including intestinal 

worms, schistosomiasis and trachoma,” 

she added. 

The report welcomed the fact that 

countries had on average raised their 

annual budgets for water, sanitation 

and hygiene by 4.9% over the past 

three years. 

But 80% of countries acknowledge 

that their financing is still not enough 

to meet their nationally-set targets for 

increasing access to safe water and 

sanitation, it found. 

The World Bank has meanwhile 

estimated that investments in infrastructure 

will need to triple to $114bn 

per year – not including operating and 

maintenance costs – in order to meet 

the SDG targets. • 

In rural Zambia, clean water is scarce. With limited options, families are forced 

to drink contaminated water 

COLLECTED 

USA 

Civil liberties groups sue 

US, seek details on travel 

ban 

Civil liberties groups on Wednesday 

said they were filing a series of 

lawsuits against the US government 

seeking details on how federal 

agencies enforced President Donald 

Trump’s ban on travellers from seven 

Muslim-majority countries. The 

lawsuits were filed by local chapters 

of the American Civil Liberties Union 

against US Customs and Border 

Protection and the Department of 

Homeland Security. AFP 

THE AMERICAS 

Boy among four killed in 

Venezuela riots 

A teenage boy was shot dead in 

renewed protests against Venezuela’s 

President Nicolas Maduro, one 

of four people killed in a week of 

unrest, officials said Wednesday. 

Opposition lawmaker Alfonso 

Marquina identified the teenage 

victim as Brayan Principal and said 

he was killed during unrest in the 

western city of Barquisimeto on 

Tuesday night. AFP 

UK 

Britain dismayed by 

Russia’s UN Syria veto 

British Foreign Secretary Boris 

Johnson said he was “dismayed” 

by Russia’s veto on Wednesday 

of a UN draft resolution on the 

suspected chemical attack in Syria. 

“This puts Russia on the wrong 

side of the argument,” Johnson 

said in a statement issued in 

London. Russia blocked a draft 

UN resolution demanding that the 

Syrian regime cooperated with an 

investigation into the attack. AFP 

EUROPE 

Detained Islamist cleared 

over Dortmund blasts 

German federal prosecutors said 

Thursday they had cleared the 

sole suspect in custody for a 

bomb attack against the Borussia 

Dortmund football team bus of 

involvement. The announcement 

marked a setback for investigators, 

who described the three blasts late 

Tuesday as a “terrorist” act and 

said they are focusing on suspects 

in the “Islamist spectrum”. AFP 

AFRICA 

22 dead in blaze at 

Senegal religious retreat 

A fire tore through makeshift straw 

shelters at a Muslim religious retreat 

in Senegal, killing at least 22 

people and triggering a stampede, 

firefighters and local media said 

Thursday. The blaze broke out on 

Wednesday afternoon as worshippers 

gathered near the town of 

Medina Gounass in the southeastern 

region of Tambacounda. The 

cause is as yet unknown. AFP


10 

Business 


CAPITAL MARKET SNAPSHOT: THURSDAY 

DSE Broad Index 5,645.9 -0.0% ▼ Index 1,294.9 -0.3% ▼ 30 Index 2,087.3 -0.3% ▼ Turnover in Mn Tk 5,958.0 -16.7% ▼ Turnover in Mn Vol 182.4 -20.2% ▼ 

CSE All Share Index 17,472.3 -0.1% ▼ 30 Index 15,521.9 -0.4% ▼ Selected Index 10,593.7 -0.1% ▼ Turnover in Mn Tk 478.3 1.2% ▲ Turnover in Mn Vol 19.5 -3.9% ▼ 

Businesses celebrate Pohela Boishakh 

• Shariful Islam 

Bangladesh’s businesses community 

is set to celebrate Halkhata today, 

a traditional festival of opening 

new account books on the first 

day of Bangla New Year. 

Halkhata refers to opening of 

new red-coloured financial ledger 

book on Pohela Boishakh, first day 

of Bangla New Year. 

On this occasion, businesses invite 

customers to their shops and 

welcome them with sweets, while 

the customers are expected to clear 

all old debts. 

Halkhata, a part of tradition of 

Bengali New Year, was introduced 

in the era of Mughal Emperor Akbar 

to collect taxes. 

According to traders, a section 

of businessmen in semi-urban, 

urban and especially in old part of 

Dhaka city areas celebrate Pohela 

Boishakh opening Halkhata. 

During a visit to old part of Dhaka 

yesterday, traders were seen 

busy getting ready to welcome 

Bangla New Year 1424. 

This year around 2,000 businesses 

are scheduled to open Halkhata at 

Tanti Bazar and Shankhari Bazar in 

the city, traders said. The jewellers 

were cleaning and decorating their 

shops to welcome the New Year. 

The businesses had already 

bought a large amount of sweets 

BBS Cables IPO approved 

• Ibrahim Hossain Ovi 

Workers at a shop in Babubazar, Dhaka busy making red-coloured note books used as halkhata by traders 

Regulator has approved initial 

public offering prospectus of BBS 

Cables Limited to raise Tk20 crore 

from the capital market. 

The approval came at meeting 

of Bangladesh Securities and Exchange 

Commission yesterday. 

BSEC Chairman Prof M Khairul 

Hossain presided over the meeting. 

According to the approval, the 

company will offload 20m ordinary 

shares of Tk10 each using fixed 

price method. 

As per the latest financial statement 

ended on June 30, 2016, earning 

per share (EPS) stood at Tk2.46, 

while net assets value (NAV) without 

revaluation was Tk16.87 per share. 

IPO will help repay loan taken 

from the commercial banks. 

Banco Finance and Investment 

Limited and ICB Capital Management 

Limited will act as issue manager 

of the IPO process. 

The commission also approved 

the proposal of Dutch Bangla Bank 

Ltd to collect Tk500 crore through 

offering non-convertible subordinated 

bond to meet capital base for 

Tier II. • 

for guests and clients. 

The stationary shops at the 

city’s Babu Bazar saw an increase 

in selling ledger books to be used 

Halkhata. The ledger books are 

red-coloured as the red is believed 

to be the colour of propitious. 

Tanti Bazaar, one of the oldest 

parts of Dhaka city, houses numerous 

small jewellery shops on the 

both sides of its narrow alleys. 

Many of these shops are old 

with the business running from 

one generation to another. 

“Halkhata has lost its appeal to 

some extent with the advancement 

of technology but we are going to 

celebrate Pohela Boishakh opening 

Halkhata as new beginning,” Swapan 

Shil, owner of New Gold and 

Silver House, at Tanti Bazar, told 

the Dhaka Tribune. 

He said they already invited 

their customers clients and bought 

sweets, jewellery boxes and mugs 

as gifts to be offered to customers. 

Md Nuruzzaman, owner of M/S 

Nipa Store at Shankhari Bazar, said 

the tradition of Halkhata is a tradition 

of Bangalis irrespective of religious 

faith. 

“The opening of Halkhata is 

for all businessmen. On Pohela 

Boishakh, I will hold a milad (an 

Islamic way to thank Allah) to welcome 

the New Year and open the 

ledger book as Halkhata,” he said. 

Caption: Workers at a 

book-binding shop at Babu Bazar 

area in Dhaka are seen busy making 

new ledger books (Halkhata) ahead 

of Pohela Boishakh. • 

HC: Reconnect IGW of Bestec 

• Ishtiaq Husain 

High Court asked telecommunication 

regulator to reconnect the 

international gateway operation of 

Bestec Telecom Limited. 

The Court also directed Bestec 

to pay Tk20 crore to Bangladesh 

Telecommunication Regulatory 

Commission and regular bills along 

with arrears of Tk2 crore. 

BTRC cancelled the license of 

IGW operator Bestec Telecom Limited 

as they failed to pay its dues of 

Tk177 crore in time. 

The regulatory body suspended 

all types of operational activities of 

Bestec on October 28, 2013. 

Bestec is one of the major defaulters 

among the IGW operators. 

It started journey on March 7, 2013 

after being awarded the IGW licence. 

It’s a sister concern of Bestec 

Group. 

BTRC on 26 February 2017 issued 

a memo cancelling the IGW licence 

of Bestec for Bestec’s failure to pay 

revenue sharing fees, annual license 

fees, VAT and late fee amounting to 

Tk197.35 crore to BTRC. 

While impugning the memo of 

cancellation of licence in the first 

week of March 2017, Bestec filed a 

writ petition with the High Court. 

“The High Court stayed 

the operation of the memo of 

cancellation of IGW licence of 

Bestec for a period of three months 

and directed BTRC to reconnect the 

IGW operation of Bestec provided 

Bestec pay Tk20 crore to BTRC and 

regular bills along with arrears of 

Tk2 crore.” said Supreme Court 

lawyer Barrister Sayed Mahsib 

Hossain. • 

MOP import to continue in FY 18 

• Asif Showkat Kallol 

The government has decided to extend 

the Miureta-of-Potash import 

deals with three countries including 

Russia, Belarus and Canada. 

