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Turnout low as violence, confusion mar Pak poll: Clear winner unlikely

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif casts his ballot
inside a polling station in Lahore: Women stand in line to
vote in Attock: Soldiers of paramilitary force patrol in
Peshawar as Pakistanis voted Monday for a new parliament in
elections. Photo: Agencies

Agencies, Islamabad

Fearful of violence and deterred by confusion at polling stations, Pakistanis voted Monday in parliamentary elections that may fail to produce clear winners and could result in protracted post-election political skirmishing.

A number of clashes among polling officials and voters resulted in 10 people killed and 70 injured, according to Pakistani television channels.

Voter turnout was low; in the North-West Frontier Province, which abuts the lawless tribal areas, turnout was only 20 percent, according to election officials. In Peshawar, the provincial capital, Islamic militants prevented many women from voting. Election official estimated that only 523 of 6,431 registered female voters at six polling stations cast ballots.

In Lahore, the political capital of Punjab province, lines were thin, and many voters complained they could not find their names on the voting lists.

But as the polls closed at 5 p.m. local time, election officials said that nationwide voting had been relatively calm compared with past elections.

"We had more violence in one by-election in Karachi last year than across the country today," said Staffan Darnolf, the country director for the International Foundation for Election Systems, a non-partisan group based in the United States that has been advising Pakistan for more than a year on election procedures.

At stake in the election is the question of what kind of elected government will emerge in Pakistan after eight years of military rule under President Pervez Musharraf.

Musharraf, who stepped down as army chief last November after being re-elected to another five year term, has seen his popularity plummet as the country has faced a determined insurgency by the Taliban and Al Qaeda, and a deteriorating economy.

Analysts were uncertain whether the two opposition parties, the Pakistan Peoples Party of the assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, and the Pakistan Muslim League led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, would make a commanding showing Monday.

The two parties were handicapped during the election campaign by the death of Ms. Bhutto, restrictions on campaigning for security reasons and the fact that their leadership had been in exile for the last eight years.

The party that has supported Musharraf, the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, was expected to fare more poorly than in the last parliamentary elections five years ago. But analysts said it would almost certainly have enough votes to form a coalition government, most probably with the Pakistan Peoples Party.

A low voter turnout would benefit Musharraf's party, they said.

Nervousness about suicide bombers was most palpable in Peshawar, the capital of the North-West Frontier Province.

"We were thinking of not coming - people are afraid because of bombs and suicide bombers," said Huma Shaqwell, 22, a college student.

Heavily armed police were posted at many polling stations, and more than 80,000 soldiers were deployed by the army to keep law and order.

But hot tempers and deep suspicions about vote rigging created a tense election day, marked in some places by the temporary closure of polling stations to restore calm.

The voting got off to a poor start in Punjab, the most important province, with 148 of the 272 contested parliamentary seats. On election eve, a Pakistan Muslim League-N candidate for the provincial assembly, Chaudhry Asif Ashraf, was shot to death, and three others injured when gunmen opened fire on his car.

In Lahore, Fasih Ahmed, a businessman, said that by noon he had still not found his name on any list at the polling station.

In the general atmosphere of insecurity in Pakistan, he was nervous, he said, standing in the open on the street as he waited to check voting lists.

Early in the day, voting in Rawalpindi, the sprawling city adjacent to the capital, Islamabad, was sluggish.

"Of course people are scared," said Naheed Khan, a longtime assistant to Ms. Bhutto who was traveling with her in her car when she was killed.

"The government has failed to control the law-and-order situation," she said.

Nevertheless, Ms. Bhutto's party would prevail, she said. "If there is no government rigging, the Peoples Party will win because people want to come out in her memory," she said, wiping away tears as she listened to Ms. Bhutto's voice from a speech played over loudspeakers in the street.

A number of those voting in Rawalpindi said they wanted change.

"We know who is going to win - "Q" is going to win, by cheating," said Ammar Khalid, 23, an economics student, referring to the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, which backs Mr. Musharraf. "But we are still voting, for P.P.P.," he said. "We want that there should not be a dictator. He is illegal and unconstitutional," he said of Musharraf.

Most watched poll: 10,000 observers in Pakistan

Agencies

There is deep concern in London about the future of Pakistan.

This arises not just from the fear that unrest in the tribal areas on the Afghan frontier adds to the influence of the Taleban in Afghanistan, but from the links between Pakistan and terrorism in Britain.

