Wagons of intercity train Silk City derail

Rail link was snapped for hours as three wagons of an intercity train derailed at Airport rail station at Uttara in the capital on Thursday noon.

Railway sources said three wagons of Silk City Express, coming from Rajshahi to Dhaka, slipped out of its track while it reached at the Airport rail station at around 2:00pm, disrupting rail links between Dhaka and the northern zone.

However, no casualty was reported, Dhaka Railway Police and Airport train station officials confirmed.

DRP sub-inspector Nazrul Islam said that a rescue team was working to lift up the derailed wagons.

Samiul Islam Rony, a passenger of the train, told New Age that the wagons of the train slipped out from line when it started to leave the station in a slow pace.

'I felt a shake and suddenly saw people jumping down from the train and without understanding anything, I too followed them. Later I saw the derailed wagons. We were lucky as the train was in a slow pace', said Rony while talking at the station premises. 

A number of scheduled trains, waiting at the Kamlapur rail station, were delayed and some other trains remained stranded at different stations following the accident, the DRP officials said.

source:NewAge

3-year-old girl violated in city

An alleged drug addict on Thursday afternoon sexually violated a three-year-old girl at Dholpur under Jatrabari police station in the capital.

The police arrested the accused, Swapan Ahmed, from the spot.

The police said Swapan, an alleged drug addict, violated the child at around 2:30pm, when her parents were out of their dwelling at Smriti Palli in Dholpur area.

Neighbours rushed to the house hearing her screams and caught Swapan red-handed.

The child was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital in a critical condition.

The victim's father is a rickshaw-puller and mother is a domestic help.

The process of filing a case in this connection was underway when this report was filed at 9:15pm.

source:NewAge

Indian Army chief to review BMA parade

Indian army chief General Vijay Kumar Singh has been invited to review and take salute at the passing out parade of the Bangladesh Military Academy on June 22, an ISPR press release said on Thursday.


It said that reports published in a section of newspapers involved the question of pride, morality and confidence of Bangladesh Army and independence and sovereignty of the country.
Inter Service Public Relations department provided a statement of Bangladesh Army Headquarters in the regard.
The AHQ statement recalled that former Bangladesh Army chief the late General Muhammad Mustafizur Rahman was invited to review and take the salute at the passing out parade of the Indian Military Academy at Dehradun in 1998.
Similarly, Nepalese Army chief Chhatra Man Singh reviewed and took the salute at Indian Military Academy passing out parade in 2009 and the Indian Navy chief reviewed the passing out parade of Sri Lankan Naval and Maritime Academy in 2010, it said.
It mentioned that in Bangladesh's liberation war in 1971, General Vijay Kumar Singh had participated as a young officer of the allied force. Of the Indian Army officers who had fought for Bangladesh's independence, General Singh is the only serving officer, the statement said.
The AHQ hopes that the participation of the Indian Army chief in the parade would help infuse the spirit of the liberation war in the young Bangladeshi officers.
The statement termed the invitation to the Indian Army chief as reciprocal to the Indian gesture of inviting General Mustafiz.
This is not a weakness but would rather strengthen the diplomatic relations between the two neighbouring countries, the statement said.
General Vijay Kumar Singh is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on June 19 on a five-day tour.
source:NewAge

Muggers kill one, injure another in city

A man, injured critically by a group of muggers at Pallabi in the capital, died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital Thursday evening.

The deceased could not be identified immediately.

Mohammad Jakaria, 32, the other victim of the same incident, is undergoing treatment at the DMCH, informed the police.

Mohammad Jakaria, a vegetable seller at Turag, told reporters that a gang of muggers halted the microbus carrying him and his co-passenger on the Pallabi-Tongi embankment at about 5:30am.

Holding them at gunpoint, they stabbed them, beat them up severely and took away two cell-phones and money from them, he said.

The police and local people came as they heard them screaming while the gang fled the scene.

The Pallabi police seized the microbus and a case

source:NewAge

Gaddafi ‘not ready’ to go

Muammar Gaddafi's regime told visiting Russian envoy Mikhail Margelov on Thursday that the embattled Libyan leader is 'not ready' to go, despite growing calls for him to quit and a months-long uprising.

Gaddafi's son Seif al-Islam said elections were the only way to break the stalemate.

Russian news agencies carried the statement made by Margelov, the Africa envoy of president Dmitry Medvedev, after talks in Tripoli with the Libyan foreign minister, Abdelati al-Obeidi.

'I spoke to the foreign minister of Libya, and the minister said that according to him, Gaddafi is not ready to leave,' Margelov was quoted as saying.

'In response to a direct question about whether Gaddafi is ready to give up political power after the announcement of a ceasefire or just after its entry into force, the foreign minister told me that (Gaddafi) was not ready' to do so, he added.