Bangladesh Agriculture Development 

Corporation (BADC) will 

sign extension deals. 

The import deals with the countries 

will be extended to the end of 

fiscal year 2017-18. 

BADC proposal in this regard 

COURTESY 

will be placed to the meeting of 

cabinet committee on economic 

affairs on Sunday. Finance Minister 

AMA Muhith will preside over the 

meeting. 

Department of Agriculture Extension 

has conducted a survey on actual 

demand of MOP in the country. 

DAE estimated a demand of 

850,000 tonne MOP in the country 

in the fiscal year 2017-18. 

Usually, the private companies 

import MOP on behalf of the DAE. 

The average import prices of the 

fertiliser from the three countries - 

Russia, Belarus and Canada - have 

decreased by 5%. 

In current fiscal year, under the 

MOP import deal, Russia supplied 

180,000 tonne of MOP. 

The agreement is valid from 

June 18, 2016 to June 30, 2017. 

The BADC imports 180,000 

tonne MOP from Belarus under the 

deal valid from 24 June, 2016 to 

June 30, 2017. •


effort to reform the economy and to comply with Islamic law, which level since August 2011, Jadwa said. 

address budget deficits caused by a does not allow the payment of interesteign 

“Any new international sover- 

collapse in oil revenues since 2014. 

bond, or indeed sukuk issu- 

“The ministry of finance received 

Riyadh has forecast a budget ance, should alleviate the pressure 

significant interest for the deficit of $53bn this year, after on foreign exchange reserve with- 

first international issue of the sukuk an even bigger shortfall last year drawals,” the researchers said. 

programme with an order book prompted subsidy cuts and delays Patrick Dennis, lead Middle East 

from investors in excess of $33bn,” in major projects. 

economist at Oxford Economics in 

the official Saudi Press Agency said. In a report this month, Saudi firm London, told AFP the sukuk sale 

There will be two tranches of Jadwa Investment said the kingdom’s 

helps put Saudi Arabia “in a strong 

$4.5bn, one maturing in 2022 and 

foreign reserves, including position in terms of funding”. 

another in 2027, reflecting “the securities, bank deposits and gold, While easing the rundown in 

strong fundamentals of the Saudi had fallen to a near six-year low. reserves, it should also continue 

economy,” it said. 

Reserves dropped to $514bn in to reduce the need for borrowing 

Islamic financial instruments February, down $10bn from the through domestic bonds, which 

including sukuks are structured previous month and the lowest now has not occurred for about six 

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Business 11 

Saudi raises $9bn in first global Islamic bond issue 

• AFP, Riyadh 

Saudi Arabia raised $9bn in its first 

global Islamic bond issue, the government 

announced yesterday, a 

move analysts say could ease pressure 

on foreign reserves. 

The sale of Islamic bonds, 

known as sukuks, comes after the 

kingdom in October turned to the 

conventional global debt market 

for the first time, raising $17.5bn in 

a bond issue. 

Saudi Arabia has also sold domestic 

bonds and drawn on its 

accumulated reserves, all in an 


months, he said. 

Domestic bond purchases put 

pressure on the liquidity of banks, 

threatening their ability to lend 

and constraining economic growth 

as a result. 

Dennis said the foreign exchange 

reserves are still “quite a 

lot to play with over the next few 

years.” 

Attention should rather be on 

whether the kingdom can diversify 

its economy without greatly harming 

growth, so that it can continue 

overseas borrowing at attractive 

rates, he said. •


12 

Editorial 


TODAY 

Happy new books 

Banerjee’s voters would have been 

very angry and unforgiving if she gave 

Bangladesh priority over Bengal and tried 

to justify it on the ground that Hasinaruled 

Bangladesh is a strategic ally 

PAGE 13 

Look beyond 

economics 

It would be wise to respond to those 

challenges of education, science, and 

research jointly rather than alone 

PAGE 14 

RAJIB DHAR 

Pohela Boishakh is for everyone 

Boishakh is here 

Once this true spirit is understood, and 

we start to realise our obligation towards 

the value of human beings, perhaps only 

then we can stop being disrespectful 

towards women 

PAGE 15 

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articles are those of the authors 

alone and they are not the 

official view of Dhaka Tribune 

or its publisher. 

It is undeniable the Pohela Boishakh is an integral part of our 

culture and heritage. 

The day is celebrated by one and all as people from all walks 

of life come together on the joyous occasion of the Bengali New 

Year. 

Pohela Boishakh bears testament to Bangladesh’s history of 

diversity and inclusiveness, and makes it a celebration that truly 

brings together the people of this country in unity and harmony. 

But recent events in our country show that there are those who 

would like to have this great tradition tarnished. 

The recent rise in militancy in the nation has worried many, and 

has presented itself as a point of contention among the people of this 

nation. 

These forces take peace-loving religions, religions which have coexisted 

for centuries in these lands that are now Bangladesh, and use 

them in an attempt to separate us, and create conflict amongst the 

people of this country. 

They would like nothing more than for us to forget the various 

cultures which have contributed to the birth of this nation, and 

which continue to contribute to its impressive growth. 

No. 

Organisations such as Jamaat and Hefazat would have us believe 

that the Mongol Shobhajatra is wrong, but these groups do not 

represent the culture of Bangladesh. 

Let’s celebrate the Bengali New Year in remembrance of our roots, 

and with the confidence that Bangladesh will not bow down to the 

forces of extremism. 

This is an opportunity for us to show the entire world, and 

ourselves, that we are one people, united by one shared history, and 

one shared belief of hope, love, and peace. 

Let’s celebrate the 

Bengali New Year 

in remembrance of 

our roots, and with 

the confidence that 

Bangladesh will not 

bow down to the forces 

of extremism

Opinion 13 



Happy new books 

Wouldn’t it be nice to get books as a Noboborsho present? 

LARGER 

THAN LIFE 

• Ekram Kabir 

Last year, before the Bangla 

New Year, my mentor in 

many aspects, Matiul Islam 

Nowshad, who’s the chief 

corporate and people’s officer in 

Robi Axiata Limited, had decided 

to replace sweets with books as 

gifts on the eve of Noboborsho. 

So they presented Hajar 

Bochhorer Banglaee Shongskriti by 

Golam Murshid and Ekattorer 

Dinguli by Jahanara Imam to 

people. 

The stake-holders who received 

their gifts were so happy that they 

responded in superlative terms. 

That was a huge success for my 

mentor, and his management has 

decided to stick to books when it 

comes to Bangla Noboborsho. 

Having said that, kindly allow 

me to narrate our existing culinary 

practices a bit on the occasion 

This year, attain greatness through books 

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU 

If you throw a keen glance around you, you’ll see an avalanche of 

sweets going around every nook and corner of the country. This is 

exactly where I would like to promote books 

of Pohela Boishakh. Come 

Noboborsho, we Bengalis, these 

days, get crazy about panta-ilish. I 

don’t understand why panta-ilish 

has become the symbol of Bangla 

Noboborsho. 

How many people, who come 

to rejoice Noboborsho, have panta 

bhaat at their homes as meals? I 

don’t think many do. 

I remember my mother used to 

put water in the surplus rice after 

dinner so that the rice wouldn’t 

get rotten. Most families didn’t 

have refrigerators at that time. 

Therefore, the only option was to 

put water in the surplus rice so 

that someone could have it the 

following morning. 

Most of the time, the maids 

had panta in the morning as their 

breakfast. 

Years before my mother was 

doing it, probably for hundreds 

of years before, it was a common 

practice across Bengal to preserve 

rice by adding water. 

It was a sustainable way to not 

waste food and to reserve food in a 

food-scarce country. 

The Bengalis didn’t celebrate 

Choitro Shongkranti or Pohela 

Boishakh with panta; rather, we 

celebrated these two occasions 

with our traditional sweets. 

With panta, it was a common 

practice to preserve the food 

overnight and have it in the 

following morning. Simple! 

To my mind, it’s quite funny 

that we have panta once a year and 

pretend that we’ve become great 

Bengalis. When it comes to hilsa 

fish, when did Bengalis celebrate 

the advent of Bangla Noboborsho 

with this particular fish? 

Historically, there wasn’t any 

specific species of fish to celebrate 

Noboborsho. Apart from that fact, 

this is the time when one mustn’t 

catch ilish, because if you catch 

this fish now, the country will 

have a poor production during its 

season. 

Our prime minister has also 

appealed to the countrymen 

not to consume this fish on the 

occasion of Noboborsho, as there’s 

absolutely no link between ilish 

and the New Year. 

Talking about Noboborsho 

celebrations, this has almost 

attained the stature of Eid. 

These days, people come out of 

their homes and truly rejoice; as 

preparation for Pohela Boishakh, 

people buy all kinds of new clothes 

the same way they do during Eids; 

the shopping centres and markets 

thrive on the eve of New Year’s 

Day. 

I’m absolutely delighted to see 

that we Bengalis now have another 

day that we can celebrate with all 

positivity and passion. I feel that 

our cultural sense has attained the 

status of our religious one. 

