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Leading News
Amar
Ekushey today
Int’l Mother Language
Day being observed worldwide
TBT Report
The nation and the world community are observing with due
solemnity Amar Ekushey-the International Mother Language
Day, today (Sunday) commemorating the martyrs who laid
down their lives on this day 58 years ago for the dignity,
honour and official recognition of Bangla as a state
language.
On February 21 in 1952, Salam, Shafiq, Jabbar, Barkat and
Rafiq were killed when police opened fire to disperse the
students demonstrating for the declaration of Bengali as a
state language.
At home, the Amar Ekushey is being observed this year
under unprecedented security alert across the country and
amid huge enthusiasm. National leaders and thousands of
people started thronging the Central Shaheed Minar from
Saturday midnight to place wreaths there as a mark of
homage to martyrs. Several thousand law enforcers have
been deployed around the Shaheed Minar to maintain peace
and security.
The day is being observed as the International Mother
Language Day in about 200 countries across the globe.
The Ekushey February was recognized as the International
Mother Language Day by the UNESCO on November 17, 1999.
The day is an official holiday. President Zillur Rahman,
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Leader of the Opposition
Begum Khaleda Zia have issued separate messages on the
occasion paying homage to the great martyrs of historic
language movement.
Elaborate programmes have been chalked out both at
official and non-official levels to observe the day to pay
tribute to the martyrs. Radio Bangladesh, Bangladesh
Television and other TV channels are airing special
programmes and the national dailies have published special
supplements highlighting the significance of the day.
Political parties, socio-cultural organisations and
educational institutions have drawn up elaborate
programmes on this occasion. Dhaka University, Nazrul
Institute, Shilpakala Academy, Jatiya Grantha Kendra,
Central Public Library and different cultural
organisations have chalked out separate programmes to mark
the day. Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Bangladesh
Awami League, Jatiya party and other political parties and
their front organizations have also taken up programmes
separately to observe the day.
The programmes include hoisting of national flag at
half-mast and black flag atop public and private
buildings, wearing of black badges and placing of floral
wreaths at different Shaheed Minars including the Central
Shaheed Minar and offering of prayers at the mazar of
language movement martyrs.
3
killed in CHT violence
Army, BDR deployed,
section 144 imposed in Baghaichhari
UNB, Rangamati
Three tribal people, including a woman, were killed in a
clash with settlers at Gangaram cluster village in
Baghaichhari upazila Saturday in a major outbreak of
violence in the hills since the 1997 peace accord.
At least 15 other people were also injured, including some
by bullet, during the fighting following arson that burnt
over 200 dwelling-houses on Friday night.
Army and paramilitary BDR troops were deployed in aid of
police to restore peace in the remote area.
United People's Democratic Front (UPDF), a forum opposed
to the peace deal, called blockade of road-river
communications in Rangamati and Khagrachhari districts for
February 22 to protest the killings. UPDF chief Prasit
Bikash Khisha claimed four tribal were killed in the
clash. He alleged that the Bengali settlers were aided by
the Army men. The unwanted incident took place on several
occasions between the Bangalee settlers and tribal over
establishing ownership on a piece of land at Gangaram Mukh.
Sources in the backwoods said the fighting started at
about 9:30am in a sequel to a clash between Bengali and
tribal people on Friday night. An army patrol team went to
Baghaighat in the morning as tensions mounted in the area.
"Gunshots were fired towards the patrol team from the
hill. The patrol party returned the fire," says a report
from the area.
Army Sergeant Rezaul sustained stab injuries inflicted by
tribal outlaws and received a bullet in his head. Another
unidentified army man was also wounded, according to a
security source. Rezaul was rushed to Chittagong CMH in
critical condition. Six others wounded in the clash were
admitted to hospitals and 8 to the army camp.
Baghaichhari UNO Humayun Kabir said he had information
about the exchange of fire between the law-enforcers and
the gunmen, believed to be rebels from the erstwhile
Shantibahini that was disbanded after the peace accord
signed in 1997 between its political front named PCJSS and
the government. He confirmed the death of Buddapati Chakma,
Laxmi Bijoy Chakma and Bharat Chakma.
A police source said some 200 rounds of bullet were traded
from morning till afternoon, but he did not give details
about the outbreaks of violence in the hills.
Quoting some tribal leaders, Baghaichhari upazila press
club secretary Giasuddin said three inhabitants of the
Chakma-majority cluster village were killed.
An uneasy calm is prevailing in Baghaichhari upazila as
the army personnel gheraoed the area. District
administration imposed section 144 in Baghaichhari upazila
to fend off further flare-up of trouble.
PM
calls for spreading spirit of Ekushey to new generation
BSS, Dhaka
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called upon all to spread the
spirit of Immortal Ekushey to the new generation to enable
them for further consolidating their mother tongue Bangla.
"All have the responsibilities to inform the next
generation about the significance of the historic language
movement and the necessity to further improve Bangla
language and culture through continuous practice," she
said.
The Prime Minister said this while addressing a function
on the occasion of distributing the prestigious Ekushey
Award-2010 among the recipients at Osmani Memorial
Auditorium here. A total of 15 eminent personalities were
given the award for their outstanding contribution in
different fields of arts, culture, literature, language
movement and social works.
Presided over by Information and Cultural Affairs Minister
Abul Kalam Azad, State Minister for Cultural Affairs
Advocate Promod Mankin addressed the function when Cabinet
Secretary MA Aziz made concluding remarks.
Speaking on the occasion, Sheikh Hasina said Bangla is the
language of such a nation (the Bangalees), who had
sacrificed huge blood to protect and enhance their own
language creating a rare example in the world history.
She said language and culture of a nation first come under
huge blow in case of destroying the nation. In this
context, she said the then Pakistani ruler first attacked
on our language in a bid to destroy the Bangalee nation.
"Bangla language had to face massive strike during the
regime of the then Pakistan," she said adding after that
the whole Bangalee nation exploded to fulfill their demand
to designate Bangla as the state language.
About February 21, she said it has now become a day of
protecting all mother language of the world after the UN
recognition of February 21 as the International Mother
Language Day.
This year, 15 personalities have been given the
prestigious Ekushey Award- 2010 for their outstanding
contribution to art and culture, literature, education,
journalism, research, fine arts, social work and the
language movement.
Each of the recipients was given Taka 1,00,000, a three-vori
gold medal and a citation.
The recipients are: Dr Golam Mawla (posthumously-Language
Movement), poet Mohammad Rafique (Literature), Syed Ahmed
(posthumously - Literature), Ms. Helena Khan (Literature),
Dr Muntasir Uddin Khan Mamun (Muntasir Mamun) (research),
ASHK Sadique (posthumously), Sangharaj Jyotipal Mohathero
(posthumously) and A K M Hanif (Hanif Sangket) (social
work), Partho Protim Majumder (mime), Nasir Uddin Yusuf
(drama), AKM Abdur Rouf (posthumously) and Imdad Hossain
(art), Ahmed Imtiaz Bulbul (composer), Begum Laila Hasan
(dance) and photo journalist Mohammad Alam
(posthumously-journalism).
Countrymen will give you lesson, BNP leaders tell
PM
TBT Report
BNP standing committee member Dr Khandaker Mosharraf
Hossain said the ruling party will have to take lesson
from its previous activities or else, it will be isolated
from the countrymen which had occurred after introduction
of BAKSAL.
He was addressing a discussion meeting on the occasion of
February 21, the International Mother Language Day at the
Engineers' Institution of Bangladesh in the capital on
Saturday.
Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said the ruling party is
showing malicious attitude to the opposition instead of
maintaining harmonious relations. Opposition party will
have to be treated on the basis of its earlier experience.
He said the spirit of Language Movement and Liberation War
was smashed by the late president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
during his tenure. But the fundamental goal was achieved
by Shaheed president Ziaur Rahman through installation of
multi-party democracy in the country.
The BNP leader said the incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina had been politically rehabilitated in the country
but she does not tolerate Ziaur Rahman and his family
members. And so she is engaged in deleting the name of
Shaheed president Ziaur Rahman from different
establishments in the country.
Mosharraf Hosain said in the guise of democracy, the
ruling party is launching fascist rule to materialise
BAKSAL in the country. PM wants to give lesson to
opposition BNP through erasing name of party's founder.
Prices of essentials are being increased, law and order
situation is also deteriorated but there is no headache of
the government.
"I want to give her reminder that your (Sheikh Hasina)
father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had wanted to do the same
through forming a paramilitary forces but failed. So give
up the way otherwise, we along with the countrymen will go
for a massive movement to save the country and people," he
questioned.
Another standing committee member MK Anwar said Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman was thrown in jail for waging Independent
Movement but after gaining Independence, he introduced
BAKSAL gagging voices of people and newspapers except
four. Sheikh Hasina is engaged in doing the same and
making odious remarks against Ziaur Rahman here and there
frequently. Her government's ministers are also talking
about regularetory democracy.
"You cannot give lesson to opposition, countrymen will
give you lesson," he remarked.
Security stepped up around Central Shaheed
Minar for Ekushey
BSS, Dhaka
The government ensured fool-proof security in and around
the Central Shaheed Minar by deploying more than 10,000
members of law enforcement agencies including Rapid Action
Battalion (RAB) for peaceful observance of the Immortal
Ekushey February from midnight (February 21) and the
International Mother Language Day.
Police, RAB and other agencies have already increased
their routine checking in the area, enforcing security at
the Central Shaheed Minar and the Dhaka University areas
from this morning. "It will continue until tomorrow
(Sunday) evening," RAB Director General Hassan Mahmud
Khandkar told reporters at the Central Shaheed Minar after
inspecting the security arrangement Saturday afternoon.
He said a night vision camera and 16 close circuit cameras
were set up to monitor any sort of terrorist activities as
per a decision of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
"More than 10,000 police, RAB personnel and members of
other agencies have already been deployed at the Central
Shaheed Minar and its adjoining areas," he said.
Besides, special teams of the Detective Branch (DB),
Special Branch (SB) and the Criminal Investigation
Department have been posted to avert any untoward incident
during the event.
The RAB chief said as part of the total security measures,
there are arrangements for both checks and re-checks at
all main points side by side with hourly visits by the
mobile petrol teams in and around the earmarked areas.
Meanwhile, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has
specified routes to the Central Shaheed Minar and Azimpur
graveyard for movement of vehicles as well as people from
6 pm on February 20 to 2 am on February 21.
"These steps were taken to help all sections of the people
to walk down to the Central Shaheed Minar during the
period to pay their homage to the great martyrs of the
language movement," he said.
The RAB Director General sought sincere cooperation from
all concerned in this regard and urged the people not to
sit or stand on the specified routes as any kind of
gathering may create problems for others.
BNP activist among 2 killed in clash
UNB, Meherpur
A BNP activist was killed and 35 were wounded in a fierce
clash over fishing in a water body in remote village of
Gangni upazila Saturday.
Sentu (30), BNP leader Shahanbari union, fatally wounded
by sharp weapon, died on the spot during the clash at
about 9am, witnesses said. Police sent the body to
hospital for autopsy.
Of the injured, 4 were rushed to Meherpur General Hospital
in a serious condition. Another wounded man was undergoing
treatment in Gangni Health Complex.
Police and locals said Jafar, local BNP leader, had taken
lease of Mailmary Beel during the previous BNP government.
He, with his men, went to the water body for fishing when
Awami League activists resisted them with lethal and sharp
weapons leading to the ugly clash. UP chairman Asaduzzaman
Bablu, also BNP leader, claimed all those injured belonged
to his party. He said a house of BNP activist Nabirul was
set on fire by AL supporters.
Moqbul Hossain, former MP and AL leader, said local BNP
leader has been illegally occupying the water body. He and
his supporters were resisted for illegal fishing in the
beel.
He also claimed that five of the injured belonged to Awami
League.
In Gaibandh, Raja Mia (45) died and 25 others wounded in a
clash when rival groups claiming ownership of land on the
Teesta char area went to harvest masur daal Saturday.
The injured were rushed to Rangpur Medical College
Hospital and Gaibandha Modern Hospital.
Villagers said Raja Mia has long been cultivating the land
at Bochagari Rajar Char. His rivals Karim Member and Abdus
Samad Member resisted with lethal weapons when Raja Mia
and his supporters started harvesting the crop in the
morning.
Back Page
Kayani, Malik discuss Pak judicial
crisis
Dawn Online, Rawalpindi
Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani held an
unusual meeting with Interior Minister Rehman Malik at
General Head Quarters Rawalpindi in which important issues
including the current judicial crisis and the Karachi law
and order situation came under discussion.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik, in the meeting, briefed
the Army Chief about the government's efforts for
reconciliation with the Judiciary.
He also discussed the law and order situation of Karachi.
According to the sources, the matter related to Muttahida
Qaumi Movement's alleged involvement in the Karachi
violence also came under discussion.
Law and order far
better than any time in past: Sahara
BSS, Dhaka
Home Minister Advocate Sahara Khatun said the law and
order is far better than any time in the past but a
certain quarter is hatching conspiracy to destabilise the
country.
The minister was speaking as the chief guest at the
inaugural function of a conference of regional and branch
managers of Ansar-VDP Development Bank in the auditorium
of Krishi Bank Training Institute at Mirpur here Saturday.
"A certain quarter is out to create instability when we
are beginning the trial process of the war criminals. But
none of the conspirators would be able to obstruct the
trial process," she said.
Additional director general of Bangladesh Ansar and
Village Defence Party Brigadier General ABM Tayeful Islam
and managing director of the Bank M Nurul Huda Chowdhury
also spoke on the occasion with chairman of the bank Rear
Admiral (retd) A Taher in the chair.
The government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is
working for financial stability besides improving the law
and order of the country, she said adding that now the
stock market is setting records in daily transactions and
even the foreign currency reserves are all-time high.
The present grand alliance government is working to turn
Bangladesh into a middle income country by 2021, the home
minister said adding that a stable environment is
necessary to boost the country's economy.
In 1996, the then Awami League government set up the
Ansar-VDP Bank for the welfare of members of the Ansar-VDP.
Now the bank is providing service for 56 lakh Ansar-VDP
members.
Azad calls for unity
to address regional problems
BSS, Dhaka
Information Minister Abul Kalam Azad on Saturday called
upon all for a greater unity to address all sorts of
problems in the region.
"We have so many commonalties and problems, and once these
problems are resolved our existing relations would reach a
new height," the minister said at a discussion on the
occasion of the International Mother Language Day.
Bangladesh chapter of Bangladesh-Bharat-Pakistan People's
Forum (BBPPF) organised the discussion in the auditorium
of Institution of Diploma Engineers in the capital.
