'Failed Govt' Has no Right to Stay in Power: Khaleda Zia

DHAKA NEWS

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia said on Tuesday the Awami League-led grand alliance government which has failed to run the country has no right to stay in power.

She said there is no justice anywhere in the country.

“Awami League is now frequently saying that BNP will create anarchy in the name of rally. In fact they [AL] will create anarchy and shift the blame on the opposition,” she said.

The opposition leader was addressing a reception for the newly elected office bearers of Dhaka Bar Association at Diploma Engineers Institution in the city.

She said safety and security exist nowhere including bedrooms, business and educational institutions. Even the foreigners are not safe in the country.

Khaleda urged the lawyers to be united against the government and asked them to work together to ensure victory of pro-BNP lawyers in the upcoming Supreme Court Bar Association election.

“If anyone goes against our panel will be expelled from the party," she warned. "BNP has a number of qualified persons for a position.”

Bitterly criticising the government, the BNP chief said instead of rule of law, rule of Awami League has been established in the country during the last three years.

She alleged that AL men are getting presidential pardon after committing crimes while innocent BNP men are being tortured in the name of remand.

She said there is no safety and security of life and property. Journalists are also being killed for their writings.

Saudi Embassy Official Shot Dead in City

DHAKA NEWS

An official of Saudi Embassy in Dhaka was shot dead some 30 yards off his house in Gulshan area of the capital early Tuesday.

Khalaf Al Ali, a Saudi national who joined the embassy about two years ago, was shot once in the left chest, Nurul Alam, assistant commissioner (Patrol) of Gulshan Division,

Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Dr Abdullah Al Bussairy identified the slain officer as a diplomat. But acting Foreign Secretary Mustafa Kamal said al Ali was on the non-diplomats’ list of the foreign ministry.

Police are yet to arrest anyone or ascertain the cause of the murder, said Khandker Lutful Kabir, deputy commissioner of Gulshan Division.

This is for the first time in Bangladesh’s history that a foreign embassy official in Dhaka was killed.

Identifying the slain official as a “very soft spoken and polite” person, a Bangladeshi official at the Saudi Embassy said everybody liked him very much.

al Ali, 45, used to live alone at Flat A-4 in House 22/A on Road No. 120 for the past two years, said Taposh Rema, a guard of the house.

According to a Saudi Embassy note verbale (diplomatic communication), some unidentified people attacked the official near his house.

Julfiker Ali, a security guard of House 19/B, and Rabiul Islam, a security guard of House 20/A,  that they heard a gunshot around 1:15am and rushed out to see the Saudi official lying on the road in front of House 19/B.

“We immediately rang siren from our house,” Julfikar said.

Hearing the siren, a patrol team of police rushed to the spot and took the bullet-hit Saudi official to United Hospital where doctors declared him dead.

 Taposh Rema said he saw a white private car leaving the place at a very high speed after the gunshot.

After the incident, personnel from the Criminal Investigation Department of police and Rapid Action Battalion kept the crime scene cordoned.

Al Ali’s body was taken Dhaka Medical College morgue at 4:00pm for autopsy.

The bullet entered near the left chest and went down to hit his right kidney, sources in the morgue said.

Rema said al Ali used to go out of the house around 11:00 every night for jogging and roaming the city on bicycle and return in around two hours.

“As his bicycle needed repair, he went out on foot last night (Monday night),” he said, adding that the Saudi official was wearing trousers, vest and boots and had a bottle of water in his hand.

The Saudi ambassador visited the crime scene in the afternoon.

No case was filed till filing of this report at 7:30pm.

Meanwhile, the Saudi Embassy sent a note verbale to the foreign ministry requesting the ministry and concerned authorities to investigate into the murder, said a foreign ministry source.

Senior foreign ministry officials including the Chief of Protocol and Director General (West Asia) phoned the Saudi Ambassador and Deputy Chief of Mission and expressed deep shock and sympathy at the murder.