People also exchange sweets 

among themselves. Over the last 

few years, the trend of distributing 

sweets has increased manifold. If 

you throw a keen glance around 

you, you’ll see an avalanche of 

sweets going around every nook 

and corner of the country. 

This is exactly where I would 

like to promote books. 

Imagine many of us presenting 

books to each other and everyone 

is reading those books. 

We’d very soon have a 

knowledge-based society that 

would create an impact on our life. 

Giving books on the occasion 

of Noboborsho could be one of 

the finest displays of our human 

qualities. 

This would bring back our timetested 

values surrounding books 

and libraries. I believe publishers 

would be able to play a great role 

in this regard. 

We could start the run up to our 

Pohela Boishakh celebrations by 

organising book fairs in various 

districts or divisional cities. This 

would also augment the book 

business. 

Our writers, on the other 

hand, wouldn’t have to wait till 

February to publish their work. 

The publishing business will also 

take a new turn if we can develop 

this practice. 

I urge Bengalis from all walks 

of life to develop this habit during 

this time of the year, and attain 

greatness through books. • 

Ekram Kabir is a fiction writer.

14 Opinion 



Sharing knowledge is the way to go 

Look beyond economics 

Bangladesh and India can achieve great things if we work together 

BIGSTOCK 

and their desires. Bangladeshis 

and Indians are proud of their 

respective cultures, and are 

dedicated to make efforts for its 

preservation. We have the same 

expectations from the health and 

education sectors, democracy, and 

leadership. These are the common 

ground between the people of the 

two nations, which can be used to 

build bridges. 

Understanding the domestic 

dimension and building 

confidence amongst people are 

pivotal, and can only be achieved 

by shared living experiences of the 

travellers, students, and current 

and future academics. Let’s not 

forget that it is always easy to 

communicate with people who we 

trust and are familiar with. 

Countries around the globe 

are now responding to global 

challenges collaboratively. Neither 

Bangladesh nor India currently 

has such a partner -- which means 

there is an opportunity for both 

to build a true and meaningful 

regional partnership for future 

prosperity. 

There is a widespread belief 

that the future holds great 

opportunity for this part of the 

world. 

And the predicted economic 

advancements would definitely 

change the living standard of 

people in this region, which also 

means new challenges. It would 

be wise to respond to those 

challenges of education, science, 

and research jointly rather than 

alone. 

To find the driving and 

influencing forces of the 

two nations, it is high time 

for a joint Bangladesh-India 

research and education centre 

-- as the commissioning of new 

studies through the institute 

and collaboration between 

academics can radically re-shape 

the relationship. It can achieve 

goals which were considered 

impossible in the past. 

We all know the historic and 

• Nur E Emroz Alam Tonoy 

The relationship between 

Bangladesh and India 

mainly concentrates 

on economics, and 

sometimes on divisions -- religious 

divides, land and border disputes, 

export-import imbalance, 

sovereignty, nationalism, political 

differences, often leading to 

hatred. 

Nations can be analysed from 

different angles and in different 

aspects. Let’s not forget, each and 

every nation has its own unique 

attributes, its unique sets of 

social and cultural values. Every 

nation has a past, which can be 

scrutinised by others, and it is 

no different for Bangladesh or 

India. But when it is about the 

relationship between these two 

neighbours, are we concentrating 

too much on differences? Has 

the negativity between the two 

nations gone too far? 

This argument appears every 

now and then in the Bangladeshi 

and Indian political landscapes 

due to irresponsible and harmful 

political commentary by the 

leaders of both countries -- which 

damages efforts to establish a 

strong bilateral relationship. It 

is probably the most significant 

reason for our unsatisfactory 

progress, despite many efforts to 

strengthen ties between the two 

neighbours in recent years. 

Currently, the focus is mainly 

on economic matters. Apparently, 

it is not achieving much, because 

of negativity and mistrust. Despite 

all the efforts and intentions, 

somehow the diplomatic process 

got stuck somewhere; and the 

differences and mistrust are not 

being resolved fast enough. 

In a bid to change this 

It would be wise to respond to those challenges of education, 

science, and research jointly rather than alone 

atmosphere, it is probably time 

for both countries to evaluate the 

existing policies and invest in a 

shared opportunity-based policy, 

which means extensive cultural 

exchange programs, collaboration 

between scientists and academics, 

joint education programs between 

top universities, creation of joint 

industry and business research 

groups, and of course, easy and 

effective visa procedures. 

There must be clear intentions, 

agenda, and effective mechanisms 

to learn about each other and to 

engage with each other in every 

level possible. 

Building a strong relationship 

between two countries is not just 

about economic partnerships 

or solving border issues. It is 

important to allocate the time and 

effort to find common ground. 

Focus must be put on people 

cultural similarities between 

Bangladesh and India. There is 

plenty of common ground which 

must be used positively to find 

new ways of collaboration. We 

have more things that unite us, 

than we do that divide us. It is 

time to identify them and use 

them positively through new 

approaches. • 

Nur E Emroz Alam Tonoy is a blogger.

Opinion 15 



Boishakh is here 

Don’t let anyone spoil this year’s celebrations 

The most colourful time of the year 

• Miti Sanjana 

Noboborsho is one 

of the most joyous 

festivals celebrated in 

Bangladesh, and has 

always been the symbol of our 

secular cultural identity. 

The Boishakh celebration held 

in Dhaka tends to be so colourful 

and joyous that words cannot do it 

justice. The first day of the Bengali 

year is indeed a special occasion 

in the life of each and every 

Bangladeshi. 

Early in the morning of 

Noboborsho, Dhaka-dwellers 

participate in the procession 

known as Mongol Shobhajatra, 

which truly describes the secular 

Bangladeshi culture. 

Before the sun rises over the 

horizon, women all over the 

country dress up in traditional, 

colourful saris, and decorate their 

hair beautifully with fresh flowers. 

They participate in the rallies to 

welcome the first day of the year. 

Pohela Boishakh is especially 

intense for Dhaka-dwellers, 

as they celebrate the day with 

unparalleled enthusiasm in 

feasting and participating in 

cultural activities. The entire city 

prepares to greet visitors from 

different countries as well. The 

Dhaka University area becomes 

the centre of all celebration. 

It is sad, though, that during 

the Pohela Boishakh celebration 

in 2015, a group of predators at 

TSC of Dhaka University molested 

a number of women and girls, 

turning the festival of Boishakh 

into a carnival of ghouls. Women 

became victims of a heinous and 

barbaric incident of repression. 

The cheerful spirit of 

Boishakh has completely been 

tainted by the wrong-doers for 

satisfying their sexual lust and 

nefarious intentions. Some video 

footage taken by the witnesses 

showed how the attackers were 

assaulting the women on the 

streetsin the presence of law 

enforcers. Thankfully, some of the 

perpetrators have been put behind 

bars lately. 

In the past, there have been 

numerous incidents where women 

were sexually harassed who joined 

in different national celebrations. 

Such instances have happened 

many times before, and proper 

actions have not been taken. 

Therefore, some men go around 

thinking it is OK to take advantage 

of women under the garb of 

“celebrating Noboborsho.” It is a 

gross violation of human rights to 

humiliate a woman physically in 

the pretext of a festival. 

There are many existing laws to 

protect the rights of women, but 

the existence of the law is not at all 

sufficient to prevent this malady. 

Every time we choose to ignore 

or walk away from such incidents 

of sexual harassment and eveteasing, 

we put some other woman 

in danger. 

Moreover, justice delayed is 

indeed justice denied. If one is 

wronged, justice must be served 

in the quickest possible manner 

by giving stringent punishment. 

If this equity is not provided 

by the legal system, then the 

establishment of “rule of law” is 

not possible. 

As another Boishakh is 

knocking at our door, many 

women and girls of the capital are 

haunted by the awful incidents 

in 2015. But we always consider 

that Noboborsho approaches with 

new joy, enthusiasm, hopes, and 

promises, and it is the perfect time 

to let go of all the fears, grudges, 

and sadness of the past years. 

We cannot change the past, but 

we can surely hope for the best in 

the coming years. 

The new sunrise brings new 

hope, and gives us courage for 

a new beginning. The New Year 

gives us a fresh 365 days to grow, 

learn, and evolve with a lot more 

opportunities of aspiration and 

optimism. 

Once this true spirit is 

MEHEDI HASAN 

understood, and we start to realise 

our obligation towards the value of 

human beings, perhaps only then 

we can stop being disrespectful 

towards women. 

Dhaka is our beloved city. We 

embrace everything that our city 

has provided, despite the many 

imperfections. This beautiful city 

Once this true spirit is understood, and we start to realise our obligation 

towards the value of human beings, perhaps only then we can stop 

being disrespectful towards women 

has shaped our lives, and gave us 

plenty of joy. 

With the beginning of a new 

dawn, it’s time that the conscience 

of Dhaka-dwellers wakes up to 

protect every citizen, making each 

and every place safe enough for 

everyone to celebrate the colorful 

Boishakh. • 

Miti Sanjana is an Advocate, Supreme 

Court of Bangladesh, and an activist.