Convenor of the BBPPF Syed Zafar Sazzad chaired the
function while president of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD)
Hasanul Haque Inu, MP, Workers Party president Rashed Khan
Menon, MP, BBPPE leaders, professionals and academics took
part in the discussion.
Abul Kalam Azad said Bangladesh is a small state while the
India's economy is vigorous. Bangladesh can easily resolve
all problems with India through people-to-people contacts,
he said.
Referring to the recent Prime Minister's visit to India,
he said a number of issues, including border, water
sharing, trade and trafficking, were discussed and hoped
the existing relations between the two countries would be
strengthened further in the days to come.
Manik Samajdar, general secretary of the Indian branch of
the BBPPF, said problems and solutions of Bangladesh and
India are almost identical and that is why Bangladesh has
to take an initiative first to resolve the problems.
"We want to work together against aggression of economy,
politics and language," said Samajdar.
Advocate Chandri Alam, adviser of Patsim Banga Rajya
Committee, said the two great sons of Bangla - Netaji and
Bangabandhu - had inspired Indo-Bangla people towards the
independence and as a result Bangladesh and India have
become the sovereign countries.
4 killed, 30 injured
in Sylhet road crashes
UNB, Sylhet
Four people were killed and 30 others injured in separate
road accidents on Dhaka-Sylhet highway in the district
Saturday.
The deceased were identified as Maulana M Khalilur Rahman,
35, of Gabhurtuki village, Haji Rajmatullah, 55, of
Kamargaon village in Osmaninagar thana, Mujaheed Ali, 30,
of Kharjan village in Biswanath upazila and Jahan Mondal,
5, son of Turan Mia of Konarchar village in South Surma
upazila.
Police and witnesses said a Sylhet-bound truck ran over
two pedestrians and then plunged into a roadside ditch at
Burunga in Balaganj upazila at about 6am as its driver
tried to overtake another truck.
"The two pedestrians - Maulana M Khalilur Rahman and Haji
Rajmatullah - died on the spot in the accident," said a
witness.
On information, police recovered the bodies and sent those
to Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital morgue for
autopsy. Traffic on Dhaka-Sylhet highway was disrupted for
about two hours following the accident.
In another accident, a passenger bus collided head-on with
an auto-rickshaw and then skidded off the road at Atirbari
in South Surma upazila at about 3pm.
"Auto-rickshaw passenger Mujaheed Ali died instantly while
20 passengers of the two vehicles were injured in the
collision," said an eyewitness. Police recovered the body
and sent it to the same hospital.
The injured were admitted to the hospital and other
clinics in the city.
Besides, Jahan Mondal died on the spot when a bus ran him
over and overturned on the road at Konarchar in South
Surma upazila at 12 noon. At least 10 bus passengers were
also injured in the road crash.
Book fair
witnesses huge visitors on eve of Ekushey
BSS, Dhaka
Visitors, in their hundreds, thronged to the Ekushey book
fair on the Bangla Academy premises Saturday, a day before
Shaheed Day and International Mother Language Day.
Most visitors bought the titles as per their choice. Apart
from the popular titles, their choice varied from
children's rhymes to informative articles on different
subjects on the day.
Among the popular writers, Humayun Ahmed still topped the
chart followed by his younger brother Muhammad Zafar Iqbal,
Imdadul Huq Milan and Anisul Huq.
In addition to those of popular writers, a number of
titles attracted the visitors. The books of Humayun Azad
were selling better and also the reprints by Ahmad Sharif.
Volumes of poems were also on the visitors' demand. Poet
Al Mahmud's collection of poems, Tumi Trishna, Tumi
Pipasar Jal, was brought by Oitijjhya on the day.
Books on politics and complete works of the nation's
classic writers also sold well, said the publishers who
mostly tried to bring out their better productions on the
day.
The fair information centre reported arrival of 79 titles
on Tuesday. Eighteen of them were volumes of poems and 11
were collection of stories.
The Bangla Academy officials said around 2,272 titles came
to the fair till Friday and it was 1,279 for the same time
in the past year.
The Bangla Academy held a discussion on 'The Language
Movement' in the afternoon.
People will
face BNP-Jamaat movement: AL
BSS, Dhaka
Prime Minister's Adviser HT Imam Saturday called for
identifying the country's enemies and resisting them to
take the country forward.
The followers of those who opposed the Language Movement
and the Liberation War would have to be identified, he
said while addressing as the chief guest a discussion
meeting in front of the Awami League central office on
Bangabandhu Avenue.
Awami Jubo League organised the meeting on the occasion of
the Shaheed Dibash and International Mother Language Day.
HT Imam said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman had been involved in the Language Movement
since 1948. He gave guidelines for the movement remaining
in jail.
He said all who had roles in the Language Movement should
be respected.
The adviser said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has placed
the Bangla language in a prestigious position in the
international arena.
HT Imam said the followers of those who opposed the
Language Movement and Liberation War are doing the
politics of BNP and Jamaat.
He said the opportunities created following the Prime
Minister's India visit would have to be utilized for
improving the relations between the two countries.
Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif said BNP had patronized the killers
of Bangabandhu.
He said BNP and Jamaat are panicked as the government is
going to try the war criminals.
The people will face the movement of BNP and Jamaat on the
street and ensure the trial of the war criminals, he
added.
Editorial
21 February:
International Mother Language Day
21
February is a red-letter day in our national history. Because,
the language movement, which began in 1948, culminated on
February 21, 1952 through supreme sacrifices of some valiant
sons of the soil for the official recognition of Bengali as
one of the State Languages.
Students of Dhaka observed strike in educational institutions
on 26 February 1948 demanding use of Bengali as one of the
official languages. Again, strike was observed across the then
East Bengal on March 11 to press home the demand. On this day,
Police resorted to baton charge and opened blank fire on the
students. Besides, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Shamsul Huq, Kazi
Golam Mahbub, Sawkat Ali khan and Oli Ahad were arrested in
Dhaka. In protest against the police excesses, students'
strike continued till 15 March.
On 21 March 1948, the first Governor General of Pakistan
Mohammad Ali Jinnah declared at a public meeting at Dhaka Race
Course Ground, 'Urdu and only Urdu shall be the State Language
of Pakistan'.This triggered instant protests from among the
audience, specially infuriated students. Jinnah repeated his
remarks at the Dhaka University Convocation ceremony on 24
March and was greeted with angry protests by students.
With the passing of days, the movement for official
recognition of Bengali language continued to get momentum and
it intensified further when Prime Minister Khawja Nazimuddin
declared in Dhaka on 26 January 1952, 'It is Urdu alone that
will be the State Language of Pakistan'. This was followed by
widespread public protests and an All-Party State Language
Movement Committee was formed. At a meeting on 4 February a
general strike was called on 21 February demanding recognition
of Bengali as one of the State Languages. As counter-action
the government imposed section 144 and prohibited strike,
meetings and processions. All Party Movement Committee was
divided on the issue of violating section 144, but the
University State Language Action Committee and Awami League
leaders stood firmly by the decision to defy section 144.
Accordingly, On 21 February thousands of students and people
came down to the streets violating section 144 to realise the
demand for official recognition of the mother language. As
their procession was marching forward, police opened fire
indiscriminately to the disperse the agitators. And as a
result, Barkat, Salam, Rafiq and Jabbar embraced martyrdom for
upholding the glory of Bengali language.
As the news of police firing causing deaths of language
movement heroes spread like wild fire, city dwellers streamed
to the streets in thousands and Dhaka turned into a city of
processions of protesters. At the time of the police firing
the then provincial assembly was in session. A large number of
assembly members led by Maulana Tarkabagish walked out of the
House and joined the public protests against the brutal
killings. With a view to paying tribute to the language
martyrs, the grateful people of the land used to observe
Shahid Day on 21 February every year till the recent past. But
now in commemoration of the supreme sacrifice made for Bengali
language, February 21 is observed across the world as
International Mother Language Day. 21 February was proclaimed
the International Mother Language Day by UNESCO on 17 November
1999. Its observance was also formally recognized by the
United Nations General Assembly in its resolution establishing
2008 as the International Year of Languages.
The undying spirit of February 21 is to rise against
injustice, deprivation and torture. And it is this spirit that
inspired the Bengali nation to continue struggle against
dictatorial regimes at different times and above all fight
against the Pakistani occupation army and liberate the
homeland. In short, the language movement was the beginning of
the successful freedom struggle of the people of Bangladesh
and hence it will continue to inspire the nation to fight for
the right causes.
Power, gas, water
crises
Like
chronic diseases, the crises of power, gas and water have
gripped the city dwellers and there seems to be no end to it.
With every passing day the crises are worsening instead of
being eased. Supply of power, gas and water is co-related and
so is the situation relating to the state of the crises. In
fact, it is difficult to resolve the problem separately,
because water supply is disrupted due to power shortage and
power crisis is caused by gas shortage.
In this city of 15 million, most people are hit hard by gas,
power and water crises. Presently gas supply is irregular in
vast areas of the capital and as a result in many houses
cooking faces serious setback. People are forced to buy
kerosene and stoves at high prices for cooking purpose.
Besides, CNG gas rationing is set to affect the transport
sector adversely. Worse still, electricity production is being
seriously hampered due to constant gas shortage.
In its turn, the grave power crisis is impeding industrial
production, disrupting irrigation, harming business and
causing immense sufferings to the people at all levels.
Disruption to electricity supply and frequent loadshedding are
regular phenomenon in the capital. The government has decided
to divert electricity from urban areas to rural areas to
facilitate irrigation for boosting rice production. This step
is sure to aggravate the electricity shortage in the city and
intensify the people's sufferings. Meanwhile, the water crisis
is continuing in the capital as the WASA water supply falls
huge short of the needs with only 45 percent of the city
dwellers having access to safe water. The government is
speaking of various projects to resolve these crises, but
implementation of those will need a few years while the crises
are already acute and require immediate solution. So, the
government should workout some plans for immediate execution
for resolving the nagging gas, power and water crises.
Analysis
Water war with India?
The media in Pakistan and the general public,
too, appear convinced that India is withholding the waters in
violation of the Indus Water Treaty.
Ahmer Bilal Soofi
The
tension relating to water resources held by India has heated
up again and Pakistan has complained that India is holding
back the waters of rivers flowing from Indian-administered
Kashmir.
Some analysts have termed this as a clear violation of the
Indus Water Treaty.
In a sense, the availability of less water from the rivers is
a security issue for Pakistan as it could put the country's
very survival at stake. The media in Pakistan and the general
public, too, appear convinced that India is withholding the
waters in violation of the Indus Water Treaty. On the other
hand, the Indian perception is that Pakistan is assuming that
India had restricted the flow, and that this assumption was
incorrect as the water level was low the previous year as
well.
From a legal point of view, this argument is interesting as it
actually raises the issue of jurisdiction and the scope of the
Indus Water Treaty itself. The Indus Water Treaty does not
deal directly with the issue of water scarcity. In fact, when
the treaty (signed in 1960) was being negotiated, a future
possibility of water scarcity was not a priority or a leading
concern for the negotiators.
Hence, we find that there is no provision per se that provides
a mechanism to both the countries if climate-based water
scarcity occurs. The critical provisions of the Indus Water
Treaty simply say that India and Pakistan were obliged to "let
flow" the river waters without interfering.
Hence any obstruction by India would be seen as an outright
breach of the treaty by Pakistan.
Despite speculations by the Pakistani side there is no
specific evidence brought forth so far that India is actually
obstructing the flow or is diverting the waters. The Indian
argument remains that reservoirs such as the Wullar Barrage
and others are built within the regulatory framework of the
treaty itself. Pakistan, naturally, has a different view and
in one case Pakistan was seeking third-party resolution
through a neutral expert who did not support fully the
Pakistani version.
If the Indian version is correct then the issue cannot be
addressed within the framework of the Indus Water Treaty and,
in that case, Pakistan is pursuing a remedy in the wrong
direction.The question remains as to who determines whether
the reduced amount of water flowing into the rivers of
Pakistan from the Indian side is because of obstructions or on
account of climatic water scarcity. For that both countries
would need to agree on an independent and a separate framework
or neutral experts' assessment. The determination by such a
panel would make matters clearer for Pakistani and Indian
policymakers who could then follow a bilateral remedial course
of action.
The argument is also advanced that even if the water flowing
into Pakistani rivers is less due to genuine climatic water
scarcity, India cannot escape responsibility as a state to
maintain and manage the water resources that it exercises
control over. India's responsibility comes under the general
framework of international law that calls on the upper
riparian state to take the necessary measures to minimise
water scarcity.
In Europe and elsewhere, water scarcity has promoted
trans-boundary water cooperation instead of inciting war over
this issue. The UN Convention on Uses of International Water
Courses 1997 obliges states to conserve, manage and protect
international water courses. Pakistan and India are not party
to the said convention but the latter nevertheless offers a
comprehensive framework for trans-boundary water cooperation.
Likewise, the 1992 Convention on Trans-Boundary Water Courses
primarily meant for European countries offers another
legislative model for India and Pakistan for bilateral
cooperation on the issue of handling water scarcity. The 1997
convention is widely viewed as a codification of customary
international law with regard to obligations for equitable and
legal utilisation, the prevention of significant harm and
prior notification of planned measures.
At the moment, India and Pakistan lack a legal medium or forum
through which the Indian version of 'genuine water scarcity'
could be scrutinised and if found to be correct handled and
responded to properly through bilateral action.
If this issue is not handled technically without a legal
mechanism, then it has the potential to further aggravate
tensions between India and Pakistan as it will be clubbed with
the Kashmir dispute. Further, a reduced water flow could be
perceived as India's ploy to put additional pressure on
Pakistan and, in that event, the response would be equally
unmeasured and misdirected.
Finally, whether India is actually blocking the water or the
decrease in water flow is due to scarcity and climatic change,
needs objective and transparent determination by experts. This
determination of the real reason should be agreed to
beforehand through a bilateral agreement confined to
fact-finding. If the finding is that the reduced flow of water
is due to obstructions, then Pakistan could take action under
the provisions of the Indus Water Treaty immediately.
On the other hand, if it is determined that there is genuine
water scarcity then the issue is outside the jurisdiction of
the Indus Water Treaty and needs to be sorted out by both
states on a bilateral basis. India, in that case, should
undertake its obligations under international law for proper
water conservation and management and share the details with
Pakistan through a mutually agreed mechanism.
This point may be considered in the India-Pakistan talks as an
urgent item.
The writer is an advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan
and is president of the Research Society of International Law.
Obama Soft on
Terror?