Recently, the former deputy head of Britain's MI6 secret service, Nigel Inkster, who is now with the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, highlighted British fears when he publicly named pro-Taleban commander Baitullah Mehsud, who comes from South Waziristan in Pakistan, as "public enemy number one".

The British hope is that elections can lead to greater stability in Pakistan. But there is recognition that elections by themselves are not enough.

The Foreign Secretary David Miliband set out the formal British position in a speech on 12 February 2008.

"In Pakistan, the path to democracy begins with free and fair elections, but it needs deeper roots: an independent judiciary, a commitment from the army to stay out of politics, and devolution of powers to states and local government," he said.

Behind that formal expression of policy lies a hands-on approach that shows how deep the fear for Pakistan lies.

Near panic set in among senior British officials last November when Gen Musharraf declared a state of emergency and sacked the Supreme Court.

Led by a former British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Mark Lyall Green, who is now political director of the Foreign Office, the British and US governments acted to try to unscramble Gen Musharraf's actions and put the country on the road to greater democracy.

This is seen as vital in combating the Islamists inside Pakistan.

Then there was the catastrophe of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, whose return to Pakistan the British government had encouraged.

Nobody in London expects Pakistan to settle down anytime soon.

One London-based observer remarked recently: "The best one can hope for is that Pakistan will muddle through as it has done in past crises, with continuing oscillations between military and civilian rule."

India and Pakistan have fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir, since both became independent from British rule in 1947.

The nuclear-armed neighbours nearly went to war a fourth time in 2002.

They began peace moves in 2004 but progress slowed after India blamed Pakistan for the 2006 Mumbai train blasts.

Travel and sport links have been restored since then but little progress has been made over Indian-administered Kashmir.

Chaos and uncertainty in Pakistan appears to have slowed down the peace process anyway.

In this context, India has mixed feelings about the upcoming elections in Pakistan. Indians were not upbeat about the elections in the first place.

National Security Adviser MK Narayanan summed up the establishment mood in a television interview before Benazir Bhutto's assassination when he said India was sceptical of a future Pakistani government under Ms Bhutto.

"Her track record is not necessarily something that would make us believe that she will follow to the letter and spirit of what she has said," Narayanan told a television interviewer.

Ms Bhutto had spoken about closing down terrorist camps, private militias and had hinted at giving Indian detectives access to some militant leaders who were wanted in India and allegedly living in Pakistan.

The establishment's scepticism is shared by many.

"As part of the historical record, there is not much to choose between civilian governments and military regimes in Pakistan when it comes to an amicable relationship with India," says analyst Harish Khare.

Analysts point to the fact that it was during Ms Bhutto's premiership that the situation in Kashmir took a turn for the worse. And it was during Nawaz Sharif's time in power that the Kargil conflict happened.

Although the American people are more focused on their nation's own presidential race, Washington's interest in - and concern about - Pakistan's elections can perhaps be gauged by the number of high-ranking military and intelligence officials it has despatched to Islamabad in recent weeks.

Among them were the top military officer in the US, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm Michael Mullen, CIA Director Michael Hayden and Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte.

The stakes for the US in Monday's election are high: the US has backed President Pervez Musharraf since an alliance was forged in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks and it views Pakistan as a vital ally in the self-declared war on terror and fight against al-Qaeda.

The political unrest linked to Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule last year and the assassination of Benazir Bhutto has dealt a blow to Washington's strategy in the region - the restoration of democracy in Pakistan in order to offer an alternative path, away from militancy and extremism.

The US is now looking to the elections to stabilise what it is all too aware is a nuclear-armed nation and ensure that Islamabad's collaboration in the fight against terror - to support which Washington has given more than $10bn in aid to Pakistan - continues.

But there is perhaps a sense of frustration in Washington about the limitations as to what the US can do to make that happen.

Richard Boucher, Assistant US Secretary of State, told the national security and foreign affairs panel of the US House of Representatives late last month that "if history was any guide", some fraud was to be expected in Pakistan's elections.

However, he urged Congressmen not to give up on the idea that a new leadership could emerge from "a legitimate process" and said US embassy teams were doing what they could to monitor voting.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Congress she was concerned about the potential for election violence and voting irregularities.

But, she added: "I believe that the Pakistani leadership understands that they have to have an election that inspires confidence in the Pakistani people that this is a step forward for democracy."