16 Downtime 



CROSSWORD 

CODE-CRACKER 

ACROSS 

1 Young horse (4) 

3 Small bouquet (4) 

7 Falsehood (3) 

8 Sky coloured (5) 

11 Says further (4) 

12 Repairs (5) 

13 Correct (5) 

15 Tinge (4) 

18 Transmit (4) 

19 Poke gently (5) 

20 Select group (5) 

21 Main actor (4) 

23 Smallest amount (5) 

24 Mild explosion (3) 

25 Region (4) 

26 Consumer (4) 

DOWN 

1 Uproar (6) 

2 Keen insight (6) 

4 Of advanced age (3) 

5 Short branch off 

railway track (6) 

6 Acceptance (3) 

9 Give up (6) 

10 Extremity (3) 

11 Shrewd (6) 

14 Wise counsellor (6) 

16 Standards of perfection 

(6) 

17 Seesaw (6) 

19 No score (3) 

21 Mineral spring (3) 

22 Monkey (3) 

How to solve: Each number in our 

CODE-CRACKER grid represents a 

different letter of the alphabet. For 

example, today 20 represents B so fill B 

every time the figure 20 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

What’s on 17 



EVENTS AROUND TOWN TODAY 

BOISHAKHI SPECIAL 

MOVIE 

FESTIVAL 

Grand Boishakhi Buffet 

When 12-4pm 

Where Lakeshore Hotel & Apartments, Road 41, House 46, 

Gulshan 2, Dhaka 

What Lakeshore Hotel & Apartments has arranged for an 

extravagant Pohela Boishakh buffet for Tk1,424 per person 

featuring bhortas, bhajis, fish, meat and sweets. There will 

also be stalls at the hotel featuring traditional souvenirs, 

pithas, baiscope, monkey dance, etc. 

Pohela Boishakh @ Atrium 

When 1pm-4:30pm 

Where Atrium Restaurant, 50 & 52 Progoti Sharani, Block J, 

Baridhara, Dhaka 

What For Tk699 per person, a 30-item exclusive buffet lunch 

arranged especially for Pohela Boishakh. 

Pohela Boishakh Fusion Blast 

When 1pm-11:55pm 

Where Kebab Factory, House 9/A, Road 53, Gulshan 2, Dhaka 

What A special lunch arranged with live music, and Boishakh 

Thali set menu. 

THEATRE 

STAR CINEPLEX 

Where Bashundhara City, Dhaka 

What Movie showtime (April 14) 

Beauty and the Beast (3D): 

11:20am, 2:10pm, 4:40pm, 7:15pm 

Ghost in the Shell (3D): 11:10am, 

1:30pm, 4pm, 6:50pm 

Swatta (2D): 4:10pm, 7:10pm 

Fast & Furious 8 (2D): 4:35pm. 

7:30pm 

Fast & Furious 8 (3D): 10:50am, 

11am, 1:40pm, 1:50pm, 4:30pm, 

7pm, 7:20pm 

Logan (2D): 10:50am, 1:40pm 

The Boss Baby (3D): 11:30am, 2pm, 

4:50pm 

BLOCKBUSTER CINEMAS 

Where Jamuna Future Park, Dhaka 

What Movie showtime (April 14) 

Borshoboron 1424 

When 6-8:10am 

Where Ramna Park, Moulana Bhashani Road, Dhaka 

What Organised by Chhayanaut at Ramna Botomul. 

Mongol Shobhajatra 

When 9am-12pm 

Where Faculty of Fine Arts, Dhaka University, Shahbag, 

Dhaka 

What A rally featuring colourful masks and life-sized carnival 

floats. 

Mojo Boishakhi Utshab-1424 

When 10am-10pm 

Where Kalabagan Field, Dhanmondi, Dhaka 

What There will be a fair and concert at the festival. 

Mega Boishakhi Mela 

When 10am-9pm 

Where Drik Gallery, House 58, Road 15A, Dhanmondi, Dhaka 

What Some of the leading online shopping outlets will 

participate in the fair. 

Boishakhi Hullor 1424 

When 6am-10pm 

Where International Convention City, Bashundhara, Dhaka 

What A fair featuring traditional items, jewellery, saris, 

dresses, etc. 

Payer Awaj Paoa Jai 

When 11am-12:30pm 

Where Mohila Shomiti, Bailey Road, Dhaka 

What Part of the Borshoborone Theatre er 3 Natok, one of the 

three theatre productions to be screened on Pohela Boishakh. 

Maya Nodi 

When 5:30-7pm 




Meraj Phikirer Maa 

When 7:30-9pm 




Fast and Furious 8 (3D): 11:30am, 

11:35am, 2:15pm, 2:20pm, 5pm, 

5:05pm, 7:45pm, 7:50pm 

Power Rangers: 5pm, 11:40am, 

2:15pm, 7:30pm 

Rings (2D): 2:50pm 

La La Land (2D): 4:50pm 

Swatta (2D): 1pm, 4pm, 7pm 

Haripada Bandwala: 12:30pm, 

3:30pm, 6:30pm 

The Shack (2D): 12:10pm, 7:35pm 

EXHIBITION 

Lokchitro Prodorshoni 

When 6pm 

Where Jatra Biroti, 60 Kemal Ataturk Avenue, Dhaka 

What Organised by Black Ink, the exhibition will feature 

artworks from 21 artists.


18 

Sports 


Gazi Group Cricketers’ Nasir Hossain whacks a sixer against Mohammedan during their DPL game at BKSP yesterday 

Day of national discards in DPL 

• Tribune Report 

Yesterday well and truly belonged 

to the national discards in the Dhaka 

Premier Division Cricket League 

2016-17 season. 

Nasir Hossain led the way with 

an unbeaten century as Gazi Group 

Cricketers thumped Mohammedan 

Sporting Club Limited by seven 

wickets. 

Rubel Hossain also shone 

brightly, bagging six wickets to 

steer Prime Bank Cricket Club to 

a five-wicket win over Kalabagan 

Krira Chakra. 

Abdur Razzak and Sohag Gazi, 

meanwhile cast their spell on Victoria 

Sporting Club as Sheikh Jamal 

Dhanmondi Club pipped the former 

to a two-wicket victory. 

Interestingly, all the matches 

yesterday were won by the side 

batting second. 

Gazi v Mohammedan, BKSP 3 

Asked to bat first, Mohammedan 

made a slow start and lost wickets 

at regular intervals. At one point, 

BRIEF SCORES 

SHEIKH JAMAL 210/8 in 49.2 overs 

(Nurul 80, Monir 3/36) beat VICTORIA 

209 in 48.2 overs (Uttam 88, Razzak 

4/29) by two wickets 

GAZI 223/3 in 37 overs (Nasir 106*, 

Anamul 54) beat MOHAMMEDAN 220/8 

(Rahmat 78, Miraz 52) by seven wickets 

PRIME 186/5 in 46.5 overs (Chand 61*, 

Sanjit 3/25) beat KALABAGAN 184 in 

46.2 overs (Tushar 47, Rubel 6/21) by 

five wickets 

they were struggling on 78 runs 

for the loss of four wickets when 

Afghanistan recruit Rahmat Shah 

(78) and Mehedi Hasan Miraz 

(52) put on 118 runs for the fifth 

wicket. 

Rahmat struck half a dozen fours 

in his 91-ball knock while Miraz hit 

a six and a couple of boundaries in 

his 70-ball innings. 

The traditional Black and Whites 

eventually posted 220/8. 

In reply, Gazi lost quick wickets, 

Prime Bank’s Rubel Hossain claimed 

six wickets against Kalabagan 

those of Jahurul Islam (one) and 

Mominul Haque (two). However, 

Nasir then took charge, batting 

brilliantly on his way to an unbeaten, 

run-a-ball 106, composed with 

nine fours and five sixes. Indian 

cricketer Parvez Rasool provided 

valuable support, making an undefeated 

53 off 57 deliveries as the unbroken 

fourth wicket stand added 

144 runs. 

Gazi romped to their destination 

with 13 overs to spare. 

DHAKA TRIBUNE 

Kalabagan v Prime, BKSP 4 

Rubel decimated Kalabagan, picking 

up his third six-wicket haul in 

List A cricket. Kalabagan, invited 

to take first guard, were skittled 

out for 184 in 46.2 overs as Rubel 

ended up with bowling figures of 

6/21 from 8.2 overs, including two 

maidens. 

In pursuit of 185, Prime took 

46.5 overs to reach the target with 

India's Unmukt Chand top-scoring 

with an unbeaten 61 off 100 balls. 

Sheikh Jamal v Victoria, Fatullah 

Razzak and Gazi shared seven 

wickets between themselves as 

Victoria were bundled out for 209 

in 48.2 overs after batting first. 

