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Leading
News
Army has no political ambition, no
deviation from electoral roadmap: General Moeen
UNB, Dhaka
Army Chief General Moeen U Ahmed on Tuesday said there
would be no deviation from holding the general election as
per the roadmap, categorically stating that the army has
no political ambition.
"I have stated this previously and want to reemphasize
this point that we have no political ambition," he said
during a meeting with the editors of national print and
electronic media at the Army Headquarters, amid a mist of
doubts up in the air from political circles.
General Moeen, whose services were recently extended by
one more year to mid-June 2009, said the army wants to see
honest and competent leadership come to power to govern
the country.
"The way army has discharged its responsibility in the
past and is doing presently, it will be doing it in
future, Inshallah. But, as patriotic citizens, we have one
desire -let honest and competent people take over."
The army chief said, "If you ask any soldier, this reply
will be given: we don’t want to get involved in politics.
Let honest people come and run the country in a better
way."
He reaffirmed that there would be no deviation from the
electoral roadmap and there would be nothing but
democratic rule in Bangladesh.
He hoped that the next elected government would pursue the
changes made through various reforms by the present
caretaker government.
Explaining the role of the armed forces, Gen Moeen said
the army is extending round-the-clock cooperation to the
caretaker government and certainly the army is not part of
the government. "This must be understood. We don’t attend
any cabinet meeting. Whatever decisions they are taking,
the country is running according to those decisions."
Asked about lifting the state of emergency, he said the
army has nothing to do in this matter—the government would
take the decision.
About political dialogue, Gen Moeen said this is, again,
an affair between the government and political parties.
Terming the media as parliament in the absence of an
elected parliament, the army chief said the government,
different agencies and even the army are taking many
actions on positive reports in the media. "We are not
media-shy rather we want to be media- friendly."
Citing an example of a report on the hanging order for a
freedom fighter in Comilla, he said the army immediately
took the initiative and approached the President who
cancelled the death sentence. The army chief made a
5-point appeal to the press to help bring down prices of
essentials, hold credible elections, encourage people to
diversify their food habit, improve the rule of law and
security and highlight rural news.
During the two-and-half-an-hour-long meeting, the Army
Chief also narrated achievements so far made by the armed
forces in various sectors.
"We believe we have enough resources," General Moeen said,
and if the human resources were developed through proper
training, the situation in Bangladesh would improve a lot.
The army chief also narrated how the armed forces helped
farmers to encourage food- grain production across the
country and painted a rosy picture of bumper production of
Boro, wheat and maize.
Human resources should not be considered a curse, rather
assets of the country, he said, expressing his firm belief
"we will be a mid-income-group country by 2020 and it is
possible" if the nation’s resources are properly developed
and utilized.
Govt to hold informal talks with
AL in a day or two
AL to demand Hasina’s unconditional
release
Sahidul Islam Rana
The Caretaker Government
will sit with Awami League leaders within a day or two as
part its ‘informal’ round of talks with the political
parties prior to sending out official invitations to them
for the final dialogue. The final dialogue is likely to be
held next week.
AL leaders stated this on Tuesday adding that in the
ensuing dialogue, AL would place a charter of demand -
mainly immediate and unconditional release of detained AL
president Sheikh Hasina and ensuring her treatment abroad,
lifting of state of emergency and announcing the date of
the parliamentary election within the shortest possible
time – before the table.
The AL in principle decided not to hold talks with the
Government if any war criminals and anti-liberation forces
are invited for the dialogue, said AL presidium member
Begum Motia Chowdhury while addressing a post-‘Hunger
Strike’ meeting of Mohila (Women) Awami League (MAL) at
the Bangabandhu Avenue’s AL central office on Tuesday.
As part of the ongoing agitation programme of AL and its
other front organisations, MAL organised a six-hour Hunger
Strike to press home their a-five-point demand including
the release of former premier Shiekh Hasina and her proper
treatment, demanding government’s steps against the price
spiral of essentials and exemplary punishment of the war
criminals.
Referring to the unofficial talks - those held thrice in
recent days - with the representatives of the incumbent
government, Motia Chowdhury said, "We requested to free
Hasina unconditionally and ensure better treatment for
her, wherever she wishes to have treatment as per the
recommendation of physicians."
Expressing her grave concern over the price spiral of the
necessary commodities, the former AL Food and Agriculture
Minister urged the government to take necessary steps to
arrest the soaring of the price as an urgent task.
Addressing the meeting, senior most AL presidium member
Sajeda Chowdhury urged the government to arrange the
election within the stipulated timeframe earlier announced
by the Election Commission and withdraw emergency rules
for the sake of democracy.
AL Presidium member Tofael Ahmed demanded of the
Government to announce the date of the next general
election without making any delay.
"And after holding a free, fair and credible election, the
government will handover its state-power to the people’s
representatives so that the democracy may be restored
across the country," he hoped.
"The Government has decided to sit with the AL leaders
informally in a day or two before holding the official
dialogue with different political parties aimed at
resolving the prevailing crises," Tofael mentioned adding,
"Hasina’s unconditional release and treatment will
dominate the discussion. Besides, no other election will
be accepted in the country before the polls of Jatiya
Sangsad."
Another AL presidium member Suranjit Sengupta claimed,
"The country has collapsed in some respects. Due to price
hike the lives of the people has become intolerable.
People are very much fed up with the Government. If the
army-backed Government fails to control the present
situation and doesn’t ensure Hasina’s release immediately,
there is possibility of a mass upsurge in near future."
Blasting the Government activities, City AL acting General
Secretary Advocate Quamrul Islam said, "The authorities
concerned is playing ‘hide and seek’ game to sentence
Sheikh Hasina through filing different false cases. AL
leaders are negotiating with the representatives of the
Government and different diplomatic channels to ensure
release of detained party president Sheikh Hasina, now
suffering from multiple complications including acute
problem in partially damaged ears, eyes and blood
pressure. But we have to remain alert as a vested quarter
has been hatching conspiracy to ruin the political career
of Hasina, daughter of the father of the nation, in a
pre-planned way."
Govt-BNP
dialogue: Reformists ready to sit
We will not sit without Khaleda’s consent: Delwar
We have decided in principle to sit: Hannan Shah
Taib Ahmed
The mainstream BNP on Tuesday refused to sit with the
government for holding talks until its Secretary General
is allowed to meet the detained BNP Chairperson for having
her consent while the reformist faction is ready to sit
for dialogue with the government anytime.
According to sources, the Commerce and Education Adviser
Hossain Zillur Rahman made his first phone call to BNP’s
office Secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed on Monday night
and phoned second time on Tuesday noon at 1.30 pm to know
their stand.
"Commerce Adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman phoned me on
Monday night and proposed to sit for holding talks. When
he rang me again on Tuesday, I told him that the party
Secretary General would not sit for even preparatory talks
without taking consent of Begum Khaleda Zia," Rizvi Ahmed
told The Bangladesh Today.
When asked, Khandoker Delwar Hossain told newsmen, "A
government adviser communicated with us. We do not know
what would be the agenda of the dialogue. We told the
adviser that we would not sit for talks without taking
consent of the detained BNP chairperson. At first we have
to talk to our Chairperson, then we can decide where and
when we can sit for dialogue and on which issues we would
discuss. Moreover, we have to know whether Begum Zia will
allow us to sit without her. She herself can express her
eagerness to sit with the government. So I would take no
decision without talking to the party Chairperson"
In response to another question whether they have taken
any initiative to communicate with the detained BNP
chairperson, Delwar Hossain said, "The total issue depends
on the government decision and it is the government which
should take necessary steps so that we can communicate
with her."