Margelov's spokeswoman Varvara Paal said in Moscow the envoy during his one-day visit would meet prime minister Baghdadi al-Mahmudi and the foreign minister, but was not scheduled to meet Gaddafi himself.

He reiterated Moscow's call for Gaddafi to go and stressed 'nobody wants him dead... he can remain living in Libya in private and security can be ensured by the tribes from which he came.'

Margelov, who last week travelled to the Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi, has said Russia would be prepared to offer a preliminary 'roadmap' for settling the conflict.

source:NewAge

Rumana’s husband remanded in custody

The High Court on Thursday directed the police to submit by 30 days a progress report of the investigation into the torture of Dhaka University teacher Rumana Monzur, reportedly by her husband.

The chief metropolitan magistrate's court remanded Rumana's husband Hasan Sayeed Sumon in the custody of the Detective Branch for two days for interrogation.

The High Court bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury and Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore directed the police to submit the progress report before it after Dhanmondi thana's circle assistant commissioner Sharifur Rahman, its officer-in-Charge Moniruzzaman and investigation officer Mokbul Hossain informed them of Sumon's arrest.

The police also told the court that Rumana's case document had already been handed over to the Detective Branch.

The victim's father, Major (Retd) Monzur Hossain, filed a case with Dhanmondi thana on June 6 against Hasan on charge of attempting to kill his daughter.

A team of the Detective Branch on Wednesday arrested Hasan from his relative's house in Uttar Mugda hours after the same bench, in its suo moto rule, directed the three police officers to appear before the court to explain why they had not been able to apprehend him.

The police officials told the court that they had tried hard to arrest Hasan but were delayed as he was untraced and his mobile was switched off.

The court censured the police officers for delaying Hasan's arrest until they were served a ruling.

After the hearing, the court exempted the police officers from being personally present during the next procedure of the case.

The court also said that it would monitor the case for a month.

It also asked Alina Khan, the lawyer appointed by Rumana's family, to go ahead with the case carefully.

In the afternoon metropolitan magistrate Shahriar Mahmud Adnan passed the remand order after the Detective Branch produced Hasan with a prayer for a 10-day remand.

The court also rejected the petitions filed by Hasan's lawyer Haji Monwarul Islam Chowdury, seeking bail and the cancellation of the remand.

'Hasan and Rumana engaged in a tussle on June 5 when a vulgar text message was sent in the Facebook to Rumana by an Iranian, Taher Bin Nadir, with whom she had studied in Canada and had an extra-marital affair,' argued the defence lawyer.

Hasan did not beat up his wife willingly but she might have been hurt in the tussle, the defence lawyer argued, and opposed to the argument made by Rumana's lawyer Zakaria Haider.

'Hasan became furious and tortured Rumana in an attempt to kill her as she wanted to go Canada again to complete her PhD, and he has now concocted a false story to clear himself of the charge,' Zakaria argued.

Rumana had earlier told the media that her husband tried to gouge her eyes out with his fingers.

She also claimed that he bit and gnawed her nose, face and throat on June 5 at her parents' flat in Dhanmondi where the

two had been living for

six years since Rumana conceived her only daughter.

After undergoing treatment in LabAid Specialised Hospital for more than a week, Rumana was

sent to Chennai on Tuesday for better treatment of

her eyes.

source:NewAge

Zawahri new al-Qaeda chief

Ayman al-Zawahri has taken command of al-Qaeda after the May killing of Osama bin Laden, an Islamist web site said on Thursday.

Long known as bin Laden's lieutenant and the brains behind many of al-Qaeda's operations, Egyptian-born Zawahri vowed earlier this month to press ahead with al-Qaeda's campaign against the United States and its allies.

'The general leadership of al-Qaeda group, after the completion of consultation, announces that Sheikh Dr. Ayman Zawahri, may God give him success, has assumed responsibility for command of the group,' the Islamist web site Ansar al-Mujahideen (Followers of the Holy Warriors) said in a statement.

The bespectacled Zawahri had been seen as bin Laden's most likely successor after the man held responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington was shot dead by US commandos in Pakistan 45 days ago.

His whereabouts are unknown, although he has long been thought to be hiding along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The United States is offering a $25 million reward for any information leading to his capture or conviction.

Believed to be in his late 50s, Zawahri met bin Laden in the mid-1980s when both were in Pakistan to support guerrillas fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan. Born to an upper-class Cairo family, Zawahri trained as a doctor and surgeon.

'A worthy successor to a great predecessor. We ask God to grant you and your soldiers success for the victory of Islam and Muslims and to raise the banner of religion,' a contributor to another Islamist militant website, As-Ansar, said in a posting.