Indeed the escalation of the war in Afghanistan has
demoralised some of his anti-war Democratic base.
HDS Greenway
The
old cliche is that Americans trust the Democrats with the
mommy issues, education, social welfare and the like, but
they look to the GOP for the daddy issues, ie. war and
foreign affairs.
The former vice president, Dick Cheney, is trying to keep
this image of the Democrats alive by constantly
criticising President Barack Obama for being soft on
terrorism.
The fact is that Obama's approach to terrorism has not
been all that different from George W. Bush's approach,
especially in Bush's second term when Cheney's star was
waning. Bush's war in Iraq is being wound down, but has
not ended precipitously. Unlike the Bush administration,
which practised "ABC" (Anything But Clinton), Obama has
not proclaimed that everything Bush did has to go. The
exceptions are torture and the Guantanamo prison, and even
there Obama has missed his deadline for closing the
notorious prison.
The fact is that Guantanamo had become such a symbol of
American brutality and lawlessness throughout the world
that it made good sense to close it and send the prisoners
somewhere else. It is hardly being "soft" if the prisoners
are sent to a maximum security installation elsewhere. But
there are political obstacles as Americans say they want
no Guantanamo prisoners in their backyard.
It also made good sense, if we are to retain any sort of
moral high ground against Muslim extremism, to forgo
torture. As the GOP's last presidential candidate, John
McCain, once said: We should stop torturing people because
of ourselves, not because it benefits our enemies. But
then McCain ran against the Bush-Cheney administration's
record as well as against Obama.
With 30,000 more soldiers surging into Afghanistan, and
with an increase in drone attacks, what are the
justifications for accusing Obama of being soft? Torture
is one. Cheney is for it. But as Cheney himself put it:
"It is the mind-set that concerns me. What the (Obama)
administration was slow to do was to come to that
recognition that we are at war, not dealing with criminal
acts." And flowing from that is the criticism of trying
terrorists in civilian courts.
Cheney, and many Americans, believe that Umar Farouk
Abdulmutallab, the "underpants bomber" who tried to blow
up a plane on Christmas Day, should not have been given
any civilian rights, and put straight into military
custody to be tried for a war crime. But let's look at
that closely. Are we at war with Nigeria, from whence
Abdulmutallab came? Well, no, Cheney might have said if
asked, but we are in a war against terror and
Abdulmutallab is a terrorist.
But what about Timothy McVeigh, the terrorist who blew up
a government building in Oklahoma a few years ago? Should
he have been tried in military court for war crimes?
?Well, he wasn't a Muslim terrorist, the answer might be.
Are we, then, at war with Muslims? Even Bush went out of
his way to say we were not. And for that matter, if we are
at war destroying an airplane is perfectly acceptable
under the rules of war. How could that be a war crime?
Of course, war on terrorism was never an accurate
description for anything. Terrorism is a method, not
something you can declare war on. The "war" image is often
used to mobilise people against something: war on drugs,
war on poverty, etc. etc. But it loses its usefulness if
it is a war you can never win.
When asked what about Richard Reid, the "shoe bomber" who
was tried in civilian court in Boston, in 2001 Cheney said
that we didn't have the repressive laws we have now. "The
administration really wasn't equipped to deal with the
aftermath of an attempted attack against the United States
in the sense that they didn't know what to do with the
guy," said Cheney. But now that we have abandoned some
civil liberties, according to Cheney, we should not seek
to restore them.
It turns out that no harm was done by granting
Abdulmutallab his rights. He is reportedly singing like a
canary with useful, actionable intelligence. Many would
argue that torture can lead the torturers up all sorts of
blind allies because people will say anything in order to
avoid more pain. Even more pointless, in Cheney's time
harsh interrogations were often based on Communist
methods, which were not designed to extract information,
but to get show-trial confessions for crimes that not even
the interrogators believed the victims had committed.
Many Americans do not want to see a terrorist read his
Miranda rights, and, politically, this became a rallying
cry. The victory of Scott Brown in Massachusetts, polls
show, was influenced by the alleged coddling of the
"underpants bomber."
With the capture of top Taleban comander Mullah Abdul
Ghani Baradar in Pakistan a few days ago, and following
the deaths of other Taleban leaders in drone attacks
during Obama's watch, there seems to be no lack of
fortitude on Obama's part. Indeed the escalation of the
war in Afghanistan has demoralised some of his anti-war
Democratic base.
But the criticism of Obama for softness on terror is not
going to go away as long as the politics of fear remains
in vogue. It worked very well for Cheney and George W.
Bush, and the reality is that if there is a major
terrorist attack on this country in the next three years -
or perhaps even a minor one - you can count on the
politics of fear trumping the politics of hope.
HDS Greenway is a veteran US journalist and columnist
based in Boston www.globalpost.com
Dialogue with
India
Once the
Af-pak strategy achieves its goals and the key role of
Pakistan in this strategy is over, the process would be
allowed to lapse into oblivion.
Tayyab
Siddiqui
Once
again, the US has brought India and Pakistan to the
negotiating table. The "irreversible" peace process was
stalled by India, following the December 2008 terrorist
attack in Mumbai. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
categorically and repeatedly stated that India would be
ready for a bilateral dialogue only if "Pakistan brings
the terrorists to book, destroys their camps and
eliminates their infrastructure." This stance was repeated
in varying tones by other Indian ministers. Pakistan kept
urging that terrorism should not be linked with dialogue
which must be resumed in mutual interest of both
countries. The two summit meetings between Zardari and
Gilani with Mamohan Singh also failed to convince India to
revive the peace process.
With the fast deteriorating security situation in
Afghanistan and due to the need for effective and decisive
action against the Taliban, the US appeared on the scene
at this stage, as its success became dependent on
Pakistan's total and undivided attention and action in
support of the US operations. It kept pressuring Pakistan
and during his visit to China in November last year, Obama
publicly urged China to use its influence to improve
Indo-Pak ties. The joint communiqué of November 17, 2009
spoke of the two powers welcoming all efforts conducive to
peace, stability and development in South Asia. The
coercive diplomacy of the US finally won the day. Pakistan
agreed to join the negotiations despite the fact that
India is not ready to make the Kashmir issue a part of the
resumed talks. Pakistan has also accepted not to make
revival of composite dialogue a pre-condition for the
talks and a new framework has been devised in which
terrorism will be the core issue in the forthcoming talks.
Indian diplomacy and guile is at its best. Pakistan has
been asking for resumption of the dialogue without any
preconditions. India, on the contrary, remained evasive or
negative. Now, under global pressure, India has
manipulated to emerge as a proponent of the peace process.
My assessment is that the initial rounds would be consumed
in determining the structure and framework of the talks
and substantive issues won't be discussed seriously.
Pakistan has been put into an extremely awkward situation.
Having repeatedly urged for resumption of the peace
process, any insistence on composite dialogue would be
seen as negative and disruptive. Sensing this dilemma that
Pakistan confronts, the spokesman of the Foreign Office
has blandly mentioned that "preconditions for resumption
of the dialogue would be counter-productive." It is
strange that Prime Minister Gilani tells the nation that
India is not agreeable to talk on Kashmir and yet Pakistan
is able and willing to re-engage India in a process that
till date has proved sterile.
The history of negotiations between Pakistan and India
clearly brings out India's strategy for an open-ended
negotiating process to buy time to consolidate its
position, both internationally and with the Kashmiri
leadership. India has yielded to US pressure and for its
own reasons. It primarily wants to secure its interests
and investments in Afghanistan, both political and
financial, in the changing regional situation. On the
other hand, Pakistan has submitted to US pressure without
securing any gains or assurances. India is in the driving
seat and will determine direction and destination. I do
not see India agreeing to hold talks with Pakistan outside
the range of composite dialogue. The focus will be on
terrorism being the be-all and end-all of the negotiating
rounds. Pakistan should not expect any progress, let alone
a breakthrough, for reasons spelled out above. The US,
India and Pakistan, each have their own reasons and
compulsions. Once the Af-pak strategy achieves its goals
and the key role of Pakistan in this strategy is over, the
process would be allowed to lapse into oblivion.
The writer is a former ambassador of Pakistan
Email: m.tayyab.siddiqui@gmail.com
Viewpoints
Failure yet again
Neither is
Pakistan willing to accept any role for India in Afghanistan
nor does it agree to the notion that India is a stakeholder in
this regard.
Saleem Safi
The
much-talked-about London Conference has brought another
failure for the Obama administration and its allies as the
Taliban instantly rejected the talks offer, which lacked
incentives for the combatants who are already achieving
successes in Afghanistan.
Unfortunately, the allied forces are yet to learn lessons from
the mistakes committed by the Bush administration in its war
on terror. Throughout the London moot, Prime Minister Gordon
Brown kept elaborating on the speech delivered by Obama only
two days back, the US president's State of the Union Address.
Since there was no incentive for the Taliban, they rejected
the conference outright.
Why did one of the most prudent politicians of Afghanistan -
Hamid Karzai - not spell out the contradictions in the new US
policy on Afghanistan? Also surprising is the failure of the
proficient Shah Mahmood Qureshi in convincing his US and UK
counterparts on mending the confusions in the new Afghan
strategy. Even the so-called shrewd and futuristic Western
think tanks have failed in preventing their governments from a
policy which would bring nothing to Afghanistan but bloodshed.
The new US policy is supposed to encourage initiation of talks
with those Taliban elements which denounce terrorism. Prior to
any talks, you have to create a conducive environment, and
confidence-building measures are a must for bridging the gulf
between the warring factions. The Taliban and Hekmatyar are
clubbing talks with the exit of allied forces from Afghanistan
while on the contrary the Western states are dispatching more
troops to Afghanistan to take the battle temperature to new
highs.
The icing on the cake is the covert efforts launched by the
allied forces to divide the Taliban. Under the plan, $500
million have been allocated to win the loyalties of Taliban
elements in order to isolate the Taliban leadership. This
means that the US is not willing to hold talks with Mullah
Omar, only with those who would be willing to ditch the
influential Taliban leader.
Irrespective of the fact that neither were such efforts
successful in the past nor would these bear fruit now, it is
hard to believe that the Taliban would agree to sit at the
dialogue table. Only an insane person would expect talks in
such high temperature with increasing doubts between the
warring factions.
The new US policy on Afghanistan is based on an assumption
that the Karzai government would acquire stability. To the
contrary, the US policy is further destabilising the Karzai
regime. Due to the same policy, even the election of Karzai
became much controversial. Now the allied forces have made the
provision of aid to the Karzai government conditional on
eradication of corruption. The question to be asked is: if the
elimination of corruption by the Afghan government was so
easy, could it not have achieved this target to restore its
credibility in the comity of nations in the past? Keeping in
view the fact that the Karzai government was made so frail
that the president had to seek support from Gen Abdul Rashid
Dostum and Qasim Faheem in the recent elections, how would a
feeble and meek government consisting of people like Qasim
Faheem and Dostum be able to achieve the ambition of
corruption-free governance? So neither will this government be
able to abolish corruption within its ranks nor the Western
nations provide the Karzai administration the required
financial assistance. Thus the dream of the stability of the
Karzai government will never materialise.
Moreover, the sincerity of the US administration to
Afghanistan and Pakistan could be gauged from the fact that
the Afghan election commission had to delay the Afghan polls
for six months due to the non-provision of a few hundred
million dollars. In such a situation, it is hard to believe
that the Karzai government would be stabilised by 2011.
The premature announcement of the Afghan exit plan has also
given a new life and hope to the combating militant forces and
the morale of the Taliban and Hekmatyar groups is now sky
high. Since they are foreseeing success, it has become more
difficult to get them to the dialogue table while they are
winning on the battlefield.
The stability and peace in Afghanistan is linked with direct
talks with Mullah Omar and Golbadin Hekmatyar. It would be
prudent to form a government in Afghanistan based on national
consensus, in consultation with the neighbouring states. Not
only could that bring peace to the country but it could also
protect and ensure the interests of the international and
regional players.
It seems that Hamid Karzai has realised this reality and his
efforts to strengthen his ties with Pakistan and Iran are an
indication of that. However, ever since the new US policy has
been made public, the gulf between the US and Pakistan is
widening by each passing day. This is a bitter truth that both
the friendly states today are at daggers drawn vis-à-vis the
Afghanistan issue.
Neither is Pakistan willing to accept any role for India in
Afghanistan nor does it agree to the notion that India is a
stakeholder in this regard. On the other hand, for the first
time Iran has boycotted any international moot on Afghanistan,
and the absence of an Iranian delegate from the London
Conference reflects the disagreement of the Iranian
establishment with the new Afghan policy.
The issue of a missile defence system for Georgia has also
warmed the temperature between Russia and the USA. The US
media is also issuing reports on increasing Chinese
investments in the Afghan province of Logar - clearly
reflecting US concerns over the increasing influence of China
in Afghanistan.
Since the allied forces are once again failing to focus on
efforts to address the concerns of the neighbouring countries
of Afghanistan, it could be safely said that no formula can
hold its ground until the concerns of the regional players and
neighbours are not fully redressed.
The writer works for Geo TV, Email: saleem.safi@geo.tv
Peaceful
uprisings should be encouraged
Indeed,
present conditions demand an immediate campaign for a
Palestinian, in fact an Arab mobilisation, in the form of
street demonstrations and other actions in their
communities.
As'ad Abdul Rahman
It
seems that the most important question to be asked this
year is whether the Palestinians and Israelis will be able
to sign a peace agreement despite increasing atrocities
against the Palestinians: military barricades, arrests,
assassinations, coloniser vandalism and Judaisation of
Occupied Jerusalem. Given the type and size of these
continued atrocities, we must ask: What is the benefit of
resuming negotiations for a so-called peace process? In
response, the Israeli government is impudently nonchalant.
This is symptomatic of the strategic stance adopted by the
ruling right-wing coalition, which believes fighting
'terrorism' and continued colonisation have priority over
the peace process.
It is natural that this situation has a negative effect on
the peace process and the entire cause as well. Besides,
there is nothing more to give. Arab countries have already
shown a positive attitude through the Arab Peace
Initiative which, if followed, could secure a just and
comprehensive peace which meets the basic needs of both
parties. Despite this, Israel is unable to abandon the
idea of forcing the Palestinians to acquiesce to a
non-stop occupation. The extreme-right Israeli government
is not concerned with making real peace with the
Palestinians. This is why various Palestinian factions
have agreed that the solution lies in popular resistance.
