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SECOND EDITION<br />
MONDAY, MAY <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2017</strong> | Jyastha 1, 1424, Shaban 18, 1438 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 5, No 10 | www.dhakatribune.com | 24 pages plus 8 pages World supplement | Price: Tk10<br />
Good or bad, all flows down to Bangladesh<br />
l<br />
Monsoon water from Meghalaya brings<br />
sand and stone chips to Haor basins<br />
l<br />
A landslide in Meghalaya hill started sand<br />
intrusion in 2008<br />
l<br />
l<br />
Frequency and coverage of flash-floods<br />
increasing in northeast region<br />
There are around 1,000 mines<br />
operational in Meghalaya<br />
l<br />
Unplanned mining in Meghalaya pouring<br />
large amounts of sand into water that<br />
eventually flows into Bangladesh<br />
READ MORE › 2<br />
ABU SIDDIQUE<br />
Macron<br />
takes power<br />
as French<br />
president<br />
› 4<br />
WORLD SUPPLEMENT<br />
Macron’s victory<br />
explodes France’s<br />
political landscape › 2<br />
Trump, Comey and<br />
Russia: What is going on<br />
in the White House? › 3<br />
India turns on Rohingya<br />
refugees seeking their<br />
deportation as Kashmir<br />
boils › 7<br />
DT<br />
World Tribune<br />
MACRON’S VICTORY<br />
EXPLODES FRANCE’S<br />
2 POLITICAL LANDSCAPE<br />
Meet the man who<br />
saved France<br />
3<br />
TRUMP, COMEY AND<br />
RUSSIA: WHAT IS GOING<br />
ON IN THE WHITE HOUSE?<br />
INDIA TURNS ON ROHINGYA<br />
REFUGEES SEEKING THEIR<br />
7 DEPORTATION AS KASHMIR BOILS
2<br />
MONDAY, MAY <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2017</strong><br />
DT<br />
News<br />
Good or bad, all flows down to<br />
Intrusion of sand from unplanned mining in Meghalaya is leaving arable land barren and filling up Haor<br />
• Abu Siddique, back from<br />
Meghalaya, India<br />
Sand and stone chips dumped<br />
from unplanned mining operations<br />
in the Indian state of Meghalaya<br />
are being flushed downstream to<br />
Bangladesh, affecting arable land<br />
and decreasing the depths of the<br />
Haor basins. This in turn is making<br />
the northeastern region vulnerable<br />
to flash-floods.<br />
According to the Department<br />
of Agricultural Extension’s Sunamganj<br />
district office, around 120<br />
hectares of arable land has been<br />
covered by sand in Tahirpur upazila<br />
over the last decade, turning it<br />
completely barren.<br />
“And this is only in that specific<br />
area. If we look across the region,<br />
located south of the Megahlaya hills<br />
near the Bangladesh-India border,<br />
the damage is massive,” said Zahidul<br />
Haque, DAE deputy director.<br />
Andrew Sholomar from Rajai village<br />
in the upazila is one of the biggest<br />
victims of this sand intrusion.<br />
“I have already lost around <strong>15</strong><br />
acres of my 20 acres of land,” he<br />
told the Dhaka Tribune.<br />
If this cannot be stopped, his<br />
family might end up starving as it<br />
is dependent on that land, he said.<br />
The flow of sand and stone chips<br />
coming down with monsoon water<br />
has been decreasing the depths of<br />
the Haor basins, increasing the risk<br />
of flash-floods.<br />
Hydrologist Prof Ainun Nishat<br />
said although the flash-floods are<br />
a common phenomenon in the<br />
northeastern wetlands, there has<br />
been an increase in its frequency<br />
and magnitude.<br />
“Water usually carries sediment<br />
downstream. This is also true of<br />
the northeastern region,” he said.<br />
But the volume of sand intrusion<br />
with the water is alarming and need<br />
to be stopped at any cost, he added.<br />
Calling attention to several Beels<br />
– small water bodies – in Kharchar<br />
Haor in Sunamganj, the expert said<br />
many of them have already been<br />
filled up with sand.<br />
“The frequency and coverage of<br />
flash-floods have been increasing<br />
in the region as the beds of water<br />
bodies are gradually rising up,” said<br />
45-year-old Kamruzzaman Kamrul,<br />
chairman of Tahirpur Upazilla<br />
Parishad, who has lived in the area<br />
since his birth.<br />
What’s going on upstream<br />
Mineral resources including coal,<br />
limestone and stones are the biggest<br />
part of Meghalaya’s economy.<br />
The mining mostly takes place in<br />
three regions of the state – East Khasi<br />
Hills, West Khasi Hills and Garo Hills<br />
– all of which border Bangladesh.<br />
Sources in Meghalaya say the<br />
state government has relatively little<br />
control over the mining industry<br />
in these autonomous regions.<br />
According to the sources, there are<br />
around 1,000 operational mines in<br />
those three areas, all privately run.<br />
Altrisha Lyndoh, owner of a coal<br />
mine in West Khasi hills, told the<br />
Dhaka Tribune: “We have been doing<br />
this mining business in our own<br />
land. We dig the land, extract coal<br />
and sell it.”<br />
Asked whether she knows about<br />
the impacts of coal mining downstream,<br />
she said: “I have no idea.”<br />
HJ Syiemlieh, a professor of geography<br />
at the North Eastern Hill<br />
University in Shillong, told the Dhaka<br />
Tribune: “To extract coal, primarily<br />
the miners cut down forests and<br />
open pits, which ultimately makes<br />
the topsoil unstable and lets it wash<br />
downhill with monsoon water.”<br />
In 20<strong>15</strong>, the Indian National<br />
Green Tribunal, a government<br />
body, issued a ruling to stop unplanned<br />
coal mining in Meghalaya,<br />
saying it was destroying the topsoil<br />
and the local ecology.<br />
But the professor said as there is<br />
no strong government control over<br />
the issue, many mines have continued<br />
to run their operations in an<br />
unplanned manner.<br />
A fateful day<br />
Sand intrusion from Meghalaya has<br />
gone up sharply since 2008 when a<br />
sudden landslide in the West Khasi<br />
Hills of Meghalaya near the Bangladesh-India<br />
border sent a massive<br />
volume of sand down to Bangladesh.<br />
The incident destroyed around<br />
50 acres of land within minutes.<br />
“Within a few minutes, the nearby<br />
ponds and wetlands filled up<br />
How mining in India affects Bangladesh downstream<br />
Talking about how mining in India affects downstream Bangladesh with toxic water, HJ Syiemlieh,<br />
head of the Department of Geography at North Eastern Hill University, Meghalaya, speaks to the<br />
Dhaka Tribune’s Abu Siddique on the varied environmental impacts of this industry<br />
Tell us about the history of mining<br />
in Meghalaya.<br />
It began with limestone mining<br />
long before the British Raj came to<br />
this subcontinent. You can still see<br />
houses made of bricks and lime in<br />
Bangladesh and Calcutta that dates<br />
back to that period.<br />
When was coal introduced to the<br />
mining industry?<br />
The British began to the exact coal<br />
in this region when they arrived<br />
from Cherrapunjee side till about<br />
1969. Then moved their mining<br />
across the hills to Assam.<br />
Is there an environmental impact<br />
of mining?<br />
There is an environmental impact<br />
nationally. Mining waste especially<br />
coal mining waste is highly toxic.<br />
During the monsoon this toxic<br />
waste gets washed up and ends up<br />
in the river.<br />
In addition, the mining needs<br />
large parts of the land to be deforested<br />
which is definitely a loss of<br />
biodiversity as well as a loss of top<br />
soil as it gets washed away with the<br />
monsoon rain.<br />
Is the mining in Meghalaya<br />
including coal, limestone and<br />
other mineral resources currently<br />
controlled by the government or<br />
by the people themselves?<br />
The big issue is, the land belongs to<br />
the community. The government<br />
has no land. That’s why the individuals<br />
are mining their land rich<br />
with mineral resources.<br />
That means all the mining is<br />
controlled by locals and the<br />
government has no control over it?<br />
Something like that. The government<br />
does have control to some<br />
extent but it’s limited. Now with the<br />
National Green Tribunal (NGT), they<br />
have regulated the entire industry.<br />
And most probably this means mining<br />
will reduce in the area.<br />
Three districts—East Khashi Hills,<br />
West Khasi Hills and Garo Hills<br />
have autonomous bodies. Can the<br />
NGT issued rule govern over them<br />
to stop mining?<br />
In some sense they are autonomous<br />
district offices but the NGT<br />
has been governing over their activites<br />
in recent years.<br />
If the mining is mostly controlled<br />
by the locals, then how does the<br />
government plan to mine uranium<br />
here?<br />
There is huge opposition about the<br />
government’s plans to mine uranium<br />
here. If the government really<br />
wants to extract uranium then<br />
they would have to buy the land<br />
from the people first. But as far as<br />
I know, this programme is still at a<br />
ABU SIDDIQUE<br />
conceptual stage. Back in the 90s<br />
the government had identified certain<br />
uranium rich areas and wanted<br />
to mine them.<br />
The mining in Meghalaya causes<br />
dregs mostly sand, coal and stone<br />
chips to wash downstream into<br />
Bangladesh that ends up covering<br />
large areas of agricultural lands. Do<br />
you think there is a way to stop this<br />
process?<br />
I believe human activity does have<br />
an adverse effect on nature which<br />
needs to be contained as much as<br />
possible. There needs to be a way<br />
to stop this down stream sedimentation<br />
of mining dregs that the government<br />
of both India and Bangladesh<br />
need to find a mutual solution<br />
to.<br />
There was some recent reports by<br />
the Megahlayan media that a large<br />
number of fishes have been dying<br />
caused by the mining in the region.<br />
Similar kinds of things were<br />
reported in a Bangladeshi media<br />
recently as well, claiming a large<br />
number of fishes died in the Haor<br />
region because of radiation from<br />
uranium mining in India. What do<br />
you make of this claim?<br />
In the case of the fish dying in<br />
Meghalaya, I am not convinced it<br />
was caused by mining. In regards<br />
to uranium radiation, how is this<br />
going to kill fish if there is no uranium<br />
mines here in the first place?<br />
If uranium mining starts in<br />
Meghalaya in the future, do<br />
you not think this will impact<br />
Bangladesh downstream?<br />
Uranium mining will be a problem<br />
not only for Bangladesh but also<br />
for Megahalaya itself. It all depends<br />
on how the extraction is manage,<br />
mined and preserved. We have<br />
been asking the government exactly<br />
this as most people are extremely<br />
concerned about this.<br />
The government should use cutting<br />
edge technology that will not<br />
negatively impact the water, fishes,<br />
trees and land -as all of them are interrelated.<br />
•
News 3<br />
MONDAY, MAY <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2017</strong><br />
DT<br />
Bangladesh<br />
basin in northeast<br />
with sand and stone chips that day,”<br />
said 46-year-old local Rokon Uddin,<br />
who witnessed the landslide.<br />
More than 2,000 acres of agricultural<br />
land in three villages<br />
– Chanpur, Rojoni Line and Rajai<br />
– owned by local farmers and villagers,<br />
disappeared in that single<br />
event which changed the area’s<br />
ecosystem and robbed thousands<br />
of their livelihoods.<br />
Since then, unplanned mining<br />
in Meghalaya – one of India’s main<br />
source of mineral resources – have<br />
been pouring large amounts of sand<br />
into the water that eventually flows<br />
into Bangladesh and ruins large areas<br />
of arable land every monsoon.<br />
Mass deforestation, caused by unplanned<br />
mining, has also caused<br />
the soil in the hills to become more<br />
vulnerable to landslides.<br />
Ponchashol Haor, which locals<br />
said used to cover a large area near<br />
Chanpur village, has now vanished<br />
because of sand intrusion from the<br />
West Khasi Hills.<br />
Complaints made earlier<br />
In 2009, the Ministry of Environment<br />
and Forest in Bangladesh<br />
sent a formal letter to the Indian<br />
High Commission in Dhaka to inform<br />
them of the issue.<br />
However, the issue appears to<br />
have been forgotten on both sides.<br />
On a recent visit to Meghalaya,<br />
this correspondent met an additional<br />
chief secretary of Meghalaya<br />
government and also in charge of<br />
mining department, who admitted<br />
that he was aware of the issue.<br />
“All good and bad things go to<br />
Bangladesh. Water runs from upstream<br />
to downstream,” he said,<br />
smiling.<br />
“Just like our river water goes<br />
down, the sediment goes down and<br />
Sand from West Khasi Hill in Meghalaya has left a vast tract of arable land in Taherpur in Sunamganj barren<br />
makes the downstream land fertile.<br />
Now the sand goes down with water<br />
and makes the land barren,” he said.<br />
Professor Ainun Nishat expressed<br />
the need for a joint watershed management<br />
for the entire region so that<br />
the problems can be managed.<br />
Prof HJ Syiemleih similarly said<br />
that the two sides need to work together<br />
to find the way to stop this<br />
sand intrusion.<br />
“India needs the mining and<br />
Bangladesh needs to be safe from<br />
sand intrusion,” he said.<br />
ABU SIDDIQUE<br />
Prof Nishat also said that Bangladesh<br />
government needed to introduce<br />
some initiatives, including<br />
dredging the water-bodies and<br />
heightening the crop protection<br />
embankments to reduce the loss of<br />
crops in the Haor basins. •<br />
17 TH MAY<strong>2017</strong><br />
T H E IN TE RN AT IONA L<br />
D E NIM EX HI B I T I O N
4<br />
MONDAY, MAY <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2017</strong><br />
DT<br />
News<br />
Macron takes power as French president<br />
• AFP, Paris<br />
Emmanuel Macron became France’s<br />
youngest ever president on Sunday,<br />
promising at his inauguration to restore<br />
the country’s lost confidence<br />
and pledging to relaunch the flagging<br />
European Union.<br />
Macron, a 39-year-old centrist,<br />
took the reins of power from Socialist<br />
Francois Hollande at the<br />
Elysee Palace a week after his resounding<br />
victory over far-right<br />
leader Marine Le Pen in an election<br />
that was watched worldwide.<br />
After a private meeting with his<br />
former mentor Hollande and his<br />
first speech as president, Macron<br />
headed up the rainy Champs Elysees<br />
in an army vehicle, waving to<br />
small crowds of wellwishers who<br />
gathered along the famed avenue.<br />
Macron said his first priority<br />
would be “to give back to the<br />
French people the confidence that<br />
for too long has been flagging”,<br />
while the second would be making<br />
France a beacon for democracy and<br />
AFP<br />
freedom worldwide.<br />
France’s place was in the EU<br />
“which protects us and enables us<br />
to project our values in the world,”<br />
but he said the 28-member bloc<br />
needed to be “reformed and relaunched.”<br />
Macron also suggested he would<br />
press on with his ambitious but<br />
controversial agenda to reform<br />
France’s rigid labour market and<br />
modernise the social security system<br />
despite the fierce resistance he<br />
is likely to meet.<br />
“I will not reverse course on any<br />
of the commitments taken in front<br />
of the French people,” he said, adding<br />
that “France is strong only if<br />
she is prosperous.”<br />
PM named, then Berlin<br />
Macron’s first week will be busy.<br />
On <strong>Monday</strong>, he is expected to reveal<br />
the closely-guarded name of<br />
his prime minister, before flying to<br />
Berlin to meet German Chancellor<br />
Angela Merkel.<br />
It is virtually a rite of passage for<br />
French leaders to make their first<br />
European trip to meet the leader of<br />
the other half of the so-called “motor”<br />
of the EU.<br />
Pro-EU Macron wants to push<br />
for closer cooperation to help the<br />
bloc overcome the imminent departure<br />
of Britain, another of its<br />
most powerful members.<br />
He intends to press for the creation<br />
of a parliament and budget for<br />
the eurozone.<br />
Merkel welcomed Macron’s<br />
decisive 32-point victory over Le<br />
