The New Nation - Internet Edition

Pakistan beat India

Pakistani batsmen Salman Butt and Yunus Khan running
between the wicket while a female cricket fan (r) enjoying
the exciting final match of the Kitply Cup at the Mirpur
Sher-eo-Bangla National Stadium on Saturday.
FocusBangla

Sabbir Hossain

Pakistan clinched the Championship of the Kitply Cup Tri-Nation ODI Cricket Tournament when they beat India by 25 runs in a hard-fought final match at the flood-lit Mirpu Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Saturday.

Electing to bat first, Pakistan piled up a mammonth 315 for the loss of three wickets in the regulation 50 overs.

In reply, India were bowled out for 290 off 48.1 overs.

Skipper MS Dhoni remained undefeated with 64 off 58 balls including three fours and two huge sixes while Yuvraj Singh hit a fine 56 playing 69 deliveries amid 5 fours and a six. Omar Gul scalped 4 for 67.

Earlier, two splendid centuries from Salman Butt and Younus Khan powered Pakistan to notch up 315 for the loss of three wickets in the stipulated 50 overs against India.

After dismissal of opener Kamran Akmal when the team's score was 34 for the loss of one wicket, opener Salman Butt and Younus Khan salvaged their team from debacle adding together 205 runs in the second wicket stand.

Salman Butt retired hurt making 129 facing 136 balls which innings was laced with 12 boundaries and three over boundaries.

Younus Khan cracked 108 off 99 balls. He hit eight fours and three sixes before he was caught by Virendar Sehwag off Ishant Sharma when Pakistan's score was 239 for the loss of two wickets.

Salman Butt fulfilled his century from 121 balls while Younus Khan fulfilled his century using 92 balls.

Later, Misbah-ul-Haq was caught at mid on by Rohit Sharma off Irfan Pathan hitting 33 playing 21 deliveries amid four fours and one six.

Left-arm medium pacer Irfan Pathan was his team's most successful bowler with two wickets at the cost of 59 runs.

Ishant Sharma took one wicket conceding 57 runs.

Kandahar prison gate blown up 1,100 Guantanamo returnees escape

AFP, Kandahar

A desperate hunt is underway for more than 1,100 prisoners who escaped a jail in southern Afghanistan when Taliban rebels blasted it open, killing 15 guards, officials said Saturday. The prisoners were earlier transferred to Kandahar jail from overseas US detention facilities. The Taliban said 400 of its own fighters escaped when the rebels attacked the facility in the city of Kandahar late Friday, blasting it open with suicide bombs before shooting the guards.

They spent two months planning the raid, which deputy justice minister Mohammad Qasim Hashimzai said was their most sophisticated yet.

"A massive operation is under way to find the escaped inmates. The Afghan security forces are searching for them within the city and along the main and secondary roads," Hashimzai told AFP in the capital, Kabul. None of the escaped inmates has yet been caught, he added.

"Afghanistan national security forces and ISAF forces have cordoned off the area to re-establish security and recapture the escapees," General Carlos Branco, a spokesman for the NATO's International Security Assistance Force told AFP.

A Taliban spokesman, Yousuf Ahmadi, calling AFP from an unknown location, said the rebels used suicide bombs and detonated a bomb-laden water tanker in the attack.

"First we exploded two suicide attacks and then our mujahedin (holy warriors) riding motorcycles entered the prison and killed the remaining security guards.

"We successfully freed all prisoners, including our jailed Taliban and other prisoners," he told AFP.

A statement posted on the Taliban website later said about 400 Taliban-linked militants and several hundred other inmates were freed from the prison.

The statement, signed by Ahmadi, said the rebels had planned the attack two months ago.

"Today we succeeded," it said, adding the raid was part of a militant operation-Ibrat, which means Lesson-which the rebels declared at the beginning of this year.

An AFP reporter based in the southern city said large numbers of security forces including those of the US-trained Afghan national army had been deployed to search vehicles.