However, talking to The Bangladesh Today, BNP
chairperson’s adviser Brig (retd) ASM Hannan Shah said,
"The party has decided in principal to sit with the
government for preparatory talks." Asked whether they
would sit without taking consent from Begum Zia, "The
matter is exclusively of the party. I would just tell you
that we have decided to sit."
On the other hand, the Communication Adviser Maj Gen (retd)
Golam Kader phoned the Acting Secretary General of the
reformist faction of BNP, Maj (retd) M Hafiz Uddin Ahmed
for having talks with the government. Soon after the phone
call, the reformist leaders sat for an impromptu meeting
at the Gulshan residence of M Saifur Rahman, Acting
Chairman of the reformists, and decided to sit for the
dialogue.
Meanwhile, the US charge d’affaires Geeta Pasi met the BNP
Secretary General, Khandoker Delwar Hossain and discussed
about the country’s political scenario.
"I told them that the US appreciate the Chief Adviser’s
commitment towards holding election in accordance with the
announced road and also to hold dialogue with the
political parties," said Pasi adding, "During our meeting
with all political parties we underscored a message that
the political parties have a critical role in democracy as
well as in holding a free, fair and a credible election."
Earlier in the morning, Khandoker Delwar held a meeting
with the leaders of city unity of BNP where he called the
party men and women to get ready for sacrifice for
restoring democracy in the country.
"In question of democracy, the workers of BNP never
compromised in the past and they would not compromise also
in future," Delwar said.
Emergency
landing of GMG Airlines at Bangkok
Staff Correspondent
Fearing a hijack a Dhaka-bound flight with 60 passengers
of GMG Airlines from Kuala Lumpur made an emergency
landing at Don Muang Airport in Bangkok on Tuesday,
according to sources.
According to GMG sources, the flight made the emergency
landing at Don Muang Airport in Bangkok while an onboard
passenger took out a knife and the aircraft captain asked
for an emergency landing at 9:30 am (0230) GMT.
Soon after the incident, the captain informed the Thai Air
Force for help. Responding to the call, two fighter jets
rushed to the air and escorted the plane to the airport.
Later, the aircraft returned to Dhaka with all passengers
excluding the hijacker and landed at the Zia International
Airport at about 2.30 pm yesterday, an official of Flight
Inquiry Department confirmed.
UNB adds President of Airports of Thailand Chana U-Sathaporn
said the pilot of the GMG Airlines flight from Kuala
Lumpur to Dhaka asked for an emergency landing at 9:30 am
(0230 GMT) after a passenger, Harun Or Rashid Hasan Ali,
took out a knife.
"He was seen holding the knife when the stewardesses asked
him to keep quiet. They then alerted the captain who
requested for emergency landing at the Suvarnabhumi
International Airport, but we asked him to go to Don Muang,"
he told a press conference at the Don Muang Airport.
"This is not a hijacking bid or terrorism. The pilot asked
for an emergency landing just to be safe," Chana told
newsmen. No charge was made against Harun as he did not
commit any offence or harm passengers and crew.
Police Major General Worrasak Nopsittiporn, commander of
the Bangkok precinct that includes the airport, said Hasan
Ali had taken out the knife to cut an apple, and had not
caused any disturbance.
"He didn't try to harm anyone," Worrasak said, adding that
Thai police would not charge him with a crime. Hasan Ali
was being escorted to Bangkok's international airport,
where he would be placed on a flight to Dhaka on Tuesday
afternoon, Worrasak said.
Aviation officials could not explain how Hasan Ali had got
onto the
plane with a knife. But GMG Airlines Vice-President Sadat
Rahman denied admitting that Harun possessed knife. "Harun
was acting like psychologically imbalanced and the crew
informed the matter to the captain. Later the captain
landed the aircraft at Don Muang Airport as a
precautionary measure," he said. The GMG flight, which had
about 60 passengers, was grounded for about two hours in
Bangkok before resuming its journey to Dhaka and it landed
at Zia International Airport at 2:20pm.
A
BAF Fighter Aircraft crashes killing its pilot
Staff Correspondent
A jet aircraft of Bangladesh Air Force crashed in a banana
field at a village in the hilly area of Ghatail upazila in
Tangail district Tuesday, leaving its pilot Morshed, 30,
Squadron leader of Bangladesh Air Force killed.
According to sources the accident occurred when Squadron
Leader Morshed, 30, was returning to Dhaka after
completing a routine firing exercise in Madhupur Rasulpur
firing-range zone.
Following a technical fault the plane caught fire over the
sky of hilly village areas and within a moment the
aircraft turned into a fireball. Sensing the presence of
danger, its pilot Morshed managed to eject out of the
plane. But as the Parashoot did not open he fell on a
tin-roofed house and received serious injuries. Later he
was rushed to CMH Dhaka where he succumbed to his
injuries, an official of Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR)
Talking to this correspondent over telephone an official
of Ghatail police station said the jet aircraft was
returning to Dhaka when it met the tragic end in the air.
"Soon after catching fire the aircraft turned into a fire
ball and thick smoke also started coming from the wreckage
of the aircraft. Local people, who live in Madhupur hilly
region, saw the aircraft was coming down fast and within a
moment it fell on a banana field. The aircraft plowed at
least 25 feet deep into the earth," quoting local people,
the official said.
Meanwhile, in a condolence message the President said,
"Bangladesh Air Force lost a potential officer at his
death." Iajudin Ahmed, also the Supreme Commander of
Bangladesh Armed Forces, conveyed his deep sympathy to the
bereaved family members and prayed for the departed soul.
ACC
proposes amendments to draft rules of Truth Commission
Staff Correspondent
In a bid to eliminate gap
between the function of the Anti-Corruption Commission and
the proposed Truth Commission, the ACC has sent a proposal
to the government asking to bring some changes in the
draft rules prepared in this regard.
"The ACC has sent just today a letter with recommendations
for bringing some changes in the existing laws as prepared
for the proposed Truth Commission to make it more
effective", said Col (rtd) Hanif Iqbal, DG (Admin) of the
ACC, yesterday.
He told reporters that before finalising the laws and
forming the Truth Commission it is necessary to amend some
provisions of the draft rules in a bid to eliminate gap
between the laws and functions of the ACC and such
commission.
In its recommendation ACC called upon the government to
specify which law will be applied to an accused for an
offence which is triable under two laws and whether Truth
Commission will be extended after expiry of six months, to
have a tougher punishment or penalty for the offence of
money laundering, to determine what action may be taken
against an accused whose appeal will be rejected by the
Truth Commission and to provide same punishment to all
accused for same kind of offences.
Right now the draft of the rules of Truth Commission is
under the examination of the Law Ministry. After
correcting some provisions of the draft rules, the Cabinet
sent those to the Law Ministry. The ACC proposal will go
the Law Ministry for revising some provisions.
As per the present provision, a person if voluntarily
admits his guilt to the Truth Commission will be punished
with financial penalty and his wealth will be confiscated.
If his appeal is not accepted by the commission, he is
also liable to suffer jail of five years and will not
contest any election.
Dhaka-Kolkata
Train Service to begin Apr 14
UNB, Dhaka
All necessary arrangements, including security and
immigration measures, have been completed as Dhaka-Kolkata
passenger train service formally kicks off from Pahela
Baishakh (April 14).
In this regard, a formal agreement will be signed in Dhaka
between Bangladesh and India either on April 10 or 11, it
was stated at a meeting held at the Home Ministry on
Tuesday afternoon with Home Adviser Maj Gen (retd) MA
Matin in the chair.
The meeting on ‘Security and Immigration for
Bangladesh-India passenger train service’ was attended by
Home secretary Abdul Karim, IGP Nur Mohammad, additional
secretary of Communication Ministry ATKM Ismail and senior
officers concerned.