More effective
In an article titled 'Danger: Popular Struggle', Israeli
journalist Amira Hass correctly concludes: "What is
dangerous about a popular struggle is that it is
impossible to label it as terror and then use that as an
excuse to strengthen the regime of privileges, as Israel
has done for the past 20 years. The popular struggle …
shows that the Palestinian public is learning from past
mistakes and from the use of arms, and is offering
alternatives that even senior officials in the Palestinian
[National] Authority have been forced to support - at
least at the level of public statements".
All factions, especially Fatah, have emphasised the
necessity of popular struggle. Fatah called for
"escalating popular resistance against the Israeli
occupation through demonstrations and diplomatic efforts …
Our programme has emphasised the struggle's tasks in this
period, for which two lines have been drawn: first,
escalating the popular struggle as a mode of resistance
against occupation … and, second, fortifying action at the
international level for the purpose of globally chasing
and isolating Israel, to eventually force it to acquiesce
to international legality".
It is perhaps prudent to hear comments provided by Yuval
Diskin, director of the Israel Security Agency, and Amos
Yadlin, director of Israeli Military Intelligence. In
their report to the Israeli government, they said: "The
Palestinians intend to continue building their state from
below … and force Israel to accept a settlement from above
… The quiet conditions, security-wise, in the West Bank
and the fact that the [Palestinian National] Authority is
working successfully against terrorism has made the
international community expect from Israel a political
move ahead."
Indeed, present conditions demand an immediate campaign
for a Palestinian, in fact an Arab mobilisation, in the
form of street demonstrations and other actions in their
communities. This will convince the Israeli occupation of
the ability of the Palestinians and Arabs to adopt
peaceful methods that are likely to have the desired
effect. Peaceful resistance has the ability to mobilise
Arab and international support against Israeli racism.
Demands
Rather than falling anew into the quagmire of negotiations
with vague goals and underhanded tactics, Palestinians
should support the Palestine Liberation Organisation
Central Council's demands, "… bringing an end, fully and
unequivocally, to Israeli [colonies] in [Occupied]
Jerusalem and its neighbourhoods, and the rest of the
occupied Palestinian territories before resuming
negotiations with Israel; defining a reference for
negotiations in line with internationally legal
resolutions; defining a time frame; and acceptance of the
1967 borders as the official borders of the Palestinian
state, with East [Occupied] Jerusalem as its capital".
Meanwhile, there are clear signs that a new wave of
popular resistance against the occupation is imminent. A
popular uprising against Israeli occupation would serve
the Palestinian cause, as would putting an end to the
internal rift. This divide is an Achilles' heel, crippling
the Palestinian national movement and shattering the
Palestinian cause.
Professor As'ad Abdul Rahman is the chairman of the
Palestinian Encyclopaedia.
Textbook nationalism
No doubt this disturbing trend is rooted in the need for a
nation, especially a newly founded one, to cement a
collective identity through a carefully selected and
organised rewriting of the past.
Sikander Amani
“Nationalism
is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind,"
Albert Einstein famously said. Somehow, though, it is a
disease many nations like to instil in their citizens,
unaware of how ugly these little red mental zits look -
and how dangerous they are. A key element in the
contamination process lies, unsurprisingly, in the
creation of an idealised narrative on the homeland, taught
in schoolbooks from the earliest age. Then the infantile
disease is indeed caught at infancy: armed with the
fallacious idea that nationalists will be better citizens
(they are not), the state embarks on a widespread effort
to mould children's minds, at the expense of objectivity,
critical analysis, justice, tolerance, and historical
truth.
In this respect, it is singularly interesting to take a
look at history textbooks in countries that are considered
hostile. Palestine and Israel for example, or Pakistan and
India. In each case, the versions presented of the very
same events are so spectacularly different that an alien
would think they took place on altogether different
planets. And sadly, though yet again not very
surprisingly, religion often plays a devastating role in
promoting this revised, nationalist, and politicised
version of history - so much so that one is once again led
to wonder about the amazingly destructive, divisive and
vituperative power of (some interpretations of) religion.
The most striking example is perhaps that of Israel and
Palestine. Where the Palestinian textbooks talk about
"uprisings", the Israeli schoolbooks merely mention
"events". What is named the "Naqba" (catastrophe) in
Palestinian books becomes the "war of independence" in the
Israeli texts. Where the former insist on land, and on the
homeland specifically, the latter emphasise the right to
national security. Researchers have found some (sad)
commonalities though: a common neglect for the periods of
relative peace and stability, in favour of a war-oriented
narrative; a common tendency to dehumanise the 'other', to
denigrate their religion and present a laughable
caricature of their culture and political claims. History
is here deeply intertwined with geography, and as a
result, the maps of the region presented in the two sets
of schoolbooks unsurprisingly leave no space for the
people implicitly or explicitly portrayed as the enemy.
Palestine does not exist for one set of pupils, Israel
barely appears for the other.
Pakistan and India offer a parallel example. In Pakistan,
a 2006 study showed that all mention of non-Muslim
festivities had been removed in Punjab textbooks, while
Hinduism was commonly portrayed as an iniquitous and
deceitful religion; disturbing themes such as "Pakistan is
for Muslims alone", "The world is collectively scheming
against Pakistan and Islam" and "Muslims are urged to wage
jihad against the infidels" were routinely found, and the
history of events leading up to partition squarely laid
the blame on the perfidious Hindus, while the righteous
Muslims are viewed as mere innocent victims. India is
often portrayed as responsible for the 1948, 1965 and 1971
wars. Meanwhile, in India, recent textbooks (especially
under the BJP government) presented Indian history through
stereotypes rooted in religious identity, in order to lend
legitimacy to a communalist reading of the past,
denigrating the "outsider" and valorising the Hindu. The
anti-colonial struggle was spearheaded by Nehru and Gandhi
(with, believe it or not, the RSS being credited with a
positive role in the fight for independence), while
Muhammad Ali Jinnah is presented as the 'dark knight' of
secession and division, the evil figure who led to massive
bloodshed in the subcontinent.
These two examples are far from isolated: French and
German textbooks between the two world wars show the exact
same pattern, as did the two Germany's school manuals
during the Cold War, or the American and Soviet
historiographies in the same era. The recreation of
history in the Balkan countries during the 1990s was
spectacular. And the same falsities constantly reappear:
defeats are turned into victories, an insignificant
long-forgotten shootout becomes a nascent war of
independence, some minor radical character fallen into
oblivion is resurrected into a national hero before his
time, we were always victims anyway, and so on. Languages
are re-cast into a differentiating element, when, e.g. in
the Balkan case, they were a common factor. Music, art and
culture are suddenly hailed as the evidence, arrogantly
brandished, of the legitimacy of political separatism.
Bring in a national flag, sing a national anthem, and
pffft, the trick is done: very soon, as Howard Zinn said,
the Motherland becomes a burning cause for which one is
ready to kill the children of other Motherlands.
No doubt this disturbing trend is rooted in the need for a
nation, especially a newly founded one, to cement a
collective identity through a carefully selected and
organised rewriting of the past. The aim is to create a
continuity and lend a political legitimacy to the national
endeavour. Textbooks have a destinal finality: to show
that the nation was destined to be, and that its necessity
is rooted in either a transcendent, or an immemorial
legitimacy. What is more disturbing is first, the
constant, and exasperating, process of whiny victimisation
that goes hand-in-hand with such revisionism (it is never
our fault, "they" are the big bad guys), and second, the
openly antagonistic presentation of this common memory -
as if the self could not be defined except as opposed to
the other, as if there are friends only if there are foes.
Carl Schmitt is famous for having defined the essence of
the political as the friend-enemy distinction: politics is
essentially, and not just accidentally, about antagonism,
and you cannot have a political community without the
designation of an enemy. But this desultory perspective is
unsatisfactory morally, intellectually and politically,
apart from often having disastrous large-scale
consequences and, literally, creating generations of
brainwashed and perhaps even brain-dead children.
The good news is that such revisionism is now strongly
opposed by many quarters of civil society, and that
nationalists no longer monopolise the field. Israeli and
Palestinian historians have gathered under the auspices of
the Peace Research Institute in the Middle East (PRIME) to
write a bi-national narrative of the Middle East conflict
(they have not yet managed to write a common history
though); similarly, a joint South Asian history textbook
is being prepared by a group of Indian and Pakistani
scholars. UNESCO is also active in promoting a less
war-prone, less biased perspective on national memory.
What is at stake is not just instilling a less conflictual
approach to our neighbours, and teaching a more tolerant
and respectful view of other ways of life, other cultures,
other religions (no, we are neither the best, nor the
brightest, nor the chosen ones). It is also a scientific
and intellectual issue: how can we teach the value of
truth, of scientific reasoning, of objectivity, to
children, if we so blatantly distort facts and events to
suit our narrow, petty, mental measles?
The writer is a freelance columnist and can be reached
at sikander.amani@gmail.com.
International
Pakistan's top
court orders reopening of Swiss cases against Zardari
Xinhua, Islamabad
The Supreme Court of Pakistan has ordered the National
Accountability Bureau (NAB) to reopen Swiss cases of
President Asif Ali Zardari and submit progress report
until
March 12.
The court expressed severe discontent over the NAB
Chairman for not implementing the court's verdict of Dec.
16, 2009 on the National Reconciliation Ordinance in
letter and spirit.
The court summoned NAB Chairman Naveed Ahsen and
admonished him for not implementing the court's verdict on
NRO, ruling the amnesty illegal and unconstitutional.
During the course of proceedings, Chief Justice observed
that the court has the powers to implement its order.
During the course of the hearing Chief Justice Iftikhar
Muhammad Chau-dhry admonished Chairman NAB for not
reopening Swiss cases and held him responsible for
non-implementation of SC Dec. 16 verdict.
After summoning Chair-man NAB, Naveed Ahsen to court,
Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry inquired as to why he
failed to reopen the Swiss cases and intimated to the
Swiss government in the matter.
Swiss judicial authorities said in August 2008 that they
had closed a money-laundering case against Zardari and had
released 60 million U.S. dollars frozen in Swiss accounts
for a decade. Swiss justice ministry said that there is no
case against Zardari in Switzerland unless the Pakistani
government initiate inquiry.
Chairman NAB Naveed Ahsen informed the court that he was
taking guidance from Secretary Law pertaining to Swiss
cases.
At this the Chief Justice asked NAB Chairman that there
was no need of taking any sort of the guidance as the apex
court had clearly directed for initiating the process in
Swiss cases and the NAB was bound to implement the court's
order in letter and spirit.
"The court knows very well how to implement its
decisions," the Chief Justice remarked and ordered freeze
of salary of chairman NAB if Swiss cases were not open.
The court asked Chairman, NAB as to why, in pursuance of
the Judgment in the case of NRO the Prosecutor General and
Additional Prosecutor General, have not been removed, so
the new incumbent may take the charge for effective
prosecution of the cases.
Chairman NAB replied that he was under the impression that
all this was to be done by the Attorney General or by the
Ministry of Law.
The court however pointed out to him that action was to be
initiated from his office and he would perform his duty in
respect of action which was required to be taken in the
light of the judgment of 17-member bench.
Chairman NAB Naveed Ahsen requested that that time be
given to him so he may start performing his part of
obligation from today onward.
The court however ruled that if no action relevant to his
performance is taken by him, the coercive measures
including attachment of his salary will be taken and
directions will be made that no one on behalf of the NAB
should appear unless the compliance of the judgment with
regard to the Prosecutor General and Additional Prosecutor
General is made.
Chairman NAB assured the court that all necessary steps
shall be taken in this regard. Meanwhile the court
directed Chairman NAB to appear on the next date of
hearing and submit progress report in respect of the
observations made in the case of Dr. Mobashir Hassan, the
petitioner who had challenged NRO in the apex court.
Tough fight in Afghan
assault, govt moves to take control
AFP, Outskirts Of Marjah
Taliban fighters under siege in southern Afgha-nistan were
putting up a tough fight Saturday, military officials
said, as civilian authorities geared up to take over.
The number of foreign troops killed in Operation Mushtarak
rose to 12 with the death of an ISAF soldier during
fighting Friday as NATO's biggest assault against the
militants moved into its second week. Some 15,000 US-led
troops from NATO and Afghanistan are taking part in the
offensive against Taliban militants who have held sway
over the Marjah and Nad Ali districts of Helmand province
for at least two years.
Operation Mushtarak is the showcase test of US President
Barack Obama's new war strategy which pivots on
counter-insurgency and winning the confidence of local
people.
Commanders said they expect the military phase of the
operation to last another three weeks as they strive to
clear the areas of snipers and innumerable hidden bombs
left behind by fleeing fighters.
NATO described fighting in pockets northeast and west of
Marjah as "difficult," adding "insurgent activity is not
limited to those areas". Of 22 foreign soldiers who died
in Afghanistan in the past week, 12 were in Operation
Mushtarak, said ISAF spokesman Ser-geant Jeff Loftin.
U.S. warns of al Qaeda
threat in Central Asia
Reuters, Dushanbe
Al Qaeda aims to infiltrate Central Asia to train
militants and turn the ex-Soviet region into a zone of
unrest, a U.S. envoy said on Saturday.
The West is worried about risks to stability in the vast
Muslim region, dominated by authoritarian but secular
governments. Analysts believe Islamist militancy could
spread into the heart of Central Asia from nearby
Afghanistan. U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan
and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke is on a blitz tour of the
five "stans" of Central Asia.
"I think the real threat in this region is less from the
Taliban but from al Qaeda, which trains international
terrorists," he said on a visit to Tajikistan. "This is an
issue of common concern to the United States and to all
the countries of this region. And by all the countries I
definitely include Pakistan and China and India."
Stability in the vast resource-rich region sprawling
between China, Russia and Afghanistan is crucial to the
West as it lies on a new supply route for NATO-led
operations in Afghanistan.
The region's main home-grown extremist group, the Islamic
Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), wants to topple Central
Asia's secular post-Soviet leaders and establish strict
Islamic rule.
Its fighters were forced out of the region after the end
of a 1990s civil war in Tajikistan into Pakistan's lawless
tribal areas, where its leadership is believed to have
established close contacts with
al Qaeda, security analysts say.
Myanmar jailed monk during
UN envoy's visit
AP, Yangon
A Buddhist monk in Myanmar was quietly sentenced to seven
years in prison during the visit of a United Nations
envoy, who had little positive to say about the junta's
progress on human rights, a lawyer said Saturday.
The sentencing of the monk on Wednesday also came after
four activists were ordered to serve prison terms with
hard labor on Monday, the day that U.N. envoy Tomas Ojea
Quintana arrived in the country to assess the human rights
situation.
During his five-day trip, the ruling military further
refused him permission to see detained democracy leader
Aung San Suu Kyi, as on his two previous visits.