Pen, saying he carried “the hopes<br />
of millions of French people and<br />
also many in Germany and across<br />
Europe”.<br />
Further ahead in June, Macron<br />
will need to win a majority in parliamentary<br />
elections to enact his<br />
ambitious reform agenda. •
News 5<br />
MONDAY, MAY <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2017</strong><br />
GDP growth peaks at 7.24% breaking all records<br />
• Bilkis Irani<br />
Bangladesh’s Gross Domestic Product<br />
(GDP) growth has reached 7.24%<br />
in the 2016-17 fiscal year – an all-time<br />
high in the history of the country.<br />
In addition, the per capita income<br />
has increased to $1,602, or<br />
Tk129,178.10, according to Bangladesh<br />
Bureau of Statistics estimate<br />
BANANI RAPE<br />
Investigators looking<br />
for alleged video<br />
• Tarek Mahmud<br />
Investigators are trying to find<br />
the video that the Banani rape<br />
accused had recorded, said<br />
Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s<br />
Women Support and Investigation<br />
Centre Inspector Ismat<br />
Ara Emi.<br />
The two plaintiffs of the<br />
case said their rapists had<br />
sexually assaulted and also<br />
beat them while the other<br />
accused had recorded the<br />
entire incident. They said<br />
the accused had threatened<br />
to spread the video via social<br />
media, if they had gone<br />
to police.<br />
The investigators quizzed<br />
Shafaat Ahmed and Shadman<br />
based on the first nine months of<br />
FY2016-17.<br />
Planning Minister AHM Mustafa<br />
Kamal revealed the numbers at a<br />
press briefing following the National<br />
Economic Council (NEC) meeting in<br />
Dhaka yesterday.<br />
The GDP size in the outgoing<br />
fiscal year is Tk1,956,056 crore, the<br />
minister said.<br />
Shakif, who are on five and<br />
six days of remand respectively,<br />
but could not glean any<br />
information from either.<br />
Suspecting that if the video<br />
exists, it may have been<br />
transferred to another person<br />
or stored elsewhere, they are<br />
mulling of sending the duo’s<br />
mobile phones to the Criminal<br />
Investigation Department<br />
for a forensic examination.<br />
A four-member team, led<br />
by DMP Joint Commissioner<br />
(Crime) Krishna Pada Roy, is<br />
assisting Inspector Ismat, also<br />
the investigation officer. But,<br />
none of them were willing to<br />
comment formally to the media<br />
over the issue as the investigation<br />
was on-going. •<br />
Apan Jewellers outlets<br />
raided, one sealed off<br />
• Tarek Mahmud<br />
Customs Intelligence Investigation<br />
Directorate (CIID) yesterday<br />
raided four out of five<br />
outlets of Apan Jewellers in<br />
Dhaka, sealing off its Gulshan<br />
Avenue showroom as it was<br />
closed.<br />
The CIID estimated 286 kg<br />
gold and 61 gram diamond<br />
worth Tk80.23 crore and<br />
Tk5.<strong>15</strong> crore respectively in the<br />
outlets at Mouchak Market, Simanta<br />
Square, Uttara and DCC<br />
Market, said media release.<br />
The CIID officials seized the<br />
documents relating to the gold<br />
and diamond, which they said<br />
would scrutinise and then<br />
take legal action if any irregularity<br />
is found in those.<br />
Primarily, they found that<br />
the details mentioned in their<br />
estimate and that in the inventory<br />
of the outlet managers<br />
did not match each other.<br />
The CIID officials also<br />
started an inquiry about the<br />
source and import taxes of the<br />
gold and diamond.<br />
The raid came just three<br />
days after the CIID asked Bangladesh<br />
Bank to provide information<br />
on transactions made<br />
by Apan Jewellers’ owner Dildar<br />
Ahmed, father of Shafaat<br />
Ahmed, who are among the<br />
five people accused of raping<br />
two university students at a<br />
Banani hotel on March 28.<br />
Earlier yesterday, CIID said<br />
it would to file three separate<br />
cases against The Raintree hotel<br />
in Banani, where two university<br />
students were raped,<br />
for money laundering, smuggling<br />
and tax evasion.<br />
After raiding the hotel, the<br />
CIID recovered 10 bottles of<br />
liquor, and made the statement.<br />
•<br />
In the 20<strong>15</strong>-16 fiscal year, the GDP<br />
growth was 7.11% with the size of<br />
Tk1,732,864 crore and per capita income<br />
at $1,465, or Tk118,131.04.<br />
“This is an outstanding achievement<br />
as it has broken all records,”<br />
the minister said. “No other country<br />
except for India has been able to exceed<br />
over 7% growth.”<br />
“We hope we will be able to reach<br />
7.40% growth in the next fiscal year,”<br />
Kamal said.<br />
He also said the remittance inflow<br />
cannot be accurately estimated a part<br />
of the remittance comes through services<br />
like bKash and Western Union<br />
Money Transfer, which are not connected<br />
to the central bank.<br />
“In 2013, when bKash did not<br />
exist, the Bangladesh Bank earned<br />
DT<br />
68% revenue through wired remittance,<br />
but now that bKash service<br />
is available, the revenue reduced<br />
to 51% in 2016. So, we plan to bring<br />
these services under the central<br />
bank’s system.”<br />
The government also approved<br />
an Annual Development Programme<br />
(ADP) of Tk164,084.83 crore for the<br />
FY<strong>2017</strong>-2018 at the meeting. •<br />
TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY<br />
Dhaka 35 27 Chittagong 34 27 Rajshahi 38 26 Rangpur 33 22 Khulna 38 28 Barisal 37 28 Sylhet 32 23<br />
Cox’s Bazar 34 27<br />
RAIN LIKELY<br />
MONDAY, MAY <strong>15</strong><br />
DHAKA<br />
TODAY<br />
TOMORROW<br />
SUN SETS 6:34PM<br />
SUN RISES 5:16AM<br />
YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW<br />
37.0ºC<br />
22.5ºC<br />
Satkhira<br />
Syhlet<br />
Source: Accuweather/UNB<br />
PRAYER<br />
TIMES<br />
Fajr: 4:50am | Zohr: 1:<strong>15</strong>pm<br />
Asr: 5:<strong>15</strong>pm | Magrib: 6:38pm<br />
Esha: 8:30pm<br />
Source: Islamic Foundation
6<br />
MONDAY, MAY <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2017</strong><br />
DT<br />
News<br />
Mohiuddin panel wins FBCCI poll with 34 seats<br />
• Shariful Islam<br />
Incumbent vice-president of Federation<br />
of Bangladesh Chambers<br />
of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI)<br />
Md Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin will<br />
lead the country’s apex trade body<br />
for the next two years.<br />
His panel, the Sammilito Ganatantrik<br />
Parishad, bagged a majority<br />
of the seats in the election to the<br />
board of directors held yesterday.<br />
The Election Board chairman<br />
Professor Ali Ashraf announced at<br />
11pm that the Mohiuddin-led panel<br />
members won 34 out of the 36 directorial<br />
seats.<br />
Mohiuddin had been nominated<br />
as a director from the Bangladesh<br />
Garment Manufacturers and Exporters<br />
Association.<br />
The biennial election to elect<br />
the office bearers for the <strong>2017</strong>-19<br />
tenure began at 9am and ran until<br />
5pm, with no break in between, at<br />
Bangabandhu International Conference<br />
Centre in Dhaka.<br />
This year, two panels contested<br />
for only 18 directorial posts of the<br />
Association Group, as the remaining<br />
18 directors of the Chamber Group,<br />
from Sammilito Ganatantrik Parishad,<br />
had been elected unopposed.<br />
The other panel, Babosayee<br />
Oikya Forum, which is led by Qazi<br />
Irteza Hasan, bagged only two<br />
posts – one is Irteza Hasan and the<br />
other is Helena Jahangir with the<br />
National Association of Small and<br />
Bagerhat teenager<br />
arrested for raping toddler<br />
• SM Samsur Rahman,<br />
Bagerhat<br />
Police arrested a 14-year-old boy<br />
from Bagerhat’s Rakhalgachhi<br />
yesterday for raping a threeyear-old<br />
girl.<br />
According to the victim’s<br />
mother, she left the toddler at<br />
home to get some chores done<br />
on Wednesday afternoon.<br />
The accused, a neighbour,<br />
took her inside his house<br />
promising to give her a mobile<br />
phone to play with, and raped<br />
her.<br />
The toddler, who can<br />
barely speak properly, told her<br />
mother that she had been hurt<br />
by the boy.<br />
The victim was admitted<br />
Navy chief Nizamuddin to<br />
attend IMDEX <strong>2017</strong><br />
• Tribune Desk<br />
Cottage Industries of Bangladesh.<br />
The 36 directors will elect the<br />
FBCCI president from the Association<br />
Group, one first vice-president<br />
from the Chamber Group, and one<br />
vice-president from the Association<br />
Group on <strong>May</strong> 16.<br />
The government has already<br />
nominated 24 directors – 12 from<br />
the Chamber group and 12 from the<br />
Association group.<br />
The elected directors from Association<br />
group are: Khondokar<br />
Moinur Rahman Jewel,<br />
SM Jahangir Hossain,<br />
Shafquat Haider, Md Abdul<br />
Ayes Khan, Md Muntakim<br />
Ashraf, Mir Nizam<br />
Uddin Ahmed, Amzad<br />
Hussain, Md Shafiqul Islam<br />
Vorosha, Abu Motaleb, Md Habiubullah<br />
Dawn, Khandaker Ruhul<br />
Amin, Nizamuddin Rajesh, Hafez<br />
Harun, Shomi Kaiser, Md Abu Naser,<br />
Rashedul Hossain Chowdhury<br />
Ronni, Qazi Irteza Hasan and Helena<br />
Jahangir.<br />
The elected directors from Chamber<br />
group are: Hasina Newaaz, Md<br />
Nizam Uddin, Azizul Hoque, Dilip<br />
Kumar Agarwala, Masud Parvez<br />
Khan Imran, AKM Shaheed Reza,<br />
Md Anwar Sadat Sarker, Sheikh Fazle<br />
Fahim, Rezaul Karim Reznu, Gazi<br />
Golam Ashria, Shreikh Abdul Hamid,<br />
Tabarukul Tosaddek Hossain<br />
Khan, Md Kohinoor Isam, Prabir<br />
Kumar Saha, Mohd Ataur Rahman<br />
Bhuiyan, Mohammad Bazlur Rahman<br />
and Abul Kashem Ahmed. •<br />
to Bagerhat Sadar Hospital on<br />
Thursday. Doctors said the<br />
victim was bleeding profusely<br />
when admitted to the hospital.<br />
She is, however, recovering<br />
now.<br />
Even though the victim’s<br />
family alleged that she had<br />
been raped, the case was filed<br />
with Sadar police station on<br />
Friday for attempted rape.<br />
Sadar police Officer-in-<br />
Charge Mahtab Uddin said that<br />
they would send the accused<br />
to the court for further action.<br />
At least 51 children were<br />
raped across the country<br />
between January and March<br />
this year, according to Ain o<br />
Salish Kendra. In addition, 12<br />
children were gang raped. •<br />
Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral<br />
Nizamuddin Ahmed<br />
has left Dhaka on Saturday to<br />
attend the International Maritime<br />
Defence Exhibition and<br />
Conference (IMDEX) <strong>2017</strong> in<br />
Singapore.<br />
Besides attending the IM-<br />
DEX, the navy chief will also<br />
attend the International Maritime<br />
Review and Fifth International<br />
Maritime Security<br />
Conference (IMSC) in Singapore.<br />
He will also meet Admiral<br />
Sir Philip Jones, first sea<br />
lord of United Kingdom, Rear<br />
Admiral Frank Trojahn, chief<br />
of naval staff of Denmark, Rear<br />
Admiral Lai Chung Han, chief<br />
of the Republic of Singapore<br />
Navy and Vice Admiral Arie<br />
Jan De Waard, director of Defence<br />
Materiel Organisation of<br />
Netherlands.<br />
The navy chief is scheduled<br />
to be back on <strong>May</strong> 18.<br />
Meanwhile, Shadhinota,<br />
a ship of Bangladesh Navy, is<br />
already sailing in the water of<br />
Singapore for attending the International<br />
Maritime Defence<br />
Exhibition. •
Teenager killed over<br />
enmity with cricketer<br />
Mushfique’s father<br />
• Nazmul Huda Nasim,<br />
Bogra<br />
The teenager son of a central<br />
Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Jasad)<br />
leader has been murdered in<br />
Bogra, seven days after a conflict<br />
between him and national cricketer<br />
Mushfiqur Rahim’s father<br />
Mahbub Hamid Tara was settled.<br />
The dead is Mashuk Ferdous,<br />
<strong>15</strong>, a ninth grader of SOS<br />
Hermann Gmeiner School and<br />
College in the district.<br />
Mashuk’s father advocate<br />
Emdadul Haq, an executive<br />
member of Jasad (Hasanul<br />
Haq Inu-led faction), said<br />
that a teenage neighbour<br />
Nayeem Hossain called and<br />
took Mashuk out of his home<br />
in Bogra town’s Matidali area<br />
around 8:30pm Saturday.<br />
Afterwards, Mashuk was<br />
found lying near his home<br />
with grievous head injuries.<br />
He was taken to a local hospital<br />
where he was declared<br />
dead the same night.<br />
Nayeem, however, went<br />
into hiding after the incident.<br />
Police inspected the crime<br />
scene and detained his parents<br />
for interrogation.<br />
Mashuk was buried after<br />
Asr prayers yesterday.<br />
Emdad blamed an influential<br />
group led by Mushfique’s<br />
father Tara and his brother Mejbah-ul-Hamid,<br />
a local municipality<br />
councillor, for the murder.<br />
He said that a conflict ensued<br />
between him and the duo<br />
over the formation of the governing<br />
body of Matidali High<br />
School as Tara secretly took<br />
the charge as its chairman.<br />
“Even Tara’s aides beat up<br />
two of my followers, who are<br />
members of the governing<br />
body, on the back of the row,”<br />
Emdad said, adding that the issue<br />
was resolved through a police<br />
intervention a week ago.<br />
“The culprits have my son<br />
murdered in a planned way.<br />
The mastermind will be identified<br />
after Nayeem’s arrest,”<br />
he hoped.<br />
When contacted, Tara<br />
claimed that he had no rivalry<br />
with Emdad. •<br />
News 7<br />
MONDAY, MAY <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2017</strong><br />
DT<br />
Kaliganj people protest<br />
local REB’s corrupt ways<br />
• Asaduzzaman, Satkhira<br />
People of Satkhira’s Kaliganj<br />
upazila hosted a demonstration<br />
yesterday over the alleged corruption<br />
by the employees of Rural<br />
Electrification Board (REB).<br />
The protesters alleged that<br />
the corrupt officials of Kaliganj<br />
REB had extorted a good<br />
sum of money in exchange for<br />
providing electricity connection<br />
to the respective unions<br />
and were trying to give the<br />
government a bad-name by<br />
not resolving the issue of loadshedding<br />
in the area.<br />
They paraded the streets<br />
of Kaliganj with a procession<br />
and held a rally at Kaliganj bus<br />
stand yesterday. The protest<br />
was led by former president<br />
of Kaliganj unit Awami League<br />
GM Mahtab Uddin.<br />
Kaliganj Upazila Chairman<br />
Sheikh Waheduzzaman and<br />
representatives of Krishnanagar,<br />
South Sreepur, Dholbaria<br />
and Moutala unions also<br />
joined the protest. •<br />
MoU signed between<br />
Casper Foundation and UIU<br />
• Tribune Desk<br />
Casper Foundation and United<br />
International University (UIU)<br />
signed a Memorandum of Understanding<br />
(MoU) on <strong>May</strong> 9.<br />
The MoU was signed to initiate<br />
the Casper programmes<br />
in the UIU campus. The programmes<br />
will allow the students<br />
of the university to engage<br />
in social initiatives while<br />
working on their personal and<br />
career development skills under<br />
the guidance of Casper<br />
Foundation.<br />
Md Manjurul Haque Khan,<br />
director of UIU Career Counseling<br />
Centre, Md Aminul<br />
Islam, senior executive of<br />
UIU Career Counseling Centre,Taufiquz<br />
Zaman, chief executive<br />
officer and founder of<br />
Casper Foundation, and Rizvi<br />
Rahman, vice-chairman and<br />
founding member of Casper<br />
Foundation, were all present<br />
at the signing ceremony. •
8<br />
MONDAY, MAY <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2017</strong><br />
DT<br />
News<br />
What is in the Dawra-e-Hadith syllabus?<br />
• Manik Miazee<br />
Bangladesh government has recently<br />
recognised Dawra-e-Hadith<br />
degree as equivalent to a Masters<br />
Degree in Islamic Studies and Arabic<br />
in the mainstream. The move<br />
has elicited both positive and negative<br />
reactions amonf academics,<br />
experts and the civil society.<br />
Qawmi madrasas across the nation<br />
will begin holding this year’s<br />
Dawra-e-Hadith exams today.<br />
What is in the Dawra-e-Hadith<br />
curriculum? Last week, the Dhaka<br />
Tribune spoke to several Muhaddis<br />
(Hadith scholars) and academics to<br />
find out.<br />
According to a 20<strong>15</strong> report of<br />