Initially, two trains will run on Saturday and Sunday
every week. Each train service will have facility for some
418 passengers in seven compartments.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Home secretary Abdul
Karim said the meeting discussed different aspects of the
upcoming train service, including security and immigration
arrangements.
He said the train service would be formally opened on
Pahela Baishakh (April 14). On Bangladesh side, Darshana
will be the immigration checkpoint for incoming
passengers, while Dhaka for outgoing passengers.
There will be security equipment, including metal
detectors and luggage scanners, at the Darshana
immigration checkpost, the Home secretary said.
Special Branch of Police, to be charged with immigration
check, will set up eight immigration counters at the check
post, he informed.
Abdul Karim said it would take about five hours to
complete customs and immigration formalities on both
Bangladesh and India side. Government Railway Police (GRP)
and intelligence agencies will ensure security of railway
tracks.
Food
for Money for ultra poor in rural areas
BSS, Dhaka
The government has taken a Taka 100 crore Food for Money (FFM)
programme for ultra poor and day- labourers in rural areas
to bring them under food safety net.
According to an official handout issued here today, the
programme will be meant for the extreme poor population
who remained beyond the government’s Vulnerable Group
Feeding (VGF) and Vulnerable Group Development (VGD)
programmes.
Under the FFM, one labourer would receive Taka 150 every
day as wages for work like maintenance projects, road and
embankment repair, canal digging or re-excavation, drain
digging, plantation, culvert construction, pond cleaning
and public health activities.
The district-wise allocations of the Taka 100 crore
programme have already been made and the concerned deputy
commissioners will distribute those on the basis of their
extent of poverty level, the handout said.
The Upazila Disaster Management Committee will identify in
quickest possible time the extreme poor and take steps to
create temporary jobs for them.
Back Page
Price hike affects
people in many ways
Fahmida Rahman Karobi
Taking to this correspondent
on Tuesday one grocery shopkeeper of Dhaka University area
said prices of soap, detergent power usually had showed up
and down trends at a very low rate during the last
political governments. But during the last one year,
prices of these items increased continuously as the
incumbent regime does not have any accountability to the
people. He also said there is no reason for increase in
prices of these commodities and the government has
apparently no headache regarding price hike issue.
On the other hand, another shopkeeper in the city's
Nilkhet area said they have nothing to do to control the
unbearable price hike of confectionary and toiletries
items.
The sufferings of common people are being intensified day
by day. "When I go to kitchen market, I have to erase many
favourite items from the list. I then think of only three
to five things like rice or wheat, oil, lentil, onion and
chilly. But without confectionary and toiletries items it
would not be possible to live in a city. But seeing the
rapid price hike of confectionary and toiletries, I am
very much surprised and frustrated. I don't know how long
I can live with my family members in a city like capital
Dhaka," Farida Begum, a teacher of an English medium
school said
She expressed grave resentment over the unabated price
hike of everything and said she had bought a big sized
bread about at Taka 20 one month year ago but this item is
now being sold at taka 28.
"Prices of everything are on the rise. As you know flour
is the main raw material for making confectionary item. I
have to buy flour at high rate. Apart from flour, prices
of everything which are needed to make confectionery items
are also beyond our reach," an owner of a confectionary
factory told The Bangladesh Today on Tuesday.
However, sources said a section of dishonest businessmen
have hiked the prices of confectionary and toiletries in
planned way to make profit and create artificial crisis in
the market. "The city people often like to take light food
and confectionary items. As a result, taking this
advantage a section of dishonest confectionary factory and
shop owners and the manufactures of soaps and other
toiletries items, has increased the price of these items,"
sources pointed out.
It may be pointed out that a bread is being sold at Taka
40 against Taka 35 fifteen days ago. Detergent power,
which was sold at Taka 44 two weeks ago, now is selling at
Taka 48 per kg. On an average, price of coconut oil
increased by Taka 7 to Taka 8 per bottle. Price of soap
has increased by 20 percent.
Construction
materials-price hike-impacts development and real-estates
Staff Correspondent
The 44th convocation of the University of Dhaka was held
on Monday amid jubilation in tight security and protest by
a student organisation over the participation of President
Dr Iajuddin Ahmed at the function.
The president, Iajuddin Ahmed, also the chancellor of the
university attended the programme as chief guest. Language
Movement hero Abdul Matin was the convocation speaker and
the university conferred honorary doctor of law degree on
him and another hero of the movement, Gaziul Haque.
Son of Gaziul Haque, Rahul Gazi, received the certificate
and crest on behalf of his father as the veteran language
movement hero could not participate the convocation due to
ill health.
The Dhaka University campus wore a festive look as
thousands of jubilant students attired in convocation
costume enthusiastically received their degrees.
In his speech, President Dr Iajuddin Ahmed called upon the
graduates to work for the welfare of their own families,
society as well as for the country. "Session jams in
public universities are increasing alarmingly that
escalating education expenses and many prospective years
are being dropped from one's life. I call upon all
students, teachers, guardians, civil society members and
national leaders to deeply think about this matter," he
said.
Some 3385 graduates participated in the convocation
including 2042 female and 33 of them received gold medals,
24 M Phil degrees and 29 PhD degrees.
Representatives of the Embassies and High Commissioners,
army personnel, former DU Vice Chancellors and members of
the senate, syndicate and academic council were present.
President and Chancellor Dr Iajuddin Ahmed presided over
the function. The programme began at 9:30 am with a
colourful 'Chancellor's procession' from the Carzon Hall
where members of senate, syndicate and academic council
and teachers of the university as well as heads of the
affiliated institutions were present. The convocation,
held at the university playground, continued till 12:30
pm.
Inauguration of DU senate building Apr 10 postponed
CA was scheduled as chief guest
DU Correspondent
At last the Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed has changed
his mind to visit Dhaka University scheduled for April 10
to inaugurate the Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate
Building of the university.
A press release of the university released on Tuesday
said, the scheduled programme was postponed due to
unavoidable circumstances.
The chief adviser was scheduled to attend the inaugural
ceremony of the senate building as chief guest while
education adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman as special guest.
Sources said, the decision came in the wake of the
different student organisations' announcement to resist
Chief Adviser's visit on the campus as students and
teachers of Dhaka University had been subjected to
'oppression' under his rule. The student organisation had
chalked up agitation programmes, including token hunger
strike, hoisting of black flags, processions and
distribution of leaflets to protest CA's visit and they
vowed to prevent the chief adviser from visiting the DU.
BCL president Mahmud Hasan Ripon said, 'this is a great
victory of the students. I hope the Chief Adviser would
now take initiative to release Sheikh Hasina and handover
power to an elected government through holding national
election soon,' he added.
DU JCD general secretary, Saiful Islam Firoz, claimed the
decision of CA as victory of their movement against the
government.
Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique, a former president of Dhaka
University Teachers' Association also welcomed the
decision of the Chief Adviser.
'The Chief Adviser might come to the university for view
exchange with the teachers or for other purpose but why to
inaugurate a building where activities are going on for
last two years?,' he questioned.
Phulbari coal
mine project yet to be approved
UNB, Dhaka
GCM Resources, parent company of Asia Energy that
developed the Phulbari Coal Mine Project, said they would
continue to wait for approval of the project by the
government.
It said financing arrangements (equity and debt) for the
project will be made once the project is approved. The
statement of GCM Resources came in response to ADB that
viewed it is too early for talk with Asia Energy about
financing of the project.
Regarding its participation in the project ADB has
recently said it would wait for government decision how to
proceed in harnessing the energy resources including
extraction of coal from Phulbari mine.
They will monitor the situation on the ground with full
sensitivity to local conditions, said ADB adding, "We
think it is premature to continue dialogue with the
private sector under the current circumstances."