Authorities had so far recovered the bodies of at least 15 security guards, Ahmad Wali Karzai, the head of the Kandahar Provincial Council and brother of President Hamid Karzai told AFP.

"We've discovered the bodies of 15 security guards who were killed in the attack. The casualties might be more," Karzai added.

"Several hundred prisoners including Taliban have escaped," he said, without giving a precise figure.

The Taliban have been battling Hamid Karzai's government since they were toppled from power in a US-led operation for failing to hand over Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in 2001.

The raid is a blow to the president, coming one day after world donors pledged 20 billion dollars to rebuild Afghanistan at a conference in Paris but also called on him to strengthen the rule of law.

Despite the presence of about 70,000 international troops mainly operating under NATO, the insurgency aimed at toppling the US-backed government in Kabul has gained pace in the past two years.

Most of the Taliban attacks include suicide and roadside bomb blasts as well as small-scale gunfights targeting security forces. But the Islamic rebels have launched some of their most sophisticated raids in recent months.

In January 2008 several Taliban militants wearing suicide vests raided a five-star hotel in the capital, Kabul, and killed eight people including three foreigners.

And on April 27, Taliban gunmen opened fire on a military parade attended by the president, missing him but killing three other people including an MP.

A Western military official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the prison attack was a major success for the rebels.

"Here behind this spectacular attack they have achieved success," the Western official told AFP.

"It was very different to the Serena attack and the military parade attack, which were very spectacular propaganda operations."

Participation of all parties in polls a must: Moriarty: Anti-corruption drive should not be undermined

James F. Moriarty

Staff Reporter

US Ambassador James F Moriarty yesterday termed the release of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the process to free the other former premier Begum Khaleda Zia 'a positive development and a good beginning of compromise' towards the national election and opined that this process in anyway should not disrupt the ongoing drive against corruption.

He warned that the foreign, including the US, investment in Bangladesh would be affected in the future, if the current process (of compromise or reconciliation) diminishes the anti-corruption drive.

The US envoy stressed the need for the participation of all political parties in the elections that must be arranged in a free, fair and credible manner.

"It is (Sheikh Hasina's release) a good start ahead of a fair and credible election. But now it should be ensured that all parties are going to participate in the election," Moriarty told journalists in reply to a question on the recent release of Sheikh Hasina, who is now in the US for medical treatment.

"We do want to see further discussions and further compromise that would be necessary for a free, fair and credible election. It is a good start," he added.

He said this, while addressing a press conference on the occasion of completion of the

renovation work of the Consular Section of the US Embassy in Dhaka.

Moriarty expressed the hope that all the complexities regarding the elections would be resolved and the polls would be held within the set time (within December this year).

He reiterated his call for making "compromise" among all the political parties to hold a free and fair election on the basis of understanding (consensus).

Asked whether BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia should also be released like Sheikh Hasina for creating a level-playing field for the elections, Moriarty said, "I don't know what should be the process, but one thing we believe that all the political parties will have to participate in the elections for the sake of democracy."

When requested to clarify the term "compromise", which he used it several times since he took over as the Ambassador in Dhaka, he said, "I always wanted to mean that an election to be participated by all parties on the basis of mutual understanding."

Moriarty continued, "But understanding not only before and during election will be enough for healthy democracy, rather all will have to have a vision and consensus for post-election issues that will ensure political and socio-economic stability in Bangladesh."

He said the USA would continue to extend its support to Bangladesh both in pre-and post-election situations.

Moriarty parried a question, when asked for a comment whether the release of Sheikh Hasina and other top political leaders who were accused of corruption will hamper the mission of Bangladesh to make a corruption-free society.

He, however, hastened to warn, "If Bangladesh fails to prove that corruption does not decrease here regularly, then foreign investors would also lose their interests in making investments in the country."

He said, "We hope, the anti-corruption drives will not to be diminished in future since corruption always has been the biggest barrier to attracting the foreign, even the domestic, investments also."

About the process of Sheikh Hasina's release, Moriarty said the US hoped that all trials in Bangladesh would be done with full justice and transparently.