Opposition figures say the latest jailings illustrate the
continuation of human rights violations, the lack of an
independent judiciary and the junta's disregard for the
demands of the United Nations. A court sentenced monk Gaw
Thita to seven years' imprisonment, saying he was guilty
of violating immigration laws by taking a trip to Taiwan
last year, said Aung Thein, a lawyer known for defending
political activists. Gaw Thita was also convicted of
unlawful association and failing to declare possession of
foreign currency.
The monk had a valid passport for traveling to Taiwan and
committed no known immigration violation, the lawyer said.
Indian state removes book
with Jesus holding beer
AP, Gauhati
Authorities in a Christian-majority state in India's
remote northeast have confiscated all copies of a school
textbook that carried a picture of Jesus Christ holding a
can of beer and a cigarette, an official said Saturday.
The primary school textbook, which teaches cursive
handwriting, used the picture of Jesus on the page for the
letter 'I' - to represent Idol. Ampareen Lyngdoh,
education minister of Meghalaya state, strongly criticized
the illustration.
"I am appalled and condemn the violent pictorial
presentation of Christ. The children for whom the textbook
was meant look up to Christ with reverence, and they are
shocked beyond words," Lyngdoh said.
The government has seized all copies of the textbook from
schools and bookshops in Meghalaya for offending public
sentiment, she said. The book, published by a New
Delhi-based company that specializes in textbooks, was
being used by a chain of privately run primary schools in
Meghalaya. More than 70 percent of the state's 2.32
million people are Christian. Copies of the textbook were
ready for distribution in at least 10 more schools in
Meghalaya before the picture was brought to the notice of
authorities. "We have directed the district magistrate to
go ahead with legal proceedings against the publisher,"
Lyngdoh said.
Okinawa officials against
idea of US base relocation within island
Xinhua, Tokyo
Japan's Okinawa Gover-nor Hirokazu Nakaima told Chief
Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano Saturday that relocating
the U.S. Marine Corps' Futemma Air Station within his
Prefecture would pose problems for the southernmost
prefecture.
Nakaima, following talks with Hirofumi at Okinawa's
prefectural office in Naha, told reporters it would be
"difficult" for his prefecture to accept relocation within
the prefecture, local media sources said.
Hirano, for his part, was quoted as telling Nakaima, "We
are seeking the 'best' conclusion, but we may end up
drawing a 'better ' conclusion," indicating that the
central government may come up with a plan to relocate the
Futemma facility within the prefecture.
Hirano's two-day visit to Okinawa comes on the back of
Japan's central government allegedly floating to
Washington the idea of building a helipad at the Marine
Corps' Camp Schwab in the Okinawa city of Nago to relocate
the Futemma facility, instead of a 2006 plan agreed by the
two countries to move the facility to a coastal area off
the camp.
However Hirofumi on Saturday again denied making any new
proposals to Washington, saying the government is still
considering its options from scratch.
"We have not sounded out the United States about the idea.
We are considering the relocation on a zero basis," Hirano
told Nakaima, according to local sources.
S Korea on alert for
possible N Korea firepower display
AFP, Seoul
South Korea's military was on high alert Saturday after
North Korea declared no-go zones near its disputed sea
border with the South, sparking fears the reclusive state
could begin firing weapons.
"We've deployed anti-artillery firefinder radar systems in
Baengnyeong island and Yeonpyeong islands," a Joint Chiefs
of Staff spokesman told AFP.
"However, there is no unusual military activity detected
in the North," he said. Yonhap news agency said the South
had also stepped up air and naval surveillance along the
inter-Korean border. As of late Friday, the North has
declared a total of eight no-sail zones: four in the
Yellow Sea and four others in the Sea of Japan (East Sea)
off its northeast coast, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of
Staff said. They will be effective for three days from
Saturday.
The no-sail zones raised the prospect of a further display
of firepower after a North Korean artillery barrage in
late January heightened tensions on the divided peninsula.
The Yellow Sea border was the scene of deadly naval
battles in 1999 and 2002 and of a firefight last November
which left a North Korean patrol boat in flames. Since
that clash the North has positioned dozens of rocket
launchers at its coastal bases near the maritime frontier,
Yonhap said.
Russia
‘very alarmed’ at Iranian nuclear stance
Reuters, Moscow
Russia said on Friday it was "very alarmed" by Iran's
failure to cooperate with the IAEA, after the U.N. nuclear
agency said it feared Tehran might be working to develop a
nuclear missile.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei repeated Iran's
insistence that suspicions about its nuclear programme
were baseless. But the United States said the IAEA report
lent weight to its campaign for more sanctions against
Tehran.
"We are very alarmed and we cannot accept this, that Iran
is refusing to cooperate with the IAEA," Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov told the radio station Ekho Moskvy.
"For about 20 years, the Iranian leadership carried out
its clandestine nuclear programme without reporting it to
the IAEA," he said. "I do not understand why there was
such secrecy."
The IAEA on Thursday made public its concerns over a
classified analysis which concludes that Iran already has
explosives expertise relevant to a workable nuclear
weapon.
"Some questions remain on the table and Iran has so far
not reacted to them," Lavrov said. "We need to understand
how several documents concerning military nuclear
technology found their way to Iran."
Russia-which wields a veto in the United Nations Security
Council-has in recent weeks raised suspicions publicly
about Iran's nuclear activities, after for years saying it
had no evidence Tehran was seeking to build a nuclear
bomb.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko hinted that
talks on a sanctions resolution could start soon.
"No work is in progress at the U.N. Security Council in
New York today to prepare a possible sanctions-based
resolution on Iran .
Credit cards implicate
Mossad in Dubai hit
Reuters, Dubai
New evidence incriminating Israel's spy agency in the
assassination of a Hamas commander in Dubai includes
credit card payments and phone calls made by suspects, an
Arabic-language daily reported on Saturday.
Police have already said the 11 suspects used forged
passports in the names of innocent individuals of several
European nationalities. "Dubai police have information
confirming that the suspects purchased travel tickets from
companies in other countries with credit cards carrying
the same names we have publicised (in the passports)," Al
Bayan daily on Saturday quoted Dubai police chief Dahi
Khalfan Tamim as saying.
It did not give further details. Palestinian Mahmoud al-Mabhouh
was found dead in his room in a luxury Dubai hotel on Jan.
20, a day after arriving in the emirate.
Dubai police have released photographs of the 11 suspects.
The international criminal police organisation Interpol
said on Thursday it had issued "red notices" for their
arrest in any of its 188 member countries.
Dubai's police chief said on Thursday he believed Israeli
agents were responsible for killing al-Mabhouh, a senior
member of the Islamist group which rules Gaza, and called
for the Mossad spy agency's chief to be arrested if its
responsibility was proved.
Britain offered on Friday new passports to six British
citizens whose identities were used by the suspects and
all of whom live in Israel, to protect them from
inadvertent arrest through Interpol.
Sunni party drops out of
Iraq's national elections
AP, Baghdad
The Sunni wing of Iraq's leading nonsectarian political
coalition said Saturday it will drop out of next month's
election as a result of alleged Iranian influence on a
Shiite-led vetting panel that blacklisted hundreds of
candidates.
The announcement raises the likelihood that the legitimacy
of the March 7 parliamentary vote will be called into
question. U.S. and United Nations diplomats have expressed
fears that a disputed result could also open the door to a
new round of violence and delay plans for American troops
to leave Iraq.
Further raising the stakes, the Iraqi Front for National
Dialogue called on other parties to join it in withdrawing
from the vote. It stopped short, however, of advocating a
boycott by Sunni voters - a strategy blamed for depriving
Sunnis of a political voice in the past.
In a statement explaining the step, spokesman Haidar
al-Mullah said the party decided to pull out of the vote
after U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill and Army Gen. Ray
Odierno, the top American military commander in Iraq, each
described the Shiite leaders of a candidate-vetting panel
as having ties to Iran.
He described the panel's work as an Iranian-influenced
process and said, "The Iraqi Front for National Dialogue
cannot continue in a political process run by a foreign
agenda."
The vetting panel is led by Shiite politicians Ali al-Lami
and Ahmed Chalabi. It banned more than 440 candidates whom
it described as loyalists to Saddam Hussein's outlawed
Baath party.
African Union suspends
Niger after military coup
BBC Online
The African Union has suspended Niger following Thursday's
military coup, in which President Mamadou Tandja was
deposed and the government dissolved.
The organisation said it had imposed sanctions on the
country and demanded a return to constitutional rule.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also condemned the coup,
and appealed for calm and respect for human rights.
Earlier, the new military council announced it was lifting
a curfew and re-opening borders. Col Abdul Karimou said
the situation was "under control" and that there was "no
single voice of dissension" in the West African state.
Thousands of people took to the streets on Friday in
support of the takeover.
Ten people are said to have died when the junta seized
power.
Tandja 'safe'
Troops stormed the palace during a cabinet meeting on
Thursday afternoon, seizing Mr Tandja and his ministers
before announcing that they were suspending the
constitution and dissolving all state institutions.
Calling themselves the Supreme Council for the Restoration
of Democracy (CSRD), the coup leaders promised to turn
Niger into an example of "democracy and good governance"
and save its people from "poverty, deception and
corruption".
WMDs not reason for Iraq
war: Brown
Reuters, London
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he supported the
2003 invasion of Iraq not because of its military threat
but because of its repeated failure to comply with
international obligations.
Brown's comments to Tribune magazine give an indication of
how he intends to approach his testimony to an official
public inquiry into the Iraq war in early March.
Critics accused him of "desperately trying to distance
himself" from the stance adopted by his predecessor Tony
Blair who told the inquiry last month that then Iraqi
leader Saddam Hussein was a threat to the world who had to
be disarmed or removed.
A key plank in the government's argument had been that
Saddam had weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), none of
which were ever found.
"The evidence that was given to us was that there were
weapons and that was the finding of a number of people but
for me the reason for intervention was always the breach
of international obligations by the Iraqi government,"
Brown said.
Dutch government collapses
over Afghan mission
AP, Amsterdam
The Dutch coalition government collapsed Saturday over
whether to extend the country's military mission in
Afghanistan, leaving uncertain the future of its 1,600
soldiers fighting there.
Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende announced that the
second largest party in his three-party alliance is
quitting, in a breakdown of trust in what had always been
an uneasy partnership.
Balkenende made no mention of elections as he spoke to
reporters after a 16-hour Cabinet meeting in The Hague
that ended close to dawn. However, the resignation of the
Labor Party - which has demanded the country stick to a
scheduled withdrawal from Afghanistan - would leave his
government with an unworkable majority, and political
analysts said early elections appeared inevitable.
Balkenende said his center-right Christian Democratic
Alliance would continue in office together with the small
Christian Union, and would "make available" Labor's
cabinet seats. But he did not spell out his intentions.
The coalition, elected to a four-year term, marks its
third year in office on Monday.
"Where there is no trust, it is difficult to work
together. There is no road along which this cabinet to go
further," Balkenende said.
The Dutch debate comes as opinion polls in many
troop-providing European countries indicate growing public
opposition to sending more soldiers to Afghanistan amid a
global financial crisis and shrinking defense budgets.
Dutch soldiers have been deployed since 2006 in the
southern Afghan province of Uruzgan on a two-year stint
that was extended until next August.
Labor demanded that Dutch troops leave Uruzgan as
scheduled. Balkenende's Christian Democratic Alliance
wanted to keep a trimmed down military presence in the
restive province, where 21 soldiers have been killed.
Health meeting a test of
problem-solving:Obama
AP, Washington
President Barack Obama said Saturday the health care
meeting he's holding next week with Democratic and
Republican lawmakers will test their ability to solve not
just this problem, but other problems, too.
Republicans said lawmakers must scrap current proposals
and start over, lest the meeting turn into a charade.
"After debating this issue exhaustively for a year, let's
move forward together," Obama said in his weekly radio and
Internet address. "Next week is our chance to finally
reform our health insurance system so it works for
families and small businesses. It's our chance to finally
give Americans the peace of mind of knowing that they'll
be able to have affordable coverage when they need it
most."
A starting point for talks at Thursday's meeting at Blair
House, across the street from the White House, is a
yet-to-be-seen version of two health care bills passed
separately by the Democratic-controlled House and Senate.
Speaking for Republicans in their weekly address, Michigan
Rep. Dave Camp said people want Obama and the Democrats to
"scrap their misguided plan of a government takeover of
health care" and start over by taking a step-by-step
approach.
Morocco minaret collapse
leaves at least 41 dead
AFP, Meknes
The collapse of a historic minaret in the central Moroccan
city of Meknes has killed at least 41 people, injuring 76
others, an official said Saturday updating the casualty
toll.
Rescuers were searching the rubble for other possible
victims after the minaret of the Bab Berdieyinne mosque in
Meknes' old quarter came crashing down on worshippers
gathered for Friday prayers, the official said.
The 18-century mosque was packed at the time of the
accident and officials have warned the toll could continue
to mount.
Many locals blamed the disaster on heavy rains that have
lashed the north African country in recent days.
Television pictures showed hundreds of residents
scrambling to clear the debris in a desperate search for
survivors.
Rescuers initially struggled to sift through debris
because the mosque was located in the crammed and bustling
Old City and surrounded by high walls ringing the historic
neighbourhood.
Once there they worked with shovels-and some with bare
hands-while others formed human chains to carry away
rubble from the disaster site.
"The minaret and part of the roof fell on the
congregation," one local said.
"Apart from the Friday prayers, the faithful were also
offering funeral prayers for a deceased person whose body
was inside the mosque," a local official said.
The interior ministry gave an initial toll of 11 dead
following the accident at around 1245 GMT, but the toll
rose steadily as hours passed.
Emergency services sent the most seriously injured to
hospital in Fes, the "spiritual capital" of the kingdom
located 60 kilometres (37 miles) north of the town. Those
less seriously hurt were taken for treatment in Meknes
itself.
Business/Economy
BD to
emerge in world software export market
BSS, Dhaka
Bangladesh would quickly emerge in the world market in
software export as the country has tremendous
potentialities in development of IT sector. This was
stated by the newly appointed Honorary Consul General of
Bangladesh in Germany, Arndt Huesges in an exclusive
interview with BSS here .
" Bangladesh would soon move in a dynamic speed in the
international software markets as its Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina who is committed to build Digital Bangladesh
is making very high professional fundamentals to develop
country's IT sector", said Husges, a promising
entrepreneur of 33 years of age.
Responding to a question he said although some neighboring
nations of Bangladesh are already in the international
market in software export from a pity long time, there is
no reason for Dhaka for lagging behind as the country is
blessed with huge energetic human resources and other
necessary ingredients to venture on this ever flourishing
trade.
