Khaleda urges opposition
Refrain from disrupting democratic atmosphere
BSS, DHAKA
Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia yesterday made a clarion call to all
including the main opposition to refrain from disrupting peaceful democratic atmosphere
and violating human rights in the name of political movement and protests.
Her call came when a 13-member delegation of Council for National
Agenda (CNA) led by its Chairman former Chief Election Commissioner Justice Abdur Rauf
called on her at the Prime Minister’s Office here.
The CNA members included retired judges, lawyers, professors,
physicians, former ambassadors and secretaries of the government, journalists, and poets.
During the free and frank exchange of views, the members of the CNA
thanked the Prime Minister for her call to the opposition to extend their cooperation for
smooth running of administration of the country. They suggested to hold immediately a
sincere dialogue between the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition.
The Prime Minister urged the country’s intellectuals to play a
positive role in creating awareness among the people for maintaining peaceful democratic
atmosphere and shunning the destructive activities.
Describing the hartals as destructive activities opposed to national
interests and economic progress, the members of CNA called for enacting stringent laws to
stop hartal or at least end the enforcement of hartal through violent means. They observed
that the people of the country are opposed to hartal and want peace and will like to do
their normal works. The enforcing of hartals, they said, tantamount to curtailing
people’s democratic and human rights.
At this stage, the Prime Minister said her government does not want to
curtail democratic rights of people but like to see continuity of healthy democratic
environment and development. But, she regretted that a particular quarter is out to create
anarchy in the country in the name of politics. The CNA members expressed their regret at
the postponement of the 13th SAARC summit and said India’s excuse to
postpone the summit was not acceptable and relevant. They urged all the member nations
including India to help for holding the SAARC summit immediately.
The Prime Minister reiterated that the government will ensure
punishment to the killers of former Finance Minister and Awami League lawmaker Shah AMS
Kibria through proper investigation. The CNA members who called on the Prime Minister are
CNA Chairman Justice Abdur Rauf, Chairman of the Editorial Board of Dainik Ittefaq
Barrister Mainul Hosein, former adviser to the Caretaker government and noted physician
Dr. MA Majed, former foreign secretary Tabarak Hossain, former vice chancellor of Dhaka
University Prof. Emajuddin Ahmed, former foreign secretary MR Osmany, former ambassadors
MM Rezaul Karim and Masum Ahmed Chowdhury, former secretary of the government Shah Abdul
Hannan, noted columnist Sadek Khan, CNA treasurer Prof. Mahmubullah, former Vice
Chancellor Prof. M Anwar Hossain and poet Isaraf Hossain.
The Prime Minister said the government has taken all out efforts to
find the killers of Kibria and punish the culprits. Begum Zia said foreign investigation
teams have also been invited to probe into his killing.
She regretted that a particular political party demanded release of a
person arrested for his alleged involvement in Kbiria’s killing. The Prime Minister
said the law and order has improved tremendously as a result of sincere and realistic
measures taken by the government to curb terrorism.
BNP has no issue, says Jalil
AL decision unfortunate: Mannan
STAFF REPORTER
BNP would go ahead with their scheduled ‘countrywide protest
programmes’ today ignoring the 36-hour hartal programme announced by the main
opposition Awami League and its allies.
Talking to The Independent yesterday, party stalwarts including its
General Secretary and LGED Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan made it clear that they were
determined to go ahead with their declared programmes. They also termed AL’s refusal
to withdraw their hartal ‘unfortunate’ and ‘shocking’ as the hartal
call came after the announcement of the BNPs programme.
Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan said that BNP would go ahead with today's
programme scheduled earlier. "We have told our activists to observe the programme
peacefully and to refrain from any provocative activities," he said adding that if
the opposition trial to hinder BNP’s peaceful programme, they would go for
‘legal action’.
Commenting on the situation, BNP Standing Committee member and Health
and Family Planning Minister Dr Khondoker Mosharraf Hossain said that it was unfortunate
that the AL did not withdraw their programme in response to the call of the ruling party.
"They know very well that an elected government could not be
toppled through hartal. In a democracy there are only two ways to unseat a government
bringing no confidence motion against it or through election," he said adding that
what the AL wanted was to create anarchy in the name of hartal, which would harm the
development process and bring miseries for the people.
State Minister for Labour and Employment Amanullah Aman said that AL
did not believe in democracy and they did not show respect to the people’s will so
they did not withdraw their hartal programme.
Talking to The Independent last night, Awami League general secretary
Abdul Jalil referred to his yesterday’s interview with the BBC Radio where he said,
"We are in a movement with a specific issue. They (BNP) have no issue, they have
announced a programme on the same day only to thwart our justified programme. They have to
bear full responsibilities for consequences."
Show no-confidence in govt’s misrule, another 36-hr
hartal from today
Sheikh Hasina’s desperate call
STAFF REPORTER
Awami League president Sheikh Hasina has alleged that as the ground
beneath the feet of the BNP-Jamaat alliance government is caving in it has increased the
extent of persecution of its political opponents to protect the ‘looted public
money’ and prolong its ‘misrule’.
