Bangladesh President Zillur Rahman for persuading Myanmar on Rohingyas

BANGLADESH NEWS

President Zillur Rahman has urged the OIC member states to persuade the Myanmar government with political and economic support for ensuring dignified and prosperous living of their Muslim minorities (Rohingyas).

"We must take a pro-active role towards a lasting solution to this long-standing (Rohingya) problem both bilaterally and multilaterally," he said while addressing at the closing ceremony of 4th Extra-ordinary Session of Islamic Summit Conference in Makkah Al Mukarramah last night, according to a message received here from Saudi Arabia on Thursday.

In the wake of recent violence in the Rakhine State of Myanmar, president said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has expressed concern over oppression of Muslim minorities there.

The condition of Muslim minorities in different parts of the world is of grave concern, he said adding it is not just an issue of safeguarding Muslims and their faith; but a matter of universal human rights.

"We need to revive the moral of the world and take necessary steps to shape international public opinion in favour of these minority people," he said.

Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud hosted the two-day 4th Extraordinary Session of the Islamic Summit Conference joining by the heads of states and governments of OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) member states.

President Zillur Rahman said the question of Palestine remains a symbol of oppression and injustice for Muslims.

Zillur Rahman said Bangladesh has maintained its consistent and unwavering support for the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people.

"Along with the traditional diplomatic efforts, we need to take some innovative efforts for mass awareness particularly in the non-Muslim countries to influence their governments," the president said.

He said world public opinion in favour of the legitimate rights of the Palestinians must be formed for a just and fair resolution of the Palestinian crisis.

The Muslim countries comprise nearly one-third of world's nations and one-fifth of world population, he said adding for centuries, Muslims were in the forefront of building amity and harmony in the world with noble Islamic ideals.

However, Zillur Rahman claimed that great values of Islamic brotherhood are being challenged by the direction of international politics.

"The oppressions on Muslims that we witness today are a wake-up call to our obligation to uphold the Islamic ideals of peace and justice. We cannot live an insular life in this age of globalisation," the president continued.

"We have necessary wisdom, resources, values, culture and heritage to influence the international politics in our favour," he said adding, "Doing so will require the unity and solidarity of Muslim Ummah and implementation of the Islamic values of justice, equality and inclusion among the people of our countries."

Zillur Rahman expressed his dismay to see the loss of lives and destruction of property during the recent political unrest in the Middle-East and North Africa. "The endless killing in Syria, even in this month of Ramadan, contradicts the great Islamic values of compassion and kindness," he said.

He said there can be debate about the dynamics of these conflicts, some may view them as the necessary pains for attaining democracy, some may attribute them to the effects of globalisation, some may mention them as the conspiracy of the external forces.

Whatever is the reason, such sufferings cannot be justified under any situation, he said.

"I firmly believe that such human tragedies should be avoided by assuring the basic civil and political rights of our citizens. Ensuring freedom from hunger, fear and indignity can be a viable solution to any such political crisis in future," he said.

"A non-violent solution based on Islamic tradition of moderation and discussion should be achieved. Bangladesh, being a member of UN Human Rights Council, has been supporting a peaceful resolution of the Syrian crisis since its membership," he added.

"The Father of our Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1974 called for the unity and solidarity of the Islamic Ummah during the Second OIC Summit which should not be limited to the inter-state level, but should be at every sphere of our social life," he said.

Zillur Rahman left the country for Saudi Arabia on Sunday night on a five day official visit at an invitation of Saudi King to join the Summit.

He is expected to return on August 17.

Detective Branch (DB) of police arrested Jaish-e-Mohammed leader Mohammad Yunus held in city,Bangladesh

BANGLADESH NEWS

Detective Branch (DB) of police arrested an operative of the Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in the city’s Fakirerpool area on Thursday.

Acting on a tip-off, DB police arrested Mohammad Yunus, 48, around noon, said Monirul Islam, deputy commissioner of detective branch (south).

Hailing from Ramu Cox's Bazar, Yunus is one of the top JeM leaders in the country, the DC said.