Razzak gave away 29 runs in his 

quota of 10 overs while Gazi conceded 

the same in 9.2 overs. Uttam 

Sarkar was Victoria's highest scorer 

with a 102-ball 88. 

It ultimately proved to be an 

exciting chase with Sheikh Jamal 

only confirming their win with four 

balls remaining. Nurul Hasan made 

a vital 80 off 94 deliveries. • 

SUPPORTER 

Where’s 

Mustafizur’s 

Fizz? 

Mustafizur Rahman went for 19 

runs in his first over playing for 

Sunrisers Hydrabad in the IPL. He 

looked like he was struggling with 

controlling the ball and trying 

to bowl fast. In other words, he 

hadn’t found his rhythm. So, this 

was probably just a one off and 

he’d come back to take wickets 

in the next over. But that didn’t 

happen and he went for another 

11 runs in the second over. By the 

time he had come on to bowl his 

third over, the opposition had to 

get a mere four runs and even 

though he seemed to find a bit 

more control, he didn’t trouble 

the batsmen. 

Yes, it’s just an IPL game and 

we’re sure he’d bounce back. 

But truth is, he hasn’t looked at 

his best since his return to international 

cricket from injury. His 

return against New Zealand saw 

him bowl with less pace and a 

slightly different action. He was 

bowling in the low 130kmhs 

and struggled with his line and 

length which eventually led to 

him taking time off from the 

last ODI and Test matches as he 

didn’t feel “mentally prepared”. 

The return against Sri Lanka also 

didn’t go as well as we’d have 

expected of him with him failing 

to keep his line and length and 

not being able to befuddle 

batsmen as much. 

These are the numbers that 

he’s had since his return from 

injury. In ODIs against New Zealand 

and Sri Lanka his average 

has been 23.5 and 28.5 respectively. 

In Tests against Sri Lanka, 

his average has been 27.5. While 

those are pretty good numbers, 

they pale in comparison to the 

amazing 12.34 and 14.5 averages 

he had in ODIs and Tests 

prior to his lengthy layoff. 

The second year for an international 

cricketer is usually the 

toughest one and Mustafizur 

is no different. Batsmen are 

getting better at reading him 

while he’s also not found his 

best rhythm. There has also 

been rumours of him prioritising 

the IPL over national duties. 

Whatever the case may be, he’s 

a world class talent that requires 

special attention if Bangladesh 

are to continue their progress in 

world cricket. 

Shahnoor Rabbani is a strategic 

planner at 7TEEN, radio show 

host, and cricket commentator 

at Radio Shadhin 92.4 FM.

Sports 19 



Cristiano Ronaldo stats 

Most goals in Uefa 

club competitions 

Player Goals Games 

Cristiano Ronaldo 100 143 

Lionel Messi 97 118 

Raul Gonzalez 76 158 

Filippo Inzaghi 70 114 

Andriy Shevchenko 67 142 

t Ronaldo ended a run of six 

Champions League games without 

scoring, ending his drought 

at 659 minutes. 

t Ronaldo has scored six times 

in five previous Champions 

League games against Bayern 

Munich. 

t Ronaldo's second was his 100th 

goal in Uefa club competitions 

(97 Champions League, one 

CL qualifier and two European 

Super Cup). 

t Goals breakdown (cities) – 

Amsterdam (five), Basel (one), 

Cardiff (two), Copenhagen 

(one), Dortmund (three), 

Gelsenkirchen (three), Istanbul 

(five), Kiev (two), Lisbon (two), 

Liverpool (one), London (three), 

Lviv (two), Lyon (two), Madrid 

(41), Malmo (two), Manchester 

(nine), Marseille (two), Moscow 

(two), Munich (four), Porto 

(one), Razgrad (one), Rome 

(two), Turin (two), Zurich (two). 

Centurion Ronaldo reaches another milestone 

• Reuters, Munich 

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo 

may be on course for his worst domestic 

goal haul since 2010 but with 

two strikes against Bayern Munich 

in the Champions League quarter-final 

first leg on Wednesday he 

became the first player to score 100 

goals in Uefa competitions. 

Zinedine Zidane's side drew 

with neighbours Atletico Madrid 

in La Liga on Saturday and looked 

likely to fall short again after being 

outplayed by Bayern in the first 

half before Ronaldo came to the 

rescue to seal a 2-1 win. 

When Arturo Vidal headed the 

hosts into a 25th-minute lead, Bayern 

appeared on course for a 17th 

consecutive European home victory, 

but the game turned following 

Vidal's missed penalty and Ronaldo 

equalised with a fine volley early 

in the second period. 

While the Portugal forward has 

demonstrated an ability to win 

matches single-handedly throughout 

his career, his latest survival 

act came in an unfamiliar context 

Bangladesh's Shafiqul scores 

record unbeaten century 

• Tribune Report 

Shafiqul Islam’s record unbeaten 

century guided Bangladesh wheelchair 

cricket team to a winning 

start in the three-match one-day 

series against host India. 

Bangladesh, riding on Shafiqul's 

heroics, registered an 81-run victory. 

The series is organised by 

Dream for Disability Foundation 

and Para Sports Foundation. 

Due to scorching heat, match 

referee curtailed the game to 15 

overs per side. Winning the toss, 

India fielded first at Rajpal School 

Ground. Bangladesh, boosted by 

Shafiqul’s 146 off 48 balls, scored 

251 losing two wickets in 15 overs. 

Shafiqul’s knock featured 11 

over-boundaries and 20 boundaries. 

In reply, India managed 170 on 

the board in their stipulated 15 

overs for the loss of four wickets. • 

having struggled to hit the lofty 

heights he sets himself in La Liga 

this season. 

"Cristiano was unhappy because 

he couldn't score a third, that's 

how ambitious he is," Zidane told 

reporters. 

Despite an admirable 19 goals 

in 24 league appearances, Ronaldo 

looks unlikely to match the tallies 

he has managed in his last six seasons 

(40, 46, 34, 31, 48, 35). And he 

had previously gone 613 minutes of 

European football without finding 

the net - his longest drought for 

eight years. 

Yet he delivered an outstanding 

second-half performance to reach 

100 European goals, with 98 in the 

Champions League and two coming 

in Madrid's 2-0 Uefa Super Cup 

victory over Sevilla in 2014. 

Of Ronaldo's haul in Europe's 

top competition, he has managed 

82 for Real, with the other 16 coming 

for Manchester United, and his 

double took him four goals ahead 

of Lionel Messi (94) in the race to 

become the first player to score 100 

Champions League goals. • 

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo 

celebrates scoring against Bayern 

Munich during their Uefa Champions 

League quarter-final first leg at Allianz 

Arena, Munich on Wednesday REUTERS 

RESULT 

Bayern Munich 1-2 Real Madrid 

Vidal 26 Ronaldo 47, 77 

MATCH STATS 

Bayern 

Real Madrid 

50 Possession 50 

3 Shots on target 13 

3 Shots off target 6 

8 Corners 4 

8 Fouls 6 

3 Offsides 3 

BCB chief: If India become weak, 

we become weak 

• Cricinfo 

BCB chief Nazmul Hasan has said 

the issues India have with the ICC's 

proposed revenue model need to 

be sorted as a "weaker BCCI means 

weaker Bangladesh". 

The BCB chief, who is also a part 

of ICC working group, met the BC- 

CI's Committee of Administrators 

chief Vinod Rai in Delhi today, to 

discuss issues related to the ICC 

board meeting later this month. 

"Everybody is trying to find a 

middle path to solve [the revenue 

structure problem] in a more amicable 

manner," Hasan said after his 

meeting with the CoA, according to 

PTI. "We don't want any member 

country to get hurt. Especially India 

as they have always supported 

us. If India becomes weak, we also 

become weak." 

However, Hasan is an advocate 

of equitable distribution of ICC revenue. 

"I was a party to the decision 

when N Srinivasan was there [as 

ICC head] and the Big Three concept 

was mooted. Look, I believe 

we need a more equitable distribution 

but that certainly doesn't 

mean you take away India's share. 

No, no that's not what we want." 

Hasan said there was still a 

need, though, to help member 

countries which are going through 

financial crises. 

Asked about the proposed 

changes to the ICC's governance 

structure, Hasan said different 

member countries had different 

issues with it. "Not all of us had 

agreed on the governance structure. 

There are a lot of issues that others 

don't agree and there are some with 

which we don't agree. That's why it 

was placed at the ICC board meeting 

for everybody's observation." 

Hasan also met ICC chairman 

Shashank Manohar in Nagpur before 

his meeting with the CoA in Delhi. 

Hassan is part of the five-man ICC 

steering group lead by Manohar, 

which prepared the new draft constitution, 

which will be discussed at the 

second quarterly meeting of the ICC 

board later this month in Dubai. •

20 



Sports 

Borussia Dortmund’s Shinji Kagawa scores against AS Monaco during their Uefa Champions League quarter-final first leg at Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund on Wednesday 

Tuchel: Dortmund were ‘completely ignored’ by Uefa 

• Reuters, Dortmund 

Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas 

Tuchel said his team felt ignored 

by Uefa after being made to play AS 

Monaco in the Champions League 

on Wednesday, less than 24 hours 

after an attack on their bus. 

