Mandela stable after surgery

WORLD NEWS

Former South Africa President Nelson Mandela is in a stable condition after undergoing surgery, the BBC understands.
Officials said he was taken to hospital overnight for a "long-standing abdominal complaint" which needed "proper specialist medical attention".
A government spokesman said the former leader was "in good spirits and well".
The 93-year-old statesman and anti-apartheid icon has suffered declining health in recent years.
In a statement, President Jacob Zuma's office said the "love and good wishes of all South Africans and people throughout the world" were with Mandela, and asked for his family to be given privacy.
The statement did not say which hospital he had been admitted to but there are suggestions it was a military hospital in the capital, Pretoria.
Mandela had returned to Johannesburg last month from his rural home in the Eastern Cape and in January last year, he received treatment in the city's Milpark hospital for a serious chest infection.
"I can assure you that the former president is in good spirits and well," said Mac Maharaj, a spokesman for Zuma.
He told the BBC that further information would be released once Zuma and the Mandela family had received a full medical report from doctors, but that the 93-year-old's life was not in danger.
"This was a long-standing complaint - nothing that cropped up suddenly and needed emergency attention," said Maharaj.
"But it is an issue that the doctors treating him felt needed specialist attention, and so arrangements were made accordingly."
He would not confirm reports that Mandela had undergone overnight surgery for a hernia, and appealed for "co-operation from the public and the media so we manage this thing properly".
Nobel prize
The BBC's Andrew Harding in Johannesburg says the government is clearly keen to control the flow of information, after previous alerts about the former leader's health have been the subject of much speculation.
Mandela retired from public life eight years ago - his last public appearance was at the World Cup in South Africa in 2010.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner is affectionately known in South Africa as Madiba.
He spent 27 years in prison for his actions against the apartheid regime before being released in 1990.
In 1994, he became South Africa's first black president, stepping down in 1999 after one term.

Khaleda may be released any day

DHAKA NEWS

Detained former prime minister Khaleda Zia may be released any day, said communications adviser Ghulam Quader on Sunday.
Asked if the BNP chairperson would be released from special jail this week, Quader told reporters he was not in a position to specify the exact date and time.
“It’s certain that Khaleda Zia will be freed, but I can’t tell you exactly when it will happen,” the adviser said, adding that the legal procedure involved was taking time.
Asked to comment on Awami League’s criticism of the government over the release of BNP senior secretary general Tarique Rahman, Quader said: “Releasing someone from jail custody comes under the purview of the law courts. The government cannot detain or release anyone without the court’s accord.”
“The matter of granting bail to the detainee lies with the court and we all know that the judiciary has been working independently for quite some time now,” said the adviser.
The legal proceedings as regards any graft case are going on unhindered, he added.
Replying to a query, Quader said: “No, the government hasn’t retreated from its stance of combating and uprooting corruption.”
“The antigraft campaign is going on in full swing.”
On the government’s stance on political parties’ claim that the Election Commission was biased in attitude or action, the adviser said: “The Election Commission has been performing neutrally and has established its efficiency and efficacy beyond everybody’s doubts by successfully holding polls to four city corporations and nine municipalities.”
“The forthcoming Jatiya Sangsad elections will also be held under the stewardship of the present CEC.”