He said Washington was interested in watching what the next Government would do after holding the ninth parliamentary election.

"We are in favour of holding the election by December. We are watching under what conditions the elections are held and … what conditions will be afterwards," he said.

Moriarty made it clear that the US companies would not invest in Bangladesh if the people within the government demanded bribes.

"Corruption is a big factor in investment decisions. If people within the government, people within the structure running the country receive bribes, the American companies are not allowed to do it," he warned, adding, "If they do it and I find out, I will have to report to the Department of Justice against them."

Stressing the need for continuing the anticorruption drive in a transparent manner, Moriarty said, "Certainly we don't want to see the drive against corruption diminish. We also do hope that there will be a transparent process."

He said corruption charges against the people must be investigated "thoroughly and transparently".

He laid emphasis on lifting the state of emergency before election as, what he said, "it will be difficult to hold a free and fair election under the state of emergency."

Later, Moriarty inaugurated three more windows set up for the visa applicants at the consular section of the US Embassy. The number of windows for visa applicants has now increased to 11 from 8.

He said they want to see that the increasing number of Bangladeshi students are going to the US for studies as they are expected to enrich higher educational institutions in the United States as well as make them better able to contribute economically, culturally and politically to Bangladesh.

He suggested the Bangladeshi visa applicants, especially those for non-immigrant and student visas, to apply early, as the processing of US visa needs at least three months for completion.

Moriarty asked the visa applicants to be careful about the visa brokers and said the US Embassy would continue to cooperate with the security agencies to destroy the groups of visa brokers.

Bangladesh situation: US State Department declines comment

AP, Washington

The US State Department's chief spokesman, Sean McCormack, had a one-word answer: No, when he was asked shortly after the rights group issued its criticism whether the United States had any comment on the large-scale arrests in Bangladesh in the wake of anti-drive crackdown.

Richard Boucher, the assistant secretary of state for South Asia, later said President Bush's government was making its concerns known in Bangladesh, but Washington needs "to understand it a little better before we say more" about whether the arrests are evidence of backsliding on democracy.

"With so many arrests being carried out, we wonder if they're really being done in accordance with due process and protections of law," Boucher said. He has said that the United States will not accept deviation from the establishment of democracy in Bangladesh.

That may be because the new leaders have brought a measure of stability to the poor, Muslim-majority nation, cracked down on corruption and, perhaps most importantly for the United States, acted tough against terrorism.

As long as Bangladesh's government is doing the things the U.S. wants it to do, "I don't think the US is going to be terribly upset" about other issues, said Christine Fair, a South Asia specialist at the RAND Corp.

Human Rights Watch says many of those arrested in recent weeks are local-level political party leaders and activists. Bangladesh's police chief has denied accusations the arrests are politically motivated.

The measured U.S. comments stand in contrast to the vigor with which Washington has condemned events in Zimbabwe and Myanmar.

Henrik Alffram, a Human Rights Watch consultant, said he had seen very little reaction from any country about the crackdown. "This is a concern of the international community, but, obviously, they haven't decided how to react yet," he said.

Another reason for the Bush administration's response to events in Bangladesh is that it could be waiting to see how the promised December elections turn out.

Ali Riaz, a specialist on Bangladesh and professor at Illinois State University, said the United States, mindful of Bangladesh's shaky political situation, is being very careful about what it says. The fear is that U.S. interference could lead to something even more chaotic.

Terrorism is a major worry for the United States, especially after a string of bombings in Bangladesh blamed on a banned Islamic group. The army has taken "a zero-tolerance policy" against extremism, Fair said, something that "really played to the international community."

Another explanation for the U.S. response to events in Bangladesh, Fair said, is "really thin" resources for

South Asia within the U.S. government, with most devoted to Afghanistan, Pakistan and a Bush administration push for a civilian nuclear cooperation accord with India.

"Bangladesh is not ever going to sustain the interest," Fair said. "It's a mess, and not enough attention is given to 160 million people who used to have, albeit a problematic democracy, a democracy nonetheless."