The quarter-final first leg in 

Dortmund was postponed on Tuesday 

after three explosions went off 

near the German team's bus as it 

made its way to the stadium, injuring 

Spanish defender Marc Bartra. 

The match was immediately rescheduled 

for Wednesday and Monaco 

ran out 3-2 winners in what 

turned out to be a pulsating game. 

Uefa, European soccer's governing 

body, said it had made the decision 

after consulting both teams. 

"We weren't asked at any point. 

We were told by text message that 

the decision had been made in Switzerland 

(where Uefa are based)," 

Tuchel told reporters. "When they 

told us 'you're up tomorrow', we felt 

completely ignored. 

"They treated it as if a beer can 

had been thrown at the bus. 

"We would have liked more 

time to take stock," he added. "This 

Atletico's Griezmann demonstrates 

class against Foxes 

• Reuters, Madrid 

Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann 

demonstrated his importance 

to the Spanish club when his 

lightning pace forced a penalty that 

gave his side a crucial 1-0 victory 

over Leicester City in their Champions 

League quarter-final first leg 

on Wednesday. 

Griezmann, who finished third 

in the Ballon d'Or voting last year, 

has carried Atletico at times this 

season and it was his break that set 

up the penalty that he then converted 

past Kasper Schmeichel. 

It was his 24th goal of the season, 

five of which have come in 

the Champions League, the competition 

Atletico are desperate to 

win having finished as runners-up 

twice in three years. 

"He's a fabulous player," Atletico 

gives you the feeling of impotence, 

that we have to keep functioning 

and nothing else matters. I encouraged 

everyone to take the game seriously 

but football is not the most 

important thing in the world." 

Tuchel said each player had 

been affected differently. 

"Everyone has the right to deal 

with it in his own way," he said. 

"We want to help every player to 

overcome his inner conflict. It was 

a bad experience." 

Dortmund midfielder Nuri Sahin, 

who came on as a second-half 

substitute, said the incident had 

RESULT 

Atletico Madrid 1-0 Leicester City 

Griezmann 28-P 

MATCH STATS 

Atletico 

Leicester 




8 Corners 1 

9 Fouls 14 

1 Offsides 0 

coach Diego Simeone said of the 

French international. "He's a complete 

player, you don't even know 

his position anymore, he's all over 

the pitch. 

"He's everywhere. He can work 

put football into perspective. 

"We love football, we suffer with 

football and I know we earn a lot of 

money, and we have a privileged 

life, but we are human beings and 

there is so much more than football 

in this world...and last night we felt 

it," he said. 

"I don't know if the people can 

understand this but, until I was on 

the pitch in the second half, I didn't 

think about football," he said. 

"I get goosebumps...when we 

were in the bus last night, I can't 

forget the faces." • 

in midfield, assist like a second 

striker and score like a striker. 

"He's still growing, of course, 

but he's having a great end to the 

season and is taking responsibility 

in accordance with his status in the 

team." 

The 26-year-old, who is frequently 

linked with a move away 

from the Vicente Calderon, caused 

problems all over the pitch, with 

the Leicester defence working at 

full capacity to prevent him doing 

any more damage. 

Leicester manager Craig Shakespeare 

said he had to tinker with 

his team's set-up to shackle the 

dangerous forward, who Simeone 

has given the licence to roam. 

"We made changes at half-time 

to control Griezmann more as he 

was getting too much space between 

the lines," he said. • 

RESULT 

REUTERS 

Dortmund 2-3 Monaco 

Dembele 57, Mbappe 19, 79, 

Kagawa 84 

Bender 35-og 

MATCH STATS 

Dortmund 

Monaco 




7 Corners 1 

8 Fouls 5 

2 Offsides 2 

Drogba signs 

for US second 

tier club 

• AFP, Los Angeles 

Former Ivory Coast and Chelsea 

star Didier Drogba on Wednesday 

signed for US second tier team 

Phoenix Rising, vowing to help the 

club achieve its dream of entry to 

MLS`. 

A Phoenix statement said Drogba, 

39, would be a member of the 

club's playing staff before eventually 

switching to an executive role. 

"I have taken my time in deciding 

what I wanted to do next and am really 

excited about the opportunity 

at Phoenix Rising FC," Drogba said 

in a statement. "After seeing first 

hand the potential for expansion of 

the sport in North America and getting 

to know the ownership group 

in Phoenix, I am convinced that I 

can help them develop their organization 

on and off the pitch." •

Dybala extends 

Juventus deal 

• AFP, Milan 

Argentina forward Paulo Dybala 

yesterday extended his contract 

with Juventus by two years, keeping 

him at the club until 2022, the 

Serie A champions announced. 

Dybala, who struck twice in the 

3-0 Champions League quarter-final 

first-leg win over Barcelona on 

Tuesday, signed a five-year deal 

with Juventus when he joined the 

Turin giant from Palermo in June 

2015 for 32.5 million euros ($34.6m, 

£27.6m). 

"La Joya (The Jewel) has signed 

a new deal that will see him remain 

for another five seasons at the club 

and expire in June 2022," said a 

brief statement by Juventus. • 

Pogba defends displays, bemoans 

high expectations 

• Reuters 

Paul Pogba believes too much is expected 

of him at Manchester United 

due to his world record transfer 

fee and stressed that he is doing a 

fine job as a midfielder for the Premier 

League club. 

Pogba, who returned to United 

from Italian champion Juventus 

for 89 million pounds ($111.86 million) 

in August, has been subjected 

to a constant wave of criticism 

after scoring just seven goals in 43 

appearances this campaign. 

“When I give some assists to 

people and we don’t score it can 

happen, nobody talks about this 

- but it’s fine because they want 

me to score goals because of the 

mountain of the transfer,” The 

France international told British 

media. 

“The people are looking at me. 

They judge me for not scoring 

goals... I am doing a job. I am a midfield 

player and people think I’m an 

attacking player. 

“People are looking me saying 

‘Pogba should score goals’, ‘Pogba 

should do this’ - I think you are 

putting me like as a striker, defender 

and midfielder.” 

United, who are fifth in the 

league, host Chelsea on Sunday 

and last won a league game against 

the leaders in 2012. The last three 

league meetings between the sides 

at Old Trafford have all ended in 

draws. 

However, United’s immediate 

attention will be on the first leg of 

their Europa League quarter-final 

against Belgian side Anderlecht 

yesterday. • 

Sports 21 


Chelsea’s Kante and Hazard up for PFA player of year award 

• AFP, London 

N’Golo Kante and Eden Hazard 

have seen their key roles in Chelsea’s 

bid for the Premier League 

title acknowledged with nominations 

for England’s Professional 

Footballers’ Association Player of 

the Year award. 

The duo were on a six-strong 

shortlist announced yesterday 

that also included Arsenal’s Alexis 

Sanchez, Manchester United’s Zlatan 

Ibrahimovic, Everton’s Romelu 

Lukaku and Tottenham Hotspur’s 

Harry Kane. 

Kante, who could now win the 

Premier League title with two different 

clubs in successive seasons, was 

shortlisted last year for his part in 

Leicester City’s astonishing 5,000/1 

triumph but did not even make 

the top three for an award won by 

his then Foxes team-mate Riyad 

Mahrez. The 2016/17 season winner 

will be announced at London’s 

Grosvenor House hotel on April 23. 

Lukaku is currently the Premier 

League’s top scorer with 23 goals so 

far this season, while fellow forward 

Ibrahimovic has 17 goals in his first 

campaign in English football. 

Kane, the only Englishman 

among the nominees, has scored 19 

goals for Spurs while, across north 

London, Sanchez’s 18 goals have 

been a rare highlight in an otherwise 

disappointing season for Arsenal. 

Spurs and England star Kane has 

also been shortlisted for the Young 

Player of the Year award alongside 

club colleague Dele Alli, with both 

the senior and junior honours voted 

for by England’s top-flight professional 

players. • 

PFA players' player of the year nominees 

Eden Hazard 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic 

Harry Kane 

Chelsea 

Man United 

Tottenham 

N'Golo Kante 

Romelu Lukaku 

Alexis Sanchez 

Chelsea 

Everton 

Arsenal 

PFA young player of the year nominees 

Dele Alli 

Harry Kane 

Michael Keane 

Tottenham 

Tottenham 

Burnley 

Romelu Lukaku 

Jordan Pickford 

Leroy Sane 

Everton 

Sunderland 

Man City 

DAY’S WATCH 

FOOTBALL 

TEN 1 

8:00 PM 

Sky Bet EFL 2016/17 

Bristol City v QPR 

TEN 1 HD 

3:50 PM 

A-League 2016/17 

Melbourne Victory v Central Coast 

Mariners 

TEN 2 

10:00 PM 


Wolverhampton v Brighton & Hove 

Albion 

12:45 AM 

French Ligue 1 2016/17 

Angers SCO v Paris Saint-germain 

TEN 3 

7:30 PM 


Portsmouth v Plymouth Argyle 

12:45 AM 

Newcastle United v Leeds United 

CRICKET 

SONY SIX 

4:30 PM 

Indian Premier League 2017 

Bangalore v Mumbai 

8:30 PM 

Gujarat v Pune 


Local club Melbourne Dazzlers organised an awards night at Noble 

Park Community Centre, Melbourne where former Bangladesh captain 

Aminul Islam was present as the chief guest. The Dazzlers recently 

played their first ever season in the South East Cricket Association 

league 

COURTESY

22 



Showtime 

CMV’s Boishakh specials 

• Showtime Desk 

The renowned audio-video 

production and distribution 

house, CMV has recently released 

a series of exclusive audios and 

videos on the occasion of Bengali 

New Year 1424. 