"Without going abroad for job-hunting at huge costs, the
young and promising boys and girls of Bangladesh would be
able to earn huge foreign exchange by producing and
exporting software sitting at their respective houses," he
said adding that they would only create necessary
facilities to distribute the local products to
international business centers.
"Our company has household software programmes through
which we provide services in 12 different languages", he
said claiming that no other company in Europe has that
capabilities. Huesges, also the top executive of Huesges
Group, a leading trade and business company of Germany, is
now in Bangladesh leading a 4- member delegation to
explore investment potentialities here and identify the
sectors where German investors may come for joint- venture
initiatives.
The other members of the visiting teams are : Huesges
Group Managing Director Hasanat Mia, Director of Sales of
Relexa Hotel Group, Tim Zerr and Director of AKH Group
Shamim Haque.
Visibly a happy person for becoming the Honorary Consul
General of Bangladesh Huesges said that he would devote
wholeheartedly in enhancing the image of Bangladesh among
the German and other European trade leaders.
On their current mission in Bangladesh, Huesges said they
would invest in the sectors of IT, Tourism, Leasing
Company and Efficient Traffic Management." We like to open
office and operate Huesges Group in Bangladesh" he said.
While asked, the top executive of the German company that
has 250 installations in Germany and other European
countries, said that initially they want to invest 50 to
70 million Euros in Bangladesh.
He said after IT, the next priority of Huesges Group in
Bangladesh is tourism development that is another sector
that has huge prospect and potentialities. "Initially we
want to construct a five-Star Tourist resort at a
convenient place in Bangladesh", he said and added that
for this purpose they have already visited Chittagong and
sea beaches of Cox's Bazar and Innani.
Huesges totally discarded the notion that, among others,
'women and wine' is a deciding factor in tourism business
that is not possible in a conservative country like
Bangladesh. He categorically said that tourism could be
developed in Bangladesh showing respect to country's
religious and cultural heritage.
In this connection he said that Bangladesh is blessed with
picturesque natural beauties, world's largest natural sea
beach, mangroves forest of Sundarbans, oldest replicas of
human civilization and many places of historical
interests. These are the ingredients that attract the real
tourists, he said.
Huesges said in a lighter vein that 'women & wine' are
abundantly available in the next doors of the foreign
tourists in their own homes and what's the hell they would
travel such a long distance at such a high cost for such
attractions. "Tourists usually hop from country to country
in quest for natural beauties and historical and cultural
treasures," he observed.
Huesges informed that since their arrival in Bangladesh on
15 February, they called on many high-ups of the
government including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,
Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism G M Kader,
Minister for Expatriate Welfare and Foreign Employment
Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, Commerce Minister Lt. Col. [retd.)
Faruque Khan, Communication Minister Syed Abul Hossain,
State Minister for Environment and Forest Dr Hasan Mahmud
and senior officials.
High
demands, strong dollar increase rice price on global
market
BSS, Dhaka
High demand coupled with stronger dollar increase rice
price on the international market in the past weeks,
according to media reports.
Rice Online, a US-based website specially designed for
updated news on global rice market, reported a significant
increase of demands on the international market
particularly by the Philippines.
According to a report posted on the website, the
Philippines, the world's biggest rice importer, will allow
private companies to buy 200,000 metric tons, boosting
purchases to a record this year.
The private purchases will take the country's imports to
2.45 million tons, exceeding the record 2.4 million tons
bought in 2008, when prices reached an all- time high.
"Increased Philippine purchases may stretch a global rice
trade estimated by the US Department of Agriculture at
30.85 million tons this year, boosting prices". The report
said. Vichak Visetnoi, director-general of the Department
of Foreign Trade in Thailand, the world's biggest exporter
of the grain, told media on Thursday that global rice
prices would rise as the Philippines might open a new bid
in March to import rice.
The National Food of the Philippines government has
already advertised the planned private imports in the
Philippine Star newspaper on Friday.
May-delivery of rough rice opened 0.5 percent higher at
$13.705 per 100 pounds after National Food published its
advertisement.
Jonathan Barratt, managing director of Sydney-based
Commodity Broking Services told journalists on Thursday
that the additional Philippine imports "will start to fuel
demand," and rise prices.
The Philippines in the last fifty years tripled its rice
yield while the world average rice yield increased only
about 2.3 times. But its rice production declined last
year due mainly to the impact of El Nino, compelling the
country to import rice.
News agency Reuters reported Friday that India planned
urgent import of sugar and rice to stable the local market
with increased supply.
A stronger dollar also fueled the rice prices. The dollar
last week reached a nine-month high against the euro after
the Federal Reserve raised the discount rate charged to
banks for direct loans for the first time in more than
three years.
The latest reports on global rice prices posted on the
Rice Online showed that rice were quoted at $570 per tones
in Thailand, $420 tones in Vietnam and $430 tones in
Pakistan.
Robert Zeigler, director general of the International Rice
Research Institute (IRRI), told reporters in New Delhi
last week that rice prices are unlikely to decline amid
"potentially tight" supplies.
EBF, BBF accord reception to
FH Abed in London
UNB, Dhaka
European Bangladesh Federation of Commerce and Industry (EBF)
and Bangladesh Brand Forum (BBF) jointly accorded a
reception at the Cholmondeley Room of the House of Lords
to the honor of Fazle Hasan Abed, who was last week
knighted, a first ever of Bangladeshi origin, by Her
Majesty the Queen.
EBF is a newly formed business association for development
of trade, creating investment and promotion of market
between European Member States and Bangladesh. BBF has
undertaken a strategic initiative to transform Sylhet, a
small city in Bangladesh and hitherto an unknown entity in
the global scene, into a mega city.
A press release from organizers in London said the
reception accorded on Wednesday was attended
overwhelmingly by British government officials and
Bangladesh High Commissioner Dr Sayedur Rahman Khan. Fred
Oldenhuizing, President of EBF and Dr Ferhat of BBF
conducted an hour-long long roundtable on poverty
alleviation. Sir Fazle Hasan Abed spoke about the
importance of good governance in Bangladesh. He said
BRAC's model of micro finance for the poorest has already
spread to South Africa and Afghanistan. It is also being
replicated all over the world.
He said BRAC, UK has started fund raising for carrying out
eye operation, each costing £35, on 100,000 cataract
patients in Sylhet. It is a pilot project, which will be
replicated all over Bangladesh.
Baroness Verma, former British HC to Bangladesh Peter
Fowler and Anwar Chowdhury and Tariq Ahmed, Vice Chairman
of the Conservatives, among others, spoke at the
reception. Tasmin Lucy from BBC News and Tommy Miah were
present. Dr Khan, an eminent economist, in his speech made
a comparative study of the poverty alleviation scenarios
in Bangladesh and India.
Professor Robert Charmer remarked that Bangladesh, once
named bottomless basket by former US secretary of state Dr
Henry Kissinger, is now a beacon of hope for the poor and
destitute across the world with Sir Abed's programme of
poverty alleviation.
Spice Business Magazine asked Sir Abed how he manages to
keep himself politically neutral in Bangladesh where
anybody who becomes rich or famous turns into a bone of
contention for opposing political parties. In reply, he
said he works with the government and keeps equal distance
from all political parties.
India for hike in duties,
returns to fiscal discipline
PTI, New Delhi
Projecting over eight per cent economic growth next
fiscal, the Indian Prime Minister's economic panel on
Friday pitched for raising duties in the Union Budget
2010-11 as part of the roll back of stimulus measures.
"Partially, we need to roll back (stimulus) and if you
partially roll back.... there is one possibility that you
unify both the rates (excise and service tax) at 10 per
cent (and also raise both rates) to 12 per cent," Prime
Minister's Economic Advisory Council(PMEAC) member Govinda
Rao said here, but clarified it was not a suggestion to
the Finance Minister. He was speaking after release of the
Economic Review by PMEAC chairman C Rangarajan.
Expressing concern over rising fiscal deficit, which is
estimated at 6.8 per cent this fiscal, the panel said it
was crucial to cut down on spending to bring in fiscal
discipline. "There is a case for adjustment of
duties...adjustments are possible both on the revenue and
expenditure side in order to bring down fiscal deficit,"
Rangarajan told reporters.
As part of the stimulus given to the industry to combat
the global financial crisis in late 2008, the government
had reduced the excise duty from 14 per cent to 8 per cent
and service tax from 12 per cent to 10 per cent.
This pushed fiscal deficit up to 6.2 per cent in FY'09 and
it is expected to touch 6.8 per cent of GDP in FY'10.
The PMEAC said growth in FY'10 would beat 7.2 per cent and
exceed 8 per cent next fiscal, and 9 per cent in the year
after that. On inflation, the PMEAC suggested import of
3-4 million tonnes of sugar to meet domestic shortfall
next fiscal.
Expressing optimism that inflation will cool down a tad in
February and March, the PMEAC said the rate of price rise
would be more or less in line with RBI estimate of 8.5 per
cent by end of this fiscal.
The council suggested timely release of foodgrain in
sufficient quantity below prevailing market prices,
advance planning for imports at early signs of production
shortfall and developing better distribution channel of
food stocks to tame inflation and provide relief to the
vulnerable section.
With food inflation at around 18 per cent for the first
week of February, the Prime Minister's advisory panel sees
the possibility of spreading food price inflation to
general price level next fiscal.
Greece needs support from EU,
not bailout
AFP, London
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou
said on Friday that his country needs support from EU
partners for
its austerity programme but is not looking for a bailout.
"We're not looking for bailouts," Papandreou said in a
speech to an international conference of centre-left
parties in London.
"We're simply saying we have a programme... and we need
support for this programme."
Greece has been under pressure on financial markets after
revealing an estimated budget deficit of 12.7 percent-the
highest level in the eurozone and more than four times
higher the required EU level.
Fears over Greece have also hit the euro and European
stock markets.
European Union finance ministers this week backed moves to
force Athens to prepare "additional measures" by March 16
to put its finances in order.
Addressing the same conference on Friday, Spanish Prime
Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero insisted that Greece
"deserves the trust" of European institutions and markets.
Spain is currently EU president.
"He (Papandreou) has the trust of all the European
governments," he said.
The Greek premier's "calm, unflappable performance and
persona" also drew praise from Britain's Business
Secretary Peter Mandelson, a former EU trade commissioner.
"It doesn't just reassure the markets... but it gives us
tremendous confidence and faith in you and your government
to solve the problems inherited," Mandelson added.
Papandreou meanwhile denied that Greece as a whole was
"reckless" and said it wanted to be able to borrow "on the
same terms as other countries in the EU and the eurozone."
In addition, he pledged to do "whatever necessary" to hit
its targets.
"Yes, the previous Greek government was reckless," he
said. "But it's a fallacy to say that the Greeks are
reckless because that would simply mean that the problem
is a problem of DNA."
He warned it would
be "very cosy" to see Greece's problems as only relevant
to his country, saying they also affected other nations.
National
Toxicity lab at DU to test
efficacy of locally produced drugs
BSS, Dhaka
The Dhaka University (DU) Saturday proposed to set up a
bioequivalence and toxicity lab at its pharmacy department
in order to ensure quality of locally produced drugs and
widen export market for Bangladesh's pharmaceuticals
abroad.
The proposal came at a regional seminar held at the Senate
Bhaban of Dhaka University, amid growing concerns from
local drug manufacturers, who have been facing ever
increasing conditionality from importers to export drugs
after clinical trial and toxicity tests. Seminar sources
said the drug manufacturers, who share a market of between
Taka 5,000 crore and 7,000 crore in Bangladesh, currently
do not require any clinical or toxicity tests as there is
no legal and policy obligation to do so.
But in many countries, especially in developed world and
even in emerging economy like India, companies can neither
get registration nor market a medicine without
bioequivalence, bio- availability and toxicity tests as
well as clinical trials, said a pharmacist, Salem Azad
Chowdhury, on the sidelines of the event.
He said Bangladesh companies could not export medicines to
many countries who ask for clinical trial and toxicity
tests as import preconditions. Some of the companies, he
said, have however met the demand through such trials and
tests in high expenses in Europe, a process that leads to
higher production cost and loss of market competitiveness.
"Bio-equivalent studies are very important to protect the
rights of local consumers as well as international buyers
of medicines, but very few Bangladesh companies have done
it," added Professor Dr AK Azad Chowdhury, who spoke at
the seminar as the chief guest.
Azad Chowdhury, also former vice chancellor of Dhaka
University, said the country must have hospital unit for
BE, BA, toxicity tests and clinical trials. He suggested
every local pharmaceutical company to do it, but reminded
them to take 'genomics' into consideration during such
studies.
"Some of the local companies who have already conducted
the expensive bioequivalent, bio-availability and toxicity
studies have got greater acceptability and market
advantage in and outside Bangladesh," said Pinkaki
Bhattacharya of Popular Pharmaceuticals Ltd. He, however,
said the companies were reluctant to do BE, BA and
toxicity tests due to high costs.
"The costs can be minimized through local initiatives,"
responded Prof. Harun- Or Rashid, Pro-Vice Chancellor of
Dhaka University. In this context, he suggested for
establishing a BE- BA and Toxicity Study Center at Dhaka
University, which would cater all sorts of studies to
protect quality of medicine from local producers.
Globally reputed oncologist Prof. Fazlul Karim asked an
Indian pharmacologist that why do the cancer patients do
get low efficacy from Indian drugs. He said cancer drugs
from none of the Indian companies, excepting Sipla Pharma,
were found effective.
Tk 1.64cr BTCL cable stolen in one year
BSS, Dhaka
Telephone cables worth about Taka 1.64 crore of Bangladesh
Telecommunications Limited (BTCL) were stolen in the city
in the last one year.
A total of 25 general diaries were lodged with different
police stations in this connection, BTCL Director
(maintenance) Rafiqul Matin told BSS Saturday.
Meanwhile, BTCL Managing Director ASM Khabiruzzaman said
that to check theft of the telephone, the work for setting
up fibre cables in the capital is near completion as its
80 percent work was completed.
The director also said arrangements were made by the BTCL
for patrol duty through vehicles. As a result, he said,
the incidents of stealing of telephone cables were reduced
to great extent.
New cables were installed at a cost of Taka 1.64 crore in
those areas where cables were stolen and due to this
theft, government money was wasted on one hand, while the
subscribers are facing sufferings, he said.
The BTCL MD further said the work for setting up fibre
cables at different exchanges is at the last stage. "Now
the initiatives have been undertaken for installing fibre
cables in roads and lanes of the city," he said.
Due to setting up fibre cables, he said, the speed of the
internet will increase to manifold and the clients will
get easy access to the information super highway.