Thousands of mourners throng Shaheed Minar: 50 hurt in police action: Manna laid to rest in Tangail

Thousands of fans throng the FDC gate to see the
body of their favourite actor Manna yesterday. NN
photo

Staff Reporter

Over 50 fans of film-star Manna were injured in clashes with police. They tried to get in the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (FDC) compound to have a last glimpse of their favourite hero yesterday morning.

Witnesses said Manna's body was taken to the FDC premises at about 10:30am by an ambulance of the United Hospital where he died Sunday of cardiac arrest, in a rather filmy scene as he himself drove in the hospital with his sudden heart ailment.

Thousands of fans of the popular actor in Dhalywood, in an emotional outburst, began pushing and shoving to get in the FDC premises to see his body and pay him their last respect. Many fans climbed trees to have the last glimpse of the film actor.

Thousands of mourners thronged the Shaheed Minar in the morning and blocked roads in and out of the area.

The angry people also gave vent to their grief damaging 3-4 vehicles on the road nearby,

disrupting vehicular movement in the area.

Police, security personnel and the crowds got locked in a series of clashes leaving at least

50 people wounded, including 6 policemen.

During the two-hour-long chase and counter-chase, police also fired teargas shells to disperse the stone-throwing fans of Manna.

Two police officials Bulbul Ahmed and Abdul Mannan were injured in the clashes. The FDC officials took the two to hospital for treatment.

In a statement, acting information secretary Jamil Osman expressed condolences of the death of Manna.

Bikalpadhara president AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury and son Mahi B Chowdhury went to the FDC to pay their last respect to the actor.

Bangladesh Film Actors Association president Miju Ahmed protested the government's delayed condolence message."This is unfortunate," he said.

"The government's attitude seems that it does not care for film actors," he said.

Relatives took the body to Tangail instead of the Central Shaheed Minar after thousands of film fans strained security measures as they scrambled to pay their last respect to Manna.

Later, Manna body was taken to his village in Tangail district and buried him yesterday at night.

40 pc poultry farms face closure Half a million workers jobless

Sheikh Arif Bulbon

The spread of deadly bird flu in the country has forced the closure of 40 per cent of the poultry farms and left half a million poultry workers jobless, said officials of the Bangladesh Poultry Association.

The virus was still 'under control,' although it has spread to 43 out of the country's 64 districts, forcing authorities to slaughter some 800,000 birds, said the Livestock officials.

Abdul Baki, Principal Scientific Officer of the Livestock Department, said, "It is a natural disaster like cyclone or floods. The poor farmers who raise chickens in their backyards are particularly hard hit by the bird flu. But we still think things are under control,"

The government was launching a massive plan to compensate affected farmers, he added.

His comments came as the authorities struggled to slaughter another 160,000 birds in one of the largest farms in Dhaka.

The Livestock officials said it would take another day to complete the slaughter.

The outbreak at Omega Poultry Farm in the capital showed the disease was out of control, said the officials.

MM Khan, a senior official of the Poultry Association, said, "Omega is one of the top farms which meticulously maintained international bio-safety regulations but it was not spread by the deadly flu."

"The situation is so bad nobody is buying any poultry these days. They are panicking. The crows and migrant birds are spreading the flu everywhere, leaving authorities simply hopeless," said M Khan.

Already some supermarkets in Dhaka have suspended poultry sales, he said.

The flu has forced closure of at least 40 per cent of the country's estimated 150,000 commercial farms, leaving at least half a million people jobless, he also said.

The government has repeatedly urged people not to be frightened and begun a major drive to assure that eating cooked poultry poses no health dangers.

It is also giving farmers Tk 105 compensation for each chicken slaughtered because of the virus.

Bird flu was first hit in the country on February 22, 2007 but the disease became dormant. Outbreak resurfaced in January this year when the country's 20 new districts were hit. So far in February another 11 districts have been hit, according to the Livestock Department.

Poultry industry in Bangladesh is one of the world's largest which producing 220 million chickens and 37 million ducks annually.

Reformists’ terms for BNP merger

Shahidul Islam

The reformist factions of the BNP set a precondition for the reunification of the immediate-past ruling party as top leader of the anti-reform group party Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain did not respond to their unity call by placing a set of conditionality that foiled the unity move, insiders said yesterday.