GCM Resources said the Phulbari Coal Project is currently
being reviewed by the government and they would wait for
its decision.
It felt that ADB has been undertaking due diligence for
its possible participation in the project.
Crime
RAB
apologise for harassing
journalists
CRAB Press Release
Director General of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Hasan
Mahmud Khandaker apologised and assured of no such
repetitions of the harassment of journalists by any member
of RAB.
He made this apology at a meeting at RAB headquarters in
presence of some high officials of the law enforcing
agency and executive committee of Crime Reporters'
Association of Bangladesh (CRAB). An enquiry committee was
formed to probe into the incident.
It is mentioned that several crime reporters were
assaulted by some RAB members on April 4 at RAB-1 office.
Girl violated
UNB, Jhenaidah
A 9-year old girl was violated allegedly by a neighbour at
Pirojpur village in Kaliganj upazila on Saturday.
Police said Sanjit Kumar Das forcibly violated the girl
when she went in a bamboo cluster near her house at about
7:30pm.
Hearing her cry for help, local people rescued her in a
bleeding condition. The victim girl was admitted to a
local clinic and later on Sunday shifted her to Jessore
district Sadar Hospital as her condition was deteriorated.
Sanjit went into hiding after the incident. The victim's
father filed a case with the police.
Bangladesh Society for the Environment of Human Rights is
also investigating the incident.
Domestic help found dead
BSS, Sirajganj
A domestic help was found dead at one Akmal Hossain's
house at Khalifa Patti in the town on Sunday night. Police
sources said Ratna, minor daughter of Shaheen Mia of
Beparipara of the town was employed at Akmal's house as a
domestic help. The neighbours of Akmal came to know on
Sunday night that Ratna was lying on the floor with rope
around her neck.
Being informed police and a team of RAB reached the place,
but Akmal and his wife Ruli Khatun managed to escape
sensing the presence of the law enforcers.
It was alleged that Akmal and his wife used to beat Ratana
very often. Police sent the body of Ratna to Sirajganj
General Hospital for autopsy.
Businessman commits suicide
BSS, Jamalpur
A businessman committed suicide by throwing himself under
a speeding train at Islampur railway station on Sunday
night.
The dead was identified as Pankaj Kumar Kundu, 32, son of
Provat Kundu, of thana road under Islampur upazila in the
district. GRP sources said Pankaj Kumar committed suicide
jumping under Dewanganj bound train from Dhaka at around
10:20 pm on Sunday. The reason behind his committing
suicide could not be known.
Police recovered his body and sent to morgue for autopsy.
Gunmen snatch Tk 32 lakh
injuring cashier
UNB, Savar
Muggers snatched away around Tk 32 lakh from a local
agency cashier of the British American Tobacco after
shooting and injuring him in the municipal area here in
broad
daylight on Tuesday.
The injured was identified as Sirajul Islam, 35, cashier
of Hossain Brothers, the local agent of Gold Leaf
Cigarettes.
Police said a gang of 4-5 muggers came in three motorbikes
and intercepted Sirajul Islam and his two colleagues,
Mostofa Kamal and Arjun, at Nama Bazar at about 11:00 am
while they were going to a nearby branch of Pubali Bank
with money from their office.
"The bandits fired two shots in Sirajul's chest and neck
and stabbed Arjun in the attack and snatched two
briefcases containing the money from Siraj and Arjun,"
says a spot account of the holdup.
Seriously wounded, both were admitted to Enam Medical
College and Hospital, from where Siraj was later shifted
to Apollo Hospital in the city as his condition was
deteriorating. Officer-in-Charge of Savar police station
Abul Khayer told UNB that none was arrested in this
connection, but separate teams of police launched raids on
different spots to track down the muggers.
Case filed against six
BSS, Brahmanbaria
A case has been filed accusing six persons in connection
with the recovery of two touchstone worth about Tk 50
crore from the Akhaura residence of Humayun
Khadem, former chairman of RAJUK on Sunday.
Sources said members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)
seized two touchstone weighed 174 kg from the bedroom of
Humayun Khadem's house at Kharampur of Akhaura pourasabha
and arrested caretaker of the house Dula Mia.
A local source said that the touchstones were at the mazar
of Shah Peer Hazrat Kalla Shaheed for a long time.
3 hundi traders arrested
BSS, Kishoreganj
Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested three
hundi traders along with Tk 69,67,100 from Bhairab Bazaar
area in the district on Sunday.
The arrested were identified as Shahirul, Nurul Islam and
Alauddin.
Police said on secrete information a RAB team raided a
Sylhet bound passengers bus from Bhairab and arrested them
along with the money.
A case was filed.
Two arms traders held; arms recovered
UNB, Joypurhat
RAB in a drive held two arms traders along with arms and
ammunition from Tahsil Office West Para area in Khethlal
upazila on Monday.
Acting on a tip-off, a team of RAB-5 led by major Shah Ali
held Masudur Rahman alias Sujan, 25, and Mostafizur Rahman
alias Sumon, 24, and recovered one pistol, its one
magazine and one bullet from their possession.
UNB Sirajganj correspondent adds: Dacoit leader Khaleque
was arrested along with arms and ammunition from Majnabari
Char Sinna village in Kazipur village on Sunday night.
Editorial
Pre-election Consensus
On
07 April 2008, the Media Initiative for Public Policy held a
discussion in the Dhaka Press Club on "The Necessity of
Pre-election National Consensus". The discussion panel
included a few heavy-weight politicians and intellectuals who
held forth lengthily on all that was wrong with our politics
and on how those wrongs ought to be righted. Somehow, after a
year and a quarter of Emergency, "Consensus and Unity" have
become the most popular buzz-words with people both within and
out of government. The Government wants a "national consensus
for reforms within political parties"; the political parties
want a national consensus about holding an early "free and
fair" election; the Sector Commanders Forum wants unity for
trial of war criminals and the common people want a consensus
about reducing prices of essential food items and about ways
to survive in difficult times. From this sudden flowering of
the need for consensus and unity, one is constrained to wonder
how divided a Nation we are? And how with so much of divisions
have we survived as a Nation-state for the last 37 years?
Starting with the assertion of the Government that national
consensus is most crucial for reforms within political
parties, we would humbly like to point out that reforms within
political parties are matters of concern to those parties and
does not need a "national consensus" for the simple reason the
"Nation" cannot be equated with "political parties" whose
total memberships may not exceed 10 million adults whereas the
entire nation consists of a 150 million people. That is only
one aspect of it because a Nation-state is the sum total of
its population, its territory, its government, its state
institutions and its history and culture. Therefore, the word
"National" ought to be used with great circumspections; most
certainly linking "national consensus" with "reforms in
political parties" is mis-leading. What the Emergency
Government certainly implies is that until the political
parties agree, in advance, to jettison their chairpersons, to
accept the proposals of the EC regarding the registration of
political parties and to accept the ratification of the
Emergency, its acts, measures and ordinances, they (political
parties) or some of them may find themselves "disqualified"
for elections. Therefore, this rather sudden realization of a
"national consensus" in this regard.
As far as other calls for consensus and unity is concerned we
certainly agree that strong public opinion regarding specific
agendas and issues of public concern and interest, is
important but to call for a "national" unity or consensus is
both impractical, unnecessary and unachievable. After all we
are all striving for democracy and democracy is all about
diversity of opinions and views which can flourish side by
side without getting into conflict and violence or any other
forms of extremism, in both letter and spirit. It is only in
authoritarian and totalitarian dispensations that one strives
or at least projects that a complete, a 100 percent consensus
and unity exists in every sphere of national life and we had
our own bitter experiences of versions of such consensus and
unity.