The BTCL managing director also said the present telephone
cables have copper which is expensive. So the thieves get
a huge quantity of money by stealing the cables, he added.
"But the optical fibres have a needle and the thieves will
not benefit by stealing those," he said, adding that
optical
fibre will be installed across the country gradually.
According to the BTCL, there are 12 lakh telephone
connections under the BTCL and those are fully cable
dependent.
Meanwhile the IT experts suggested the government giving
BTCL connections to its clients by using modern wireless
system like the private PSTN operators.
No conspiracy can stop trial of war criminals:
Latif Biswas
BSS, Khagrachhari
Fisheries and Livestock Minister Abdul Latif Biswas said
here on Saturay that the trial of war criminals must be
held in the country and no conspiracy would be able to
stop the trial.
The government has completed the trial of the killers of
the Father of the Nation and now it will hold trial of the
war criminals, he said while speaking as the chief guest
at a meeting of workers at the Bangladesh Awami League
district unit office here.
Local MP Jyotindra Lal Tripura and district Chhatra League
President Mongshepronna Chowdhury Apu, among others,
addressed the meeting.
Earlier, the minister visited several fisheries projects
in Khagrachhari Sadar.
During the visits, he said there are ample opportunities
for fish farming in Khagrachhari. Job opportunities can be
created for unemployed youths through cultivation of fish
in the lakes in hilly areas, he added. The minister was
accompanied by the local MP, Bangladesh Fisheries
Development Corporation Chairman Khurshida Khanam and
Khagrachhari Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Abdullah.
5 killed, 4 injured in road accidents
TBT News Desk
At lest 5 people were killed and 4 others injured in
separate road accidents in 2 districts on Saturday,
according to a news agency.
In Chittagong, four passengers, including a woman, were
killed in a road incident near Gul Ahmed Jute Mill on
Dhaka-Chittagong highway under Sitakuna upazila in the
district Saturday noon.
The deceased were identified as Nila Jaladas, 35, Mohammad
Selim, 31, and Laxmi Chakrabarti, 46. All hailed from
Katghor of Kumira union under the upazila in the district,
police and hospital sources said.
The identity of the fourth victim, who succumbed to his
injuries at hospital, could not be known immediately.
Wahid Siddique, in-charge of Sitakundu highway police,
said the accident took place when a CNG-run three wheelers
carrying four persons was hit by a Boishakhi passenger bus
from behind in front of Gul Ahmed Jute Mills at about
11.20 am Saturday. Nila and Selim died on the spot. Laxmi
and the unidentified person succumbed to their injuries at
Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) at 12.40 pm
Saturday. Drivers of both the vehicles escaped shortly
after the accident. A case was filed with Sitakundhu thana.
In Jessore, a constable of Highway Police was killed and
four others were injured critically in a road accident at
Rajghat on Jessore-Khulna Highway in the early hours of
Saturday.
The deceased was identified as Yunus Ali, 52, of Darajpur
village under Ashashuni upazila of Satkhira district.
Didar Ahmed, Police Super (SP) of Jessore said, the
accident occurred at about 4 am when a pick-up of Highway
Police plunged into a roadside ditch while chasing another
pickup of dacoits.
A gang of dacoits was fleeing using the pick-up after
looting six cows from Prembag village under Abhaynagar
upazila at 4am Saturday. Being informed, a team of patrol
police of Noapara outpost chased the dacoits. At one
stage, the pick-up carrying the policemen fell into the
roadside ditch near the bordering area of Khulna and
Jessore while its driver lost control over the steering.
Police constable Yunus died on the spot and the rest were
injured.
The injured constables were Sahabul, Fazlur Rahman, Ruhul
Amin and Sunil Kumar. Of them, condition of Sunil Kumar,
driver of the pick up, was stated to be critical.
The injured police constables were admitted to the 250-bed
Khulna Hospital. The body of the deceased constable was
sent to his village home for burial after his autopsy at
Jessore Sadar Hospital morgue.
Meanwhile, Zonal ASP of Highway Police Asaduzzaman and SP
of Western Zone of the Highway Police Md Ashraful Islam
visited the place of occurrence. They also visited the
injured constables at hospital.
Use of pesticides in crop
fields rampant
BSS, Barguna
Chemical pesticides are being used indiscriminately in
crop fields to combat pest attack on vegetable fields in
different places of the district. This practice is causing
serious health hazards in all the five upazilas of the
district. A huge quantity of vegetables is being produced
here during the winter season.
But the growers, who are generally illiterate and poor,
use pesticides to combat the pest attack during the season
without sufficient knowledge of the harmful effects of it.
The pesticides leave an adverse impact on the public
health if these are not consumed by vegetable after a
scheduled period of time, said Agriculture specialist
Santosh Mandol of District Agriculture Extension (DAE)
department. But the farmers do not have sufficient
knowledge about it. The harmful effects of these
pesticides on the vegetables are not usually seen but may
be detected through tests. As a result, the common people,
who are consuming the vegetables without any knowledge of
its hazardous effects, are falling sick, said Dr. Jahirul
Islam, Civil Surgeon of Barguna. The officials of the
concerned department are allegedly not playing their due
roles in creating awareness among the common people. If
this situation continues, local observers fear that many
people of the district will be severely affected. While
visiting Betagi and Bamna areas recently, the
correspondent found that the local farmers were using
various types of chemical pesticides to fight the pests
and viral attack on their vegetable fields.
They were also marketing the vegetables before expiry of
the three days, seven days or 21 days, considered to be
dangerous periods after application of the pesticides, due
to lack of knowledge. This is a common feature in all
other upazilas of the district during the season.
Shaheed Minar
incorporated into UN website
UNB, Dhaka
The "Shaheed Minar", the memorial of the historic Language
Movement of 1952, has been incorporated into the UN
website for the first time for International Mother
Language Day.
The website was launched in New York on Friday. The
International Mother Language Day website is available in
all six official languages of the United Nations,
according to a message from Bangladesh UN mission in New
York.
Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, in a message
marking the International Mother Language Day, said the
mother language, in which the first words are uttered and
individual thought expressed, is the foundation for the
history and culture of each individual.
He said languages are the best vehicles of mutual
understanding and tolerance.
Respect for all languages is a key factor for ensuring
peaceful coexistence, without exclusion, of societies and
all of their members.
International Mother Language Day was proclaimed by the
General Conference of the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in November
1999.
On 16 May 2009, the United Nations General Assembly in its
resolution called upon the Member States "to promote the
preservation and protection of all languages used by
peoples of the world."
By the same resolution, the General Assembly proclaimed
2008 as the International Year of Languages, to promote
unity in diversity and international understanding,
through multilingualism and multiculturalism.
International Mother Language Day has been being observed
every year since February 2000 to promote linguistic and
cultural diversity and multilingualism.
The date represents the day in 1952 when students
demonstrating for recognition of Bangla as one of the
State languages of the then Pakistan, were killed by
police in Dhaka.
Law enforcers seize huge
contraband goods; arrest five in two N- dists
BSS, Rangpur
The law enforcing agencies seized huge quantities of
smuggled goods including phensidyl and arrested four
criminals from different places of Rangpur and Dinajpur
districts during the past 48 hours, officials sources
said.
Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) of Rangpur
camp seized 948 bottles smuggled phensidyl from a private
car and arrested its driver Murad Hossain, 28, from Dolar
Dorga Bazaar in Nababganj upazila of Dinajpur.
The BDR personnel of Fulbari 40 Rifle battalion and
Ghoraghat police jointly seized 1,808 bottles smuggled
phensidyl and truck carrying those from Nitaishah point on
the Dinajpur-Ghoraghat highway under Ghoraghat upazila in
Dinajpur.
The same joint BDR and police forces seized 700 bottles
phensidyl, a truck carrying those and arrested driver
Shaon alias Sumon, 20, and helper Romiz Uddin, 35, of
different villages in Gazipur district from the same point
on the highway in Dinajpur.
Police seized 100 sacs fake fertilisers and a truck from
Khejmatpur on the Rangpur-Bogra highway and another 90
bottle phensidyl and a motorcycle and arrested Abu Hena,
43, and Quashem Ali, 30, from Colony Bazaar under Pirganj
upazila in Rangpur.
The arrested persons were handed over to police and
separate cases were field in these connections with the
concerned police stations, the sources said.
Sports
England Cricket Team arrives today
TBT report
England Cricket
Team arrives in Dhaka today for a month-long tour, which
includes three One-Day Internationals and two Test matches
against Bangladesh.
The team is expected to reach Dhaka from Dubai by an Emirates
flight at 7:30pm.
England will start its tour of Bangladesh with two one-day
practice matches at Narayanganj on February 23 and 25.
The three one-dayers will be played on February 28 and March 2
at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka, while
Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium of Chittagong will host the
third one-day on March 5.
The first Test match between England and Bangladesh will be
held from March 12 to 16 at Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium,
while the second Test will take place at Sher-e-Bangla
National Cricket Stadium in the capital from March 20 to 24.
England team is scheduled to leave here on March 25.
Earlier, England announced two separate squads for one-dayers
and Test matches against Bangladesh.
One-day squad: Alastair Cook (Captain), Tim Bresnan, Stuart
Broad, Paul Collingwood, Joe Denly, Eoin Morgan, Matthew Prior
(Wicketkeeper), Kevin Pietersen, Liam Plunkett, Ryan
Sidebottom, Ajmal Shahzad, Graeme Swann, James Tredwell,
Jonathan Trott, Luke Wright, Craig Kieswetter (Wicketkeeper).
Test squad: Alastair Cook (Captain), Ian Bell, Stuart Broad,
Michael Carberry, Paul Collingwood, Steven Davies, Graham
Onions, Kevin Pietersen, Liam Plunkett, Matthew Prior
(Wicketkeeper), Ajmal Shahzad, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann,
James Tredwell, Jonathan Trott, Luke Wright.
Sharapova
books final berth
AFP, Memphis
Eighth-seeded Sam Querrey upset top-seeded Andy Roddick 7-5,
3-6, 6-1 to book a semi-final berth Friday as top seed Maria
Sharapova moved into the women's final at this combined ATP/WTA
tennis tournament.
Querrey, who lost to Roddick in the San Jose semi-finals last
week despite never facing a break point, poured it on in the
third set to notch his best result in Memphis.
Roddick's double-fault in the second game of the third set
gave Querrey the upper hand, and Querrey made the most of it.
"You're not going to get that too many times from Andy, but
I'll take it," said Querrey. "When that rare opportunity
comes, you've just got to take advantage of it. I thought I
did a good job there, and just kept the momentum going and
played an unbelievable third set." "It was disappointing,"
said Roddick. "Today I played one sloppy game in the third set
and that was it. Sometimes at this level there's not much in
between it." With the victory America's Querrey improved on
his quarter-final finishes here in 2007 and 2009.
In the semi-finals he'll take on 21-year-old Latvian Ernests
Gulbis, who rallied for a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) victory over
fifth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych.
Gulbis trailed 4-1 in the final set when he received treatment
on his left knee, then rallied for the victory.
He said the patella tendinitis that bothered him was a
long-term problem.
"I've been dealing with for more than one-and-a-half years,"
Gulbis said, adding that the trainer who worked on him "knew
exactly what to do."
Sixth-seeded American John Isner downed Croatian Ivo Karlovic
6-1, 7-6 (9/7) to book a semi-final clash with German Philipp
Petzschner, a 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 winner over Slovakian Lukas Lacko.
Russia's Sharapova advanced to the final in cue with a 6-4,
6-3 victory over fifth-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova.
She'll face Sweden's Sofia Arvidsson, a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 winner
over Britain's Anne Keothavong.
Bangladesh loses to Sri Lanka
in AFC Challenge Cup
TBT report
Bangladesh slumped to a 3-0 defeat against the host Sri
Lanka in its last Group A match in the AFC Challenge Cup
football championship at Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo,
Sri Lanka on Saturday.
Sri Lanka led the first half 2-0.
Kaiz Mohammed Shafraz brought an early lead for Sri Lanka
just six minutes after the kick-off, while Pordi Chathura
made it 2-0 on the stroke of the first half.
Sri Lanka increased its lead to 3-0 when Sanjeev netted on
78 minutes to add to Bangladesh's misery.
Bangladesh started the tourney on a bright note defeating
Tajikistan 2-1 in its first group match but it suffered an
identical defeat against Myanmar in the second match.
Shahriar Nafees to captain BCB XI
TBT report
Opening batsman Shahriar Nafees Ahmed will lead the BCB XI
in the first one-day practice match against England.
The match will be held at Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in
Narayanganj on February 23. The visitors will play another
one-day practice match at the same venue on February 25.
Players: Shahriar Nafees (Captain), Alok Kopali, Imtiaz
Hossain, Nasiruddin Faruque, Shahin Hossain
(Wicketkeeper), Mahmudul Hasan, Shafaq Al Zabir, Tanvir
Haider, Ariful Hoque, Alauddin Babu,Tapash Baishya,
Shamsur Rahman and Mohammad Sharifullah.
Officials: Minhajul Abedin (Head Coach), Zafrul Ehsan
(Assistant Coach), Fahim Muntasir (Manager), Azmal Ahmed (Physio).
CGames security plan theft last
year
AFP, Sydney
Australian tennis chiefs were told last year that security
plans for October's Commonwealth Games in India had been
stolen, according to a report on Saturday.
Tennis Australia said information on the alleged theft
came from its own independent security assessment ahead of
its Davis Cup tie with India in Chennai last May. It
subsequently decided to pull out and forfeit the series.
Australia were fined 10,000 US dollars by the
International Tennis Federation (ITF) for failing to
fulfil the fixture. Tennis Australia at the time said the
decision was based on concerns over security arrangements.
A Tennis Australia spokesman said it understood that
sensitive plans had been stolen from a computer, while
another official told The Sydney Morning Herald said that
the theft had led to a major security review. There were
media reports in India in March 2009 that computers
containing Games security information were stolen from the
office of New Delhi Police's Joint Commissioner for the
Games.
However, police at the time denied that any sensitive
material had gone missing in the theft, insisting that
only an entertainment system and car papers were stolen
from a vehicle belonging to a Games security official.
"It is clear that there was no theft of any security
related or official documents whatsoever," the police said
at the time.
According to a report prepared by Tennis Australia and
published by the Herald, the sporting body commissioned
two security firms to assess the risk to its players
competing in the Chennai tie. Their report rejected an
earlier security assessment by a Chennai consultant as
inadequate and conflicted, The Herald said. The newspaper
quoted an unnamed source as saying that the alleged theft
"forced the organisers to rejig the whole security plans
for the Games".