In retaliation, leaders of the reformist after a recent meeting set three preconditions for the unity with the other faction. These are-1) Khandaker Delwar Hossain should relinquish his position as Secretary General 2) his group should accept the agenda for bringing about reforms in the party and 3) Khandaker Delwar should take the fresh unity move.

Leaders of the reformist faction made it clear that they would not accept Khandaker Delwar Hossain, who was appointed by party Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia immediately after she removed Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan minutes before her arrest on November 3 (2007), as the chief executive of the BNP.

Earlier last month, BNP Acting Chairman and top leader of the reformist faction M Saifur Rahman in a patch up move made telephone call to Khandaker Delwar Hossain asking him to reunite the divided party, promising he and Major Hafizuddin Ahmed would give up their respective posts if anti-reform group agrees to the proposal.

In reply, Khandaker Delwar Hossain had put a set of four preconditions for the reunification. Those were-1) cancellation of the resolution of October 29 (2007) meeting of the Standing Committee, including restoration of membership of his predecessor Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, 2) accepting Khandaker Delwar Hossain as the legitimate Secretary General of the party, 3) resignation of Saifur and Major (retd) Hafiz the Acting Chairman and Acting Secretary General posts respectively and 4) abandoning the reforms agenda.

"Khandaker Delwar Hossain will have sacrifice his position as we (Saifur and myself) are ready to give up our positions as Acting Chairman and Acting Secretary General for sake of the unity of the party," Major Hafiz told journalists before leaving Dhaka for Singapore for medical check up.

In the absence of Major Hafiz and Acting Chairman Saifur Rahman, who had admitted to the Apollo Hospital in the city for treatment, BNP Standing Committee member Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan will look after the reformist faction of the party.

"They (Delwar group) will have to accept the necessity of reforms of the party to democratize it so that the party does not get dependent on a particular person for decisions," Major Hafiz added.

The pro-reformist BNP Acting Secretary General, who left the country on Sunday, said, "BNP, the biggest political party of the country, cannot remain inactive due to necessary directives as the party Chairperson is in prison. We have many senior leaders with adequate political experiences and they can guide the party correctly."

Defending Saifur's election to post of Acting Chairman of the party, he said, "Saifur Rahman is the senior-most leader of the party after Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia."

When contacted, neither the BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain nor any other top leader of his faction agreed to comment on the reformist group's preconditions.

Meanwhile, Khandaker Delwar Hossain yesterday urged the leaders and workers of the BNP and its front organisations to keep the party united under the leadership of Begum Zia at any cost.

He gave this call, while talking to the leaders of party's Rangpur district unit led by Habibunnanbi Khan Sohel and a delegation of Jatiyatabadi Tanti Dal (JTD) led by its General Secretary Humayun Islam Khan separately.

They met Khandaker Delwar at his NAM flat residence in the city last afternoon marking the 27th founding anniversary of JTD, a front organisation of the BNP.

BNP Joint Secretary General Nazrul Islam Khan, former MP Principal Sohrab Uddin and Acting Office Secretary Rizvi Ahmed were present.

Leaders of the Tanti Dal sent a bouquet to detained party Chief Begum Zia through the jail authorities at her makeshift jail on the Parliament Building compound.

Reduction of interest rate, service charge: Banks asked to submit proposal within 15 days

UNB, Dhaka

Bangladesh Bank Monday invited commercial banks to submit their proposals within 15 days to reduce bank charges and interest spread between lending and deposit rates.

Governor Dr Salehuddin Ahmed sought the proposals at a meeting at the central bank with Bangladesh Association of Banks (BAB), a platform of commercial bank directors.

"Bangladesh Bank will take decisions on the interest rate spread and other service charges after receiving their proposals," he told reporters after the meeting.

He said the proposals should be prepared through discussions among the commercial banks, particularly considering the interest of the businesspeople, depositors and the shareholders of the banks. "We're not imposing the decisions… we're trying to do it through discussions (with the stakeholders)," Dr Salehuddin said, replying to a question.

A meeting source said the commercial banks have been asked to submit the proposals by February 28. The central bank is also scheduled to hold another meeting with the chief executive officers of commercial banks on Wednesday. Today's meeting was considered as a follow-up of major policy decisions on reducing interest rate spread and bank charges taken at a meeting on January 4.

"It'll be difficult for us to reduce the lending rates unless the interest on savings certificates and treasury bonds are reduced," said BAB president Nazrul Islam Majumder.

"Bangladesh will, in fact, administer determining the spread," he added.