Bangladesh Bureau of Educational<br />
Information and Statistics (BAN-<br />
BEIS), 1.4 million students are currently<br />
studying in 13,902 Qawmi madrasas<br />
across the country. However,<br />
Qawmi Madrasas say the number of<br />
students is not below 1.7 million.<br />
The BANBEIS report, which is<br />
first ever study conducted on Qawmi<br />
madrasas, was prepared following<br />
directives from the Prime Minister’s<br />
Office. According to the report,<br />
12,693 qawmi madrasas are for men<br />
while 1,209 are for female students.<br />
As many as 1,058,636 male and<br />
339,616 female students are studying<br />
there while 73,731 teachers<br />
teach in these institutions.<br />
Mubasshar Hasan, an assistant<br />
professor at North South University<br />
who has studied Islamic education<br />
systems, told the Dhaka Tribune<br />
that the government’s initiative<br />
was a good move, but there should<br />
be some changes in the Qawmi curriculum.<br />
Some experts say it takes 16<br />
years to complete the entire Dawra<br />
Rizwan Haroon missing after landing in Dhaka<br />
• Arifur Rahman Rabbi<br />
Dawra examinees at the Hathazari Qawmi madrasa in Chittagong<br />
curriculum, but the actual degree<br />
can be done in six years.<br />
Most Dawra students taking up<br />
the degree have had 10 years of Qawmi<br />
education, which includes 24<br />
subjects. Most of these involve fundamental<br />
Islamic teachings as well<br />
as the Arabic, Urdu and the Farsi<br />
language.<br />
From levels 1 to 8 there is also a<br />
portion of the curriculum dedicated<br />
to general education, including<br />
Bangla grammar and literature,<br />
mathematics, English, history, geography<br />
and general science.<br />
Dawra-e-Hadith on the other<br />
hand is a six-year intensive programme<br />
completely focused on Islamic<br />
jurisprudence based on the<br />
Quran and the Hadith, the sayings<br />
of Prophet Muhammad (SM).<br />
The primary element of the curriculum<br />
is the Sihah Sittah - the six<br />
Hadith compilations considered<br />
the most authentic. These are Sahih<br />
Bukhari (Arabic), which has over<br />
7,000 Hadiths, Sahih Muslim (Arabic),<br />
over 9,000 Hadiths, Sunan an-Nasa’i<br />
(Arabic), Sunan Abu Dawood (Arabic),<br />
Jami al-Tirmidhi (Arabic), and<br />
Sunan ibn Majah (Urdu).<br />
These books are studied by<br />
themselves as well as via several explanatory<br />
guides and compendium<br />
on specific topics.<br />
Some of the books studied in<br />
particular are Muwatta Imam Malik<br />
(Arabic), a collection of Hadiths<br />
concerning the subjects of Islamic<br />
law, Muwatta Imam Muhammad<br />
and Tahabi Sharif.<br />
Features of the curriculum<br />
Hudu’d Law: Several Mohadiss<br />
(Dawra-e-Hadith scholars) said<br />
Hudu’d Law is basically Islamic jurisprudence.<br />
‘Muwatta’ Imam Malik’<br />
is the main book of law in the<br />
Dawra syllabus.<br />
Islamic penal laws such as severing<br />
of the arm as punishment<br />
for stealing, stoning to death as<br />
punishment for illicit sexual intercourse,<br />
are among those laws studied<br />
in these texts.<br />
Jihad: The Arabic word “jihad,”<br />
which means struggle or striving,<br />
is understood in Islam, as described<br />
COURTESY<br />
by the Quran and teachings of the<br />
Prophet Muhammad (SM), as internal<br />
as well as external efforts to be a<br />
good Muslims, as well as working to<br />
inform people about the faith.<br />
Veil (Hizab): A veil is an article<br />
of clothing or cloth hanging that is<br />
intended to cover some part of the<br />
head or face, or an object of some<br />
significance. It is especially associated<br />
with women and sacred objects.<br />
Women’s rights, systems and<br />
workplace: The Dawra syllabus<br />
have long chapters on women’s<br />
rights. Qwami teachers said they<br />
teach about women’s rights, their<br />
workplace facilities, education facilities<br />
and all their requirements.<br />
Wali Ullah Arman, a senior Dawra-e-Hadith<br />
teacher at the Jamiya<br />
Arabiya Darul Ullum Madrasa told<br />
the Dhaka Tribune that under Islamic<br />
laws, women need to work<br />
within workplaces specifically created<br />
for female workers.<br />
“Also, as Islam says, women<br />
should go to their workplaces wearing<br />
Hizab and Nikab,” he said.<br />
War (Kitabul Magajee): Kitabul<br />
Magajee is the book on Islamic warfare,<br />
which contains all war related<br />
Hadith that describe when Muslims<br />
can engage in war, what for, against<br />
whom and others issues on wars.<br />
Business (Kitabul bayah): This<br />
book elaborates in which situation<br />
Islam allows buying and selling of<br />
goods.<br />
Islamic state policy: Dawra students<br />
study Islamic state policy,<br />
county to country relationship and<br />
business policy, financial structure,<br />
and other issues about state policy.s<br />
Islamic financial systems: The<br />
curriculum sheds light on Hadith<br />
related to Islamic financial systems<br />
like savings, stock systems, banking<br />
systems and all other business and<br />
their explanations.<br />
A key tenet of this is the prohibition<br />
of riba, or interest. The term<br />
literally means “an excess” and is<br />
interpreted as “any unjustifiable<br />
increase of capital whether in loans<br />
or sales.”<br />
Medical treatments: A Muhaddis<br />
said Dawra students study treatments<br />
for 3,000 different ailments.<br />
Of these, 1,000 have various<br />
herbal remedies and the rest have<br />
specific du’a or prayer for their<br />
cure. One of the Hadith that point<br />
to the importance of medicine in<br />
Islamic studies says: “For every disease<br />
there is a medicine, and if that<br />
medicine is applied to the disease,<br />
he will recover by Allah’s Leave.”<br />
Policy on non-Muslims: The<br />
study of Islamic jursiprudence contains<br />
rules on how to treat non-Muslim<br />
communities, peoples and<br />
culture. Non-muslims are essentially<br />
allowed to stay in any muslim<br />
state, but they have to pay a specific<br />
amount of tax for doing so. •<br />
Rizwan Haroon, a founder of Dhaka’s<br />
Lakehead Grammar School,<br />
who intelligence sources claim is<br />
a militant recruiter and terrorist financier,<br />
has reportedly gone missing<br />
after arriving in Dhaka through<br />
Shahjalal International Airport last<br />
Thursday morning.<br />
Rizwan is reportedly on the<br />
Home Ministry’s most wanted list,<br />
the sources said. They said he allegedly<br />
entered the country on an<br />
Emirates flight from London and<br />
passed through immigration unchallenged.<br />
However, other sources claim<br />
that Rizwan had arrived in Bangladesh<br />
on Wednesday. After his<br />
arrival, he was interrogated at the<br />
airport for 2-3 hours. Afterwards, he<br />
was picked up by 10-12 men in three<br />
jeeps around 4-5pm Thursday.<br />
The Dhaka Tribune has not been<br />
able to independently verify Haroon’s<br />
whereabouts or to corroborate<br />
either of the competing claims<br />
as to his disappearance.<br />
Home Minister Assaduzzaman<br />
Khan Kamal, when contacted<br />
around 8pm Saturday, said he was<br />
not aware of these claims.<br />
But Kamal was quick to assure<br />
that if any such incident took place,<br />
law enforcement agencies would<br />
take prompt action.<br />
Rizwan, co-founder and managing<br />
director of Lakehead Grammar<br />
School, is being investigated for financing<br />
and patronising militancy<br />
in Bangladesh.<br />
The English medium school,<br />
which has several branches in Dhanmondi<br />
and Gulshan, was reportedly<br />
a breeding ground for militants<br />
and employed controversial militant<br />
leaders as instructors since its<br />
founding.<br />
Intelligence sources confided<br />
that an Education Ministry report<br />
sent to the Home Ministry on January<br />
23 this year advocated legal<br />
action against Rizwan.<br />
The insiders said that roughly 12<br />
days later, the Home Ministry sent<br />
letters to the Armed Forces Division,<br />
police headquarters and the<br />
Education Ministry urging for necessary<br />
steps to be taken.<br />
Rizwan, according to intelligence<br />
sources, is in possession of<br />
two Bangladeshi passports.<br />
In 2006, Rizwan co-founded<br />
Lakehead Grammar School (LGS)<br />
with Hizb-ut Tahrir Ameer Prof Dr<br />
Golam Moula.<br />
According to intelligence<br />
sources, Rizwan was indoctrinated<br />
into militancy during his PhD<br />
programme in United Kingdom<br />
through Jamatul Muslimin Ameer<br />
Abu Isa Al Rafai, a Jordanian who<br />
migrated to UK.<br />
Rizwan reportedly organised activities<br />
of Jamatul Muslimin (JM) in<br />
Bangladesh since 2002 with a pro<br />
al-Qaeda ideological bent and motivated<br />
mostly upper class and highly<br />
educated people to take part in socalled<br />
Jihad.<br />
Intelligence sources say Rizwan<br />
went to the UK on January 27 this<br />
year.<br />
Rajib Karim, who was found<br />
guilty in 2011 for plotting to blow up<br />
a British Airways plane, was also a<br />
teacher at the Lakehead School. He<br />
studied electronics at Manchester<br />
University from 1998 to 2002. Rajib<br />
joined British Airways as a computer<br />
expert in Newcastle in 2007.<br />
Rajib was lured into becoming<br />
an avid supporter of Jammat-ul<br />
Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) by<br />
his younger brother, Tehzeeb Karim,<br />
who was also a teacher of the<br />
school, along with his wife Sirat Karim.<br />
Tehzeeb was arrested in Yemen<br />
in 2010 for involvement in militant<br />
activities.<br />
Another teacher of the school<br />
Mainuddin Sharif was also arrested<br />
with Tehzeeb in Yemen. Mainuddin’s<br />
brother Rezwan Sharif, who<br />
migrated to Syria along with family,<br />
was also a lecturer in Lakehead<br />
School.<br />
Ansarullah Bangla Team’s imprisoned<br />
spiritual leader Jasimuddin<br />
Rahmani, another ABT leader<br />
Rezwanul Azad Rana, militant<br />
Iftekhar Ahmed Soni, arrested in<br />
Pakistan, fugitive militants - Farjad<br />
Haq Turaj, Jubayedur Rahman,<br />
Tasnuva Haider, Yasin Talukder and<br />
Arifur Rahman taught at Lakehead<br />
School at different times and have<br />
close contact with Rizwan Haroon.<br />
Former army Major Jahidul Islam,<br />
trainer of Gulshan attackers,<br />
also worked as an administrative<br />
officer of the school. He was killed<br />
in an anti-militancy drive on September<br />
2 last year.<br />
Rizwan Haroon has been working<br />
to motivate young people to<br />
mobilise militants in different places<br />
including North South University,<br />
sources said. •
News<br />
Nepal votes in first local<br />
election in 20 years<br />
9<br />
MONDAY, MAY <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2017</strong><br />
DT<br />
Chinese President Xi Jinping, his wife Peng Liyuan and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrive for the<br />
Belt and Road Forum at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on <strong>May</strong> 14, <strong>2017</strong><br />
REUTERS<br />
India skips China’s Silk<br />
Road summit amid<br />
Kashmir concerns<br />
• Reuters, New Delhi<br />
India has not sent an official delegation to<br />
attend the “Belt and Road Forum” in Beijing<br />
and instead criticised China’s global initiative,<br />
warning of an “unsustainable debt burden”<br />
for countries involved.<br />
Chinese President Xi Jinping is hosting<br />
dozens of world leaders and senior officials<br />
on Sunday for the country’s biggest diplomatic<br />
showcase of the year, touting his vision<br />
of a new “Silk Road” that opens trade routes<br />
across the globe.<br />
Government officials from New Delhi did<br />
not travel, Indian officials said, although<br />
scholars from Indian think-tanks have flown<br />
to Beijing to attend some of the meetings at<br />
the forum.<br />
Indian foreign ministry spokesman Gopal<br />
Baglay, asked whether New Delhi was participating<br />
in the summit, said India could not<br />
accept a project that compromised its sovereignty.<br />
India is incensed that one of the key Belt<br />
and Road projects passes through Kashmir<br />
and Pakistan. The nuclear-armed rivals have<br />
fought two of their three wars over the disputed<br />
region.<br />
“No country can accept a project that ignores<br />
its core concerns on sovereignty and<br />
territorial integrity,” Baglay said.<br />
He also warned of the danger of debt. One of<br />
the criticisms of the Silk Road plan is that host<br />
countries may struggle to pay back loans for<br />
huge infrastructure projects being carried out<br />
and funded by Chinese companies and banks.<br />
“Connectivity initiatives must follow principles<br />
of financial responsibility to avoid projects<br />
that would create unsustainable debt<br />
burden for communities,” Baglay said.<br />
New Delhi’s criticism of the Belt and Road<br />
initiative came as Xi pledged $124bn to the<br />
plan, and called for the abandonment of old<br />
models based on rivalry and diplomatic power<br />
games.<br />
Leaders from 29 countries and ministerial<br />
delegates from many more are attending the<br />
forum in Beijing, including India’s smaller<br />
neighbours – not just Pakistan, but also Sri<br />
Lanka and Nepal. •<br />
Merkel’s party seeks key victory<br />
in bellwether state vote<br />
• AFP, Kathmandu<br />
Nepal held local-level polls on Sunday, the<br />
first since 1997 and a key step in its rocky road<br />
to democracy more than a decade after a civil<br />
war ended.<br />
Around a third of registered voters across<br />
three provinces were eligible to vote, with<br />
the rest of the country due to do so in a<br />
month’s time.<br />
The Election Commission estimated turnout<br />
of at least 71% as preliminary data trickled<br />
in Sunday evening.<br />
The vote has been split into two phases because<br />
of unrest in the southern plains bordering<br />
India, where the minority Madhesi ethnic<br />
group is refusing to take part until an amendment<br />
to the constitution is passed.<br />
Local representatives were last elected in<br />
1997 and their five-year terms expired at the<br />
height of the brutal Maoist insurgency.<br />
The 10-year war ended in 2006 and the country<br />
began a fraught transition from a Hindu<br />
monarchy to a secular federal republic, which<br />
has seen it cycle through nine governments.<br />
The long gap between polls has left an institutional<br />
void at the local level and graft has<br />
become a way of life in Nepal, hampering the<br />
delivery of basic services as well as the recovery<br />
from a devastating 20<strong>15</strong> earthquake.<br />
With nearly 70% of the population aged<br />
under 35, many were voting for their local<br />
A woman holds up her thumb after casting her<br />
vote in Kathmandu on <strong>May</strong> 14, <strong>2017</strong><br />
AFP<br />
representatives for the first time.<br />
Nearly 50,000 candidates were standing<br />
for election across 283 local municipalities<br />
in the first phase. Many registered as independents<br />
or with a number of small reformist<br />
parties hoping to grab some votes from the<br />
traditional political heavyweights.<br />
There were sporadic reports of violence on<br />
Sunday, with one person killed when police<br />
opened fire on a group attempting to raid a polling<br />
station in Dolakha district, police said.<br />
A bomb was also found early Sunday outside<br />
the house of a mayoral candidate for the<br />
main opposition CPN-UML party in Bhaktapur.<br />
The remaining four provinces, considered<br />
potential flashpoints for election-related<br />
violence, will vote in the second phase<br />
on June 14. •<br />
• AFP, Dusseldorf<br />
One in five German voters are heading to<br />
the polls in a key state election Sunday, with<br />
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party hoping to<br />
deal a crushing blow to her main rival four<br />
months before national elections.<br />
About 13.1 million eligible voters in North<br />
Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) are casting ballots<br />
to elect a new regional parliament for the<br />
sprawling industrial region, which has a large<br />
migrant population and has been a Social<br />
Democratic Party (SPD) stronghold for decades.<br />