Teesta water-sharing deal not soon

DHAKA NEWS

Teesta water-sharing deal will take some more time till the interests of all concerned, including those of Paschimbanga, are addressed.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was told this by her Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh during a discussion on the Teesta accord and transit, among other issues, at Addu in the Maldives yesterday.
The two leaders held the talks at Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort in the afternoon, hours before the opening of 17th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit.
Briefing reporters, Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai later said Manmohan conveyed to Sheikh Hasina that India needed some more time to build consensus on the Teesta issue. “Whatever agreement we reach, we will have to take into account the interests of all concerned.”
The Teesta river accord could not be signed during Manmohan Singh’s Dhaka visit in September due to last-minute opposition from Paschimbanga Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
However, the two premiers agreed to move forward in all areas of bilateral relations, reports our New Delhi correspondent.
Manmohan thanked Hasina for her government’s assistance in security cooperation, especially in relation to action against insurgents from northeastern states of India.
They also discussed the implementation of projects identified under the one billion dollar line of credit India had pledged to Bangladesh during Sheikh Hasina’s trip to New Delhi in 2010.
On the Feni water sharing, it was decided that an agreement could be signed along with resolution of issues relating to sharing of water of other common rivers.
Mathai said there were no substantive differences between the two countries and Indian state of Tripura also had no objections to the Feni river issue.
The Indian premier expressed his positive attitude towards different issues and said Bangladesh and India enjoy very good relationship and this will be strengthened in the future.
Sheikh Hasina appreciated Manmohan’s visit in September when India allowed 24-hour access to Bangladeshi nationals to the Teen Bigha Corridor, the gateway to Dahagram-Angorpota enclave.
Bangladesh PM’s Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad told UNB that the two leaders had positive discussion on the Teesta water sharing and transit for India.
Sheikh Hasina expressed hope that the completion of the strip maps of the remaining parts of the common border would be signed soon. The ratification of the Land Boundary Agreement and the Protocol would take place soon to put to rest the issues of exchange of enclaves and adverse possession of lands.
Bangladesh expects that the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for movement of Bhutanese and Indian trucks up to 200 yards across the zero line at Burimari-Chengrabanda and Benapole-Petrapole to be operational soon, the premier said.
Her government was seriously considering the Indian request for opening haats on Bangladesh-Mizoram-Tripura border, she said, adding Kurigram border haat was doing well.
Hasina thanked the Indian premier for granting Rohanpur-Singabad rail route for Nepalese transit cargo through Bangladesh. “All three countries will benefit from this connectivity.”
Referring to the three trial runs for the multi-modal transport from Ashuganj to Agartala under PIWTT, she said Bangladesh is waiting for feedback to move forward.
Purchase of electricity from India also came up for discussion in the meeting, UNB adds.
Hasina underscored the importance of signing an agreement in this regard soon. “I hope we will be able to buy power from Palatana Power Plant in Tripura and from other power projects in the northeast India, Bhutan and Nepal.”
The premier also hoped that the projects financed by Indian grants, on Feni Bridge, Akhaura-Agartala rail link, upgradation of road from Ashuganj to Akhaura will start soon.
Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, Ambassador at Large M Ziauddin, Foreign Secretary Mijarul Quayes, among others, were present at the meeting.