During primary investigation, Yunus told DB police that he was in Dhaka for a meeting.

But he refused giving any details about the meeting, Monirul told journalists at a press briefing at the DB Media and Community Service Centre in the capital.

It was revealed that he is a Maulana (religious teacher) at Moulovir Kata Al Bivari Adorsho Dakhil Madrassa in Ramu.

Yunus is responsible for motivating people, including Rohingya refugees, in his locality to organise the militant group, the DC said.

The JeM leader carries out his activity in the country under the instruction of Saber Ahmed, ex-principal of the madrassa, who has been living in Pakistan for last few years.

Financial support for his activities also comes from Pakistan, Monirul said quoting Yunus.

Yunus further informed that Saber was previously involved with Jamaat-e-Islami and that he paid a visit to Bangladesh in July.

80-km tailback on Dhaka-Chittagong highway Death in road crash triggers the tailback,Bangladesh

BANGLADESH NEWS

Homebound passengers got stuck in an 80-kilometre traffic jam on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway from Daudkandi toll plaza to Chouddagram in Comilla after a collision between two vehicles killed a man early Thursday.

Highway police said a Dhaka-bound lorry collided with a Chittagong-bound covered van at Jinglatoli in Daudkandi around 5:00am, halting traffic movement on the highway.

Van driver Kazi Liton, 40, and his helper were injured in the collision. They were rushed to Daudkandi Upazila Health Complex where Liton succumbed later, reports a Daudkandi correspondent.

Vehicular movements on the highway slowed down on after a lorry overturned Wednesday morning. But the traffic gridlock has taken a serious turned today following the road crash.

Though police removed both the damaged vehicles after three hours using a wrecker, the condition could not be eased until 11:00am.

Garment worker Sumi, 22, who left Chittagong for Dhaka by a bus of Unique Paribahan, said she got reached Chauddagram in Comilla at 3:00am though she was supposed to reach the capital by this time.

Samsuzzaman, president of Comilla Krishak League, said he crossed only nine kilometres of the highway in two hours.  

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana In silent tears, they remember a father Bangabandhu's,Bangladesh

BANGLADESH NEWS

The ambience at Bangabandhu's grave was one of pain and pathos. In the loud silence which grief always causes to course through the woods and the fields and across the streams and rivers, one could hear the emotions rising in the loneliness of the two surviving children of the Father of the Nation.

For once, Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana were not the public figures we know. They turned into two siblings for whom life has not been fair because some evil men had committed deeds most foul thirty seven years ago. Loneliness was theirs as they tried finding solace in each other at the grave of their father. Holding on to each other, in tears and in agony, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana recalled Bangabandhu in Tungipara yesterday.

The two daughters of Bangabandhu, who survived the massacre of August 15, 1975, placed a floral wreath on the grave of the Father of the Nation, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, as a symbolic offering of love for the parent they lost to the forces of darkness thirty seven years ago.

Then the two sisters together recited verses from the Holy Quran in silence and prayed for his departed soul. The heavy silence cast a pall of gloom all around. The heavens lapsed into silence.

The bereaved sisters left the capital for Tungipara in the morning by helicopter to pay homage to Bangabandhu on the anniversary of his martyrdom.

Members of the cabinet, the prime minister's advisers, lawmakers, the three services chiefs, senior leaders of the ruling Awami League and senior government officials, among others, were present on the occasion.

The premier, her sister, cabinet members and party leaders joined a milad mahfil held at the mazar premises.

Earlier, in the morning, Sheikh Hasina placed a floral wreath at the portrait of the Father of the Nation at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi-32.

Sheikh Hasina also visited the graves of the members of Bangabandhu's family and other martyrs of 1975 at Banani graveyard.

In the pre-dawn hours of August 15, 1975, Bangabandhu was assassinated along with nearly his entire family by misguided soldiers of the Bangladesh army. Bangabandhu's two daughters -- Hasina and Rehana survived the massacre as they were away on a visit to Germany.