But surveys ahead of the vote showed the<br />
centre-left party running neck-and-neck with<br />
Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, with<br />
some even placing the CDU ahead.<br />
The opinion polls were the latest indication<br />
that initial enthusiasm for the new SPD<br />
leader, Martin Schulz, could be fizzling out.<br />
The SPD had been ailing nationwide but<br />
saw a surge in support in February when<br />
Schulz took over. But that enthusiasm failed<br />
to translate into votes in the last two state<br />
elections, when the CDU won comfortably.<br />
An election in Germany’s biggest state is<br />
always significant, but this year’s NRW vote<br />
carries higher stakes, being the last regional<br />
vote before national polls and having a direct<br />
impact on whether the SPD can close the gap<br />
nationwide with the CDU.<br />
After casting his vote in his hometown of<br />
Wuerselen, Schulz acknowledged Sunday<br />
that the race would be close, with 30% of voters<br />
deciding their pick at the last minute.<br />
“That makes it thrilling to the last second.<br />
I hope of course that we will be ahead in the<br />
evening,” he said.<br />
Separately, the CDU’s candidate Armin<br />
Laschet, who cast his vote in Aachen, said:<br />
“There is a real chance that we can win. Now<br />
it’s time for the voters to decide.”<br />
Turnout appeared to be brisk at 33.6% as<br />
of midday, compared to 29.5% at the same<br />
time in 2012.<br />
The SPD is banking its hopes on incumbent<br />
state premier Hannelore Kraft, 55, who<br />
secured 39.1% in a 2012 vote, while the CDU<br />
clinched just over 26%. •
10<br />
MONDAY, MAY <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2017</strong><br />
DT<br />
News<br />
Small businesses make up<br />
29% of agent bank users<br />
• Shariful Islam<br />
Small businesses account for 29%<br />
of total users of agent banking followed<br />
by housewives that constitute<br />
18%, according to a study of<br />
Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management<br />
(BIBM).<br />
Agent banking refers to providing<br />
limited scale banking and financial<br />
services to a sect of under-served<br />
population through engaging agents<br />
under a valid agency agreement,<br />
rather than a teller or cashier.<br />
It is the owner of an outlet that<br />
conducts banking transactions on<br />
behalf of a bank.<br />
The information was unveiled at<br />
a round-table discussion of BIBM<br />
styled “Agent Banking: Effectiveness<br />
in Financial Inclusion” held at<br />
its auditorium yesterday.<br />
Bangladesh Bank (BB) Deputy<br />
Governor SK Sur Chowdhury was<br />
present at the event as the chief<br />
guest while former deputy governor<br />
of the central bank Khondokar<br />
Ibrahim Khaled spoke on the occasion<br />
as special guest.<br />
BIBM Director General (DG) Dr<br />
Toufic Ahmad Choudhury chaired<br />
event while its Director Prof<br />
Prashanta Kumar Banerjee presented<br />
the report.<br />
In his presentation Prashanta said:<br />
“Of the total users of agent banking,<br />
29% are small businesses while 18%<br />
housewives, <strong>15</strong>% public and private<br />
employees, 7% farmers, 7% students<br />
and 3% are day labourers.”<br />
The report said the agent banking<br />
is mostly popular in Dhaka as<br />
24% of the users are residents of<br />
the division while 18% of Chittagong.<br />
The least users are in Sylhet<br />
making up 5% of the total agent<br />
AGENT BANKING USERS IN BANGLADESH<br />
03<br />
07<br />
07<br />
Source: BIBM<br />
21<br />
29<br />
<strong>15</strong> 18<br />
banking account holders.<br />
In his address, SK Sur Chowdhury<br />
said: “Agent banking is playing<br />
an important role in financial<br />
inclusion as 82% of its users are residing<br />
in remote areas. Operational<br />
cost of agent banking should have<br />
to be reduced with a view to expanding<br />
the service.”<br />
Many banks have received licence<br />
for agent banking, but only<br />
two-three banks are now providing<br />
the services, he added. Sur urged<br />
all banks that received licences to<br />
start agent banking services.<br />
Khondokar Ibrahim Khaled said:<br />
“The number of secret agent banking<br />
is on the rise at an alarming rate and<br />
hundi business is being conducted<br />
in the name of such banking.”<br />
“It should be stopped and those<br />
involved have to be brought to book.”<br />
The commercial banks need to<br />
rein in the agent banking totally,<br />
and if they fail, the central bank<br />
Users in %<br />
Small businesses<br />
Others<br />
Day-labourers<br />
Farmers<br />
Students<br />
Employees<br />
Housewives<br />
should take steps against them, according<br />
to the former governor.<br />
BIBM Director General Dr Toufic<br />
Ahmad Choudhury said the agent<br />
banking is playing a vital role in expanding<br />
banking network.<br />
He also sought for a comprehensive<br />
guideline for the service.<br />
According to BB sources,<br />
Dutch-Bangla, Bank Asia, Al-Arafah<br />
Islami, Social Islami, Modhumoti,<br />
Mutual Trust, NRB Commercial,<br />
Standard, Agrani, Midland, and<br />
First Security Islami Bank are providing<br />
agent banking services now.<br />
Though Trust Bank and South<br />
Bangla Agriculture and Commerce<br />
Bank have got the licences, they<br />
are yet to launch the services.<br />
At present, the number of<br />
agents is 1,646 and outlets 2,601,<br />
while the number of accounts<br />
stand at 5,44,536. The central bank<br />
approved agent banking system in<br />
the banking sector in 2014. •<br />
Divorce rising in Dhaka<br />
as women seek way out<br />
of abusive marriages<br />
• Bilkis Irani<br />
Ten years ago, Halima Akter, employed<br />
at a private company in Agargaon,<br />
Dhaka, would not have dreamt<br />
of divorcing her husband despite the<br />
incompatibility that plagued their<br />
marriage.<br />
In 2014, the situation was quite<br />
different, which enabled Halima to<br />
seek a solution to her problems – a divorce.<br />
She sent a divorce notice to her<br />
husband of seven years, Rasel Ahmed,<br />
on March 18, 2014.<br />
Things have changed in Dhaka in<br />
recent years; more and more women<br />
are speaking up about their marital<br />
problems and seeking a solution. In<br />
most cases, divorce is the end result.<br />
Dr Sadeka Halim, sociology professor<br />
in Dhaka University, believes this is<br />
a positive trend.<br />
“In most cases, it is the women<br />
who suffer physical and mental abuse<br />
in the hands of their husbands and<br />
in-laws. But now many women are<br />
speaking up against the abuse and<br />
choosing to break out of the vicious<br />
cycle,” she told the Dhaka Tribune<br />
According to Dhaka North City<br />
Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South<br />
City Corporation (DSCC) data, around<br />
67% of the divorce notices issued<br />
from 2011 to 2016 were by women. In<br />
all five zones of DNCC, 28,355 divorce<br />
notices were issued in 2011-2016,<br />
14,966 of which were filed by women.<br />
In two zones (Zone 1 and Zone 4)<br />
of DSCC, 4,811 divorce notices were<br />
issued in 2011-2016, 3,2<strong>15</strong> of which<br />
were sent by women.<br />
The numbers of divorce notices<br />
are increasing every year.<br />
In 2011, 2,864 notices (1,773 by<br />
women, 1,091 by men) were issued in<br />
DNCC and 819 (533 by women, 285<br />
by men) in Zones 1 and 4 of DSCC. In<br />
2016, the numbers of divorce notices<br />
issued in DNCC was 4,847 (3,426 by<br />
women, 1,421 by men) and 852 (569<br />
by women, 283 by men) in DSCC.<br />
Salma Ali, executive director of<br />
Bangladesh National Women Lawyers’<br />
Association (BNWLA), said divorce<br />
nowadays is also propelled by the fact<br />
that women are becoming self-sufficient.<br />
“Before, most women were<br />
entirely dependent on their husbands,<br />
which is why they tolerated all kinds<br />
of abuse silently. But as women are<br />
becoming financially independent,<br />
they have both the confidence and<br />
the opportunity to get out of abusive<br />
marriage,” she said.<br />
However, there are many cases<br />
where Muslim men deliberately torture<br />
their wives so they would initiate<br />
the divorce, because the men believe<br />
they would be exempted from paying<br />
denmohor, the alimony that is mandatory<br />
under Islamic law, Salma said.<br />
Marjia Mukta, a housewife and<br />
mother of an eight-year-old daughter<br />
in Agargaon, dissolved her 10-year<br />
marriage by divorcing her husband<br />
Ekram Hossain because he was having<br />
an extramarital affair.<br />
Ekram, who lives in Saudi Arabia,<br />
told the Dhaka Tribune that he did not<br />
want to initiate the divorce because<br />
he did not want to pay denmohor to<br />
his wife.<br />
This is a major misconception,<br />
says Dr Kazi Zahed Iqbal, lawyer in the<br />
Supreme Court. •<br />
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News 11<br />
MONDAY, MAY <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2017</strong><br />
WB: Rise in women workforce to boost GDP<br />
• Ibrahim Hossain Ovi<br />
Increasing women labour force<br />
participation to 45% by 2020 will<br />
help Bangladesh enhance its GDP<br />
by 1 percentage point, says World<br />
Bank.<br />
According to Bangladesh Bureau<br />
of Statistic (BBS) on Labour Force<br />
Survey Bangladesh 2013, at the latest<br />
only 33.5% women worked in<br />
productive sector while men were<br />
81.7%.<br />
From 1999 to 2013, the increase<br />
in female participation in the labour<br />
force was remarkable with<br />
almost 190% rise in the 20-29 age<br />
group while 100% growth in 30-39<br />
and 40-49 age groups.<br />
“Despite rise in the number of<br />
women joining the labour force,<br />
the number of working women is<br />
Cabinet approves Tk571cr Dhaka<br />
airport expansion project<br />
still much lower than their male<br />
counterparts,” said the WB in Bangladesh<br />
Development Update <strong>May</strong><br />
<strong>2017</strong> released yesterday.<br />
World Bank Country Director<br />
for Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal<br />
Qimiao Fan was present at the report<br />
launching programme.<br />
“If Bangladesh can raise the female<br />
labour force participation rate<br />
to 45% by 2020, it will be able to<br />
maintain economic growth by 1%<br />
above trend through 2020,” it added.<br />
Barriers to women labour force<br />
participation are asymmetric<br />
household responsibility, human<br />
capital deficiency and open discrimination,<br />
said WB lead economist<br />
Zahid Hussain.<br />
74% women, who responded to<br />
the research, said they do not participate<br />
in job due to household responsibility.<br />
Zahid stressed right education<br />
and vocational training demanded<br />
by job markets.<br />
To increase female participation,<br />
he called for steps to reduce<br />
the prevalence of early marriage,<br />
strengthen girls’ early orientation<br />
to career development, ensure<br />
gender equity in labour legalisation<br />
and foster non-discriminatory<br />
workplace environments.<br />
The global lender, however, has<br />
projected 6.4% and 6.8% Gross Domestic<br />
Product (GDP) growth between<br />
<strong>2017</strong> and 2018.<br />
The growth will be sustained at<br />
6.8% in <strong>2017</strong> fiscal year. The country’s<br />
economy is performing well in<br />
all the indicators except export, remittance<br />
and imports compared to<br />
the previous fiscal year, said Zahid.<br />
The risks on the domestic side<br />
include further deterioration in the<br />
financial and corporate sector stability,<br />
slippages in addressing fiscal<br />
reforms and political uncertainties<br />
in the run up to the 2019 general<br />
election, said Zahid.<br />
Commenting on the reserves,<br />
Zahid said there is a satisfactory situation<br />
in the reserves but no scope<br />
of complacency as remittance has<br />
seen downtrend in recent times.<br />
On the other hand, the World<br />
Bank raised question about the<br />
growth of capital machinery import<br />
as it does not match with the<br />
other indicators of the economy.<br />
According to Bangladesh Bank<br />
data, in July-January of FY’17 capital<br />
machinery import has seen a<br />
64.8% rise while overall machinery<br />
imports 33.6%.<br />
DT<br />
Leather machinery has posted<br />
the highest growth by 184.5% followed<br />
by textile 52.1%. Pharmaceutical<br />
machinery import also rose by<br />
37.7%.<br />
Bangladesh economy remains<br />
stable in the face of global uncertainties<br />
and continues to reduce<br />
poverty, said the report.<br />
By removing the barriers to female<br />
participation in the labour<br />
force and paving the way for investment<br />
and innovation, Bangladesh<br />
can boost growth considerably,<br />
it added.<br />
In the policy recommendation<br />
for sustainable growth, the global<br />
lender suggested removing structural<br />
impediments to investment<br />
and innovation, global integration<br />
and ensuring corporate governance<br />
in the financial sector. •<br />
• Asif Showkat Kallol and<br />
Ishtiaq Husain<br />
The government has approved<br />
Hazrat Shahjalal International<br />
Airport Expansion<br />
Project worth Tk570.79<br />
crore to meet the future demand<br />
of air transportation.<br />
The project was approved<br />
at the Cabinet committee on<br />
government purchase yesterday.<br />
Earlier, the committee<br />
selected four companies<br />
as consultants of detailed<br />
design of the airport.<br />
The four are Nippon Koei<br />
Co Limited, Oriental Consultants<br />
Global Japan, CPG<br />
Consultant Private Limited<br />
Singapore and Development<br />
Design Consultant Limited<br />
Bangladesh.<br />
The consultancy firms<br />
will submit their reports on<br />
building a third terminal and<br />
other infrastructural development<br />
at the airport.<br />
According to a report by<br />
the Civil Aviation Authority,<br />
Bangladesh (CAAB), the<br />
existing terminal building of<br />
the airport will be insufficient<br />
by 2018 and a new terminal<br />
will be required by 2019.<br />
CAAB sources said they<br />
planned to end the expansion<br />
project by 2018, but the<br />
bureaucratic process delayed<br />
initiating the project work<br />
which would lead to a total<br />
chaos to cope with the passenger<br />
rush at the airport.<br />
Considering air traffic<br />
growth, the government has<br />
taken up expansion project.<br />
After getting the detailed design<br />
from consultancy companies,<br />
the government will<br />
take further steps.<br />
The objective of the project<br />
is to expand airport facilities<br />
as well as ensure an<br />
international-standard safety<br />
and security by expanding<br />
airport terminal facilities<br />
and developing related infrastructure.<br />
Industry insiders said the<br />
expansion project would expedite<br />
economic growth in<br />
the country.<br />
Dhaka airport, the main<br />
gateway of the country, was<br />
designed as a domestic airport<br />
in early 1960s. It has a<br />
single runway with annual<br />
passenger handling capacity<br />
of only 8 million.<br />
According to CAAB report,<br />
currently, the airport<br />
can handle eight million passengers<br />
in a year. The volume<br />
of passengers is on the<br />
rise, some 10% each year. •<br />
Overseas investment proposals<br />
sent back for further details<br />
• Asif Showkat Kallol<br />
The Cabinet Committee on<br />
Economic Affairs has postponed<br />
consideration of the<br />
proposals of three local firms<br />
interested in overseas equity<br />
investment due to insufficient<br />
details.<br />
The committee yesterday<br />
returned the proposals of the<br />
Akij Group, Nitol Niloy Group<br />
and Ha-Meem Group to the Financial<br />
Institutions Division.<br />
“We have asked the Financial<br />
Institutions Division<br />
to provide us with more specific<br />
details in the proposals<br />
of the firms.”<br />
In reply to a query, Commerce<br />
Minister Tofail Ahmed<br />
said a policy would soon be<br />
formulated for local firms<br />
to invest abroad. Akij Group<br />
has proposed to invest $20m<br />
in Malaysia, Ha-Meem Group<br />
$10m in Haiti and Nitol Niloy<br />
$7m in Gambia.<br />
Ha-Meem intends to invest<br />