In a major policy move for the banking sector on January 4, the government decided to formulate a guideline for reducing the interest rate spread between the deposit and lending rates, and rationalize the charges on different bank services.

The central bank, business community and banking service recipients have long been pressing for the policy decisions to reduce the cost of doing business.

The decisions were apparently taken to promptly respond to the Chief Adviser's instruction to the Bangladesh Bank in this regard. It was, however, apprised at the meeting that the spread should not be reduced at the cost of deposit rates.

Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed recently instructed the Bangladesh Bank to reduce the interest rate spread to 4-5 percent from the present 6 percent to infuse dynamism into the slow-moving economic activities.

The spread is the highest in Bangladesh compared to other parts of the world and it varies from one bank to another while the charges vary even from bank to bank and the charges remain high in Bangladesh.

Aziz admits declining trend in investment

Staff Reporter

Finance adviser Dr AB Mirza Azizul Islam yesterday said the economy is under pressure and the investment is in declining trend.

"The government is trying to recover by encouraging short-term investment that will generate job opportunities," the Finance Adviser told a delegation of the Economic Reporters Forum at his secretariat office.

ERF president Nazmul Ahsan and general secretary Sajjad Alam Khan Topu led the organisation's team.

Dr Aziz said economic activities would get a momentum if the Better Business Forum could perform well. "Demand is outstripping output, leaving a negative impact on the economy."

"The government did not get expected results in the field of investment. The government has taken measures to encourage investment in the private sector as well as in the public sector," the adviser said.

The ERF delegation drew his attention to allegations that some "corrupt people" listed by the Anticorruption Commission are the members of the BBF, a platform designed to add dynamism to business activities and encourage entrepreneurship.

The adviser said a man cannot be declared corrupt unless he is proved corrupt.

"The ACC collects information from different sources and prepares a list. As a result, some names may have appeared on the list," he said.

Asked if the fuel prices will increase, the adviser avoided a direct reply and said, "You will get to know if it happens."

If the agriculture sector will see any increase in subsidy in the upcoming budget, Azizul said if the government subsidise the farm sector further, it will curtail such benefits to other sectors.

He, however, said the government would continue to support agriculture for more production and its expansion.

Asked about the annual development programme, Azizul said there was no possibility of any big change in the budget for the next fiscal year.

He said the next budget would attach highest priority to the construction sector, power and energy, water resources development, human resources development, poverty alleviation and social safety net.

About the future of investment proposals by Asia Energy and Tata, the adviser said the government was not pondering anything before finalising coal policy.

Policemen violate HR for lack of knowledge : IGP

UNB, Dhaka

Inspector General of Police Nur Mohammad yesterday said policemen violate human rights for a lack of knowledge about people's fundamental rights.

"For lack of knowledge about human rights, policemen in many countries violate human rights through illegal arrest and detention, arbitrary or unlawful killing, torture, arbitrary interference in people's private life and infringement of the freedom of press," he said.

The police chief made the observations while addressing the inauguration ceremony of a 5-day Commonwealth Human Rights Training for police officers at Rajarbagh Police Lines in the afternoon.

He said the cops have to safeguard some basic rights of a country's citizens during preventing crime and enforcing law.The IGP noted that people are now more concerned about their rights and franchise than before.

Police cannot protect human rights in any community if they do not know how they should work in a framework of internationally accepted human-right standards and practices, he said.

" We no longer believe in the colonial impression of police, which had more to do with suppression and oppression of the people," said the new-generation police top boss, who was brought in amid sweeping reforms in the country under the interim regime.

But, nowadays, Bangladesh police is trying to make a U-turn by rebuilding its image, and the Commonwealth Human Rights Training would mark as a leap forward towards that end, he hoped.

The IGP believes that continued cooperation and more such C' wealth-sponsored training programmes would go a long way in uplifting the image of police department.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Naim Ahmed, Additional IGP (Training) SM Sajjat Ali and Head of Commonwealth Secretariat Human Rights Unit Dr Purna Sen also spoke on the occasion.

Power plant scam: Decision on Hasina's bail prayer today

UNB, Dhaka

A special court, set up in the high-security parliament complex to try high-profile corruption suspects, will today pass order on bail prayer for detained ex-Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina before charge hearing in another power-plant graft case against her.

On Feb 13, the charge hearing was deferred as Hasina, also Awami League president, could not appear in court on account of sickness in custody.