Tarique’s hope for release gets a blow

DHAKA NEWS

Tarique’s hope for release gets a blow
Govt, ACC appeal against his bail orders; NBR sues Moudud, Pintu
The possibility of Tarique Rahman’s release hit a fresh snag yesterday after the government and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) appealed against the High Court (HC) bail orders in seven of the 13 cases filed against him.
With this shift in the government’s policy regarding release of high-profile prisoners, immediate release of detained former prime minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, which is associated with the release of her eldest son Tarique, has also become unlikely.
The latest development has caused huge frustration among BNP leaders and activists who had been expecting that Khaleda and Tarique, also the senior secretary general of the party, would come out free anytime.
In another development, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) yesterday filed separate cases against detained former law minister Moudud Ahmed, former BNP lawmaker Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu and his wife for dodging income tax for years.
Terming the government’s appeal move unfortunate, BNP Vice-President MK Anwar said, “It is another example of the government’s discriminatory behaviour with the BNP.” The government did not show such attitude in case of others who have travelled abroad for treatment after getting bail from the HC, he said.
“This is nothing but to keep Khaleda Zia under pressure,” Anwar told The Daily Star, hoping that the Supreme Court (SC) would judge the matter impartially.
Meanwhile, a section of government policymakers said they believe that releasing Khaleda and Tarique on bail might have an adverse impact on politicians and people since Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina was released on an executive order.
“Release of a highly corrupt detainee like Tarique may establish him as a clean person,” said a source in the government, adding that even a new case would be filed against Tarique if the SC judgment goes in his favour.
Several advisers to the caretaker government have been saying Khaleda would be released the same way followed for Hasina.
THE APPEALS
The attorney general’s office filed the petitions on behalf of the government and the ACC for filing regular leaves to appeal with the apex court against the HC bail orders.
The attorney general’s office has also informed the jail authorities about filing of the appeals so that they do not release Tarique, sources said.
The vacation bench of chamber judge of the Appellate Division is likely to hear the petitions today.
Tarique’s counsel barrister Mahbubuddin Khokon yesterday told The Daily Star that he heard about the petitions but his advocate-on-record did not receive any copy of them.
The hearing of the stay petitions will be held at the court of the chamber judge of the Appellate Division this morning, he said.
“If the Appellate Division stays the High Court bail orders, Tarique cannot get released from jail. If the chamber judge does not stay the orders, there will not be any legal bar to his getting released,” barrister Khokon said.
A full bench of the Appellate Division earlier granted bail to Tarique after examining his medical report prepared by a medical board, so the chamber judge should not stay the HC bail orders, he added.
He said Tarique has secured bail in all the 13 cases filed against him and the HC also stayed proceedings against him in all these cases.
Responding to separate bail prayers, the HC last week granted ad interim bail to Tarique in 12 cases filed by the ACC, the government and individual persons. Even the SC granted Tarique bail on August 28 in a bribery case paving the way for his release.
Of the total 13 cases filed against Tarique, eight are for extortion and the rest for corruption, tax evasion and bribery.
CASE AGAINST MOUDUD
Moudud was sued for evading Tk 4.12 crore in income tax while Pintu and his wife Nasima Akhter Kalpana were charged with dodging Tk 11.22 crore and Tk 98.26 lakh in income tax respectively.
NBR deputy tax commissioners Hafiz Al Asad and Ayesha Siddiqui Shelly filed the cases with the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court against them.
After the hearing, Judge Mohammad Azizul Haque recorded statements of the complainants and took the charges into cognisance against the three under the provisions of Income Tax Ordinance 1984.
The court also issued arrest warrant against Kalpana and directed the jail authorities to produce Moudud and Pintu before the court on September 3 for next hearing in the cases.
In his complaint, Asad mentioned that Moudud evaded Tk 41,232,654 in income tax from 1997 to 2006.
Moudud concealed information about his wealth worth Tk 164,930,631 from the NBR department and gave false information to the income tax department about his real income and expenditure, Asad added.
Police filed a case against Moudud on August 27 on charges of stashing away Tk 2.2 crore in a bank through forged documents. He was shown arrested in the case the same day.
The HC earlier granted bails to Moudud in three cases filed against him on different charges.
Moudud was arrested at his Gulshan residence on April 13 last year with 16 bottles of foreign liquor, 32 cans of beer and 220 pieces of sari belonging to the government relief fund.
CASE AGAINST PINTU
NBR Deputy Tax Commissioner Ayesha in her complaint said Pintu evaded Tk 112,231,777 in income tax from 2001 to 2007.
He also concealed information about his wealth worth Tk 448,927,110 from the NBR department and gave false information about his real income and expenditure, the complainant added.
Pintu, an accused in a number of cases, was sent to jail on February 12 last year after he surrendered to a Dhaka court seeking bail in two criminal cases.
CASE AGAINST KALPANA
The same complainant said Kalpana evaded Tk 9,826,314 in income tax from 2001 to 2007 and concealed information about her wealth worth Tk 23,305,265 from the NBR, the complainant added.

Nizami Being Quizzed at 'Safe Home'

DHAKA NEWS

The investigation panel of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has started quizzing war crimes suspect Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami at its 'safe home'.

The questioning began at 10am on Thursday and it will continue until 5pm with a one-hour pause at noon, Abdur Razzak Khan, a member of the investigation committee told bdnews24.com.

Nizami, one of the five detained top Jamaat leaders facing war crimes charges, had been brought to the safe home from the Dhaka Central Jail around 9:30am, he added.

A house at the city's Dhanmondi, allocated to the ICT for interrogating the suspected war criminals, is called 'safe home'.

The investigation panel earlier decided to interrogate the detained Jamaat chief at its safe home on Thursday and secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed on Sunday.

Razzak informed the two Jamaat leaders' lawyer Mohammad Tazul Islam Khan of the matter in a notice on Wednesday.

The ICT on Apr 21 rejected bail for four of the five detained top Jamaat leaders.

The tribunal, led by Justice Nizamul Haque, turned down the bail prayers of Nizami, Mojaheed and party's assistant secretaries general Muhammad Qamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Mollah in their presence.

On Apr 20, it denied a similar appeal from party's executive council member Delwar Hossain Sayeedi.

Apart from the five Jamaat leaders, two BNP leaders were also arrested on same charges since the tribunal had been formed on Mar 25 last year.

Of the two, BNP MP Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury is behind bars while Abdul Alim, a minister of Ziaur Rahman's cabinet, is on conditional bail.

