The New Nation - Internet Edition

5 advisers meet Khaleda Zia: Govt-AL third round talks today

Staff Reporter

Five advisers of the Caretaker Government yesterday held an exclusive meeting with former prime minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia at her Shaheed Moinul Road residence at Dhaka Cantonment in the city.

The meeting attended by Adviser for Communications Maj Gen (Retd) Ghulam Quader, Adviser for Law and Justice AF Hassan Ariff, Adviser for Foreign Affairs Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, Adviser for LGRD M Anwarul Iqbal and Adviser for Education and Commerce Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman.

BNP Secretary General Khondoker Delwar Hossain and Joint Secretary General Nazrul Islam Khan were present at the meeting. The content of the meeting, which began at 7:45pm, could not be known till filing of the report at 9:30pm. However, insiders said the advisers talked about the tentative date of the next phase of dialogue with the BNP.

Sources said, BNP's seven-point demands, including withdrawal of state of emergency before the general elections, deferment of upazila polling date, cancellation of Representation of People Order (RPO) and delimitation of parliamentary constituencies also came up for discussion. A press briefing was scheduled to be held at Old DOHS Community Centre following the meeting.

On September 11, four advisers had a meeting with Begum Zia at her residence, a day after her release from sub jail.

Later on October 10, Adviser for Commerce Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman also held a one-to-one meeting with Begum Zia at her cantonment residence.

The BNP government dialogue on October 14 ended inconclusively on majority of issues. Both the sides, however, told reporters that more formal and informal dialogues between the two sides would be held to resolve the unsettled matters.

Meanwhile, the government will hold its third-round of dialogue with the Awami League (AL) at 3:00pm today to discuss some crucial issues.

Party source said the AL would place a set of demands including lifting of the state of emergency, withdrawal of all "false" charges against its president Sheikh Hasina, her unconditional release, and the deferment of the upazila elections before the government during the talks.

"We will point out the logic behind our demands," a central AL leader told The New Nation last night.

Terming the dialogue with the government very important, he said they hoped the differences on these issues will be resolved through discussion and all doubts centring the elections would be removed.

He urged the government and the EC to keep their doors open for dialogues until the Election Day.

Global index: Press freedom: Iceland top, US 36th: Media plays role of parliament in Bangladesh

Staff Reporter

The media watchdog, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), says democracy does not necessarily guarantee a free press, with security worries eroding freedom.

RSF cited the poor showing by the US and Israel, and urged US politicians to improve the situation.

The warning coincides with the publication of the group's annual global index of press freedom.

Iceland topped the list while the US was 36th. North Korea, Turkmenistan and Eritrea were the lowest-ranked nations.

While parliamentary democracies not engaged in any war did well, others - including the US and Israel helped to erode free press, the report said.

Dominating the top 20 of the global index were European states, in particular Nordic countries such as Iceland, Norway and Finland.

Some of the newer democracies, including Estonia, Latvia and Slovakia, featured in the top 10. Britain was 23rd .

Some African countries were higher up the index than in previous years, such as Namibia, Ghana and Mali. They rated better than Spain and Italy, which the report says have slipped because of political or mafia interference.

China still languished in the bottom 10-despite it being Olympics year-just worse than Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe and Iran, although not quite as bad as Burma. The data was compiled for the year ending 1 September 2008.

Referring to Bangladesh, the RSF report said, There was a sharp decrease in the number of journalists physically attacked or receiving death threats from political militants and criminals. On the other hand, arrests increased markedly, with almost 40 cases in 2007. The government constantly stated that the media had a role to play in the fight against corruption and social injustice, but, in a new development, self-censorship began gradually to be applied to political issues. "Some asserted that the media was becoming the parliament in the absence of a government formed by elections. Others welcomed the emergence of a fourth estate. But one thing in the media was missing: critical articles on the current administration, clearly demonstrating the existence of censorship and self-censorship". The report mentioned about harassment of journalists by members of law enforcing agencies.

In the Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2008, published by Reporters Without Borders Bangladesh ranks 136th among 173 countries.

Bangladesh had ranked 134th among 169 countries in 2007.

The international media have shown growing concern over the recent rise in human rights violations in Bangladesh.

General Moeen meets Zardari

Army Chief General Moeen U Ahmed called on
Pakistan's Defence Minister Chowdhury Ahmed Muktar in
Islamabad on Wednesday. PID photo

BSS, Islamabad

Chief of Army Staff General Moeen U Ahmed yesterday made a courtesy call on Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and discussed matters of mutual interests.

General Moeen also called on Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani, Joint Chief of Staff Committee General Tariq Majid, Defence Minister Chowdhury Ahmed Mukhtar, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Noman Bashir and acting Air Chief Air Marshal Shahid Lateef.

During these meetings, they exchanged views on matters of mutual cooperation in the fields of trade, commerce, agriculture and cultural development and development of the armed forces of the two countries.