"We will no longer tolerate the repression and torture of the
government as time has come to launch unified protest and resist those repressors,"
she said while formally inaugurating the signature campaign in blood-red letters pressing
for punishment of the killers of party’s Advisory Council member and former Finance
Minister Shah AMS Kibria at her Dhanmondi residence yesterday.
Formally putting her signature on a white banner inscribed with the
aforesaid demand, the Leader of the Opposition inaugurated the campaign initiated by the
family of SAMS Kibria on Sunday and the central leaders of the Awami League and its front
organisations as well as the working journalists followed her.
The Awami League chief said those who have taken to the streets staging
silent and peaceful demonstrations against all the grenade attacks and the latest in
Habiganj on January 27 were also subjected to repression by different forces of the
government.
"By doing so the government has snatched away the people’s
fundamental and constitutional rights and the freedom of speech, as well as the voice to
protest its evil doings, even the barbaric killing of worthy sons of the soil,"
Sheikh Hasina said adding: "We have given call for hartal as the people are gripped
with multifarious problems including human rights violation, torture, terrorism,
repression and killing coupled with exorbitant price hike of essentials now."
Portraying a dismal picture of today’s Bangladesh, she said the
more the alliance government would cling to power, the more blood would be spilled on the
streets with the rise in the incidents of killings of people, particularly the leaders and
activists of the main opposition Awami League.
Sheikh Hasina said, in its bid to prolong its misrule the government
has chosen the easiest path, by resorting to repression, torture and killing of popular
leaders and organisers of her party, even the grassroots-level organisers, to gag the
people’s voice of protest as they thought none would raise protests against their
persecution, misdeeds and misrule if they could eliminate her party from Bangladesh.
In support of her accusations, the Leader of the Opposition said at
least 3,000 leaders and activists of her party were arrested and hundreds of others were
subjected to torture in Dhaka city alone prior to the countrywide 36-hour hartal called by
14 opposition political parties that starts at 6 am today to protest the assassination of
Shah AMS Kibria, increasing grenade attacks, terrorism and repression on the opposition.
She said that many leaders and activists of her party and its front
organisations were arrested in the city from the Sunday’s peaceful demonstration
programme launched by Asma Kibria, wife of slain Shah AMS Kibria.
The AL chief added that the elite forces like RAB, Cheetah and Cobra
had been raiding the residences of political leaders, harassing, repressing and torturing
them on the eve of the opposition’s action programme. "Who will nab the killers
if the elite forces of the government are engaged in such activities?" she asked and
brought allegations against the government of patronising and harbouring the killers and
terrorists.
Referring to the recent incident in Kishoreganj town, the Awami League
chief said that though her party leader Nabi Hossain was killed in fire opened BNP’s
armed cadres backed by police, some 700 activists of her party were arrested in connection
with the incident.
Sheikh Hasina made a fervent appeal to the countrymen to participate in
the ‘last battle’ against what she termed the ‘killer, terrorist, corrupt
and failed’ alliance government, so that none could dare to constitute a government
through massive rigging any more in Bangladesh.
The Awami League chief urged the countrymen to make the 36-hour hartal
a success to express their ‘no-confidence’ in the government to save the nation
from its ‘tyranny, misdeeds and misrule’.
Tarique calls for united efforts for uplift
BSS, CHITTAGONG
Feb 13: BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Tarique Rahman today called
upon the grassroots level leaders to put their combined efforts to supplement the
development efforts initiated by the present government ignoring conspiracies and
destructive politics by a particular quarter to block the on-going uplift process.
Tarique made the call while chairing the union representatives’
conference under Chittagong South organisational district at Patiya Ideal High School
ground here today. About 776 representatives from 92 unions and 27 pourasabha wards under
Chittagong South organisational district comprising eight upazilas participated in the
conference. BNP standing committee member Dr Col (Retd) Oli Ahmed spoke at the function as
the chief guest. Ministers, lawmakers, central and local leaders also spoke in the
occasion held with much enthusiasm and festivity.
Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan, State Minister for Environment and
Forest Jafrul Islam Chowdhury, Gazi Shahjahan Jewel MP, Sarwar Jamal Nizam MP, President
of the South district unit of BNP Ahmad Khalil Khan, among others, addressed the
conference.
Fisheries and Livestock Minister Abdullah Al Noman, Housing and Public
Works Minister Mirza Abbas, Parliamentary Affairs Advisor to the Prime Minister Salahuddin
Quader Chowdhury, State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mir Mohammad Nasiruddin,
Whip of the Jatiya Sangsad Syed Wahidul Alam, State Minister for Communications Salahuddin
Ahmed, L K Siddiqui MP, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury MP, Rajshahi City Corporation Mayor
Mizanur Rahman Minu, M A Zinnah MP, Mohammad Shahjahan MP, Joynal Abedin Faruk MP, Abdul
Wadood Bhuiyan MP, BNP Organising Secretary of Barishal division Principal Abdur Rashid
and Mafiqul Hasan Tripti, among others, attended the conference.
Tarique Rahman said people and the soil of this country are the main
factors and objectives in the politics of BNP. So our target is to serve the people,
progress of the country and changing the lot of the masses, he added.