In a statement, the foreign ministry expressed deep shock and sorrow at the killing and conveyed its condolence and sympathy to his bereaved family and the Saudi Mission in Dhaka.

The authorities concerned have already been directed to conduct a full-scale investigation into the incident immediately and bring the perpetrators to justice, said the statement said.

Quader Molla Indictment Hearing Wednesday

DHAKA NEWS

Dhaka, Mar 6  Instead of presenting arguments, prosecutor Zead-Al-Malum merely read what he said 'highlights' from the voluminous formal charge against Jamaat guru Ghulam Azam at the war crimes tribunal on Tuesday.

The International Crimes Tribunal, set up to deal with the crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War, also ordered before closing the day's proceedings that indictment hearing against Jamaat-e-Islami's assistant secretary general Abdul Quader Molla will begin on Wednesday.

In reply to a defence petition for adjournment since it had not been served with all the documents from the prosecution, the tribunal said that it would pass a separate order about when the defence would begin reply to the formal charges.

After Malum had re-read through some parts of the formal charges, tribunal member, Judge A K M Zaheer Ahmed chose to intervene. He told the prosecutor that he had read the same parts once before.

Malum then said that he was only reading the highlights and would later follow up with other details.

"I am afraid there might be report in [Wednesday's] papers that the prosecutor did not mention all the points but only a few of them," said Malum who has been slighting the media over the last few days.

Judge Zaheer Ahmed proceeded to provide the prosecutor with some points that he thought could be elaborated upon. "Perhaps then your and our lives would become easier."

"But we have had to sit here for hours listening to trifling petitions…" Malum trailed off to the visible embarrassment of the judge.

Zaheer Ahmed quickly apologised. "Sorry. You read on. I won't intervene," said the judge who has taken on the habit of asking this prosecutor not to be angry with him before putting forth his queries.

Malum resumed his reading of the formal charges in a court room that became emptier as he laboured on through the text before him.

The only details that followed after the lunch recess was another tedious session when prosecutor Sultan Mahmud read out a list of documents and articles that the prosecution had attached to the numerous documents submitted with the formal charge. An index, however, had already been submitted to the judges for their perusal.

Malum resumed after his colleague was done and continued for the better part of an hour and finished placing his much awaited 'arguments', reading the last few pages of the formal charge with much zeal and gusto.

The arguments never came, though.

Judge A K M Zaheer Ahmed then asked him about his proposal to charge the former Jamaat chief under sections 3.2, 4.1 and 4.2 of the International Crimes (Tribunal) Act of 1973.

The judge asked about Malum's position regarding section 4.1, which states, "When any crime as specified in section 3 is committed by several persons, each of such person is liable for that crime in the same manner as if it were done by him alone."

Section 3 elaborately defines the different crimes under the jurisdiction of this tribunal including crimes against humanity, peace and genocide.

Judge Zaheer Ahmed asked Malum whether it was his position that Ghulam Azam's presence was required to charge Azam under section 4.1. Malum replied, "No it is not necessary."

The defence is scheduled to reply on Mar 12

“Quest for Self” Qayyum Chowdhury on 80th Birthday

DHAKA NEWS

Artist Qayyum Chowdhury is an outstanding figure in the domain of art in Bangladesh. To celebrate his 80th birthday, Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts will organise a two-week art exhibition, titled “Quest for Self”. The exhibition will open on March 9 at Bengal Gallery in Dhanmondi, Dhaka. About 80 new artworks by the veteran artist will be displayed at the exhibition.

Noted artist Murtaja Baseer, author Syed Shamsul Haq, Professor Emeritus Anisuzzaman and theatre personality Ramendu Majumdar will jointly inaugurate the exhibition.

Chowdhury's works highlight rural Bengali life and traditions. The countryside and the lives of the villagers inspire the artist. Women, farmers, fish, flowers and greenery are recurring themes on his canvas.

Chowdhury was born in 1932 in Feni. He graduated from Govt. Institute of Arts (now Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka) in 1954. He held four solo exhibitions and has participated in many group exhibitions at home and abroad.