They expressed the hope that trade and commerce between Bangladesh and Pakistan would be increased further when the direct shipping line is established between the port cities of Chittagong and Karachi.

General Moeen, on behalf of the people of Bangladesh, expressed sympathy over the recent bomb explosion and the loss of lives in Marriott Hotel in Islamabad.

During his meetings with the high officials of Pakistan armed forces, General Moeen expressed confidence that the existing defence cooperation between the two countries would be further cemented in the years to come.

Bangladesh High Commissioner to Pakistan Yasmeen Murshed was present during the meetings.

The army chief is now in Pakistan on a six-day official visit.

Bomb blast near BSMMU prison cell: One injured

Jail officials visiting bomb explosion site near
BSMMU prison cell yesterday. Focusbangla

UNB, Dhaka

A bomb exploded at the compound of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) in the city Wednesday noon, leaving a woman patient slightly injured.

Confirming the incident, officer in-charge of Shahbagh police station Rezaul Karim told UNB that the bomb exploded near the prison cell of the BSMMU at about 12 noon.

The explosion slightly injured Sushama, 55, a patient of the hospital, he said

Panic-stricken patients and visitors at the BSMMU began running to and fro as black smoke filled the area, witnesses said.

Police rushed to the spot and cordoned the area. They also collected samples of the explosives.

Petitioner tells HC bench: EC fails to convince people about polls

UNB, Dhaka

The activities of the Election Commission "failed to earn credibility" to convince the people that election to the next parliament would be held on December 18 as announced, a lawyer told the High Court yesterday.

Advocate ABM Nurul Islam, one of the challengers against the reformation of the parliamentary constituencies, raised the contentions while making submission on rule-hearing on his own writ petition against the April 29 EC gazette notification re-delimitating 150 of the 300 constituencies.

The hearing was held in the bench of Justice Mir Hasmat Ali and Justice Shamim Hasnain.

Terming the EC notification mala fide and arbitrary, Islam said that the EC violated the principles of reasonable distribution of constituencies, putting the intending candidates into trouble. "There is no such law existing for allocation of district-wide seats," he said.

Invoking Article 125 of the Constitution that bars challenging the validity of any law relating to the delimitation of constituencies or the allotment of parliament seats, the petitioner-lawyer submitted that he did not challenge the veracity or vires of the law on delimitation of constituencies or allotment of parliamentary seats.

"I sought the implementation of the provisions of the law on election for ensuring that the election is credible," he told the court.

Defending the EC stand, advocate Mahmudul Islam underpinned section 8 of the Delimitation of Constituencies Ordinance 1976 that states that the territorial constituencies shall be delimitated afresh upon completion of each census, for the purpose of general election to parliament to be held following such census, unless otherwise directed by the Election Commission for reasons to be recorded in writing, before such general election to parliament.

On May 12, the HC, following Islam's writ petition, issued a rule upon the EC to explain why the impugned notification 'should not be declared illegal'.

His is one of nearly a dozen similar writ petitions await rule hearings in a tandem on the issue vital to the December polls, as before clearing the legal impediments the EC cannot announce election schedule.

A tentative dater for announcing the election schedule is November 1 or 2.

120 US poll observers on long-term mission

UNB, Dhaka

The United States will dispatch 120 observers on a long-term mission to monitor the December 18 parliamentary elections in Bangladesh and first batch will be here in the first week of November to look over the run-up to the crucial polls.

Talking to reporters after meeting with Foreign Adviser Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, US Ambassador James Moriarty renewed his hope that the conditions were going to be in place for holding free, fair and credible elections.

Asked whether the state of emergency would make any difference in decision-making about sending the election observers, the Ambassador said, "No, no. we've made the commitment. We think we need to get the people out here and that's going to happen. They are going to be on their way."

Asked whether the US has changed its position on the elections under emergency or without emergency, Moriarty laughed out, and then said Bangladeshis should determine how the elections could be free and fair.

He noted half a million Bangladeshi people live in the United States and half of them support BNP and another half Awami League. It is important that they should be assured that the elections are going to be credible.

The Ambassador and the Foreign Adviser of the caretaker government also discussed the upcoming presidential elections in the USA. Again with laugh, he said the Foreign Adviser hoped that the elections in America would be free and fair.

Iftekhar told him that the people in Bangladesh have a deep interest in the US elections and are following it very closely.

The Adviser assured him that Bangladesh would look forward to working closely together no matter whichever gentleman becomes elected President.

The current global financial turmoil also came up for discussion, and they hoped that the current difficulties in the financial world would not have long-term impacts on the Bangladesh-US trade relations.

Later, Iftekhar told reporters that the Bangladesh-US strategic relations would continue whoever is elected as US President.

He said the people of Bangladesh are anxiously waiting to see the results of the US elections, which is important for the world as well as the Bangladesh-US ties.

Iftekhar noted with satisfaction that Bangladesh this year exported garments worth $ 3.27 billion to the USA and hoped that the US Congress would enact such a law as allows free access of Bangladeshi products to the American market.