Govt’s dialogue approach contradictory: Delwar

Staff Reporter

BNP Secretary General Khondoker Delwar Hossain yesterday ruled out the possibility of applying for the release of party Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia saying that the recommendation of the medical board for her treatment abroad is enough to release her.

"No petition is needed for the release of Begum Zia but the procedure will be followed if she advises so," he said while talking to reporters after placing wreath at the mazar of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman in the city to mark the founding anniversary of Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal, a front organisation of BNP.

The BNP leader said Begum Zia had already expressed herself in favour of receiving medical treatment at home but the medical board formed by the government recommended her treatment abroad.

"So, there is no need for a separate petition to the court for her release," he noted.

Khondoker Delwar, however, said if the petition is at all necessary, it would be made following instructions from the party Chairperson.

He said that the medical board recommended that Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman, sons of Begum Zia, should be sent abroad for better treatment at the earliest. Begum Zia wants her sons to be sent abroad immediately, he said.

The BNP Secretary General alleged that the government has kept Begum Zia under detention to serve it political purpose.

"It is now the matter of the government under which process she will be released," he observed adding, Begum Zia should be set free automatically. Asked whether the BNP has lagged behind organisationally with the release of Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina, the BNP leader replied in the negative.

"I think the release of Hasina has placed BNP in an advantageous position which will be proved in the next elections," he said.

Khondoker Delwar asked the government to stop arresting political leaders and activists saying that it might jeopardise the dialogue process.

"The government has taken a conflicting policy by holding dialogue with political parties on one hand and arresting political activists on the other," he observed.

Among others, BNP leaders Rizvi Ahmed, former lawmaker Helen Zerin Khan, Khandaker Babul Chowdhury, Habibun Nabi Khan Sohel and Sultan Salahuddin Tuku were present on the occasion.

Later, the BNP leaders went in front of the sub-jail of Begum Zia and sent wreath to her through proper authority.

Ashar begins today

BSS, Dhaka

After a lull rains are coming back today and the next week may see monsoon becoming active, met office sources said.

Today is also the first day of Ashar, the month of rains in Bangla calendar.

Though rains slurred in Dhaka division, it was active in Rajshahi division.

During the past 24 hours ending at 6: 00 AM yesterday,

Dinajpur recorded the highest 84 mm rainfall followed by 46 mm at Rangpur, four mm each at Rajshahi and Khulna, two mm at Sylhet, traces or drops at Chittagong and Cox's Bazar.

It went dry at Dhaka, Barisal, Faridpur and Jessore.

During the next 12 hours, Rangpur recorded 44mm rains followed by 38mm at Bogra, 30mm at Rajshahi, 21mm at Dinajpur, 17mm at Syedpur, six mm at Mymensingh, three mm at Cox's Bazar and traces at Dhaka, Tangail and Patuakhali.

As rains slowed down, heat and humidity returned.

The highest maximum temperature in the country yesterday was 35 degrees Celsius at Khulna and the lowest minimum was 24C at Saidpur.

The maximum temperature in Dhaka was 33.9C against 34.2C on Friday and minimum was 28C, Chittagong maximum 33.2C and minimum 27C,Khulna maximum 35C and minimum 27.5C, Barisal maximum 33.4C and minimum 27.2C and Sylhet maximum 32.5C and minimum 26.3C.

The met forecast during the next 24 hours beginning at 6:00 PM yesterday said light to moderate rains or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty winds are likely at many places over Rajshahi, Dhaka and Sylhet divisions and at few places over Barisal, Khulna and Chittagong divisions with moderately heavy falls at places.

The day temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country, it added.

The rains may increase during the next two days, the met forecast said. Little change is forecast in extended outlook for weather in another five days.

Hasina to undergo treatment June 18

Staff Reporter

The medical treatment of former Prime Minister and Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina in the US will begin on Thursday (June 18).

A message received in Dhaka yesterday from her son Sajib Wazed Joy residing in Boston in the US said this adding that Sheikh Hasina passed her first day abroad with the family members and friends of her son and daughter-in-law Christine Wazed Joy.