For the common people of this country, however, such matters
are beyond their ken, understanding or concern. What concerns
them is whether they can live out their lives in peace and
with a minimum of physical and material comfort. Translated in
other words that would mean: a shelter over the head, some
clothing and 3 times of food everyday. Until these issues are
brought to the fore there can be no "national consensus and
unity", neither is one needed.
400
years of Dhaka as capital city
The
Asiatic Society is reported to have drawn up a three-year long
programme for celebrating 400 years of Dhaka as the capital
city. The celebration will feature different activities like
publication, review of cultural heritage, tradition and
historical heritage. A seven-member delegation of the Asiatic
Society on Monday apprised Chief Adviser Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmd
of their plan and he appreciated the initiative saying,
'culture, tradition and heritage of ours should be upheld'.
Everyone will share the views expressed by the chief adviser
and join him in lauding the initiative to celebrate the 400
years of Dhaka which possesses a rich history, tradition and
heritage. Almost all nations of the world try their best to
preserve and uphold their history, culture and tradition. We
too, as a nation, take pride in our glorious history as well
as rich tradition and heritage, but unfortunately we are
neither serious nor sincere in upholding them properly. The
massive negligence meted out to Dhaka city and its glorious
past is a glowing example of our apathy.
Dhaka is our favourite city. Dhaka has emerged now as a mega
city, but it is one of the world's dirtiest and worst cities.
Dhaka is plagued by instability and poor infrastructure
besides lack of proper civic amenities specially adequate
utility services. Perhaps in no other city in the world so
many people live in such limited spaces and in such deplorable
condition.
With the increase of population by one million every three
years, the capital Dhaka will become the fourth most populous
city of the world by the year 2015. At present with over 12.3
million city dwellers, Dhaka ranks as the eleventh populous
city in the world, according to report of the UNFPA. With a
population growth of 5.5 per cent annually, Dhaka's
inhabitants will reach 21.3 million by the year 2015. And it
is not difficult to realise what a dreadful situation will be
created then making Dhaka simply unlivable as the government
will find it very difficult then to arrange educational
facilities, health care, sewerage system, water, and power for
the dwellers. Celebration of 400 years of Dhaka city is
alright, but what is needed most is a comprehensive government
plan to make Dhaka a modern city with all facilities and
amenities of the 21st century.
Analysis
The Immigrant Gap
To maintain high standards of living for
Americans, the U.S. economy needs skilled workers.
Matthew J. Slaughter
April 1 is a critical day for immigration policy. Today, U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) begins accepting
new H1-B visa petitions for the next fiscal year.
Created in 1990, H1-B visas allow companies to sponsor highly
educated foreigners-architects, doctors, engineers, scientists
among them-to work in the United States for at least three
years. The H1-B program, which accounts for nearly all skilled
immigrants admitted to work here each year, is capped annually
at 65,000 for people with a bachelor's degree or higher, plus
an additional 20,000 for those with a master's degree or
higher.
Is this enough supply to meet market demand? Not even close.
Last year, by the afternoon of the first day petitions were
accepted, more than 150,000 had been filed. So USCIS rejected
all petitions received after close of business the next day,
and then allocated the 85,000 visas via random lottery. USCIS
is forecasting a similar crush today for 2009 petitions.
Skilled immigrants have long contributed to rising U.S.
standards of living. They bring human capital, brimming with
ideas for new technologies and new companies. They bring
financial capital as well, with savings and resources to
develop these new ideas. And they often bring connections to
business opportunities abroad, stimulating exports and
affiliate sales for multinational companies.
One of the most innovative and productive sectors of the U.S.
economy, which accounts for more than half of the economy-wide
productivity acceleration since 1995, is information
technology. At the end of the 1990s, 24% of all IT firms in
Silicon Valley had been founded by immigrants from China or
India.
IT's gain from skilled immigrants has been mirrored throughout
the economy. The number of foreign-born workers in the U.S.
science and engineering workforce has nearly quintupled since
1980. Increases have been most pronounced among the most
educated. The foreign-born share of doctorate-level workers
rose to 42% today from 24% in 1990.
Higher education offers another prime example. America built
the world's most dynamic university system largely by
welcoming foreign scholars. At the Tuck School of Business at
Dartmouth, where I am a professor, 36% of tenured and
tenure-track professors are foreign born.
Nonetheless, leading U.S. companies today are crying out for
more immigrants to satisfy their talent needs. And they do so
as globalization gives companies an ever-wider range of
locations abroad in which to operate. Increasingly, talent
needs that cannot be met in America can be met abroad-much to
the detriment of the U.S. economy. Bill Gates put this clearly
in testimony to Congress last month: "many U.S. firms,
including Microsoft, have been forced to locate staff in
countries that welcome skilled foreign workers to do work that
could otherwise have been done in the United States, if it
were not for our counterproductive immigration policies."
Alarms are increasingly being sounded about America's waning
competitiveness. In particular, American capital markets are
losing out to financial centers like London. The independent,
bipartisan Committee on Capital Markets Regulation opened its
latest report with this line, "By any meaningful measure, the
competitiveness of the U.S. public equity market has
deteriorated significantly in recent years."
A recent McKinsey report surveyed hundreds of senior finance
executives and found that their single most important concern
was "availability of professional workers." One executive
said, "It is much easier hiring talented people in the U.K.
There are plenty of great people and I never have trouble
getting them in because of immigration restrictions; I
couldn't hire the team I need in the U.S. today."
And why is it easy to hire financial talent in London? Because
the U.K. welcomes an unlimited supply of the world's best
financial minds. Since 2004, the U.K. Highly Skilled Migrant
Programme has maintained a list of the world's top 50 business
schools. Anyone who earns an MBA from one of these schools is
automatically eligible to work in the U.K. for at least one
year.
America is currently facing many economic challenges. In
Washington and on the presidential campaign trail, however, we
hear very little about immigration. And what we do hear is
mainly about issues such as fences and drivers' licenses. This
is unfortunate. To maintain high standards of living for
Americans, the U.S. economy needs skilled workers. But our
immigration policy keeps out many of the world's best, and as
a result threatens America's competitiveness. The solution?
Eliminate the cap on H1-B visas. What a wonderful April Fool's
Day surprise that would be.
(Matthew J. Slaughter is Adjunct Senior Fellow for Business
and Globalization. Source: www.cfr.org)
In their shoes
Labeling all Israelis war
criminals is just as wrong as labeling all Palestinians
terrorists.
Pauline Lewis
CAIRO-My
life in the West Bank during the summer of 2006 was a lot less
dramatic than some might imagine. I wasn't kidnapped and I
didn't see any gun battles in the street. I went to university
every day, ate delicious food, and traveled throughout various
cities in the area. This is not to say that life is normal in
this part of the Palestinian Territories. Based on the
freedoms I had taken for granted in the United States, I was
not prepared for the absence of certain civil liberties there.
One freedom I had taken for granted was to move freely to
school and work. Israeli military checkpoints litter the roads
throughout the West Bank, and if you live 15 miles away from
school or work, chances are you will have to go through at
least two or three of them. Exiting your vehicle, you are
herded to a barb-wired waiting zone, all under the cold gaze
of an Israeli soldier and his or her automatic weapon.
Needless to say, this was terrifying for someone who is not
comfortable around guns. If you're lucky, your American
passport will get you off the hook, or maybe one of the young
Israeli soldiers will think you're cute and let you pass
without interrogation. But for most Palestinians, the
checkpoints are a daily humiliation, a reminder of the
military occupation under which they live. These checkpoints
are one of the few exchanges that Israelis and Palestinians
share, a phenomenon that goes to the root of the problem in
the conflict. This brief interaction leaves the Palestinians
viewing the Israelis as nothing more than military monsters,
and leaves the Israeli soldiers suspecting each Palestinian of
being a potential suicide bomber. There is a wall, both
figuratively and literally, between the Israelis and their
Palestinian neighbors, and this prevents both sides from
understanding the other whom they consider the enemy.