Asked whether the Ambassador raised the issue of the state of emergency, the Adviser said they had time and again stated that it is an internal matter of Bangladesh and the Bangladeshis would have to figure it out and that they know it very well.

"After all, we are moving towards the election nicely. If there could be nice election in America, why not in Bangladesh," Iftekhar said, mentioning the Chief Adviser's commitment that any impediments on the way of free and fair elections would be removed.

On the question of a persistent plea of the USA for recognizing Kosovo as a state in the strife-torn Balkans, he said Bangladesh would take the decision keeping well in mind country's specific national interests.

Call for relaxed rule to bring back siphoned money: Govt urged to nationalise food import

Staff Reporter

Eminent economist Prof Wahiduddin Mahmud has suggested the government to nationalise its entire food import system, at least for the time being, to save people from being battered by the market mechanism.

He was speaking at a discussion meeting on 'Global Financial Crisis: Impact on Bangladesh' organised by the Economic Reporters Forum (ERF) at the National Press Club in Dhaka yesterday.

Economists and businessmen in the meeting were at one to say that the ongoing global economic crisis would not adversely affect Bangladesh immediately but they alerted the policymakers to prepare to face any consequence of a possible prolonged global crisis or economic recession.

To avert any debacle in future, the experts also suggested the government to rethink its economic policies by shedding any kind fanaticism about capitalist free market economy or any kind of economic philosophies.

Some of the economists were also optimistic that Bangladesh may benefit in some respect due to some effects of the crisis in the rich world.

The laundered money by corrupt goons of Bangladesh may find its way back to Bangladesh, a former deputy governor of Bangladesh Bank observed in the meeting. He suggested the government and the Anti Corruption Commission to relax emergency rules and the drive against corruption to help them bring back the money.

"The dismantled financial system in most of the developed countries has made the laundered money of the corrupts, insecure. The corrupts will now try to bring back the money," said former deputy governor Khondoker Ibrahim Khaled.

He said, "Inward remittances may increase soon after withdrawal of the emergency, as the corrupts are now scared to bring the money back."

"If such money comes back, the authorities should consider relaxing investment rules," the noted banker suggested.

Wahiduddin Mahmud said the US and other countries are nationalising their banks in the wake of the financial crisis.

"Why don't we nationalise the entire food import system (to bring down prices)? It could be done, at least for a certain time," he said.

The economist suggested the government to be flexible about economic philosophy and to adopt policy in response to the needs of times.

Dr Mahmud said he believed external trade could be exposed to the crisis in the longer run. He suggested the local commercial banks to be careful about "risky" lending.

He said, "The Casino type economy will not be sustainable. US debacle suggests that credit in huge should not be encouraged for consumer products or fashionable goods. One can receive loan to invest in productive purpose, not to purchase consumer items.

"Consumer credit has to be restricted through enactment of law," he added.

Khondoker Ibrahim Khaled said, "the global crisis, affecting the investment climate in developed countries, may lead to lower inflation in Bangladesh."

He said, "Exports will not suffer because of the crisis as garments (the kind Bangladesh exports) is a product considered to be a necessity.

"Some 80 per cent of our (migrant) workers are based in the Middle East. The nature of their jobs will ensure they will not be affected by the economic crisis," Khaled said.

"If a few Bangladeshis lose jobs in Europe and North America and return, there won't be much impact on remittance. There may be some social impact."

BGMEA president Anwar-ul-Alam Chowdhury Pervez, the head of the largest exporters' group came up with three proposals for Bangladesh to steer clear of the crisis path.

"Build workforce, reduce prices of oil and fix two different exchange rates for export and import," he said.

CEO of the Dhaka Stock Exchange Professor Salehuddin Ahmed said, "Our share market will not suffer the crisis. Because the volume of foreign investment is very low, and the global crisis has virtually nothing to do with such markets."

Dr Ananya Raihan presented the keynote paper at the discussion where CPD executive director Prof Mostafizur Rahman also spoke. ERF president Nazmul Ahsasan moderated the discussion while its general secretary Sazzad Alam Khan offered vote of thanks.

HC reprimands EC lawyer for remarks to media

UNB, Dhaka

The High Court yesterday reprimanded a counsel for the Election Commission for his remarks to the media regarding a pending case challenging the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies.

"Since the matter is pending with the court, you can't make statement on a subjudice matter. Why did you speak to media?

It is easy to give tall talk to media… Court took exception to it," Justice Mir Hasmat Ali told the Commission's lawyer, Dr Shahdeen Malik.

"You are embarrassing the court by making such remarks to the media," the Judge further said, cautioning him of stern action if he repeated this in future.

In reply, Malik said, "My Lord, I am not aware of it."

The rule hearing on the delimitation dispute came up on the cause list for hearing today at the bench of Justice Ali and Justice Shamim Hasnain. But the hearing could not start off for time constraints.

The court will hear today the important matter related to the forthcoming general election.