in the island nation’s<br />
garment sector to prop up<br />
its shipments to the United<br />
States, while Akij Group<br />
wants to buy a Malaysian<br />
company that produces fire<br />
boards and hardboard.<br />
Nitol Niloy plans to invest<br />
in Gambia’s banking sector.<br />
Additional Secretary to<br />
the Cabinet Division Mostafizur<br />
Rahman said the<br />
government and Bangladesh<br />
Bank will look into several<br />
points for local firms for<br />
overseas investment. •
DT<br />
12<br />
Editorial<br />
MONDAY, MAY <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2017</strong><br />
TODAY<br />
Is Rampal worth the<br />
political cost?<br />
It might be useful to form a neutral<br />
body of scientists to actually explore the<br />
contentions regarding the Rampal project<br />
and help the government decide whether<br />
the project is too politically toxic<br />
PAGE 13<br />
The dark side<br />
of Dhaka<br />
BIGSTOCK<br />
We do accept that with hard-core<br />
materialism setting in, society in general<br />
has become somewhat vacuous<br />
PAGE 14<br />
Business beyond borders<br />
And the crowd<br />
goes wild<br />
One of the main points of recognising<br />
your own privilege is realising that your<br />
voice is louder than others’<br />
PAGE <strong>15</strong><br />
Be heard<br />
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DhakaTribune.<br />
The views expressed in opinion<br />
articles are those of the authors<br />
alone and they are not the<br />
official view of Dhaka Tribune<br />
or its publisher.<br />
Bangladesh’s stringent laws make it difficult for local<br />
companies to expand and invest abroad.<br />
While the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act of 1947 has<br />
been amended as recently as 20<strong>15</strong>, the regulations allow<br />
for limited foreign investment, and only on a case-by-case basis.<br />
With an economy that has seen steady growth, it is<br />
disheartening to see that only eight companies were allowed to<br />
invest abroad, and only to a certain degree.<br />
For further growth, it’s crucial that the current foreign<br />
exchange act is liberalised. Moreover, a strict regulatory act such<br />
as this goes against the government’s free market policy.<br />
Bangladesh currently boasts a large enough foreign reserve<br />
such that foreign investment could be allowed to take place<br />
without much hesitation. In fact, the growing foreign reserve<br />
would increase inflation, and an increase in foreign investment<br />
would mitigate this in the future.<br />
Despite how much Bangladesh has proved itself as an economic<br />
up-and-comer, running and expanding a business remains a<br />
difficult task. Bureaucratic red tape and corruption are only some<br />
of the factors which hinder our potential for economic growth.<br />
As such, having even more laws and regulations lagging up the<br />
process here make little to no sense.<br />
A more lax foreign exchange act will do much to ensure<br />
increased flexibility, and allow entrepreneurs the freedom<br />
required.<br />
Is it any surprise that private investment has stagnated over the<br />
past few years?<br />
Bangladesh’s dreams of middle income status cannot be<br />
realised if businesses continue to face unnecessary obstacles on<br />
the path to progress.<br />
It’s a simple concept to understand: What’s good for local<br />
businesses is good for Bangladesh.<br />
Bureaucratic red tape<br />
and corruption are only<br />
some of the factors<br />
which hinder our<br />
potential for economic<br />
growth
Opinion 13<br />
Is Rampal worth the political cost?<br />
DT<br />
MONDAY, MAY <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2017</strong><br />
Given the public backlash, AL’s inflexibility on Rampal is one of the few mysteries in our politics today<br />
Considering the fact that the<br />
protests are led by the Left Front<br />
of sorts -- who have limited public<br />
clout -- one suspects that it was<br />
the issue itself that is seen as very<br />
sensitive rather than the protests.<br />
The government seems to<br />
have felt obligated to go after the<br />
protesters.<br />
The overzealous reaction<br />
by the government has raised<br />
questions about how independent<br />
Bangladesh is, or can be, when it<br />
comes to deciding such bilateral<br />
projects with India.<br />
But Indian analysts say that<br />
after helping neutralise India’s<br />
North East insurgency by refusing<br />
sanctuary to activists, India feels<br />
indebted to Bangladesh and to<br />
Hasina. If Hasina goes back on<br />
Rampal, India will not push to<br />
ensure continued anti-insurgency<br />
support.<br />
In that case, why the politically<br />
risky pursuit of defending Rampal?<br />
Investor hesitation<br />
Meanwhile, the hesitation of<br />
European investors in Indian<br />
Rampal contractors has<br />
been increasing, and some<br />
Scandinavian countries have<br />
already conveyed their reluctance<br />
to participate. The French are<br />
also not happy, and many other<br />
countries are not keen in an<br />
environmentally stigmatised<br />
project.<br />
This is not because they care<br />
about the environment, but such<br />
a tag carries stigma which may<br />
affect share market value.<br />
protestors are a political construct,<br />
however small, so she wants to<br />
avoid being “flexible.” By giving<br />
approval to the anti-Rampal lobby,<br />
BNP has made the issue a matter of<br />
honour for the AL to stick it out.<br />
As things heat up, and it<br />
becomes even more of a politicalpartisan<br />
issue, AL will not be<br />
enjoying this, particularly when<br />
the elections are approaching.<br />
For a party that has shown it is<br />
ready to make any alliance as long<br />
as it is convenient, including with<br />
Hefazat -- a force that actually<br />
tried to topple her -- her refusal to<br />
be more flexible on Rampal seems<br />
odd.<br />
Barring BNP and Jamaat-e-<br />
Islami, she is not keen on a conflict<br />
course with any force. So why this<br />
stance on Rampal?<br />
Will it affect voting?<br />
Public dislike for the Rampal<br />
project is likely to grow stronger<br />
the longer this issue is allowed<br />
to fester. That dislike may well<br />
translate into votes for the<br />
opposition, and this vote is not<br />
from a small Qawmi Madrasa<br />
fringe but the larger national pool.<br />
It is the mainstream vote, a part<br />
of the floating voters who decide<br />
every election result unless there<br />
is a massive wave. Exactly why<br />
AL is so inflexible on Rampal is<br />
becoming a bigger question than<br />
the project itself.<br />
It’s possible that Hasina will<br />
not back down as long as her<br />
opponents have a political banner.<br />
It might be useful to form a neutral<br />
It might be useful to form a neutral body of<br />
scientists to actually explore the contentions<br />
regarding the Rampal project and help the<br />
government decide whether the project is too<br />
politically toxic<br />
The government is going ahead with the Rampal power plant despite large scale popular protests<br />
MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU<br />
• Afsan Chowdhury<br />
What began as a<br />
well-meaning<br />
environmental<br />
activist movement<br />
has become a full-blooded political<br />
one, with friends and enemies<br />
on both sides stretching beyond<br />
borders.<br />
The arguments of the anti-<br />
Rampal lobby have firmly been<br />
grounded in emotive spaces from<br />
the beginning.<br />
The National Oil and Gas<br />
Protection Committee name<br />
itself evokes a mission to protect<br />
national interests. What was once<br />
just an energy project has become<br />
a symbolic case to test the present<br />
government’s commitment to<br />
public sentiment, not just the<br />
environment. To this is the added<br />
anxiety about how free it is when<br />
dealing with India.<br />
Indo-Bangla pressure point?<br />
The Rampal project has already<br />
proven a major pressure on<br />
Indo-Bangla relations with casual<br />
speculation about a brow-beating<br />
India.<br />
Already, Rampal has been redflagged<br />
by many environmental<br />
groups internationally and the<br />
fall-out is now making association<br />
with it embarrassing.<br />
But what sort of option does it<br />
leave open for Hasina now?<br />
If she withdraws by herself she<br />
will be seen as weak for having<br />
bowed down to public pressure,<br />
and that could end up sending a<br />
signal to her political enemies that<br />
she wants to avoid.<br />
Her main strategy is to appear<br />
strong and act from that position<br />
of strength. In that case, the<br />
body of scientists to actually<br />
explore the contentions regarding<br />
the Rampal project and help the<br />
government decide whether the<br />
project is too politically toxic to go<br />
ahead with.<br />
As the controversy becomes<br />
bigger than the project, Hasina<br />
will have to face tough decisions<br />
ahead, and they are going to be<br />
more political in nature than<br />
about energy production in an<br />
environmentally sensitive area. •<br />
Afsan Chowdhury is a multi-media<br />
journalist, historian, and litterateur.
14<br />
MONDAY, MAY <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2017</strong><br />
DT<br />
Opinion<br />
The dark side of Dhaka<br />
The ingrained belief that wealth can solve all problems is what leads to youth’s corrupt behaviour<br />
SERPENT<br />
IN EDEN<br />
• Towheed Feroze<br />
The recent Banani rape<br />
case seems to have<br />
opened a can of worms,<br />
so to speak. Reportedly,<br />
the alleged perpetrators have said<br />
that they used to hold raves quite<br />
often.<br />
The fact is right before our<br />
eyes: Dhaka’s nightlife has seen a<br />
disreputable transition in the last<br />
decade, where rather innocuous<br />
and loud sessions at a local bar<br />
have been taken over by all-night<br />
euphoria parties, with heavy usage<br />
of drugs.<br />
The drug at the centre of it<br />
all is none other than yaba, the<br />
methamphetamine-based tablet,<br />
which, in local lingo, is called<br />
“baba” or the “pink pinik.”<br />
I read almost all the reports<br />
related to the Banani incident<br />
and in one, a line struck me.<br />
Reportedly, the alleged had<br />
confessed to the girls that, since<br />
they were high on yaba, they did<br />
not have any control over their<br />
senses.<br />
Materialism plus a deadly drug<br />
These are the words which<br />
everyone should be taking<br />
seriously -- the drug provides<br />
The tale of these two young<br />
men and the unfortunate women<br />
is not an isolated one. In this<br />
city, after dark, rave sessions<br />
happen almost regularly. With<br />
plenty of disposable cash, young<br />
people from affluent backgrounds<br />
organise exclusive parties where<br />
admission is restricted.<br />
Under the protection of<br />
reputable hotels, inside closed<br />
doors, hedonism with all its<br />
deviant forms, is unleashed.<br />
The young becoming vicious<br />
Regrettably, a lot of young women<br />
attend these gatherings fully<br />
knowing that drugs will flow<br />
freely.<br />
We come back once more to a<br />
vicious youth culture, triggered by<br />
a desire for instant gratification,<br />
which has developed insidiously<br />
in the last decade.<br />
“Living life” is what this is<br />
called among the young. They<br />
flout social norms because<br />
they have grown up seeing the<br />
unassailable power of political<br />
influence supported by money.<br />
To ferret out the causes of the<br />
Banani incident and the rape of<br />
the village girl, we have to go back<br />
to our social credo which has, over<br />
the years, solidified a belief that<br />
once there is power and wealth,<br />
immunity is almost guaranteed.<br />
Purists are slamming social<br />
degradation but let’s be more<br />
specific here: How many times<br />
have we seen people in authority<br />
Is Dhaka’s party culture giving way to something more sinister?<br />
BIGSTOCK<br />
We do accept that with hard-core materialism setting in, society in<br />
general has become somewhat vacuous. However, in directing our<br />
wrath against a decadent outlook, one of the real causes fueling<br />
such extreme ideology often remains untouched<br />
instant adrenaline plus a sense<br />
of invincibility, leading takers to<br />
venture into risky escapades.<br />
There is an outcry underlining<br />
the decay of moral values all<br />
around, not only due to this rape,<br />
but after the shattering suicide of<br />
a father and daughter, when the<br />
girl’s violators were roaming about<br />
freely despite a complaint lodged<br />
with the police.<br />
We do accept that with hardcore<br />
materialism setting in, society<br />
in general has become somewhat<br />
vacuous. However, in directing our<br />
wrath against a decadent outlook,<br />
one of the real causes fueling such<br />
extreme ideology often remains<br />
untouched.<br />
facing corruption charges brought<br />
to justice?<br />
Subconsciously, the social<br />
zeitgeist teaches us to be<br />
courteous to the political party<br />
student leader, irrespective of the<br />
allegations of extortion against<br />
them. At the same time, we<br />
become servile to those in power,<br />
desperately hoping to exploit<br />
possible links to authority to<br />
advance one’s own social position.<br />
Questionable family values<br />
Dhor, maar, kha (grab, exploit,<br />
and enjoy), is the unwritten social<br />
mantra. Some coat it with pseudo<br />
morals and platitudes, whereas<br />
others are too brazen to resort to<br />
any facades.<br />
In this toxic sub-culture that<br />
has impacted a large section of<br />
urban youth, amorality is the<br />
guiding force. This is the case<br />
because a lot of young people have<br />
seen exactly this sort of unethical<br />
convictions nurtured within the<br />
family circle.<br />
Many parents wave aside the<br />
all-night parties, calling them<br />
“young people having fun.”<br />
Nothing wrong in having a good<br />
time though with the presence of<br />
yaba at almost all levels of society,<br />
there has to be some vigilance over<br />
such social gatherings.<br />
In many such all-night<br />
extravaganzas, substance abuse is<br />
done as an act of bravado. Women<br />
are also involved, because in<br />
the trade of this drug, they have<br />
proven to be the best medium.<br />
Countless young women,<br />
peddling the drug, later became<br />
addicts themselves. Caught in the<br />
vicious circle of yaba, traditional<br />
restrictions about sexual intimacy<br />
crumble, leading to a murky world<br />
of abuse.<br />
Permissive attitude of parents,<br />
a ferocious belief that “money<br />
is king” propagated within the<br />
family circles, plus an ingrained<br />
conviction that wealth can solve<br />
all problems are the culprits here.<br />
Youth sub-cultures to be<br />
monitored<br />
Like I said earlier; having fun<br />
is not a problem. Young people<br />
will have some wild moments,<br />
try something unorthodox. This<br />
happens everywhere in the world.<br />
The attention needs to be<br />
given when drugs are becoming<br />
a normal ingredient in a youthful<br />
gathering.<br />
Young members of influential<br />
families are often in the news,<br />
either they have beaten somebody<br />
up, or opened fire at a public<br />
space, or drove recklessly. Over<br />
time, we get a feeling that these<br />
youngsters are never reprimanded<br />
by their families, which acts as a<br />
covert go-ahead.<br />
Common sense states, when<br />
we see elders mocking values<br />
and becoming nonchalant about<br />
bending laws or exploiting a<br />
situation, youngsters won’t learn<br />
much.<br />
The alleged rapists are now in<br />
custody. However, one feels that<br />
their guardians also need to be<br />
questioned thoroughly as to how<br />
they brought up their children.<br />
What we have seen so far is<br />
frantic attempts by the families to<br />
safeguard their sons.<br />
This is normal behaviour, but<br />
if the case of rape is proven, then<br />
they need to come forward and<br />
condemn the acts, accept the<br />
sentence.<br />
That way, they will have set an<br />
example. •<br />
Towheed Feroze is a journalist working<br />
in the development sector.