Two of their music videos have 

already become quite popular 

among the audience – one of 

which is “Pujarini,” starring Asif 

and Kona, and the other one 

is “Naa,” featuring actress and 

model Nazifa Tushi and Jayeb. 

“Pujarini” has been directed by 

Topu Khan and composed by 

Mushfique Litu, while “Naa” 

is a musical thriller by Rocky, 

made under the banner of 

Prekkhagriho. 

The house is also all set to 

release another Boishakh special 

music video, titled “Kotha Dao 

Tumi.” With Imran and Kona as 

the singers, TV drama director 

Mabrur Rashid Banna has directed 

this music video, while Jony 

Haque penned the lyrics. One of 

the main attractions of the music 

video is Mehjabin Chowdhury – 

winner of Lux Channel I Superstar 

2009, who has worked in the 

video, along with actor Irfan 

Sajjad. 

Besides these videos, the 

leading production house has also 

released a number of audio tracks 

on the occasion, including former 

Chirkutt vocalist and violinist 

Pintu Ghosh’s “Dukkho Ahare,” 

Minar’s “Chokh,” Mala’s “Bondhu 

Re,” Shaon Gaanwala’s “Mon Valo 

Nei,” and a remake of the famous 

Tagore song “Esho He Boishakh, 

Esho, Esho” by Najir Mahmud. 

All of these tracks are available to 

stream on GP and Yonder music. 

“We are working for the 

development of true Bengali 

music. We always try to come 

up with good songs and music 

videos and that’s what we tried 

to do this time as well. I hope the 

audience will keep loving CMV 

and good Bengali music. Shubho 

Noboborsho,” said SK Shahed, the 

head-honcho of CMV. • 

Varun reconsiders Dhyan Chand biopic 


Last year, director Karan Johar 

announced an ambitious project 

— a biopic on the life of hockey 

legend Dhyan Chand. Rumours 

suggest that Varun Dhawan was 

initially approached to play the 

lead role, which he turned down 

at the time. It was speculated 

that Karan and Varun weren’t 

too keen on Rohit Vaid helming 

the biopic. Issues with the script 

were also cited as reasons for the 

stalemate. Another hold-up was 

that, it was impossible to oust the 

director from the project since 

he holds the rights to the film. 

Vaid developed the script after 

a meeting with co-producers 

Pooja and Arti Shetty, who are 

collaborating with him in the 

film. 

However, things have 

changed since Vaid 

won a national award 

for Mahayodha Ram, 

which took home 

the title of the Best 

Animated Film. Both 

Varun and Karan have 

been forced to rethink 

their stance. Moreover, 

Vaid has overhauled the 

script and is eager to approach 

Varun once again with the 

revised version. 

Varun is currently busy with 

Judwaa 2 opposite Taapsee 

Pannu. It’s a sequel to one of 

the most iconic films from 

the 1990s, Judwaa. Varun 

will be seen playing 

Salman Khan’s double 

role in the remake of 

the film from 1997. 

Directed by David 

Dhawan, produced by 

Sajid Nadiadwala and 

Fox Star Studios, Judwaa 

2 is set to be released 

on September 29 this 

year.• 

Charlie Murphy passes away 


Charlie Murphy, the older 

brother of Eddie Murphy and 

a comic performer who turned 

his encounters with Rick 

James and Prince into standout 

sketches on Chappelle’s Show, 

has passed away at the age of 

57. 

His representative, 

Domenick Nati confirmed 

that Charlie lost his battle 

with leukemia and died on 

Wednesday, reports variety. 

com. 

Charlie Murphy collaborated 

with his brother on the 

screenplays for Norbit and 

Vampire in Brooklyn; voiced 

a role in the animate d TV 

series The Boondocks; and also 

appeared in the comedy series 

Black Jesus. Murphy’s feature 

films include Our Family 

Wedding, King’s Ransom and 

CB4. 

Charlie worked in The 

Chappelle Show, both as a 

writer and actor. His “Charlie 

Murphy’s True Hollywood 

Stories” sketch replayed 

encounters with various 

celebrities such as Rick James 

and Prince when he was 

a member of his brother’s 

entourage. 

He was also an 

accomplished voice-over 

actor, working on The 

Boondocks, Teenage Mutant 

Ninja Turtles and the video 

game Grand Theft Auto: San 

Andreas. •

Showtime 

FRIDAY, 

23 

APRIL 14, 2017 


GMB Akash’s solo photography 

Michael Ballhaus passes away 

• Showtime desk 

Renowned photojournalist, 

GMB Akash’s solo photography 

exhibition titled “Unseen in Our 

Sight: Dalits in Bangladesh” is 

going to be opened at the La 

Galerie, Alliance Française de 

Dhaka on April 15. 

Every day people walk down 

the streets of Dhaka but they 

never look back and think about 

PHOTO: GMB AKASH 

who keeps the streets and sewer 

systems clean. People often 

ignore their contributions to 

the society. The number of Dalit 

people in the country range 

between 5.5 to 6.5 million. 

To recognise the contribution 

of this community and their 

resilience, Christian Aid 

Bangladesh and Alliance 

Française de Dhaka have jointly 

organised this solo photography 

exhibition. The photographs 

were taken from across Dalit 

communities in Bangladesh. 

Pierre Mayaudon, ambassador 

and the head of delegation of the 

European Union to Bangladesh, 

confirmed to do the inauguration 

as the chief guest, while Moni 

Rani Das, the president of Dalit 

Women’s Federation, and Shakeb 

Nabi, the country director of 

Christian Aid will also attend the 

event. Bruno Plasse, the director 

of Alliance Française de Dhaka 

will welcome the distinguished 

guests. 

GMB Akash, a world renowned 

photojournalist whose work has 

been published in more than 

hundred major international 

publications, while he has 

travelled for around 50 countries 

to depict life, has received 

more than 100 international 

accolades. Akash’s exhibition has 

been displayed in many of the 

world’s prestigious museums and 

galleries. 

The exhibition will run till 

April 29. • 

• Abak Hussain 

The great German 

cinematographer, Michael 

Ballhaus passed away 

Tuesday evening in 

Berlin, at the age of 81 

after a short illness. He 

always claimed he never 

liked violence. But that 

didn’t stop him from 

collaborating with Martin 

Scorsese on films like 

Goodfellas, The Departed, 

and Gangs of New York. 

“It was Michael who really 

gave me back my sense of 

excitement in making movies,” 

said Martin Scorsese. 

While working with 

Scorsese on Goodfellas, 

Ballhaus successfully carried 

out the highly complex 

unbroken tracking shot that 

showed Henry Hill entering 

the Copacabana club with his 

girlfriend Karen. 

With Fassbinder, he 

pioneered the 360-degree 

Nicole Kidman set to rule Cannes with four titles 

tracking 

shot, that became one of his 

signature elements. 

Ballhaus was nominated 

for Academy Awards for best 

cinematography on three 

occasions, but he never won. 

Towards the end of his life, 

this genius, who spent his life 

looking through the camera 

and shooting some of the most 

complex films, gradually lost 

his eyesight from glaucoma. • 


With four titles, The Killing of a 

Sacred Dear, The Beguiled, How 

to Talk to Girls at Parties, and 

Top of the Lake, the Australian 

actress sets to be a frequent face 

at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. 

The Oscar winning actress will 

definitely need to bring a few red 

carpet looks to Cannes this year. 

The festival director Thierry 

Fremaux revealed the feature films 

which are chosen for the official 

selection of the 70th edition of the 

festival on Thursday. 

Kidman stars in Yorgos 

Lanthimos’ The Killing of a Sacred 

Deer alongside Colin Farrell, 

which is screening in the main 

competition. Sofia Coppola’s The 

Beguiled is also in competition 

which stars Kidman and Farrell 

again, alongside Kirsten Dunst and 

Elle Fanning. 

The actress also stars in How to 

Talk Girls at Parties, a sci-fi film 

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES 

directed by John Cameron Mitchell 

based on a Neil Gaiman short 

story. Finally, she will be also seen 

in the second season of Top of the 

Lake, Jane Campion’s acclaimed 

TV drama, which will be screened 

in Cannes as a special event. 