But during my stay, I was lucky enough to meet a Palestinian
woman who saw the humanity on the other side of the barbwire.
'Abeer was member of my host family, a mother of four with a
warm smile. Once over coffee, she asked my friend, Ron, if he
wanted to go to Tel Aviv. Ron is extremely critical of Israeli
policies toward Palestinians and of average Israelis, many of
whom he views as reprehensible for either supporting those
policies or not protesting them. So when asked if he would
like to travel to Israel, Ron said bluntly, "No, I do not like
Israelis." 'Abeer looked at Ron like he was crazy, and asked
him, "Why?!" Not waiting for an answer, she immediately began
to defend Israelis, saying "They are just like us. They have
problems too. They even have more problems than we do. You
know, I feel sorry for them. Do you think they enjoy forcing
people out of their homes? They are just people too, and yet
they are in a situation where they have to do bad things." I
was stunned at this moving defence of Israeli soldiers by a
Palestinian mother. 'Abeer went on to tell the story of how
she first began to see that the Israelis were people too, and
not a sub-human enemy.
"Our father was very sick with cancer when I was 14 years old.
My nine-year-old brother had been up by the road throwing
stones at soldiers. When he ran back to our house, the
soldiers began to chase him to arrest him. When the soldiers
found our house, they came in to seize him. But then they saw
my father, who was clearly very sick and dying. They looked at
my father, and looked at my brother and told us that they
would not arrest my brother because of our sick father. Then
they left. I knew at that moment that these soldiers were
people too, and that they and the other Israelis have the same
feelings that we do."
It was incredible to hear her express such empathy for the
Israelis. When it comes down to it, we are all human. And
while it's easy to criticize and condemn, it is much more
productive to understand, and to try and see ourselves in the
other's position. Labeling all Israelis war criminals is just
as wrong as labeling all Palestinians terrorists. Fighting
fire with fire is no way to go about ending the
generalizations, the dehumanization or the resulting violence.
So, thank you Abeer, for being able to put yourself in the
boots of the Israeli soldier. Perhaps on my next trip to
Israel, I will meet an Israeli soldier who can put his feet in
your shoes.
(Pauline Lewis recently graduated from the University of
Michigan in Arabic-Islamic studies, and is currently a US
Fulbright Fellow based in Cairo, Egypt. Source: Common Ground
News Service, 03 April 2008.Copyright permission is granted
for publication.)
Limits of military power
It seems futile, five years on,
to waste words rehearsing once more the folly of the invasion,
launched under false pretences, on the basis of WMD evidence .
Max Hastings
THE
Iraq war has shown how high is the pain threshold of the West.
Five years after the 2003 invasion, the daily roll call of
Iraqi suicide bombings, murders, firefights and body-bags has
become as familiar a part of our landscape as traffic jams on
the M1 and Los Angeles freeway.
The media class on both sides of the Atlantic is deeply
engaged, indeed impassioned. The war is much discussed in the
US presidential election campaign. But most Americans and
Europeans display vastly less interest in the Middle East than
in troubles closer to home - the global banking crisis
foremost among them. They have grown used to Iraq in the way
they do to a chronic personal ailment. It is there. It is
nasty. They wish that it would go away. But it does not
inflict the sort of agonising pain that causes democracies to
force urgent action upon their governments.
At this week's bleak anniversary, statisticians measure the
cost. Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes tell us that the US
faces a total bill of $3 trillion, and still counting. About
4,000 American soldiers, 171 British and anything between
200,000 and 600,000 Iraqis have died. It would be madness to
describe these numbers as acceptable. But they have not proved
so unacceptable that the US or British government, or even the
Iraqi administration in Baghdad, has found it necessary to
adopt any radical shift of policy. The Shia-dominated
government of Nouri Al Maliki still recoils from empowering
Iraq's Sunnis. The Bush administration declines to make
serious advances to Iran and Syria, vital players in any
credible Iraqi outcome, or to qualify its unstinting support
for Israel. Gordon Brown maintains a token British contingent
outside Basra, which does little, but avoids an outright
breach with Washington. It seems futile, five years on, to
waste words rehearsing once more the folly of the invasion,
launched under false pretences, on the basis of WMD evidence
that some of us, including me, were foolish enough to swallow.
Likewise, the blunders of the early occupation are common
ground even in sentient zones of the White House. All that
matters now are the present and future.
George Bush's troop surge has been a tactical military
success. Though violence in February and March has increased
from the low January level, with 10 US soldiers dying last
week, far fewer Iraqi lives are being lost than at this time
last year. Local ceasefires have made notable progress, with
militias receiving American pay to refrain from attacks on
either US forces or other factions.
Al Qaeda insurgents have suffered repeated military defeats,
and political eclipse. Many Sunni communities have rejected Al
Qaeda's murderous hegemony, together with the cost of allowing
their towns and villages to become battlefields.
The great unanswered question is whether this amounts to
sustainable progress, or merely to a temporary hiatus which
fails to address the fundamental issues that will decide
Iraq's future. Dr Stephen Biddle of the US Council on Foreign
Relations has acquired an intimate knowledge of Iraq, and
offered an interesting assessment to the House armed services
committee in January.
While accepting that all the options remain bleak, he
suggested that there is today a better chance of salvaging
something than seemed possible six months ago. He argued that
a long-term US peacekeeping commitment - perhaps for 20 years
- remains essential. "We are the only plausible candidate for
this role for now - no one else is lining up to don a blue
helmet and serve in a UN mission to Iraq," he said. "We are
not widely loved by Iraqis ... Yet we are the only party to
today's conflict that no other party sees as a threat of
genocide ... we are tolerated across Iraq today in a way that
is unique among the parties." Biddle cherishes no delusions
about the weakness, approaching paralysis, of the national
government in Baghdad. The Shia Prime Minister, Maliki, he
says, can more readily live with continuing war than address
the political challenges of reconciliation and compromises
with the Sunnis, which peace would render inescapable.
Instead, he suggests that "a patchwork quilt of uneasy local
ceasefires" may be attainable, with adjoining areas run by
local Sunni and Shia militias, and essential services provided
by trusted co-religionists. All this fits with the bottom-up
rather than top-down approach that has been at the heart of
General David Petraeus's strategy since he assumed command in
Baghdad. Yet massive uncertainties overhang the vision
propounded by Biddle and others. Will the local ceasefires and
reduction of violence be maintained, as US troop numbers on
the ground inevitably decline? Can intercommunal stresses, not
least with the Kurds, be contained while the key issue of
dividing oil revenues remains unresolved? And whoever becomes
president in January, will the American people be willing to
sacrifice the blood and treasure involved in a long-term troop
commitment to Iraq?
Whether McCain, Obama or Clinton reaches the White House, each
will face the same dilemma: would any of the three accept
responsibility for presiding over a possible bloodbath, if he
or she gives an order to bring the boys home?
A familiar tension will persist, between the visible cost of
staying, and the huge unknown of getting out. If violence on
the ground seems containable, if the present flickering
candle-flames of optimism remain unextinguished, the next
president seems likely to persevere in Iraq. If, on the other
hand, pain increases, bloodshed worsens, then the American
people will surely force the hand of the White House, and
insist upon a closure.
No American general is likely to accomplish more than Petraeus.
Current US political strategy in Iraq is probably as
enlightened as it is going to get. The big, empty field is
that of wider American policy in the Middle East, which is
critical in determining the context in which Iraq's fate will
be decided. Under Bush, this has been sterile. In theory at
least, a big opportunity awaits a new president - that of
making a new start with Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Israel.