On Feb 7, the court once had deferred the charge hearing on the case on the prosecution plea of lack of their readiness.

On September 2 last year, Anti-Corruption Commission deputy director Sabbir Hasan lodged the case with Tejgaon Police Station.

It was complained in the case that Hasina and others, "through mutual understanding and using their influence", had helped a foreign company and its local partners win a deal for setting up the 100MW barge-mounted power plant in Khulna. And, thus, they "deprived" the lowest bidder of being awarded the deal.

She was also sued for extortion in connection with another power plant by businessman Azam J Chowdhury, but the trial proceedings under Emergency Powers Rules were scrapped by a High Court order.

The government has moved to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court for appeal to overturn the HC rulings.

BAU's move to evict married girl students protested

Staff Reporter

A recent decision of Bangladesh Agriculture University (BAU) to drive out married girl students from their residential halls generated strong resentment among students, guardians and women leaders.

Different women organisations including Sammilito Nari Samaj and Bangladesh Jatiya Mohila Ainjibi Samity in a separate statement protested the decision of the BAU authority.

In a statement, Bangladesh Jatiya Mohila Ainjibi Samity said the decision of the BAU authority would hamper the women education in the country. If this decision was implemented, other educational institutions authorities could follow such kind of decision.

They said if married female students leave university halls, they might have to stop their educational career.

They urged the BAU authority to cancel the decision.

Meanwhile, leaders of Sammilito Nari Samaj also protested the decision. In a separate press statements signed by Salma Ali, Tahera Begum Jolly, Sima Das Shimu, Hazera Sultana, Sultana Akhter Ruby and Rawshan Ara Rusho said according to the ordinance of the BAU, the decision that was taken recently is absolutely a barrier for the development of women education.

They also raised the question, "If female married students could not stay in the hall, so why male married students will stay in the halls?"

No version was available from the BAU authority.

CG advancing: towards transfer of power: CA

UNB, Tongibari

Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed yesterday said his government is advancing towards attaining its goal of transfer of power to a democratic government through holding a fair, neutral and credible election.

He made the remark while addressing an opinion-exchange meeting with upazila-level government officials and people of different professions of Tongibari on the upazila parishad complex premises in the afternoon.

The Chief Adviser said the caretaker government is carrying out reforms to make the foundation of democracy stronger.

He said if the drive against corruption is accomplished, the country, which was engulfed by corruption in all spheres, would certainly come out of the vicious cycle gradually.

"People's cooperation is necessary to eliminate the corruption…people have to nurture such an attitude that they won't commit and tolerate corruption," he told his audience.

At the meeting Dr Fakhruddin reminisced about his childhood days in his native village Nagorkandi in this upazila.

He said following the construction of Mukterpur bridge, which he inaugurated earlier in the day, a long-cherished dream of the inhabitants of Munshiganj was fulfilled. In this context, he narrated his experiences in crossing the Dhaleswari river by ferry, wasting time.

Referring to abundant production of good-quality potatoes in Munshiganj, which constitutes about 35 percent of total potato production in the country, the head of caretaker government urged his compatriots to produce maximum amount of good potatoes and assured the producers all input supports.

He pointed out that there remained good scope for potato processing in the district and urged the private sector to come forward in setting up potato-processing industries in Munshiganj. He assured necessary government support.

Responding to demands of the locals he said he would talk to the authority concerned for giving two-kilometer new connection for gas supply to Tongibari.

He further said steps have been taken to upgrade Munshiganj Sadar Modern Hospital from 100-bed to

200-bed one involving a cost of Tk 12.50 crore. Instruction has been given to the authority concerned to immediately accomplish the task.

Regarding other demands he said those demands would be actively considered by the government.

He also listed some development works, including repairing and construction of roads and bridges, which he instructed during his visit to the district during last floods.

Informing the meeting about government plan to turn various existing schools in various districts to

model schools to improve the standard of education, he hoped that Tongibari High School would be one.

The CA emphasized cultivating fish on floodplains following successful examples of this type of fish production from other parts of the country.

He discouraged the catching and marketing of Jatka fish and called for finding ways how better the fishermen can be helped during the period of prohibition on netting the hilsha fry.

Representatives from different professions, including potato farmers, fishermen, teachers, journalists, traders, and cold-storage traders, union parishad chairmen and Munshiganj pourashava chairman and UNO also spoke at the exchange-of-opinion meeting conducted

by Munshiganj DC Md Moniruddin.