Tennis Australia president Geoff Pollard said fears of
escalated activity by Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers coinciding
with the volatile month-long Indian election period were
the major reasons for withdrawing from the Davis Cup tie.
But Pollard told the newspaper the security assessment
cited the alleged theft as evidence of lax safety
measures. "Al-Qaeda are everywhere in the world but they
are a slightly higher risk in India than in other places,"
Pollard said.
"If the stolen plans had been the only risk, I think we
would have gone to Chennai but we had the two extra risks
of the election and the Tamils in the dying weeks of their
last fight," he said, referring to the final weeks of the
37-year-long civil war in Sri Lanka.
Australian Commonwealth Games Association (ACGA) chief
executive Perry Crosswhite told the newspaper he had seen
reports of plans missing but was uncertain that they
related to security.
Morgan, Pietersen lead England's victory
AFP, Dubai
Eoin Morgan and Kevin Pietersen put on a record fourth
wicket century partnership as England beat World Twenty20
champions Pakistan by seven wickets here Friday in the
first of their two-match Twenty20 series.
At Dubai Sports City, England were in trouble at 18-3
chasing Pakistan's modest total of 129-8, but Morgan (67
in 51 balls) and Pietersen (43 in 43 balls) put together
an unbroken stand of 112 as England reached 130-3 in 18.3
overs.
It was Pakistan's first Twenty20 loss at the Dubai Sports
City stadium where they had already beaten Australia and
New Zealand in three wins.
A delighted England skipper Paul Collingwood said: "We had
them under pressure and never really let them off the
hook. When we came into bat they had the measure of us
initially but hats off to KP and Morgan."
Pakistan captain ShoaibMalik said: "We were at least 20-25
runs short. The wicket was slow. We were expecting a bit
of bounce. But the England bowlers bowled very well under
the circumstances.
"With Shahid (Afridi) back in the team, I am hopeful that
we will bounce back tomorrow."
Regular Pakistan Twenty20 captain Afridi, who was serving
a two-match suspension for tampering the ball, returns to
the team as a player.
Malik will continue to lead the side in the second and
final match of the series on Saturday.
Malik won the toss and elected to bat first, but Pakistan
never got going as they lost wickets at regular interval.
Imran Nazir fell in the very first over from Stuart Broad,
the fourth of the innings when he top-edged a simple catch
to Joe Denly. Imran Farhat hit two lovely boundaries off
Tim Bresnan, then survived a mix-up and was eventually run
out the very next ball for 14 thanks to some smart
fielding from Pietersen.
The bowling changes worked for Collingwood every time.
After Broad removed Nazir, Luke Wright struck in his first
over, inducing an edge from Khalid Latif to wicketkeeper
Matt Prior. Then Graeme Swann came in and was rewarded
with the wicket of the dangerous Umar Akmal, who was
caught brilliantly by Broad.
At the halfway stage of their innings, Pakistan were just
48-4.
Malik top-scored for his team with 33, but just when he
seemed to be settling in with two successive boundaries
off Wright, he lobbed a simple catch to his counterpart at
midwicket off Swann.
In reply, England were 18-3 in just the fourth over after
losing Denly, Jonathan Trott and Collingwood. But
Pietersen and the impressive Morgan saw their team through
with some sensible batting. Morgan was 13 not out after 25
balls, but then powered ahead and made 54 runs in the next
26 balls.
Pompey's player sale plan turned down
AFP, London
Crisis club Portsmouth had its plans to sell players
outside of the transfer windows rejected by the English
Premier League on Saturday.
Portsmouth, seven points adrift at the bottom of the
Premier League table, has debts of over 60 million pounds
(93 million dollars).
They also face a winding-up order from Her Majesty's
Revenue and Customs (HMRC) over an alleged unpaid tax bill
at a court hearing early in March that could see the south
coast club go out of business.
This season's last transfer window closed at the start of
this month and Pompey had sought special dispensation from
Premier League chiefs to sell players now in a bid to ease
their debts.
But Premier League chiefs rejected the proposal, saying in
a statement issued Saturday: "The Premier League board can
confirm they have been actively considering a request from
Portsmouth to transfer players outside of the transfer
window.
"We are grateful for positive assistance from FIFA
(football's world governing body) and the FA (England's
Football Association) but, having given the matter further
consideration and taking into account all factors, the
Premier League board have decided that this would not be
an appropriate course of action at this time."
Portsmouth manager Avram Grant, who saw the 2008 FA Cup
winners beat bitter south coast rivals Southampton last
week to advance to the quarter-finals of this season's
competition, was never a fan of losing players from an
already stretched squad, saying: "I don't even want to
talk about this because I came to this club to do
something.
Woods
apologizes for ‘selfish’ behavior
AFP, Florida
An emotional Tiger Woods haws apologized for his
"irresponsible and selfish behavior" as the golf superstar
broke his silence on the sex scandal that engulfed him
last year.
In a brutally honest self-assessment broadcast live around
the world Friday, the 34-year-old admitted to a string of
infidelities and confirmed he had been undergoing
treatment in a rehabilitation center for 45 days.
However after repeatedly apologizing to family, friends
and fans during his 13-minute address, Woods did not
confirm when he would return to golf, saying only that it
would be "one day," possibly this year. "I want to say to
each of you simply and directly: I am deeply sorry for my
irresponsible and selfish behavior I engaged in," Woods
told a hand-picked audience of friends and journalists at
the USPGA Tour Headquarters in Florida.
"I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated. What I did is
not acceptable, and I am the only person to blame," a
humbled Woods said, at times staring directly into the
camera during his blunt admissions of wrongdoing and
apology to his fans and associates.
"For all that I have done, I am so sorry. I have a lot to
atone for."
Woods's squeaky-clean image was left in tatters last year
after a mysterious late-night car crash outside his home
in Florida was followed by a string of lurid revelations
about his personal life.
More than a dozen women were linked to the billionaire
sports star in the weeks following the car crash. Woods
later admitted "transgressions" but had not been seen or
spoken in public until this week.
On Friday he emerged before a spellbound nation for the
biggest televised mea culpa since president Bill Clinton
admitted an "inappropriate" relationship with Monica
Lewinsky in 1998. Friday's apology even affected financial
markets as Wall Street dealers halted trading to watch
television screens.
"It's hard to admit that I need help, but I do," Woods
said. "For 45 days from the end of December to early
February I was in in-patient therapy receiving guidance
for the issues I'm facing," Woods said. "I have a long way
to go. But I've taken my first steps in the right
direction."
Woods said that during a sporting career which had seen
him elevated to iconic status, and on course to become the
most successful golfer in history, he had begun to feel a
sense of entitlement. "I stopped living by the core values
that I was taught to believe in. I knew my actions were
wrong, but I convinced myself that normal rules didn't
apply.
"I was wrong, I was foolish. I don't get to play by
different rules."
Woods also used the occasion to scotch reports that his
wife Elin physically attacked him during the incident on
November 27 which triggered the scandal. "It angers me
that people would fabricate a story like that," said
Woods. "Elin never hit me that night or any other night.
"There has never been an episode of domestic violence in
our marriage, ever. Elin has shown enormous grace and
poise throughout this ordeal."
Woods also kept fans guessing about when he may return to
the sport following his self-imposed exile.
"I do plan to return to golf one day. I just don't know
when that day will be," Woods said. "I don't rule out that
it will be this year. When I do return, I need to make my
behavior more respectful of the game."
Llodra stuns Soderling to reach
Marseille semis
AFP, Marseille
Unseeded
Frenchman Michael Llodra pulled off an upset at the ATP
Open 13 tournament here on Friday when he beat top seed
and world number eight Sweden's Robin Soderling, 7-6
(7/2), 6-4.
"Against this kind of player you have to seize every
opportunity, which I think I managed to do," the
29-year-old said after his quarter-final match.
"I made a lot of effort to come back and win the
tie-break. After winning the first set, I knew he would be
nervous. So I took this opportunity to break in the second
set," he added.
Llodra, who beat Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis in the previous
round, will play Germany's unseeded Mischa Zverev in the
last four after he beat 19-year-old Frenchman Guillaume
Rufin 7-5, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3.
World number 10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also came through his
quarter-final against Ukraine's Illya Marchenko, winning
6-3, 6-4.
That means a repeat of last year's Tsonga-Llodra final
remains very much a possibility.
Current title-holder Tsonga broke Marchenko's serve in the
fourth game of the first set to lead 3-1.
The 24-year-old's powerful serve was in full working order
and after taking the first set 6-3 he sewed up victory in
one hour and 34 minutes.
"Against him (Marchenko), you have to be focused all the
time because as soon as you drop your game, he immediately
takes advantage," Tsonga said.
"Even if I didn't play well, I'm glad I won."
In Friday's other all-French quarter-final, eighth seed
Julien Benneteau beat third-seeded world number 13 Gael
Monfils 6-3, 7-5.
Problems mount for Mancini
AFP, Manchester
Roberto Mancini is facing his first mini-crisis as
Manchester City manager ahead of his side's crucial home
encounter with Liverpool at Eastlands here today.
The victors will take a significant step towards winning
the battle for fourth place and Champions League
qualification.
But Mancini's preparations for a game that represents the
Italian boss's sternest test since taking over from Mark
Hughes and in which the outcome could define City's
season, have been hit by a series of setbacks.
Friday saw Patrick Vieira ruled out after the City
midfielder was banned for three games by the Football
Association (FA), having admitted a charge of violent
conduct for a mid-week challenge on Stoke's Glenn Whelan.
"Patrick made a mistake, now we won't have him for three
important games and it will be a problem," Mancini said.
Mancini will also be without star striker Carlos Tevez,
who has decided to remain in Argentina to be with his wife
after she gave birth prematurely, while Martin Petrov has
suffered a setback in his recovery from a knee injury and
will be unavailable for up to another month at least.
Meanwhile, Mancini has also been forced to deny reports of
a training ground bust-up with Craig Bellamy over the
winger's recovery from a slight knee injury.
Mancini is confident his relationship with Bellamy is
still intact, but does admit to having had a slight
disagreement with a player who has been one of City's
finest and most consistent performers this season.
"I read that I have a problem with Craig, I read that I
shouted at him. Craig was training yesterday (Thursday),
Craig was training two days ago," Mancini said.
"Craig is training this (Friday) morning. I have spoken
with him face-to-face, manager to player, but I never
shouted at him.
"These things can happen in your job, in my job, but I say
everything face-to-face. I haven't a problem with him. If
his knee is okay, he is available on Sunday.
"I did not send him away for three months. He is here
training. This can happen between players and players,
manager and players.
"I have spoken with him in my office but these are normal
things that I speak about with one player. When we have a
problem, we solve the problem face-to-face, but we don't
have a problem.
"If his knee is okay he is a very important player for us.
I have worked with big players, players who have won the
Champions League, the World Cup, and his temperament is
not a problem.
"For me, the most important thing is the club," explained
Mancini, whose fourth-placed side are a point in front of
Liverpool with a game in hand.
Durant stretches lead at
Mexico event
AFP, Mexico
Joe Durant fired a five-under par 66 on Friday to stretch
his lead at the US PGA Tour's Mayakoba classic to two
strokes. Durant, a four-time winner on the US tour, built
a 12-under total of 130 through 36 holes.
"I think the key today is I stayed very patient," the
45-year-old veteran said. "I bogeyed the first hole, but I
said, 'It's a long day. Let's be patient and give
ourselves some opportunities.' Birdied 12 and 13, so then
I felt like I was rolling again.
"Last year I probably would not have been as patient as I
was today."
Durant finished with a flourish, notching birdies at his
last two holes - the par-five eighth and par-four ninth.
"The par five, number eight, was straight downwind. Made
an easy birdie there," Durant said. "And then nine, hit a
good tee shot. Second shot was a little short. Had about
probably a 30-footer, but made a really nice putt."JP
Hayes was second after a 67 for 132, and Cameron Beckman's
68 put him third on 133. John Daly was tied for 17th at
five-under, while former world number one David Duval,
runner-up last week at Pebble Beach, followed an opening
71 with a 79 to miss the cut.
Hayes finished his round in the rain, and like Durant
birdied eight and nine.
"The wind, first of all, was from a different direction,
then the last four or five holes we got some rain," Hayes
said. "I think it always evens out, because some holes are
downwind and some now into the wind. Definitely, I thought
it was a little more difficult than yesterday." Hayes'
round included five birdies and a bogey.
"I managed my game really today. I wouldn't say I hit it
great, I just managed it well," Hayes said. "Pretty much
stayed out of trouble, except for one bad drive. Had to
take a penalty shot on number five, which is going to
happen out here.
"Overall, pretty good," he concluded.
Chelsea players given
warning
AFP, London
Chelsea's players have been warned of "severe disciplinary
consequences" if their private lives tarnish the Premier
League leaders' image, club officials revealed on Friday.
Blues chief executive Ron Gourlay and coach Carlo
Ancelotti held a 10-minute meeting with the players this
week in a bid to avoid a repeat of the kind of lurid
headlines that cost John Terry the England captaincy and
have once again seen Ashley Cole making front-page news.
"We had a meeting this week with the players," Ancelotti,
who has been a staunch supporter of Chelsea captain Terry,
said on Friday.
"It was a good meeting. Ron Gourlay was there as well. We
spoke to the players and explained to them the behaviour
that is required of the players in this club.
"Now they know very well what they have to do and what
behaviour is expected of them when they're in the Chelsea
shirt.
"We are interested, me and the club, in protecting the
image of this club. Not only the players and the manager,
all the staff-the people who work in this club-have to
protect that image.
"That is one of the most important things, the image of
the club. We want to carry that forward. And I think the
players and all the staff know very well what they have to
do.
"All the players were there. Ron spoke for the club, for
the owner (Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich), and the
players listened.
"It was a private meeting and I don't like to speak about
what exactly was said. But, to confirm, the most important
thing is that everybody has to pay attention to protect
the image of the club."
Newton faces ban after
doping admission
AFP, London
Former Great Britain hooker Terry Newton was left facing
the likelihood of a career-ending two-year ban after
admitting taking the banned drug human growth hormone (HGH)
on Friday.
The Wakefield forward was provisionally suspended earlier
this week by the Rugby Football League after United
Kingdom Anti-Doping (UKAD) confirmed he'd tested positive
for a banned substance during pre-season training in
November.
No details of the sample were given at the time but Newton
confessed all in a statement issued through his lawyers on
Friday, which means a B sample test and a hearing to
determine his guilt are no longer required. It is now
expected UKAD will impose a two-year ban on Newton that
will effectively end the 31-year-old's career.
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