Opinion <strong>15</strong><br />
DT<br />
MONDAY, MAY <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2017</strong><br />
And the<br />
crowd goes<br />
wild<br />
Are we too hung up over petty issues?<br />
• Shuprova Tasneem<br />
There are many reasons<br />
why our generation has<br />
very high hopes pinned<br />
on it, and at the same<br />
time, tends to be on the receiving<br />
end of a lot of criticism as well.<br />
Are millennials entitled goodfor-nothings,<br />
or groundbreakers in<br />
the century of innovation?<br />
Are we changing the work-life<br />
balance and revolutionising the<br />
workforce, or just making excuses<br />
to not get out of bed early and<br />
using that time to constantly<br />
complain on social media?<br />
Are we coming up with<br />
solutions to climate change and<br />
globalised systems of inequality,<br />
or just competing with each<br />
other over the most innovative<br />
hashtags?<br />
There is no denying that we are<br />
faced with many serious problems.<br />
We are essentially the last<br />
generation that can do something<br />
about climate change.<br />
Problems inherited<br />
We live in a “post-truth” world,<br />
and many of us feel the collective<br />
responsibility to stand up for<br />
science and logic and fight the<br />
“alternative news” that is no<br />
longer a footnote on the internet<br />
but coming from the presidential<br />
office of one of the world’s most<br />
influential nations.<br />
We live in a world that is seeing<br />
a resurgence of the nationalist<br />
far-right, and a lot of us worry we<br />
are going backwards in terms of<br />
recognising the gendered, racial,<br />
and socially-structured forms of<br />
inequality that exist within our<br />
societies.<br />
And in a world where<br />
technology and trade continue<br />
to flourish, we are increasingly<br />
struggling to ensure human rights,<br />
especially in sectors influenced by<br />
globalised industry.<br />
In that backdrop, it is truly<br />
heartening to see young people do<br />
what they can to make a change.<br />
While the real impact of the<br />
rising, young entrepreneurs, not<br />
just in Bangladesh but across the<br />
world, is a whole different debate,<br />
there is no denying that there are<br />
many people out there working<br />
to fight for rights, provide expert<br />
knowledge, debunk myths, and<br />
build a more progressive society.<br />
Whether it is breaking the<br />
taboo on discussing sexual health,<br />
providing relief to flood-affected<br />
areas, or working to ensure better<br />
working conditions, there are<br />
plenty of young people out there<br />
doing important work that needs<br />
to be done.<br />
Have you checked your privilege<br />
lately?<br />
And one of the most important<br />
things facilitating this work is<br />
the recognition of privilege.<br />
Development professionals will<br />
tell you of far too many stories<br />
where starry-eyed change-makers<br />
decided to dive into the latest<br />
social catastrophe and make it<br />
worse, simply by not listening to<br />
local voices and needs.<br />
But things are changing, and<br />
changing … fast. I genuinely<br />
believe one of the greatest strides<br />
One of the main points of recognising your own privilege is realising<br />
that your voice is louder than others’, and that it is your duty to try<br />
and share that platform with those who cannot reach it<br />
our generation has made is not in<br />
technological advancements, but<br />
in recognising the many layers of<br />
privilege that make society what<br />
it is.<br />
If you are Bengali and Muslim,<br />
you are more likely than your<br />
parents to realise what sort of<br />
privilege that accords you in our<br />
society.<br />
If you are a man, you are likely<br />
to have a better grasp of the<br />
gendered societies we live in.<br />
If you are proficient in English<br />
and middle or upper-middle class,<br />
you are more likely to recognise<br />
how there are doors that are open<br />
to you but not to others.<br />
Or so one would hope.<br />
A response in kind<br />
But then you get articles like<br />
“Far from the Gulshan crowd,”<br />
What privilege is he enjoying?<br />
published last week, which take<br />
crucial concepts of privilege and<br />
social class and turn it into a<br />
pseudo-intellectual, uninformed<br />
rant that essentially divides Dhaka<br />
-- a city of around <strong>15</strong> million<br />
people, a large portion of whom<br />
are employed in the informal<br />
economy -- into the Gulshan elite<br />
and the Dhanmondi everymen<br />
(which by the way, used to be the<br />
Gulshan of the 80s).<br />
Without even going into the<br />
divisive language and massive<br />
generalisations in the article<br />
-- what really stood out was the<br />
complete absence of the writer’s<br />
own positionality in a discussion<br />
on privilege, while ironically<br />
lamenting the lack of “selfreflective<br />
criticism” in our society.<br />
But what really bothered me<br />
was what was left out.<br />
The sweeping and cynical<br />
statements fixate on the state<br />
of our beloved city and all its<br />
inhabitants, trapped in their<br />
exclusionary bubbles and judging<br />
others, either for their “alcoholflowing<br />
Western-themed parties”<br />
or “virgins making out in shoddy<br />
lounges.”<br />
But what exactly does this<br />
have to do with the thousands of<br />
economic and climate migrants<br />
pouring into our city looking for<br />
subsistence?<br />
What does a Gulshan-<br />
Dhanmondi divide have to do with<br />
the rickshaw-pullers, construction<br />
workers, and sex workers?<br />
What about the <strong>15</strong>0,000 Biharis<br />
stranded in the heart of our city<br />
-- do they care? How about the<br />
people in squatter settlements all<br />
across Dhaka?<br />
RAJIB DHAR<br />
One of the main points of<br />
recognising your own privilege is<br />
realising that your voice is louder<br />
than others’, and that it is your<br />
duty to try and share that platform<br />
with those who cannot reach it.<br />
I’m not sure how the writer<br />
can advocate for a greater focus<br />
on non-mainstream voices while<br />
painting the entire city of Dhaka<br />
with these ridiculous binaries, but<br />
he effectively did exactly what he<br />
was writing against -- wiped out<br />
the stories of all of the voiceless<br />
inhabitants of Dhaka. If that is not<br />
an exercise of privilege, I don’t<br />
know what is.<br />
There are too many issues<br />
that this city needs to deal with.<br />
There are too many things for us<br />
to bicker about. The “ideological<br />
divide” between the upper classes<br />
and upper-middle classes is not<br />
one of them.<br />
The more we trap ourselves into<br />
this self-constructed divide, the<br />
more solid our own positions in<br />
said classes become. It is truly only<br />
the privileged who have the luxury<br />
of writing about non-issues and<br />
turning them into real ones. •<br />
Shuprova Tasneem is Deputy Magazine<br />
Editor, Dhaka Tribune.
16<br />
MONDAY, MAY <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2017</strong><br />
DT<br />
Downtime<br />
CROSSWORD<br />
CODE-CRACKER<br />
ACROSS<br />
1 Real (6)<br />
5 Water storage (3)<br />
7 Faithful (5)<br />
8 Combined (6)<br />
10 Tree (3)<br />
12 Painful spot (4)<br />
13 Small drink (3)<br />
14 Whirl (4)<br />
16 Corrosion (4)<br />
17 Digit (3)<br />
18 Wrongdoings (4)<br />
20 Tree (3)<br />
23 Sampled (6)<br />
24 Keen (5)<br />
25 Deity (3)<br />
26 Customer (6)<br />
DOWN<br />
1 Malarial fever (4)<br />
2 Intertwines (6)<br />
3 Vigilant (5)<br />
4 Veinlike deposit (4)<br />
5 Period of time (3)<br />
6 Drink (3)<br />
9 Sound car horn (4)<br />
11 Pale (3)<br />
14 Offspring (4)<br />
<strong>15</strong> Annoy (6)<br />
16 Cereal (3)<br />
17 Ornamental coronet (5)<br />
18 Pace (4)<br />
19 Biblical garden (4)<br />
21 Zodiac sign (3)<br />
22 Insane (3)<br />
How to solve: Each number in our<br />
CODE-CRACKER grid represents a<br />
different letter of the alphabet. For<br />
example, today 11 represents P so fill P<br />
every time the figure 11 appears.<br />
You have two letters in the control<br />
grid to start you off. Enter them in the<br />
appropriate squares in the main grid, then<br />
use your knowledge of words to work out<br />
which letters go in the missing squares.<br />
Some letters of the alphabet may not be<br />
used.<br />
As you get the letters, fill in the other<br />
squares with the same number in the<br />
main grid, and the control grid. Check<br />
off the list of alphabetical letters as you<br />
identify them.<br />
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ<br />
CALVIN AND HOBBES<br />
SUDOKU<br />
How to solve: Fill in the blank spaces with the<br />
numbers 1 – 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must<br />
contain all nine digits with no number repeating.<br />
PEANUTS<br />
THURSDAY’S SOLUTIONS<br />
CODE-CRACKER<br />
CROSSWORD<br />
DILBERT<br />
SUDOKU
What’s on<br />
17<br />
MONDAY, MAY <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2017</strong><br />
DT<br />
EVENTS AROUND TOWN TODAY<br />
THEATRE<br />
MOVIE<br />
EXHIBITION<br />
STAR CINEPLEX<br />
Where Bashundhara City, Dhaka<br />
What Movie showtime (<strong>May</strong> <strong>15</strong>)<br />
BONDUK JUDHHO AND GADHAR HAAT<br />
When 7-10pm<br />
Where Studio Theatre Hall, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy,<br />
Shegun Bagicha, Dhaka<br />
What Watch two plays with one ticket by the troupe:<br />
Natyakendra, and directed by Tarek Anam Khan.<br />
FESTIVAL<br />
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword<br />
(3D): 11:20am, 2pm, 4:40pm,<br />
7:30pm<br />
Smurfs: The Lost Village (3D):<br />
11:30am, 1:30pm, 5pm<br />
Fast & Furious 8 (3D): 11:10am,<br />
2:10pm, 4:30pm, 7pm,<br />
Fast & Furious 8 (2D): 10:50am,<br />
1:35pm<br />
One (2D): 4:20pm, 7:20pm<br />
Beauty and the Beast (3D):<br />
11:00am, 1:50pm, 7:10pm<br />
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2<br />
(3D): 10:50am, 1:40pm, 3:50pm,<br />
4:30pm, 6:50pm, 7:20pm<br />
THE EMPIRE OF DREAM<br />
When 5-8pm<br />
Where Kala Kendra, 1/11, Iqbal Road (3rd floor),<br />
Mohammadpur, Dhaka.<br />
What Solo art exhibition by artist Ripon Saha.<br />
BLOCKBUSTER CINEMAS<br />
Where Jamuna Future Park, Dhaka<br />
What Movie showtime (<strong>May</strong> <strong>15</strong>)<br />
MRINAL SEN RETROSPECTIVE<br />
When 4-6:30pm<br />
Where Bangladesh National Museum, Shahbagh Rd, Dhaka<br />
What A four-day retrospective of Mrinal Sen’s films.<br />
WORKSHOP<br />
CAN THE DIVINE PRESENCE BE FELT SO EASILY<br />
When 3-9pm<br />
Where Alliance Française de Dhaka, 26, Mirpur Road, Dhaka.<br />
What A group art exhibition.<br />
MRINAL SEN RETROSPECTIVE<br />
When 4-6:30pm<br />
Where Bangladesh National Museum, Shahbagh Rd, Dhaka<br />
What A four-day retrospective of Mrinal Sen’s films.<br />
Rings (2D): 2:50pm, 5:05pm<br />
Tumi Robe Nirobe (2D): 1pm, 3pm,<br />
5pm, 7pm<br />
The Shack (2D): 12:10pm, 7:25pm<br />
Power Rangers (2D): 11:40am,<br />
2:<strong>15</strong>pm, 4:55pm, 7:30pm<br />
Fast and Furious 8 (3D): 11:30am,<br />
2:<strong>15</strong>pm, 5pm, 7:45pm<br />
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 (3D):<br />
11:30am, 2:<strong>15</strong>pm, 5pm, 7:45pm<br />
GOLDEN DOORS<br />
When 3-10pm<br />
Where Red Shift Coffee Lounge, Radius Centre, 5th Floor,<br />
Bay’s Galleria, 57 Gulshan Avenue, Dhaka.<br />
What Solo art exhibition by artist Proshanta Karmakar<br />
Budhha.<br />
PATAKABYA PARAMPORA<br />
When 10am-8pm<br />
Where Gallery Chitrak, Road 4, House 21, Dhanmondi,<br />
Dhaka.<br />
What Solo painting exhibition by Shambhu Acharya.
DT<br />
18<br />
Sports<br />
MONDAY, MAY <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2017</strong><br />
<strong>2017</strong> ISLAMIC SOLIDARITY GAMES<br />
Bangladesh shooting duo<br />
Baki, Disha claim gold<br />
• Tribune Report<br />
Bangladesh shooters Abdullah Hel Baki<br />
and Syeda Hasan Disha yesterday claimed<br />
gold medal in the 10-metre air rifle mixed<br />
team event of the Islamic Solidarity Games<br />
being held in Baku, Azerbaijan.<br />
In the second day of the Games’ fourth<br />
edition, Baki and Disha beat Iran’s Khedmoti<br />
Najmeh and Noorjiyan Poriya by 5-1<br />
points. This is Bangladesh’s best ever performance<br />
in the Islamic Solidarity Games.<br />
In qualifying, Baki scored 258.5 points<br />
while Disha registered 258.3 points to finish<br />
on an overall 516.8 points. In the process,<br />
they finished third and progressed to the<br />
final round.<br />
After clinching gold, Baki thanked<br />
everyone on social media for their support.<br />
Earlier, Bangladesh’s Rabbi Hasan<br />
sealed silver on Saturday in the 10m air rifle<br />
event with 245.5 points. Turkey’s Akgun<br />
Omor clinched gold with 249 points while<br />
Uzbekistan’s Saif Udinov bagged bronze<br />
with 224.1 points.<br />
However, it was veteran shooter Baki<br />
who was hot favourite for gold. Baki though<br />
produced a disappointing performance,<br />
registering 181.2 points to finish fifth. The<br />
27-year old though made up for his earlier<br />
display by lifting gold in the mixed team<br />
event. •<br />
Bangladesh shooters Abdullah Hel Baki and<br />
Syeda Hasan Disha pose for photographs after<br />
claiming gold in the 10m air rifle mixed team<br />
event of the Islamic Solidarity Games <strong>2017</strong> in<br />
Baku, Azerbaijan yesterday<br />
INTERNET<br />
<strong>2017</strong> WALTON FEDERATION CUP<br />
Jamal thrash Farashganj, Chittagong<br />
Abahani beat Mohammedan<br />
• Tribune Report<br />
Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club<br />
Limited started their Walton Federation<br />
Cup <strong>2017</strong> campaign with a<br />
comfortable 3-0 victory over Farashganj<br />
Sporting Club at Bangabandhu<br />
National Stadium yesterday.<br />
Following some quick counter<br />
attacks, Sheikh Jamal took the lead<br />
in the 10th minute through a penalty.<br />
Sheikh Jamal’s Guinean forward<br />
Mamadou Bah had stormed past<br />
his marker from the left flank, and<br />
Farashganj defender Malik Mandy<br />
decided to retaliate with a fatal<br />
tackle. The referee had no other<br />
option but to whistle for a penalty<br />
TODAY’S MATCHES<br />
Team BJMC v Rahmatganj<br />
4:30pm, Group D<br />
Saif Sporting v Muktijoddha,<br />
6:45pm, Group A<br />
Action from the <strong>2017</strong> Federation Cup game between Ctg Abahani and Mohammedan in Dhaka yesterday<br />
MD MANIK<br />
and Mamadou made no mistake<br />
from the spot.<br />
Forward Nurul Absar doubled the<br />
lead in the 57th minute as his second<br />
shot at the post was right on target.<br />
Substitute midfielder Sohel Mia had<br />
delivered skilfully to Absar in the<br />
middle of the box, and the forward’s<br />
fast reflexes proved to be handy as<br />
he managed to score with his second<br />
touch after the ball bounced back towards<br />
him from the side post.<br />
With an amazing show of skills,<br />
Sheikh Jamal managed to lead 3-0 in<br />
the last minute of the tie as Sohel Mia<br />
looped the ball from 20 yards out.<br />
Meanwhile in the other match<br />
of the day at the same venue, Chittagong<br />
Abahani edged Mohammedan<br />
Sporting Club Limited 2-1.<br />
The port city outfit went ahead in<br />
the 35th minute through Afiz Olaowale.<br />
They doubled their lead in the<br />
56th minute when Kaushik Borua<br />
netted for the Chittagong Sky Blues.<br />
The traditional Black and Whites<br />
reduced the arrears in the 74th<br />
minute through Toklis Ahmed. •<br />
RESULTS<br />
Jamal 3-0 Farashganj<br />
Mamadou 11-P, Nurul 47,<br />
Anisur 90<br />
Ctg Abahani 2-1 Mohammedan<br />
Afiz 35, Kaushik 56 Toklis 74<br />
Kashinath,<br />
Baliapukur in<br />
school cricket<br />
final<br />
• Tribune Report<br />
Kashinath Alauddin High School<br />
and Baliapukur Bidya Niketan Rajshahi<br />
emerged as the finalists in<br />
the Young Tigers National School<br />
Cricket yesterday. In Rajshahi,<br />
Kashinath Alauddin High School<br />
defeated Isdair Rabeya Hossain<br />
High School by 77 runs to secure a<br />
berth in the final. Winning captain<br />