Sheikh Hasina, who was released from prison on

Wednesday and arrived in Boston on Thursday evening, was staying at Joy's residence their.

"Although a number of her well-wishers and local party leaders went to seek Shaikh Hasina at her son's residence in Boston, she did not meet them," the message said, adding, "Her son has already contacted her doctors in Boston and Florida."

The AL President will undergo medical treatment for her eye in Boston first and than she will move to Florida for treating her ears complication and repairing or replacing her hearing-aides.

Meanwhile, some senior AL leaders, who fled Bangladesh to avoid arrest in the ongoing anti-corruption campaign and now living different countries of the world, have started arriving in Boston to meet Sheikh Hasina.

Those already arrived in Boston include Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu, former Chief Whip Abul Hasanat Abdullah, former Whip Mostafa Rashidee Suja and Shamim Osman.

Political dialogue: AL names delegates

Pankaj Karmakar

The Awami League has initiated preparation for participating in the upcoming National Election as its party chief and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was released on Wednesday.

As part of the preparation, the party yesterday in a working committee's meeting selected nine delegates to join the Government -sponsored dialogue.

The delegates to the dialogue are: Zillur Rahman, Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur Razzak, Tofail Ahmed, Suranjit Sengupta, Motia Chowdhury, Ataur Rahman Khan Kaiser and Syed Ahsraful Islam.

Ashraful acting General Secretary of AL said the party would send the list to the CA office shortly. He further said that the party wants a logical conclusion of the caretaker government's initiatives to arrange the parliamentary elections in a free and fair manner.

He also demanded the withdrawal of state of emergency completely before the election to make it fair, transparent and acceptable.

The party chief Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday directed her colleagues to join the dialogue under the leadership of party's Acting President Zillur Rahman and to take all preparations for the polls.

Source said the party would launch formal political activities regarding the preparation for participating in the National Election by the end of this month.

Beside this, the central leaders of the party will begin cross-country visits from June20 to June 30 being divided in eighteen units.

About the tour programme a central leader said, " We have decided to launch the programme to inject vigour among the local leaders and activists and to resolve the organisational crisis prevailing in the districts and thana committees. It will also help to build bridge among the central leaders and local leaders and activists."

Talking to The New Nation, Syed Ashraful Islam said, " The ultimate goal of a political party is to participate in the election. We were in a dilemma regarding this issue while the party chief was in detention. But now we are committed to participate in the national election."

He also added that the government would have to fulfil the six-point demand including the trial of war criminals to ensure the participation of Awami League in the election although one-point has been partially met.

The duration of the AL-sponsored mass signature campaign to press the 6-point demand has been extended till July 15 as many party leaders and workers were arrested during the current clampdown. The campaign was scheduled to end on June 30.

On the other hand, Awami League has initiated to communicate with its allies, as the party has a strong desire to participate in the election along with 14-parties alliance.

As a part of reactivating the allies Syed Ashraful Islam yesterday met with Workers Party's President Rashed Khan Menon at his party office.

During the courtesy call, Ashraful discussed 14-party stand on election issues to be placed by Awami League during its dialogue with the caretaker government shortly.

Ashraful told that they discussed the recent release of Sheikh Hasina, political dialogue and election matters.

Rashed Khan Menon said Awami League would hold dialogue separately with its allies in the 14-party combine before going to the dialogue.

Kamal apprehends: Situation taking U-turn

Staff Reporter

Gano Forum President Dr Kamal Hossain yesterday said the situation will take a U-turn if those who will come to power after December do not ratify the works of the present Government.

He was speaking at a seminar on Budget 2008-09: Overcoming the Problems of Housing Industry organised by Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB) at

the National Press Club yesterday.

The seasoned politician said there is no alternative to parliamentary democracy. But for effectiveness of democracy honesty and sincerity of politicians is a must.

He said some political leaders have deceived people in the name of politics. They did nothing for the people but delivered lectures.

REHAB president Tanveerul Haque Probal presented keynote speech at the seminar.