Earlier in the day, the Chief Adviser inaugurated the upgraded Tongibari Upazila Health Complex and unveiled the foundation-stone plaque of constructing new complex Bhaban of Tongibari Upazila Parishad.

On his way back from Tongibari to helipad in Munshiganj Sadar for flying back to Dhaka, he got down from his car and talked with some people and enquired about their wellbeing.

BSMMU doctor advises to send Hasina abroad for treatment

Staff Reporter

Her personal physician Prof Dr ABM Abdullah of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) has formally advised the jail authorities to send detained former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina abroad for treatment after getting her consent.

Disclosing this, one of her top counsel Barrister Shafique Ahmed yesterday said there is no legal bar for the Government to send Sheikh Hasina, who is also the President of the Awami League (AL), abroad for treatment on bail.

"We are waiting for the action of the jail authorities over the doctor's advice," the lawyer told journalists avoiding a direct answer as to whether they would move the High Court for her bail within a day or two.

"The cases against her are not serious enough to deny bail," Barrister Shafique said, adding, "The Court can easily grant bail to the former Prime Minister on health ground as per the law of the land."

Echoing the same view, another senior legal expert said, "The emergency power rules (EPR), under which her cases are being tried, denies the accused right to receive bail from a lower Court but it did not take away the prosecution's right to apply for bail for the accused and the Government's right to offer bail."

The EPR did not curtail the High Court's right to grant bail, he asserted.

Noted jurist Dr Shahdeen Malick opined that Sheikh Hasina can be released on bail for treatment even by a lower Court under section 497 of the CrPC. This section of the CrPC allows the Court to grant bail to an accused or a group of accused arrested vide a non- bail able law.

"Even if the Court feels the accused person may get death penalty, which is a non-bail able case, it can grant if the accused is a minor of less than 16 years or either a woman or a sick person under 497 of the CrPC, which the emergency power rules did not repealed," he said, citing that the then JSD General Secretary ASM Abdur Rob was sent Germany directly from his prison cell for treatment though he was serving 15 years imprisonment in a treason case.

New books aplenty in Ekushey Boi Mela

DU Correspondent

A lot of new books of different titles were appearing in the Ekushey Book Fair but the collection of translated books was rare. No translated book was published in the fair yesterday while 14 novels, 13 poems and 6 story books were published.

So far, a total of 350 books of poem, 334 of novel and 182 of story and only 20 books of translation hit the fair.

Syed Shamsul Haque, a famous writer who visited the fair yesterday, said the publishers should publish the translated books of different languages including 'Hindi,' 'Urdu' and 'Persian' to enrich the wisdom of knowledge. He, however, said the publishers should come forward in this regard.

A total of 65 new title books hit the fair yesterday. Of them, the covers of 14 books were unveiled at the writer's corner.

Prof Anwar Hossain unveiled the cover of 'Che-Guevara' and 'Mukunda Das' essays published by Ramon Publishers while Shamsuzzaman Khan, former Director General of National Museum, unveiled the cover of 'Tirer Anneshay' of Ajoy Roy.

Besides, the day's arrival including 'Paribesh Kabita' of Rafique Azad published by Ittadi Prokashani, 'O', a juvenile novel of Zafar Iqbal published by 'Annana', Jesmin Road, a novel of Syed Shamsul Haque, 'Kacher Galpa and Durer Galpa' of Ali Imam published by 'Mijan Publishers, 'Doa Kabul Hobaai,' a religious book of Mustafa Zaman Abbasi published by Shekha Prokashani and 'Ekattarer Ranangan and Muktijudder Samoykal', a muktijudda based book of Mohammad Shafiuddin published by 'Antarip Publications.

9 get Ekushey Padak

UNB, Dhaka

Nine distinguished personalities of the country have been awarded the 'Ekushey Padak' 2008 in recognition of their outstanding contributions in their respective fields.

The awardees are Dr Nazma Chowdhury (research), Khandaker Nurul Alam (music), Wahidul Huq (music), Shyam Sundar Baishnab (music-Posthumous), Shefali Ghosh (music-posthumously), Prof Dr Mozaffar Ahmad (education), Khaleq Nawaj Khan (language), Prof Dr Zohra Begum Kazi (social work) and Dilwar Khan (literature). Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed will formally distribute the awards among the recipients at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium here on February 20 morning, said a PID handout.