No illegal detention for ICT trial: minister

DHAKA NEWS

Dhaka, Feb 25  Replying to a letter from the United Nations working group on trial procedure of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), the law minister has said no one being tried by the ICT for crimes against humanity had been detained "illegally".

"No one was arrested without any reason. The arrests were made based on (verified) information for trials," law minister barrister Shafique Ahamed said on Saturday at a views-exchange meeting of secretaries of various ministries and human rights commission members at a city hotel.

Barrister Abdur Razzak, counsel to Jamaat-e-Islami leaders standing trial at the tribunal, told a media briefing on Feb 15 that the UN working group has issued a statement regarding the 1973 International Crimes Tribunal Act.

In the letter, issued on Sep 23 last year, the UN group commented on the quality of the ongoing trials and the 1973 Act, barrister Razzak said.

Razzak said: "They (UN group) found evidence of mentionable 'obstruction' regarding the accused getting legal assistance, evidence and witnesses. The UN working group said the Bangladesh government must abide by international regulations for detention prior to trial."

"The trials at the tribunal must also follow the international law," he said quoting the UN group.

In reply, law minister Shafique Ahmed on Saturday said, "The tribunal is trying the accused for human rights violations during the 1971 Liberation War in Bangladesh. We have received a written statement from the United Nations. In it, they have claimed that the government illegally detained them."

The minister said detaining someone 'illegally' is not the same as 'arresting' someone for trial. He went on to describe the differences between the two procedures.

Detaining illegally is holding someone without any charge, information and whose trial procedures have not started. But there are definite charges against each of the arrestees standing trial at the ICT, he said.

"The investigation is going on, the trials have kicked off. So, these arrests can in no way be called 'illegal' detention," Shafique said.

The minister cited an example of a Cambodian accused held for around six years and said, "Various international tribunals on different occasions held accused for more than 10 years."

Former and current Jamaat chiefs Matiur Rahman Nizami and Ghulam Azam, Naeb-e-Ameer Delwar Hossain Sayedee, secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed and assistant secretaries general Mohammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla are currently standing trial at the ICT facing charges of murder, rape, loot and arson during the country's Liberation War.

Apart from them, Bangladesh Nationalist Party's (BNP) standing committee member and MP Salauddin Quader Chowdhury has also been detained on similar charges. The tribunal granted conditional bail to former BNP lawmaker and minister Abdul Alim.

PWD starts razing illegal shrine structures

DHAKA NEWS

Dhaka, Feb 25 The Public Works Department (PWD) started demolishing a shrine and several associated structures, all deemed to be unauthorised, near Central Shaheed Minar on Saturday following the High Court's order on Feb 22.

"A small part of the shrine has been demolished. But the grave and the adjacent mosque are untouched," magistrate Al Amin, who is leading the demolition work, told bdnews24.com.

"The High Court will be notified of the drive," he added.

The demolition work began in the presence of PWD officials, Dhaka University officials and a large posse of police personnel.

"The demolition work is going on without any obstruction. No one tried to stop (the demolition work)," officer-in-charge of Shahbagh police station Sirajul Islam told journalists.

.The bench of justices A H M Shamsuddin Chowdhury and Jahangir Hossain had issued the order on Feb 22 to demolish the illegal establishments, after hearing a petition filed by historian Prof Muntasir Mamun.

Mamun's lawyer Manzill Murshid told bdnews24.com that the 'shrine' of 'saint Tel Shah' was built illegally on a 20-katha land of Shaheed Minar. "The court ordered pulling down the shrine. But it retained the grave," he said.

Abdul Mannan, a devotee at the shrine, said, "Following the High Court order, demolition work is going on. The main 'majar' (shrine) or the mosque has not been touched."

A Feb 20 report in the newspaper 'Kaler Kantha' quoted former students of Dhaka Medical College, which is beside Shaheed Minar, saying there had been no shrine earlier. There was only a grave of a class IV employee of the college, and some people raised structures on the grave and turned it into a shrine in the 1990s, they told the daily.

The report added that the shrine is built on land that is part of the four acres allotted for Shaheed Minar.

It said the monument for language martyrs has been endangered by a plan of the 'shrine traders' to build a dome on the grave of a 'so-called' pir (saint) and a complex beside it.