He said about 15 lakh construction workers have been affected as price hike of mild steel (MS) rod, brick and cement has slowed down the pace of construction work in the country.

He said 15 per cent duty cut on imports of MS rod and MS bar will not be fruitful to decrease the price of the materials if the Government does not monitor the market strongly.

The REHAB president said, "In 2006, the REHAB members constructed 7,000 apartment units. It fell to just 3,500 units in 2007 affecting more than 15 lakh construction workers."

Probal said, "The job crisis has been prevailing since the beginning of last winter when only a small number of residential and commercial buildings were under construction because of soaring prices of construction materials."

In the past one week, the price of finer quality rod ranged between the Tk. 70,000 to 72,000 per ton, up from around Tk. 40,000 in January.

Average price of a sack of cement is now Tk. 350 but it was Tk. 240 about a year ago.

The work on hundreds of under-construction private houses and commercial buildings across the country has been stalled or slowed down due to the recent price hike of the construction materials, according to some real estate developers.

The REHAB president made a 6-point demand including low interest bank loan for housing industry, decreasing registration cost, floating a secondary market for housing industry, withdrawal of VAT, reviewing income tax regulations and also to allow import of second hand machinery for construction.

Tamim for raising prices of oil, gas

Staff Reporter

Making a strong plea for raising prices of oil and gas Chief Advisor's Special Assistant for Power and Energy Ministry Prof. M Tamim yesterday said government subsidy on power and energy would come to some Tk 18,000 crore in the coming fiscal year under the newly announced budget.

He said Tk 16,000 crore of this amount would go to petroleum while Tk 1,000 crore to power and another Tk 1,000 to gas sector, he said and termed it as a drain on the state exchequer.

Dr Tamim was speaking at a seminar on 'Energy Security and Price' organised at the National Press Club by the Energy Reporters Forum, the former BUET professor focused on merits of adjustment of the price of petroleum.

He said the country's annual development programme is worth Tk 26,500 crore, but subsidies for different sectors, including fertilizer, would surpass this size of the development recipe.

He also claimed that only a peanut 10 per cent of the total subsidies would go to the rural poor while the urban reach would grab the lion share of 90 per cent.

In support of the argument for a price increase he pointed out that as per today's international market prices, government's import price of per-litre diesel is about Tk 90 while its selling price is only Tk 40.

"So, if we think about the sustainability of energy sector and energy security, we have to go for price adjustment. Not only oil, but the prices of natural gas and electricity also need to be adjusted (with international prices). Otherwise the country will be in a deep crisis," he told reporters.

"It is only a matter of time when we raise the oil prices, which we also know will have multi-dimensional effects on the economy," Tamim said.

"We are always very particular to pay our bills. But for the first time we could not pay them last month and also will not be able to pay (bills) for the current month," said Jalal Ahmed, chairman of the government-run Petrobangla.

"Now it is a question of existence. If the gas price is not hiked we (Petrobangla) may not sustain our plan to discover more gas fields and will also not be able to pay IOCs bills," Jalal said.

The government increased fuel prices by about 21 per cent in April 2007 when crude oil was trading at $67, Tamim said adding the oil price in the global markets has since nearly doubled.

Justifying the need for price adjustment of natural gas, the CA's special assistant said the government's buying rate from international oil companies (IOCs) is about Tk 130 per unit while power plants and fertilizer companies are getting at a much lower rate.

He said energy security is related to energy price. "If there is no coordination between the two, the energy security can't be ensured."

Energy Secretary Mohammad Mohsin told the function that the country has to go for alternative sources of energy for ensuring its security.

He put the country's coal reserve at about 3 billion tons and coal could be the proper option in this regard.

Power Secretary Dr. M Fouzul Kabir Khan said the government would not arbitrarily raise the electricity tariffs unless it is approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).

"We have already told the power entities to go to the ERC with their own proposals to justify those," he told the meet.

Former PDB chairman Quamrul Islam Siddique said that the government should move to coal-sector development to reduce its dependence on gas for power generation for the sake of energy security.