The British historian Professor Hew Strachan, one of my heroes
among academics, has for years deplored the West's failure to
act abroad in accordance with a plausible framework of
strategy. We will dismiss the Washington neocons' claim,
underpinning the 2003 Iraq invasion, that their campaign to
bring democracy to the Middle East represented just such an
overarching idea. What is needed is informed particularism in
place of ignorant universalism. The challenge for the next US
administration is to create a new Middle East strategy that
rejects the juvenile Bush vision of Iraq as a playing field
against Al Qaeda; which reaches out to moderate Iranians; and
which accepts that until there is justice for the
Palestinians, American mood music can never play right
anywhere in the Muslim world. The Iraq experience has laid
bare the limits of raw military power. It would be naive to
suggest that an abrupt American departure would now promise
the country a happy future. But there seems no purpose in a
continued US military presence, save within the context of new
regional policies vastly different from those that prevail
today.
Max Hastings is a British journalist and Guardian columnist.
Source:
www.khaleejtimes.com
Viewpoints
A Balancing Act in
Pakistan
Future U.S. policy toward Pakistan must focus
on economic aid that extends beyond counterterrorism efforts.
Jayshree Bajoria
The
new government in Islamabad has wasted little time making
clear its disapproval of Washington's policy toward Pakistan
and its strategy on counterterrorism. The visit by two top
U.S. State Department officials on the same day the new
Pakistani prime minister was sworn in was widely criticized
(CNN) in Pakistan. New York Times correspondent Jane Perlez
writes that the three-day trip by Deputy Secretary of State
John D. Negroponte "turned out to be [a] series of indignities
and chilly, almost hostile, receptions," signaling challenges
ahead in engaging Pakistan's newly elected government.
Islamabad's new leaders have asserted the decision-making
process will now involve more than one man (Guardian),
implying Washington will have to broaden its regular contacts
within Pakistan beyond President Pervez Musharraf. The new
government has also made it clear that it will no longer
tolerate the death of civilians in anti-militant operations,
and further, it prefers negotiating with militants as a
strategy to counter extremism.
Yet while the Bush administration's official statements
stressed cooperation, the Washington Post reported it
continued to step up unilateral strikes against suspected
militant hideouts inside Pakistan's tribal areas. The Post
report says Washington wants to inflict as much damage as it
can to al-Qaeda's network inside Pakistan before the new
government puts a stop to U.S. air strikes. CFR's Daniel
Markey says Pakistan's government needs to come to grips with
the threat posed by internal militants but he also cautions
against any heavy-handed U.S. approach to the threat. "The
last thing we ultimately want to do is alienate the Pakistanis
for short-term benefits," he says. "Killing another top-level
[extremist] leader is probably not worth losing the
relationship with Pakistan as a partner."
Experts say a shift in Pakistan's counterterrorism strategy
could be worrisome for Washington at a time when militants
from Pakistan's tribal areas continue to feed instability
across the border, posing challenges to the NATO alliance in
Afghanistan (NPR). Some have questioned Pakistan's willingness
to fight this war. Matthew Cole, writing in Salon, revisits
charges that Pakistani security forces have been abusing U.S.
aid by double-dealing and assisting Taliban forces,
allegations denied by Pakistani officials.
For much of the Bush administration, U.S. policy toward
Pakistan has hinged on supporting Musharraf. "One of the chief
drivers of Bush's foreign policy has been the president's own
tendency to personalize diplomacy," writes Joshua Kurlantzick
in the New Republic. This approach is drawing some critics in
Washington and has been singled out by front-runners in the
U.S. presidential campaign. Senators Barack Obama (D-IL) and
Hillary Clinton (D-NY) have both been critical of Bush's
policy and have advocated moving away from Musharraf. They
have also said that future U.S. policy toward Pakistan must
focus on economic aid that extends beyond counterterrorism
efforts. The presumptive Republican nominee for president,
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), has also pressed for economic
development and education in Pakistan.
While this may signal a more comprehensive strategy for a
future Pakistan policy, experts say Washington has to walk a
bit of a tightrope in the country. No matter who calls the
shots in Islamabad, the Pakistani army and its intelligence
services remain important players in the U.S.-led "war on
terror." Pakistani journalist Ayaz Amir writes in
Pakistan-based The News that the "rethinking of the American
alliance will have to come as much from General Headquarters
as from the new National Assembly." The U.S. government has a
long-standing relationship with Pakistan's military, as this
timeline shows, and experts say it's unlikely the Pakistani
army will be willing to cut these ties or forego U.S aid.
(Jayshree Bajoria is a Staff Writer for Council on Foreign
Relations. Source: www.cfr.org)
Putin
Saved Russia From Western Traps
If you see a world leader greeted with open arms in
Washington, or London, then beware. Most likely, his services
are not for his country or his people, but for those who
applaud and cheer him.
Soumaya Ghannoushi
To
say that Russia's image in the British and American media is
negative would be quite an understatement. Read press reports
on the country and the impression you will get is of a
semi-rogue state run by a power-crazed 21st-century czar, who
oppresses dissidents at home and threatens countries abroad.
What is missing from this chilling narrative, however, is that
Putin, the former KGB agent dismissed as a new Stalin, saved
Russia from disintegration and Yugoslavia-style mayhem. He
succeeded in putting an end to the vortex of European and
American foreign interventions that transformed his country
from the world's mightiest power to a ludicrous caricature
epitomized by a drunk president, who specialized in making a
fool of himself and his country, bumbling, dancing or
stumbling at international gatherings.
It is ironic that the man who presided over Russia's collapse
was feted, while opprobrium is heaped on the one leading it
through its recovery. For much of his rule, Yeltsin was hailed
as a hero and embraced by Western statesmen - sometimes
literally. Clinton even campaigned for his re-election. This
proceeded as he transferred his country's wealth to gangs of
thieves while his people went hungry, while GDP plummeted (by
50 percent), over a quarter of Russians sunk into poverty (an
estimated 30 percent), and mortality rates rose by 50 percent.
He was even cheered in Western capitals when his tanks
besieged the Duma - after it refused to pass his drastic
liberalization reforms - shelled and almost destroyed the
building with the elected legislature inside. As long as he
did Washington's bidding, he could do no wrong. In the space
of a few years, Putin transformed Russia from the world's
latest sick man to a confident, resurgent power. Russia is
back on its feet after the terrible decade of US/IMF blessed
"shock therapy", of rampant corruption and comprehensive
decline. For the last eight years, GDP has steadily increased,
rising by the highest percentage since the fall of the Soviet
Union at 8.1 percent. Inflation has fallen to under 10
percent, and Russia's trade balance has increased threefold in
four years. Last year, the World Bank declared that Russian
economy had achieved "unprecedented stability." Many British
and American economic analysts compete in playing down Putin's
role in Russia's economic resurrection, maintaining that it
has more to do with high oil prices than with any economic
reforms he has introduced. What these conveniently overlook,
however, is that, had it not been for Putin, the country's
enormous oil and gas revenues would still be flowing into the
accounts of Shell, BP and other foreign companies. And were it
not for his audacious pursuit of the oligarchs who looted the
country to starvation in the mass privatization of the Yeltsin
era, the country's riches - over 70 percent of the economy -
would still be in the hands of Khodorkovsky, Lebedev,
Berezovsky, and the other titans of the Yeltsin era. What is
seldom said in the European and American media is that, far
from being a threat to the West, Russia is, in fact, a country
under threat. Since the fall of the iron curtain, the US has
been tightening the noose around its neck in an attempt to
drive it outside the international equation altogether.