The 70th edition of the festival 

will be opened with Marion 

Cotillard starring French drama 

Ismael’s Ghosts, diretced by 

Arnaud Desplechin. 

A total of 18 films will be in 

competition at the festival this 

year, including Yorgos Lanthimos’s 

follow-up to The Lobster, 

The Killing of a Sacred Deer, 

Julianne Moore in Todd Haynes’s 

Wonderstruck, Joaquin Phoenix in 

Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never 

Really Here, along with new films 

by François Ozon, Bong Joon-ho 

and Michael Haneke. 

Adam Sandler will also 

be making his first Cannes 

appearance since 2002, among 

the cast of Noah Baumbach’s The 

Meyerowitz Stories. 

Tilda Swinton and Jake 

Gyllenhaal are among the cast of 

Bong Joon-ho’s Okja. Okja and 

The Meyerowitz Stories mark the 

first films produced by Netflix to 

premiere in-competition at the 

festival. 

Elsewhere, two episodes of 

David Lynch’s eagerly anticipated 

Twin Peaks reboot will be screened 

during special presentations. 

The full competition line-up 

can be found below: 

Loveless by Andrey Zvyaginstev 

Good Time by Benny and Josh 

Safdie 

You Were Never Really Here by 

Lynne Ramsay 

L’Amant Double by François 

Ozon 

Jupiter’s Moon by Kornél 

Mandruczó 

A Gentle Creature by Sergey 

Loznitsa 

The Killing of a Sacred Deer by 

Yorgos Lanthimos 

Radiance by Naomi Kawase 

The Day After by Hong Sang-soo 

Le Redoubtable by Michael 

Hazanavicius 

Wonderstruck by Todd Haynes 

Happy End by Michael Haneke 

Rodin by Jacques Doillon 

The Beguiled by Sofia Coppola 

120 Heartbeats Per Minute by 

Robin Campillo 

Okja by Bong Joon-ho 

In the Fade by Fatih Akin 

The Meyerowitz Stories by Noah 

Baumbach •

24 



Back Page 

CHINA WARNS AGAINST FORCE 

IN KOREAN PENINSULA › 9 

DAY OF NATIONAL 

DISCARDS IN DPL › 18 

GMB AKASH’S SOLO 

PHOTOGRAPHY › 23 

Dhaka ranks 

second in the 

world with 

most active 

Facebook users 

• Ibrahim Hossain Ovi 

Facebook users from Dhaka ranked 

second in being the most active users 

in the world with 22 million of 

them logged in, according to Global 

Digital Statshot of Q2 report of 2017. 

Currently, there are about 18.89 

million people in Dhaka making it 

one of the most densely populated 

mega cities in the world. 

CITIES WITH LARGEST NUMBER OF ACTIVE FACEBOOK USERS 

# TOP CITIES USERS % TOTAL 

01 BANGKOK 30,000,000 1.5% 

02 DHAKA 22,000,000 1.1% 

03 JAKARTA 22,000,000 1.1% 

04 MEXICO CITY 17,000,000 0.9% 

05 SAO PAULO 13,000,000 0.7% 

06 NEW DELHI 13,000,000 0.7% 

07 LIMA 13,000,000 0.7% 

08 ISTANBUL 12,000,000 0.6% 

09 CAIRO 12,000,000 0.6% 

10 HO CHI MINH 11,000,000 0.6% 

HOOTSUITE 

The report conducted by Hootsuite 

ranks Dhaka on the second position 

while Bangkok taking the first place 

with 30 million active users. 

Jakarta holds the third position 

with 22 million users followed by 

Mexico City (17 million), Sao Paulo 

(13 million), New Delhi (13 million), 

Lima (13 million), Istanbul (12 million), 

Cairo (12 million) and Ho Chi 

Minh (11 million). 

Hootsuite is a platform for managing 

social media, created by Ryan 

Holmes in 2008. The organisation 

deals with the latest essential internet, 

social media and mobile states 

from around the world. 

According to Bangladesh Telecommunication 

Regulatory Commission, 

as of February 2017, Bangladesh has 

67.24 million internet users, of which 

63.12 million are using internet on 

their mobile phones. There are 129.58 

million mobile users in Bangladesh. 

“This is a good sign for Bangladesh 

if it is used for networking, 

e-commerce and reading the news,” 

former Bangladesh Association of 

Software and Information Services 

(BASIS) president Shameem Ahsan 

told the Dhaka Tribune last night. 

“But, there is a negative side to 

this when it is used to just waste 

time like chatting for hours,” 

Shameem added. 

Shameem also opined that both 

the government and parents need to 

regulate internet usage to make sure 

it is being used for good things. • 

‘Dawra degree upgrade a political 

game targeting the national election’ 

• Sohel Mamun 

Prominent educationists in the 

country have denounced the government’s 

decision to recognise 

the ‘dawra-e-hadith’ certification 

issued by Qawmi madrasas as 

equivalent to a post-graduate Master’s 

degree. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina 

announced the move after meeting 

with leaders of the Islamist platform 

Hefazat-e-Islam. It means dawra 

degree holders can now apply for 

jobs that only post-graduate degree 

holders in Islamic studies and Arabic 

were previously qualified for. 

The controversial decision 

comes despite the continued refusal 

of the Qawmi Madrasa Education 

Board to allow the government inspectors 

access to its curriculum, 

schools and examinations. 

Renowned historian Prof Muntasir 

Uddin Khan Mamun told the 

Dhaka Tribune that the government’s 

concession to Hefazat represented 

a significant shift in the 

political landscape of Bangladesh. 

“They were awarded recognition 

because of their power,” he said. 

“Hefazat-e-Islam has become an extremely 

powerful political actor in 

the country (and) the government 

values such political influence so 

the decision is a political game targeting 

the national election.” 

Dhaka University Prof Syed 

Manzoorul Islam told the Dhaka 

Tribune that he fears the government’s 

decision to upgrade the 

dawra degree could lead to “anarchy” 

in the education system. 

“The government is able to pressurise 

private universities to follow 

rules. But after this recognition for 

Qawmi madrasa, private universities 

will not listen to the government,” 

he said. 

“I do not understand why the 

government took this decision. 

Without improving their syllabus 

and curriculum, without even any 

government involvement, how will 

a student achieve the education 

that can be considered at the standard 

of a post-graduate degree?” the 

professor said. 

According to the Bangladesh 

Bureau of Educational Information 

and Statistics (Banbeis), there are 

13,902 Qawmi madrasas in Bangladesh 

educating a total of around 

1.4 million students. 

Madrasa education is divided 

into two categories – Alia and Qawmi. 

The Alia madrasas are supervised 

by the government and 

follow a national curriculum, but 

the government does not have any 

access to the Qawmi madrasas. 

The Qawmi operate through 

private donations without any 

regulatory oversight from the government, 

and follow the Dars-e- 

Nizami curriculum of the Darul 

Uloom Deoband Madrasa in Uttar 

Pradesh, India. 

The syllabus contains very little 

or no science and English education, 

and teaches distorted versions 

of the history of Bangladesh, 

omitting the Language Movement 

and the Liberation War. Because of 

these reasons, educationists have 

been urging the government to 

bring them under regulations. 

Although the decision to recognise 

degrees issued by the Qawmi 

madrasa was first taken on August 

21, 2006, the necessary bureaucratic 

processes were not completed 

within the tenure of the then BNP- 

Jamaat-led government. 

Since then Qawmi madrasa 

teachers, led by Hefazat-e-Islam, 

have been pushing for this demand. 

In 2012 the Awami League government 

formed a commission on Qawmi 

madrasa education, headed by 

Hefazat chief Allama Shah Shafi, but 

he resigned when the issue of government 

regulation came into focus. 

Asked about the decision to recognise 

the Qawmi degrees, Md Alamgir, 

acting secretary to the Technical and 

Madrasa Education Division, refused 

to give out any details. 

“The decision came from the 

highest authority of the government. 

We will issue an order in this 

regard soon. The prime minister 

also gave us some directives about 

the issue, but I have nothing more 

to say,” he added. 

However, Prof Md Akteruzzaman, 

pro-vice chancellor of Dhaka 

University, was appreciative of the 

decision. 

“Qawmi madrasa students have 

always been underprivileged in the 

society. Now they will get opportunities 

for social mobility. This decision 

could help the society,” he said. 

“The examination will be conducted 

following a process that 

should be coordinated with the 

other existing systems. But the 

total education process should be 

brought under a system in future,” 

he added. 

Afsarul Ameen, chair of the parliamentary 

standing committee on 

the Ministry of Education, said: “We 

should keep cooperating to develop 

Qawmi madrasa education. Their 

recognition is one of the steps to bring 

Qawmi students up to a standard.” 

Asked whether they would 

achieve any standards without acknowledgement 

of their primary 

and secondary education, the former 

primary education minister 

said he was hopeful. 

“We are optimistic that the entire 

Qawmi madrasa education system 

will come under a process in 

the future,” he said.• 

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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