Passengers suffer in homebound trips Huge crowd at every exit point of Dhaka as people rush for villages ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr festival,Bangladesh

BANGLADESH NEWS

Like the previous years, traffic movement at the major exit points in the capital came almost to a standstill round the day as the rush of home-going people got momentum ahead of the Eid-ul-Fitr.

Thousands of city dwellers left the city from dawn to midnight yesterday, the first day of at least six-day-long holiday, while a large number of people are expected to leave for home today.

Passengers have to remain stranded for hours to cross the exit points -- Jatrabari, Uttara and Sadarghat. However, another exit point Gabtoli was comparatively less jam-packed.

"It took a couple of hours to cross Jatrabari from Fakirapool although it takes around 40 minutes on a normal day," said Mostafa Kamal, who was going to Chittagong.

Passengers' sufferings did not end there, as the highways also experienced long tailbacks due to excessive rush of vehicles.

Vehicular movement on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway slowed down all day long as a lorry overturned yesterday morning at Porpai in Burichang upazila in Comilla.

A tailback stretching four to 10 kilometres was created at Mawa ferry ghat in Munshiganj. Traffic movement was very slow at the Tongi to Gazipur intersection.

Bus schedules completely collapsed because of heavy traffic congestion on the highways. Different bus services had to defer their schedules by several hours adding woes to the suffering of passengers.

During visits to Kalyanpur and Gabtoli bus terminals it was noticed that hundreds of passengers were waiting for hours for their buses.

"I came here at 11:30am as my bus was scheduled to arrive at 12:00pm. But now they are saying the bus will arrive at 3:00pm," said Jessore-bound Hakim Mia, who was waiting at Kalyanpur.

In Kamalapur railway station, almost all the trains delayed by around one or one and a half hours.

"My train [Chattala Express] was scheduled to leave the station at 10:40am. But it has not arrived still [around 1:45pm]," said Tauhidul Islam, a student of Notre Dame College.

Sardar Shahdat Ali, divisional railway manager (DRM) of Bangladesh Railway, admitted that most of the trains delayed due to heavy rush of passengers.

Twenty-four trains left Kamalapur for different destinations from morning to 8:00pm last night, he informed.

Although Communications and Railways Minister Obaidul Quader strongly directed the authorities to stop travelling on the roof, hundreds of desperate passengers were seen violating the directive.

Passengers heading for southern districts who travel by launches faced severe trouble to reach Sadarghat launch terminal due to traffic gridlock from Gulistan to the terminal.

All the launches anchored at the terminal were seen carrying passengers on the roof that is completely prohibited.

Speaking anonymously, an official of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) said, "We cannot stop people from travelling on the roof because there is a huge rush of passengers. If the law enforces try to force the passenger to get down, clashes will be erupted between them and the passengers."

Passengers at the terminal claimed that almost all the launches intentionally made delays to get more passengers.

Denying the allegation, BIWTA Senior Deputy Director Rafiqul Islam said, "We have forced at least 15 launches to leave the terminal ahead of schedule today to resist overloading."

As many passengers travel on a "first come, first served" basis on the deck, many of them thronged the terminal before sunrise to book their space.

"I have come here after taking Saheri because if I am late, I'll lose my chance to get any space on the deck," said Motahar Hossain, who was going to Bhola to celebrate the Eid.

LONG TAILBACK ON DHAKA-CTG HIGHWAY

Commuters got stuck in traffic jam on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway, as an overturned lorry slowed down the vehicular movements between Comilla Cantonment and Iliotganj of Daudkandi (32 kilometres).

Communications Minister Obaidul Quader also got stuck in the jam for some time around 1:00pm yesterday on his way to Noakhali.

A Chittagong-bound lorry flipped over at Porpai of Comilla around 6:00am the same day, halting the traffic movement for hours on the highway, reports our Comilla correspondent.

Anwar Hossain, a sergeant of Iliotganj Highway Police, said even though police removed the truck using a wrecker around 11:00am, the jam could not be eased until afternoon due to the pressure of the large number of vehicles.