On the other hand, he said grassroots level leaders and workers of the
organisation are the heart and main watchdog of the party.
"So your prime duty and responsibility is to keep cautious who are
trying to block the development endeavours by resorting to anarchic politics, conspiracy
and hartal," said Tarique. He urged the leaders to highlight the remarkable
achievements and success in many sectors by the present government to the common people.
Tarique said opinions and suggestions of grassroots leaders are more
important to the BNP central leadership. That is why union level representatives
conference which began from January 4 last is being held across the country to hear from
them about the success and lapses of the government and also to include their suggestions
in the development plans.
"Already the government has included many suggestions made by the
grassroots level leaders in the past conferences," he said.
He urged the leaders to aware people about misdeeds and corruption of
the previous government and strengthen the party at rural level so that BNP could easily
win the support of the people.
Responding to the price hike and non-implementation of many
developments schemes, Tarique said the severe floods that caused huge loss to agriculture
was the major cause of price hike. Resource constraints compared to vast population also
impeded the execution of many developments schemes, he said, adding the government is
trying relentlessly for a balanced development in the country.
He called upon the party leaders to inform the people of subsidy in
agriculture sector for the welfare of farmers, allowances for elderly people and widow,
stipend for the female students, improvement in the law and order situation, widening of
the VGF card beneficiary network, stoppage of copying in the public examinations and free
the country from polythene.
Stress laid on pro-liberation forces’ unity
STAFF REPORTER
Speakers at a round table with the professionals yesterday put emphasis
on forging a concrete unity among all the pro-liberation forces and people and to form a
national government to establish democracy, rule of law, social peace and ensure and
internal and national security driving out the BNP led 4-party alliance government
immediately.
The round table was organised by Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) (Inu) on
the ‘Proceedings of Movement to form a National Government to Face the Misrule of the
Alliance Government, the rise of Fundamentalism, Repeated Grenade Attack-Killing-Torture,
Inaction and inability of the State-Administration-Police-Detective Organisations and the
Crisis of Democracy and Security’.
Hasanul Haq Inu, President of JSD, chaired and moderated the round
table. Syed Jafar Sazzad, General Secretary, JSD read the keynote paper while Professor Dr
Anisuzzaman, Professor Dr A A M S Arefin Siddique, Professor Dr Syed Anwar Hossin,
Professor Md Aktaruzzaman, Dr Abdur Razzak MP, Dr Wazidul Islam, Dr Shawkat Ara Hossain,
Dr Kamrul Hasan Khan, Dr Colonel (Rtd) Abdul Latif Mallik, Engineer Golam Mostafa,
Engineer Khabiruzzaman, Abdur Razzak Mia, M A Aziz, Shirin Akter, Md Nazrul Islam, among
others, spoke at the round table.
JSD in its keynote paper alleged that the alliance government was
trying to cling to power permanently destroying the opposition political parties.
JSD proposed that the like-minded political parties should participate
in the upcoming general election from a united front.
5,000 arrested, claims opposition
STAFF REPORTER
Police arrested a large number of people apprehending acts of sabotage
during 36-hour hartal, which begins today.
Leaders of the opposition claimed that at least five thousand leaders
and activists of the opposition parties had been arrested so far across the country, to
foil the hartal. The arrests were continuing till filing of this report at 8pm yesterday.
Sources in the Home Ministry said that police were arresting suspects and others to avert
any untoward incident, as there would be rallies and counter rallies of the government and
the opposition party today.
Meanwhile, an emergency meeting was held in the Home Ministry yesterday
afternoon with State Minister for Home Lutfuzzaman Babar in the chair. Sources in the
meeting informed that police were instructed to take stringent measures against picketers
and others. They were also asked to arrest and institute criminal cases against all those
found violating the law and disturbing peace.
Additional Police personnel with riot police, BDR and Armed Police
Battalion would be deployed at every point in the city to guard against any untoward
incident taking the advantage of hartal.
A large number of plainclothes police and detectives would also be
deployed with video camera to record the incidents of rioting.
Four prison vans of Dhaka Metropolitan Police will remain ready to pick
up arrested people. A special contingent of women police consisting of Police and Ansar
would also be deployed to resist women leaders and activists from engaging in any
subversive act.
No hartal in Shariatpur, Bandarban today
UNB, DHAKA
Today’s hartal has been withdrawn in Shariatpur and Bandarban,
announced the local Awami League office.
Shariatpur district Awami League withdrew the hartal in sadar upazila
to show respect to the memory of Yakub Ali Howlader, pourasava chairman and freedom
fighter, who died Saturday evening.
Yakub (55), who was also district BNP president, died of brain
haemorrhage in Sikder Medical Hospital in Dhaka. He left behind wife, a son, a daughter
and a host of patrons and admirers to mourn the death.
His body brought to the town was buried today. The janaza was attended
by a large number of people including political leaders.
Another report from Bandarban said the district Awami League withdrew
today’s hartal to facilitate people joining the religious function here.
International Krishna Bhabnamrita Sangha has organized the congregation
of Acharyas, who will seek divine blessings for world peace.
| 