Mahinur Rahman was awarded<br />
man of the match for his five-wicket<br />
haul. Kashinath Alauddin High<br />
School of Moulvibazar played in<br />
the semi-finals in place of Dhaka<br />
Metropolis champion Shamsul<br />
Haque Khan School and College.<br />
The BCB on Saturday suspended<br />
Shamsul Haque Khan School and<br />
College for five years. The institution<br />
was found guilty of registering<br />
outsiders instead of the school’s<br />
students in their quarter-final held<br />
on Friday. The tournament’s technical<br />
committee concluded that<br />
in submitting false documents to<br />
register players who are not legitimate,<br />
Shamsul Hoque Khan School<br />
and College, who had qualified for<br />
the final round as champion of the<br />
Dhaka Metro Zone, breached clauses<br />
‘c’ and ‘d’ under article 3 of the<br />
competition’s by-laws.<br />
In the second semi, Baliapukur<br />
Bidya Niketan Rajshahi defeated<br />
Municipal High School Dinajpur by<br />
129 runs. •
Sports<br />
19<br />
MONDAY, MAY <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2017</strong><br />
DT<br />
Gazi eager<br />
to continue<br />
unbeaten run<br />
in DPL<br />
• Tribune Report<br />
The in-form Gazi Group Cricketers<br />
will look to continue their unbeaten<br />
run in the Dhaka Premier Division<br />
Cricket League 2016-17 season<br />
when they take on Khelaghar Samaj<br />
Kalyan Samity at Khan Shaheb<br />
Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah today.<br />
Gazi’s national discards in the<br />
form of Jahurul Islam, Anamul<br />
Haque and Mominul Haque are in<br />
terrific form with the bat, alongside<br />
Indian recruit Parvez Rasool.<br />
Gazi’s left-arm seamer Abu<br />
Haider Rony meanwhile, is among<br />
the wickets. He has already picked<br />
up 18 wickets in eight matches and<br />
will once again play a vital role<br />
with the ball today.<br />
In contrast, Khelaghar have<br />
been the surprise package in the<br />
Dhaka league this season, winning<br />
thrice in eight attempts. They will<br />
be eyeing an upset win against the<br />
table-topper but for that to happen,<br />
opening batsman Robiul Islam<br />
has to shine bright yet again. Robiul<br />
has struck back to back centuries<br />
for his side and finds himself<br />
among the highest run-scorers in<br />
the tournament.<br />
Away at the BKSP 4 ground,<br />
third-placed Prime Bank Cricket<br />
Club will lock horns with Brothers<br />
Union. Prime have won six<br />
out of eight games and will be<br />
desperate to narrow the gap with<br />
holder Abahani Limited, who have<br />
won seven out of nine matches and<br />
are second in the 12-team points<br />
table.<br />
In the other game of the day at<br />
the BKSP 3 ground, Sheikh Jamal<br />
Dhanmondi Club, who have won<br />
five out of eight games, will face a<br />
struggling Kalabagan Krira Chakra,<br />
who have managed to win just<br />
once in eight attempts. •<br />
DPL, ROUND 9<br />
Gazi v Khelaghar, Fatullah<br />
Kalabagan v Sk Jamal, BKSP 4<br />
Prime v Brothers, BKSP 3<br />
POINTS TABLE<br />
Teams M W L Pts<br />
Gazi 8 8 0 16<br />
Abahani 9 7 2 14<br />
Prime 8 6 2 12<br />
Doleshwar 9 6 3 12<br />
Mohammedan 9 6 3 12<br />
Jamal 8 5 3 10<br />
Rupganj 9 5 4 10<br />
Brothers 8 3 5 6<br />
Khelaghar 8 3 5 6<br />
Kalabagan 8 1 7 2<br />
Partex 9 1 8 2<br />
Victoria 9 0 9 0<br />
Hull relegated, Spurs say farewell to Lane<br />
• AFP, London<br />
RESULTS<br />
Palace 4-0 Hull<br />
Zaha 3, Benteke 34,<br />
Milivojevic 85-P, Van Aanholt 90<br />
Tottenham 2-1 Man Utd<br />
Wanyama 6, Kane 48 Rooney 71<br />
West Ham 0-4 Liverpool<br />
Sturridge 35, Coutinho 57,<br />
62, Origi 76<br />
Hull players look dejected after Palace’s third goal during their Premier League match at Selhurst Park yesterday<br />
Liverpool are on the brink of qualifying<br />
for the Champions League<br />
after Philippe Coutinho inspired a<br />
4-0 rout of West Ham United, while<br />
Tottenham Hotspur said a fitting<br />
farewell to White Hart Lane with a<br />
2-1 win against Manchester United<br />
yesterday.<br />
In contrast to Liverpool’s jubilation<br />
and Tottenham’s celebratory<br />
send-off, there was only misery for<br />
Hull City as they were relegated after<br />
a 4-0 thrashing at Crystal Palace.<br />
It was a day of high emotion as<br />
the Premier League’s remaining<br />
issues at the top and bottom were<br />
played out in dramatic fashion.<br />
At the London Stadium, Liverpool<br />
took the lead when Coutinho’s<br />
sublime pass was converted by Daniel<br />
Sturridge early in the first half.<br />
Coutinho stole the spotlight<br />
again in the second half with a superb<br />
solo strike and a cool finish to<br />
POINTS TABLE<br />
Teams P W D L GD Pts<br />
Chelsea 36 28 3 5 47 87<br />
Tottenham 36 24 8 4 49 80<br />
Liverpool 37 21 10 6 33 73<br />
Man City 36 21 9 6 34 72<br />
Arsenal 36 21 6 9 29 69<br />
Man Utd 36 17 14 5 23 65<br />
Kiwis beat plucky Irish by 51 runs<br />
• AFP<br />
Ireland lost to New Zealand by 51<br />
runs in the second game of the<br />
tri-nation series, also involving<br />
Bangladesh, in Malahide, Dublin<br />
yesterday.<br />
Chasing 290 in a rain-hit game,<br />
the Irish were all out for 238 with 27<br />
deliveries remaining. Wicketkeeper-batsman<br />
Niall O’Brien struck a<br />
composed 131-ball 109, featuring<br />
nine fours and five sixes, but leftarm<br />
spinner Mitchell Santner (5/50)<br />
and seamer Scott Kuggeleijn (3/41)<br />
ensured the Kiwis would start their<br />
campaign with a win.<br />
put Jurgen Klopp’s side three goals<br />
ahead before Divock Origi netted to<br />
cap the Reds’ swaggering display.<br />
Liverpool moved back one point<br />
above Manchester City into third<br />
place.<br />
Although City and fifth placed<br />
Arsenal both have a game in hand,<br />
Klopp’s men will be guaranteed a<br />
Champions League berth if they<br />
beat relegated Middlesbrough at<br />
Anfield next Sunday.<br />
In the unlikely event Arsenal lose<br />
at home to relegated Sunderland tomorrow<br />
then Liverpool will clinch a<br />
BRIEF SCORE<br />
IRELAND 238 in 45.3 overs (Niall 109,<br />
Santner 5/50) lost to NEW ZEALAND<br />
289/7 (Broom 79, Taylor 52) by 51 runs<br />
Earlier, New Zealand set Ireland<br />
a target of 290 with middle-order<br />
batsman Neil Broom top-scoring<br />
for the Blackcaps with 79.<br />
Ireland captain William Porterfield<br />
won the toss for the second<br />
successive match and although the<br />
wicket is not as green as the one<br />
served up against Bangladesh, he<br />
once again asked the tourist to bat.<br />
The Blackcaps, with 10 players<br />
top four spot without playing.<br />
Playing their last game at White<br />
Hart Lane after 118 years, second<br />
placed Tottenham responded to<br />
the end of their title dream by stylishly<br />
bringing down the curtain on<br />
118 years at the famous north London<br />
stadium.<br />
Chelsea were crowned champion<br />
after their win at West Bromwich<br />
Albion on Friday, but Tottenham<br />
had the ideal occasion to<br />
forget that frustration as they prepare<br />
to temporarily play at Wembley<br />
while the Lane is demolished to<br />
make way for a new arena.<br />
With numerous Tottenham legends<br />
watching from the stands,<br />
Kenya midfielder Victor Wanyama<br />
put the hosts ahead in the sixth<br />
minute.<br />
Harry Kane doubled Tottenham’s<br />
lead in the 48th minute with<br />
his 28th goal of the season.<br />
United’s Wayne Rooney who<br />
had the distinction of scoring the<br />
away at the Indian Premier League,<br />
named two new caps in opening<br />
bowler Seth Rance and bowling-allrounder<br />
Kuggeleijn while Ireland<br />
also gave a debut to off-spinning<br />
all-rounder Simi Singh, who came<br />
in for Stuart Thompson.<br />
Stumper-batsman Luke Ronchi<br />
got the innings off to a fast start<br />
with 37 from 26 balls before he got<br />
a leading edge to a pull shot and<br />
was caught at point.<br />
The wicket-taker was seamer<br />
Barry McCarthy, who can surprise<br />
batsmen with his pace, and as a result<br />
he has a habit of taking wickets<br />
in his first two overs. •<br />
last goal at the Lane with a closerange<br />
finish in the 71st minute.<br />
With the Europa League final<br />
against Ajax Amsterdam looming,<br />
United manager Jose Mourinho<br />
was relieved to avoid any more fitness<br />
problems.<br />
Down in south London, Hull<br />
knew only a victory would give<br />
them a realistic chance of staying<br />
up, but goals from Wilfried Zaha,<br />
Christian Benteke, Luka Milivojevic<br />
and Patrick van Aanholt consigned<br />
them to the drop.<br />
Third-bottom Hull, winner<br />
just once in their last six matches,<br />
return to the Championship 12<br />
months after their promotion via<br />
the play-offs.<br />
They paid the price for a chaotic<br />
campaign marred by poor signings<br />
and boardroom turmoil.<br />
Marco Silva was unable to save<br />
them despite improved performances<br />
following his January appointment.<br />
•<br />
Obituary<br />
REUTERS<br />
Mohammad Abdul Jalil,<br />
father of The Daily Star’s<br />
sports reporter Anisur<br />
Rahman, passed away due<br />
to old age complications at<br />
the age of 87 on Saturday<br />
night.<br />
His namaz-e-janaza<br />
was held after Asr prayers<br />
at a mosque in Jessore<br />
yesterday after which he<br />
was laid to rest at the Jessore<br />
Karbala graveyard.<br />
He leaves behind his<br />
wife, three daughters and<br />
as many sons. •
20<br />
MONDAY, MAY <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2017</strong><br />
DT<br />
Sports<br />
Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski scores their third goal during their Bundesliga match against Leipzig in Leipzig on Saturday<br />
REUTERS<br />
POINTS TABLE<br />
Teams P W D L GD Pts<br />
Bayern 33 24 7 2 64 79<br />
Leipzig 33 20 6 7 27 66<br />
Dortmund 33 17 10 6 31 61<br />
Hoffenheim 33 16 13 4 27 61<br />
BUNDESLIGA<br />
Wolfsburg 1-1 Gladbach<br />
Gomez 58 Jannik 24<br />
Augsburg 1-1 Dortmund<br />
Finnbogason 28 Aubameyang 32<br />
Bremen 3-5 Hoffenheim<br />
Selassie 59, Bargfrede 86, Szalai 7,<br />
Bauer 90 Kramaric 11,49, Zuber 40,<br />
Bicakcic 52<br />
Leipzig 4-5 Bayern<br />
Sabitzer 2, Lewandowski 17-P, 84,<br />
Werner 29-P, 65, Thiago 60, Alaba 90+1,<br />
Poulsen 47 Robben 90+5<br />
Darmstadt 0-2 Hertha<br />
Kalou 14, Torunarigha 28<br />
Mainz 4-2 Frankfurt<br />
Cordoba 60, Bell 62, Hrgota 42,<br />
Muto 76, De Blasis 90+3-P Seferovic 50<br />
Freiburg 1-1 Ingolstadt<br />
Philipp 31 Lezcano 43<br />
Schalke 1-1 Hamburg<br />
Burgstaller 25 Lasogga 90+2<br />
Leverkusen 2-2 Cologne<br />
Kiessling 60, Jojic 14,<br />
Pohjanpalo 70 Kluenter 48<br />
3-goal finale gives Bayern spectacular 5-4 win at Leipzig<br />
• Reuters<br />
Borussia Dortmund kept the upper<br />
hand in the battle for third place<br />
despite a 1-1 draw at Augsburg on<br />
Saturday as they stayed ahead of<br />
fourth-placed Hoffenheim on goal<br />
difference on a frantic penultimate<br />
matchday of the season.<br />
Champion Bayern Munich<br />
showed who is boss in the Bundesliga,<br />
scoring three times late in the<br />
game to win 5-4 at RB Leipzig in a<br />
free-flowing game with the Bavarians<br />
having secured the title two<br />
weeks ago and the host certain of<br />
second place.<br />
Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski<br />
scored his second goal of the afternoon<br />
in the 84th minute to cut the<br />
deficit to 4-3. David Alaba’s stoppage-time<br />
free kick drew them level<br />
and Arjen Robben’s last-gasp winner<br />
completed their sensational turnaround<br />
after having trailed 3-1 and 4-2.<br />
Dortmund, through to the German<br />
Cup final later this month, are<br />
level on 61 points with Hoffenheim,<br />
who crushed Werder Bremen 5-3<br />
with two goals from Andrej Kramaric,<br />
but have a better goal difference<br />
going into the last matchday<br />
next week.<br />
There was bad news early on for<br />
Dortmund with midfielder Julian<br />
Weigl breaking his ankle after 20<br />
Zabaleta to leave City<br />
• Reuters<br />
Argentine international Pablo Zabaleta<br />
will leave Manchester City at<br />
the end of the season, the Premier<br />
League club announced on Saturday.<br />
“The 58-times capped Argentina<br />
international is out of contract<br />
in the summer and has informed<br />
the club he will move to pastures<br />
new,” City said in a statement.<br />
The 32-year-old defender has<br />
not said where he will go but is one<br />
of the first names to confirm his departure<br />
in what is expected to be a<br />
busy transfer season for coach Pep<br />
Guardiola as he seeks to make his<br />
side more competitive.<br />
Zabaleta, who joined City in<br />
2008 from Espanol and made 332<br />
appearances, is expected to play<br />
his final home game at the Etihad<br />
Stadium against West Bromwich<br />
Albion tomorrow. •<br />
minutes when his foot was caught<br />
in the grass and twisted 180 degrees.<br />
Alfred Finnbogason then put the<br />
hosts ahead in the 28th minute but<br />
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang levelled<br />
only four minutes later with<br />
his 29th goal of the campaign with<br />
Dortmund controlling the game with<br />
more than 70 percent possession.<br />
The visitors upped the pressure<br />
after the break but could not find a<br />
winner against disciplined Augsburg,<br />
who are in 14th place on 37 points.<br />
“We had possession, a lot of<br />
passing and I felt we had overall<br />
a good game,” Dortmund coach<br />
Thomas Tuchel said. “But it was<br />
tough for us throughout. We<br />
worked hard but we were not really<br />
rewarded in the end.<br />
“Now the situation for the last<br />
league game is clear. We have a final...and<br />
then the Cup final.”<br />
Hamburg SV continued their<br />
battle to avoid relegation by scoring<br />
a stoppage time equaliser through<br />
substitute Pierre-Michel Lasogga<br />
to earn a 1-1 draw at Schalke 04.<br />
The result kept Hamburg, the<br />
only team to have played in the<br />
top division every season since the<br />
Bundesliga’s creation in 1963, in<br />
the relegation playoff spot but sent<br />
17th-placed Ingolstadt into the second<br />
division, joining already-relegated<br />
Darmstadt 98, who lost 2-0<br />
to Hertha Berlin.<br />
VfL Wolfsburg’s Mario Gomez<br />
grabbed an 58th minute equaliser<br />
against Borussia Moenchengladbach<br />
for his 16th goal of the campaign<br />
that kept the Wolves two<br />
points ahead of Hamburg, whom<br />
they face on the last matchday.<br />
The game was interrupted in the<br />
79th minute for about half an hour<br />
due to a storm.<br />
Bayer Leverkusen came from<br />
two goals down to draw 2-2 against<br />
Cologne to make sure of their Bundesliga<br />
spot next season but announced<br />
afterwards they will part<br />
ways with coach Tayfun Korkut at<br />
the end of the campaign. •<br />
Departing Younis, Misbah fall but<br />
Pakistan press for victory<br />
• AFP<br />
Departing stalwarts Younis Khan<br />
and captain Misbah ul Haq failed<br />
to make an impact in their farewell<br />
international innings but Pakistan<br />
were poised to press for a series-clinching<br />
victory over the West<br />
Indies at stumps on the fourth day<br />
at Windsor Park in Dominica on<br />
Saturday.<br />
Following the tedium of the first<br />
three days which saw a total of <strong>15</strong><br />
wickets falling, 14 tumbled on the<br />
penultimate day of the series, ending<br />
with the home side at seven for<br />
one after being set a daunting victory<br />
target of 304.<br />
Mohammad Abbas claimed his<br />
first five-wicket haul in Test cricket<br />
to trigger a West Indies first innings<br />
collapse to 247 all out in the morning<br />
after they resumed at 218 for<br />
five with the match appearing at<br />
the start of the day to be dragging<br />
towards a dreary draw.<br />
“Eight seasons of first-class<br />
cricket bowling long spells prepared<br />
me for this opportunity,” said<br />
Abbas.<br />
In attempting to build on that<br />
considerable lead of 129 Pakistan<br />
crashed to 90 for seven before Yasir<br />