Analysts love to speak of Russia's new aggressive tone under
Putin. But what is rarely ever mentioned is that rather than
being on the offensive, Russia is defending its vital
interests and national security from a continuous encroachment
by Washington and its European allies. In December 2001, the
US announced its withdrawal from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic
Missile Treaty with Russia. The treaty, President Bush
declared, is "now behind us"; missile defenses will be
deployed "as soon as possible". The US proceeded to announce
plans to deploy a radar facility in the Czech Republic and a
missile base in Poland. Through NATO, the US has worked to
isolate Moscow, admitting its former Eastern European and
Baltic client states into the organization.
As a result, Russia today finds itself militarily encircled,
with NATO at its western frontiers and a ring of military
bases planted in Central Asia on its southern borders. After a
string of color revolutions, the US has further encroached
into Russia's geopolitical zone by supporting Kosovo's
independence.
And Thursday, Bush set the stage for the coming NATO summit by
announcing his intention to "support Map for Ukraine and
Georgia" (Map being NATO's membership action plan for future
members), despite the reluctance of Germany and France. In
response, Putin warned that should the plan go through, "one
can't theoretically exclude the possibility that Russia will
have to point its warheads at Ukrainian territory." Is it any
wonder Russia looks angrily westward? As a Russian politician
put it, "Russia can't just twiddle its thumbs when it sees the
Americans taking root in the Baltic and Caucasus countries and
strengthening their positions in East European countries ...
When NATO's steam engine is directed toward us, we simply must
respond." Today, as Putin prepares to vacate the Kremlin - and
move next door - Russia looks healthier and stronger than it
did for years. Not only did he succeed in halting the cycle of
decline and disintegration unleashed by his predecessor, he
has driven his country forward economically, politically and
militarily, restoring its confidence and sense of itself as a
global power.
Important lessons can be drawn from this episode of the
history of Western-Russian relations. One of these is the
following: If you see a world leader greeted with open arms in
Washington, or London, then beware. Most likely, his services
are not for his country or his people, but for those who
applaud and cheer him.
Source: www.arabnews.com
Potential
consequences of a regional nuclear conflict
"While the number of nuclear warheads in the world has fallen
by about a factor of three since its peak in 1986, the number
of nuclear weapons states is increasing.
N. Gopal Raj
An
exchange between India and Pakistan in which each side used 50
Hiroshima-sized nuclear bombs, could leave more than 21
million people dead. That would be equivalent to about half
the global fatalities in the Second World War.
During the Cold War it was feared that a battle for supremacy
between the United States and the Soviet Union might unleash a
global catastrophe, each using a huge arsenal of nuclear
weapons on the other. But now even a regional nuclear
conflict, such as one involving India and Pakistan, could
extract a gigantic cost in terms of human lives and suffering,
according to studies carried out by a team of scientists in
the United States. Such a regional war could also produce
long-lasting climatic changes that would affect countries
around the world.
A regional exchange between India and Pakistan, in which each
side used 50 Hiroshima-sized nuclear bombs, could leave more
than 21 million people dead, which would be equivalent to
about half the global fatalities in the Second World War,
pointed out Owen Toon and fellow scientists at the University
of Colorado, the University of California at Los Angeles, and
Rutgers University in a paper published in the journal
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics last year.
Firestorms created by the nuclear blasts would produce
millions of tonnes of soot, which would get transported high
up into the atmosphere. As a result, there would be
significant global cooling and reduction in rainfall lasting
several years, noted a paper by A. Robock and others in the
same journal last year. Such climatic changes would impact
global food supply, they concluded. The vast amounts of soot
in the upper atmosphere would also punch a near-global ozone
hole lasting several years, according to a paper appearing
this week in the early online edition of the Proceedings of
the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S.
Such doomsday scenarios might not be implausible. "While the
number of nuclear warheads in the world has fallen by about a
factor of three since its peak in 1986, the number of nuclear
weapons states is increasing and the potential exists for
numerous regional nuclear arms races," observed Dr. Toon and
others in their paper. "Eight countries are known to have
nuclear weapons, two are constructing them, and an additional
32 nations already have the fissile material needed to build
substantial arsenals of low-yield (Hiroshima-sized)
explosives."
Nuclear weapons could be targeted at megacities where
population and economic activity were increasingly getting
concentrated, they point out. As a result, a regional conflict
involving modest numbers of Hiroshima-class nuclear weapons
could, in some cases, produce casualties that rival previous
estimates for a limited strategic war between the superpowers
involving thousands of far more powerful warheads, according
to Dr. Toon and his colleagues. If a single Hiroshima-class
nuclear bomb exploded above India's highest density city
(presumably Mumbai), it could kill well over five lakh people,
they estimated. If the 10 highest density regions in India and
Pakistan were attacked, there could be 4.3 million fatalities
and 8.9 million casualties. With the large amounts of
combustible material present in cities, the nuclear bombs
would set off firestorms. If India and Pakistan were each to
fire 50 nuclear bombs at the other, such fires would produce
over six million tonnes of soot. As a result, cooling to the
extent of several degrees Celsius could be expected over large
areas of Asia, Europe and North America, pointed out Dr.
Robock and others in their paper. Monsoon rains over Asia
could be substantially reduced. The huge amounts of soot that
rises to the upper atmosphere would absorb sunlight and heat
up the surrounding air. Consequently, chemical reactions that
destroyed ozone would be speeded up. During the first five
years after the nuclear conflict, the ozone loss would average
about 20 per cent globally, 25 per cent to 45 per cent over
the mid-latitudes covering Europe and North America, and 50
per cent to 70 per cent at the northern high latitudes,
Michael Mills of the University of Colorado, the first author
of the paper being published in the Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences, told The Hindu. Substantial
depletion in ozone levels would continue for a further five
years.
Such a widespread ozone hole could be detrimental to human
health and also affect other life on the planet. It was during
times of crisis between India and Pakistan that the risk of a
nuclear war between the two countries would be relatively
high, observed M.V. Ramana, who has worked on nuclear
disarmament and peace issues and is currently with the Centre
for Interdisciplinary Studies in Environment and Development
in Bangalore. Escalation to nuclear conflict was more likely
to come about through accidental or inadvertent use of nuclear
weapons by one side or the other rather than by deliberate
intent, he told The Hindu. Since 1998 (when the two countries
conducted nuclear tests), they fought a small war in 1999 and
had a major military crisis in 2001-2002, pointed out Dr.
Ramana. On both occasions there were credible nuclear threats
issued by high-level political leaders. However, risks of a
nuclear conflict would increase should the two countries
deploy nuclear weapons on missiles that are kept ready to be
fired at short notice, he warned.
Source:
www.hindu.com
International
Foreign media in
China threatened, harassed over Tibet coverage
AP/UNB, Beijing
Western reporters in China have received harassing phone
calls, e-mails and text messages, some with death threats,
supposedly from ordinary Chinese complaining about alleged
bias in coverage of recent anti-Chinese protests in Tibet.
The harassment began two weeks ago and was largely
targeted at foreign television broadcasters, CNN in
particular. But the campaign broadened in recent days
after the mobile phone numbers and other contact
information for reporters from The Associated Press, The
Wall Street Journal and USA Today were posted on several
Web sites, including a military affairs chat site.
"The Chinese people don't welcome you American running
dog. Your reports twist the facts and will suffer the
curse of heaven," said one e-mail received by the AP. One
text message said: "One of these days I'm going to kill
you."
Those sending the messages and making the calls say they
are ordinary Chinese, a claim that could not be verified.
Spokesmen for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the
government's State Council Information Office and the
national police ministry did not respond to telephone
calls and faxed questions Monday seeking comment about the
threats.
The barrage of angry complaints seems to mark the latest
outburst by nationalistic Chinese directed at foreigners
and channeled through mobile phones and the Internet.
Three years ago, anti-Japane |