Shah, with a Test-best 38 not out,<br />
and a determined 27 from Mohammad<br />
Amir allowed Misbah the luxury<br />
of a second innings declaration<br />
at 174 for eight late in the day. •<br />
3RD TEST, DAY 4<br />
PAKISTAN 376 & 174/8d in 57 overs<br />
(Yasir 38, Joseph 3/53) lead WEST<br />
INDIES 247 in 1<strong>15</strong> overs (Chase<br />
69, Abbas 5/46) & 7/1 in 6.3 overs<br />
(Brathwaite 3*, Yasir 1/2) by 297 runs
Sports<br />
21<br />
MONDAY, MAY <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2017</strong><br />
DT<br />
Spain’s Rafael Nadal returns against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic during their Madrid Open semi-final on Saturday<br />
Hamilton wins thrilling<br />
Spanish Grand Prix<br />
• AFP, Barcelona<br />
Lewis Hamilton roared back into serious<br />
contention for a fourth drivers’ world title<br />
yesterday when he drove to a well-judged<br />
victory for Mercedes in a dramatic Spanish<br />
Grand Prix.<br />
The three-time champion recovered after<br />
losing the lead from his 64th pole position<br />
to make the most of key strategic decisions<br />
and win with power and precision ahead of<br />
championship leader Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari.<br />
Hamilton finished the 66-lap contest 3.5<br />
seconds ahead of the four-time champion<br />
German, having blasted past him to regain<br />
the lead after 44 laps.<br />
It was his second win in five races this year<br />
and the 55th of his career and it brought him<br />
within six points of Vettel in the title race.<br />
The German now has 104 points and Hamilton<br />
has 98.<br />
Australian Daniel Ricciardo finished third<br />
for Red Bull, more than a minute adrift of the<br />
leaders, ahead of Mexican Sergio Perez and<br />
his Force India team-mate Frenchman Esteban<br />
Ocon.<br />
German Nico Hulkenberg came home<br />
sixth for Renault, ahead of compatriot Pascal<br />
Wehrlein of Sauber, who lost his place due to<br />
a time penalty for a pit-lane mistake during<br />
the race.<br />
Spaniard Carlos Sainz was eighth on the<br />
road, but classified seventh, ahead of Russian<br />
Daniil Kvyat who did a superb job for<br />
Toro Rosso after starting at the back of the<br />
grid, and Frenchman Romain Grosjean of<br />
Haas.<br />
Every driver, apart from those on the podium,<br />
was lapped during an exhausting contest<br />
that saw Finn Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari<br />
and last year’s winner, Dutch teenager Max<br />
Verstappen, crash into retirement on the first<br />
lap.<br />
Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate, Finn<br />
Valtteri Bottas, also retired when his engine<br />
failed while he was running third.<br />
“Guys what can I say?” said Hamilton on<br />
his team radio. “A fantastic job this weekend<br />
- thank you. The strategy was right on it.” •<br />
Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton<br />
celebrates winning the Spanish Grand Prix AFP<br />
DAY’S WATCH<br />
FOOTBALL<br />
STAR SPORTS SELECT HD 1<br />
12:45AM<br />
English Premier League<br />
Chelsea v Watford<br />
REUTERS<br />
Nadal primed as Murray<br />
seeks redemption<br />
• AFP<br />
Whether he likes it or not, Rafael<br />
Nadal will seek to rubber-stamp<br />
his status as the favourite for<br />
the French Open when he heads<br />
to the Rome Masters today looking<br />
to underline his return to form on<br />
clay.<br />
World number one Andy Murray<br />
may have wowed the crowds at<br />
the Foro Italico last year when he<br />
bossed Serbia’s four-time champion<br />
Novak Djokovic in the final to<br />
claim his maiden win in the Italian<br />
capital.<br />
But what was just the Scot’s<br />
third title on the surface, following<br />
wins in Munich and Madrid, has<br />
never looked further away.<br />
A year on from a triumph that<br />
suggested Murray had finally<br />
mastered the toughest surface of<br />
them all, the 29-year-old is back to<br />
square one after a humiliating exit<br />
to unseeded 20-year-old Croat Borna<br />
Coric before the business end of<br />
the Madrid Masters began earlier<br />
this week.<br />
By contrast, Nadal cruised to a<br />
14-0 win record on clay when he<br />
ousted long-time rival Novak Djokovic<br />
in the semi-finals on Saturday.<br />
Currently ranked fifth in the<br />
world, the Spaniard will now meet<br />
Austrian Dominic Thiem in the final.<br />
“It is a great result,” said Nadal.<br />
“To win against Novak by that<br />
score you have to be playing very<br />
well, otherwise it’s impossible.”<br />
Yet Nadal, coming back into<br />
form after two underwhelming<br />
years, was quick to play down<br />
suggestions he was already the favourite<br />
for the French Open and,<br />
by default, the Rome Masters - a<br />
tournament he is looking to win for<br />
the eighth time.<br />
“I know that I am playing well.<br />
I’m on the right track,” added Nadal.<br />
•
22<br />
MONDAY, MAY <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2017</strong><br />
DT<br />
Showtime<br />
On-screen mothers<br />
• Showtime Desk<br />
Inspired by everyday lives and the norms<br />
and values of our society, Dhallywood<br />
films have always managed to incorporate<br />
mothers in their storylines.<br />
This Mother’s day, Showtime has decided<br />
to pay tribute to the most beloved on-screen<br />
mothers of Dhallywood.<br />
and Sakal Sandhya. She was also praised for<br />
her superb performance on stage in Gorkir<br />
Ma.<br />
The veteran received several awards<br />
for her contribution to the stage and film<br />
fraternity like the prestigious National Film<br />
Award, the Bangladesh Film Journalist<br />
Association Award, Tarakalok Puruskar and<br />
so on. She received the Ekushey Padak for<br />
dance in 1995. Rawshan Jamil died on <strong>May</strong><br />
14, 2002.<br />
Dilara Zaman<br />
Ever since she appeared on the popular<br />
drama titled Ayomoy by Humayun Ahmed<br />
where she plays the role of a blind woman,<br />
Dilara Zaman won the hearts of one and all.<br />
Dilara Zaman has won several prestigious<br />
awards, including the Ekushey Padak<br />
and National Film Award. A familiar<br />
face in popular TV plays, her acting has<br />
only become more powerful throughout<br />
the decades. She rose to fame for her<br />
performances in Aguner Poroshmoni (1994),<br />
Tumi Ashbe Boley (2012) and Aaj Amader<br />
Chhuti (1992).<br />
Sharmili Ahmed<br />
Rumour has it that many actors and<br />
actresses in the Bangladeshi industry refer<br />
to her as “Sharmili Ma.” That is the image<br />
that she has imprinted on the minds of our<br />
TV audiences. Actress Sharmili Ahmed has<br />
portrayed the roles of numerous mothers<br />
for almost four decades. Be it on the silver<br />
or small screen, the actress has become the<br />
symbol of a loving, caring and sacrificing<br />
mother.<br />
be the most successful in the Bangladeshi<br />
industry after Razzak-Kabari. Mentionable<br />
films of Shaban include Abuj Mon, Dui Paisar<br />
Alta, Madhu Milon, Madhumita, Nupur,<br />
Anubhob, Satya Mithya, Laxmir Sangsar,<br />
Monihar, Anurager Chhowa, Badhu Biday,<br />
Nasib, Usila, Moroner Pore, Judge Barrister,<br />
Shashon, Banglar Badhu, Bhabhir Sangshar,<br />
Shamir Adesh, Don, and Nanad Bhabi. She<br />
was successful in playing a diverse range of<br />
characters like that of a lover, wife, bhabi,<br />
servant, mother, bandit and so on.<br />
Shabana received a number of awards<br />
including the National Film Award and<br />
Special Award. She is currently living in<br />
the USA with her family. Shabana may<br />
currently not be an active member in the<br />
film community but is still alive in the hearts<br />
of millions.•<br />
Rawshan Jamil<br />
Rawshan Jamil’s brilliant acting in<br />
Jibon Theke Neya by Zahir Raihan is still<br />
unbeatable. She has been unparalleled in<br />
donning the mother character in numerous<br />
films. Some of Rawshan Jamil’s more<br />
popular television drama serials include the<br />
likes of Humayun Ahmed’s Dhakay Thaki<br />
Shabana<br />
Another actress who has been unparalleled<br />
in playing motherly characters is Shabana.<br />
Her performance in Moroner Pore made<br />
everyone shed tears and after that, the<br />
Shabana - Alamgir pair was cast in over 100<br />
films, with each film doing well in terms of<br />
earning a profit. The pair was considered to<br />
WHAT TO WATCH<br />
Dawn of the Dead<br />
7:30 pm, Movies Now<br />
A nurse, a policeman, a young married<br />
couple, a salesman, and other survivors<br />
of a worldwide plague that is producing<br />
aggressive, flesh-eating zombies, take<br />
refuge in a mega Midwestern shopping<br />
mall.<br />
Cast: Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake<br />
Weber, Kevin Zegers, Mekhi Phifer, Kim<br />
Poirier<br />
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix<br />
9:30 pm, WB<br />
With their warning about Lord Voldemort’s<br />
return scoffed at, Harry and Dumbledore<br />
are targeted by the wizard authorities as<br />
an authoritarian bureaucrat slowly seizes<br />
power at Hogwarts.<br />
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma<br />
Watson, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon •<br />
Crazy, Stupid, Love<br />
6:18 pm, HBO<br />
A middle-aged husband’s life changes<br />
dramatically when his wife asks him<br />
for a divorce. He seeks to rediscover his<br />
manhood with the help of a newfound<br />
friend, Jacob, learning to pick up girls at<br />
bars.<br />
Cast: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne<br />
Moore, Emma Stone, Analeigh Tipton<br />
The Adventures of Tintin<br />
7:25 pm, Zee Studio<br />
Intrepid reporter Tintin and Captain<br />
Haddock set off on a treasure hunt for a<br />
sunken ship commanded by Haddock’s<br />
ancestor.<br />
Voices: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel<br />
Craig, Nick Frost
Showtime<br />
23<br />
MONDAY, MAY <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2017</strong><br />
DT<br />
Ayub Bachchu’s<br />
instrumental concert in Chittagong<br />
• Showtime Desk<br />
After the success of the first solo<br />
guitar instrumental show of Ayub<br />
Baccchu, held in March in the<br />
capital, the legendary singermusician<br />
is all set to perform in<br />
another identical show at the<br />
Radisson Blu Chittagong on <strong>May</strong><br />
20.<br />
Presented by Robi, Airtel and<br />
Yonder Music, the instrumental<br />
show titled “Now And Then” is<br />
organised by AB Kitchen, DJ Pro<br />
and Wizard Showbiz.<br />
Details of the show came out in<br />
a press conference held at Channel<br />
i, where Ayub Bachchu, Faridur<br />
Reza Sagor, the managing director<br />
of Channel i, Mahbubul Alam<br />
Bhuiyan, vice president of Robi,<br />
and Imrul Karim Emil, the Shunno<br />
singer and the country director of<br />
Yonder Music Bangladesh were<br />
present.<br />
At the press conference, Ayub<br />
Bachchu said, “Keeping the<br />
requests of my fans in mind, I<br />
am going to perform in a guitar<br />
instrumental show for the first<br />
time, at my birthplace.”<br />
Sponsors of the event have<br />
organised a contest to win free<br />
tickets to the concert, and a rare<br />
opportunity to sing one of the<br />
most popular tracks of Ayub<br />
Bachchu “Cholo Bodley Jai” on<br />
stage along with him. Details of<br />
the contest can be found at the<br />
Facebook page of Yonder Music<br />
Bangladesh. Tickets are available<br />
at bdtickets.com. •<br />
Bangladesh filmmakers to<br />
participate in Cannes’ event<br />
A tribute to Mrinal Sen<br />
• Showtime Desk<br />
The International Emerging<br />
Film Talent Association (IEFTA),<br />
a Monaco-based non-profit,<br />
non-governmental organisation,<br />
has taken an initiative to foster<br />
Bangladeshi filmmakers by<br />
providing them an opportunity to<br />
participate in a workshop which<br />
is to be held at the Cannes Film<br />
Festival this year.<br />
The initiative<br />
is one of the four<br />
different initiatives<br />
organised by<br />
IEFTA at this year’s<br />
70th Cannes Film<br />
Festival, which<br />
will be held from<br />
<strong>May</strong> 17 to 28. The<br />
biennial event,<br />
“Dhaka to Cannes”<br />
is organised in<br />
co-operation with<br />
International<br />
Film Initiative<br />
of Bangladesh<br />
(IFIB) in support<br />
of local emerging<br />
filmmakers.<br />
In the last week<br />
of March, IEFTA<br />
revealed that<br />
three Bangladeshi<br />
filmmakers, Lubna<br />
Sharmin, Md Abid<br />
Mallick, and Kazi<br />
Mahadi Muntasir,<br />
have been selected<br />
by the international<br />
jury to be in the<br />
Producers Workshop at the<br />
Marché du Film.<br />
In this introducing event,<br />
selected participants will get<br />
an opportunity to fly to Cannes<br />
to take part in the Producers<br />
Workshop hosted by the Marche<br />
du Film, the business counterpart<br />
of the Cannes Film Festival and<br />
one of the largest film markets<br />
in the world. This unique event<br />
includes three days of intensive<br />
meetings with some of the<br />
world’s prominent filmmakers<br />
and film executives.<br />
In a similar initiative, Addis to<br />
Cannes was launched by IEFTA<br />
in 2010, in partnership with<br />
the Ethiopian Film Initiative<br />
to support young Ethiopian<br />
filmmakers through a careerdeveloping<br />
trip to Cannes. Past<br />
participants have gone on to have<br />
their films shown in international<br />
festivals such as<br />
Berlin, Toronto, and<br />
Venice, and sold<br />
to international<br />
markets.<br />
Through its<br />
mentorship<br />
initiative, IEFTA<br />
will also sponsor<br />
two filmmakers<br />
from Mongolia<br />
to the Producers<br />
Network.<br />
IEFTA will host<br />
a reception at the<br />
Plage Royal for<br />
Dhaka to Cannes:<br />
A Celebration<br />
of Talent. The<br />
event features<br />
participating<br />
Bangladeshi<br />
filmmakers from<br />
this year’s inaugural<br />
Dhaka to Cannes<br />
initiative, as well<br />
as the Mongolian<br />
filmmakers,<br />
and Watersprite<br />
participants. •<br />
• Showtime Desk<br />
On the occasion of revered film<br />
auteur Mrinal Sen’s 94th birthday,<br />
Chalachitram Film Society,<br />
Bangladesh National Museum<br />
and India-Bangladesh Foundation<br />
jointly organised a five day long<br />
film screening session, which<br />
began on <strong>May</strong> 13 at the main<br />
auditorium of Bangladesh National<br />
Museum.<br />
Prime minister’s foreign<br />
advisor, Gowher Rizvi inaugurated<br />
the program, while two eminent<br />
film makers, Tanvir Mokammel<br />
and Morshedul Islam spoke at<br />
the event. Director general of<br />
Bangladesh National Museum,<br />
Faizul Latif Chowdhury was also<br />
present at the event.<br />
Mrinal Sen’s Ek din Pratidin was<br />
screened after the commencement<br />
ceremony. The screening will<br />
continue till <strong>May</strong> 17 at the main<br />
auditorium of the museum. The<br />
event is open for all.<br />
Interview and Chorus is on the<br />
schedule of today’s screening,<br />
while Kharij, Ek din Achanak<br />
and Jayanta Bhattacharjee’s<br />
documentary Always Being<br />
Born are scheduled for <strong>May</strong> 16.<br />
Antareen, Amar Bhuban and<br />
Rajdeep Pal’s documentray Mrinal<br />
Sen: An Era in Cinema will be<br />
projected on the last day of the<br />
event.<br />
Born on <strong>May</strong> 14, 1923,<br />
Mrinal Sen is an Indian film<br />
maker based in Kolkata, who<br />
is often considered to be one<br />
of the greatest ambassadors<br />
of Indian parallel cinema on<br />
the global stage, along with his<br />
contemporaries Satyajit Ray and<br />
Ritwik Ghatak. His work is highly<br />
lauded for its artistic depiction of<br />
social reality. Although the three<br />
directors shared a healthy rivalry,<br />
they were ardent admirers of each<br />
other’s works, and in so doing,<br />
they charted the independent<br />
trajectory of parallel cinema, as a<br />
counterpoint to the mainstream<br />
fare of Hindi cinema in India. •
24 Dhaka Tribune | MONDAY, MAY <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2017</strong> Advertisement<br />
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