In a video message posted on the internet on June 8, Zawahri said al-Qaeda would continue to fight.

'The Sheikh (bin Laden) has departed, may God have mercy on him, to his God as a martyr, and we must continue on his path of jihad to expel the invaders from the land of Muslims and to purify it from injustice,' Zawahri said.

'Today, and thanks be to God, America is not facing an individual or a group ... but a rebelling nation which has awoken from its sleep in a jihadist renaissance challenging it wherever it is.'

Believed to be in his late 50s, Zawahri met bin Laden in the mid-1980s when both were in Pakistan to support guerrillas fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan. Born to an upper-class Cairo family, Zawahri trained as a doctor and surgeon.

In a video message posted on the internet on June 8, Zawahri said al-Qaeda would continue to fight. He called this year's Arab uprisings a disaster for Washington because, he said, they would remove Arab leaders who were the 'agents of America.'

He also pledged allegiance to the leader of the Afghan Taliban, Mullah Omar, calling him 'Emir of the Believers.'

Among some Egyptians there was disdain at the news.

Karim Sabet, 34, a director of an oil and gas start-up firm, said he was not surprised by the announcement.

'He's been the loyal No. 2 forever. Zawahri seems even more of a madman than Osama was, and he'll want to prove himself by going on the attack soon. Another devil killing in the name of Islam. Disgusting.'

source:NewAge

Landmark ILO treaty gives protection to domestic workers

The International Labour Organisation on Thursday passed a landmark treaty giving protection to an estimated 52.6 million domestic workers across the world.

The new convention would ensure domestic workers enjoyed conditions 'not less favourable' than other workers, and require governments to ensure they understood their rights, preferably through written contracts.

The document also offers domestic workers a full rest day every week, and prevents them being compelled to remain with an employer's household during their annual leave or rest days.

The convention, which was adopted with 396 votes for, 16 against and 63 abstentions, will come into effect upon the ratification of two countries. The Philippines and Uruguay have already said they would ratify the accord.

'We are moving the standards system of the ILO into the informal economy for the first time, and this is a breakthrough of great significance,' said Juan Somavia, ILO director-general.

'History is being made,' he added.

ILO data, which is a compilation of national statistics, indicate that there were at least 52.6 million domestic workers worldwide in 2010.

But there are reasons to believe that the true number, concealed by undercounting among some states, could lie close to 100 million, the UN agency added.

Despite the large numbers, domestic workers are still among the most exploited and abused.

Many are required to work irregular and long hours for low pay and are given insufficient rest. Live-in domestic workers in particular, can be on call at all times of the day.

They are also largely excluded from social protection such as maternity benefits and social security.

Nevertheless, joining the convention is only the first step. Countries would not have to implement the treaty until ratification, while others may opt not to sign up, which could reduce its bite.

While it has secured the support of countries ranging from Gulf states to the United States, Indonesia, and Brazil, other governments, such as Britain, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, abstained.

Swaziland was the only government that voted no. Other no votes were lodged by employer groups.

Britain said it could not vote for the convention as it was 'unable to ratify in the foreseeable future.'

It noted for instance that it was not practical to apply the same health and safety standards, including inspections, to private households employing domestic workers.

It added that it would be 'inappropriate to hold elderly individuals... to the same standards as large companies.'

But supporters of the convention and activists believe that the strength of the treaty is that it sets a standard and adds pressure.

'There's an understanding that major sending countries... are in support. They will want the protection that will be provided when dealing with other countries,' South Africa's chief negotiator Virgil Seafield said ahead of the vote.

The 'convention, even when not ratified can exercise a very strong pressure on governments toward bringing changes into their laws,' said Manuela Tomei, director of the ILO's conditions of work programme.

Non-governmental groups were already calling Thursday for swift ratification.

'All governments should bring their national laws in line with this landmark treaty and ratify it as soon as possible,' said Human Rights Watch's Jo Becker.

The Delhi Workers' Confederation likewise urged the Indian government to 'implement this treaty in letter and spirit and provide equal opportunities and protection to our domestic workers,' while Bangladesh's Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit called on Dhaka to do the same.

source:NewAge

Nat’l committee rejects deal

The national committee to protect oil, gas, mineral resources, power and ports on Thursday rejected the signing of the deals with ConocoPhillips for oil and gas exploration and extraction in the Bay of Bengal in keeping with the model PSC 2008.

The government signed the contracts with the US oil company on the day on gas block 10 and 11, keeping the provision for export of the gas extracted.

Leaders of the organisation at a rally in front of the National Press Club with activists holding black flags termed the deal contrary to national interest. They said that Bangladesh would get only 20 per cent of the total gas extracted by way of the deals.

They called on the government to cancel the unequal deals and threatened agitation programmes, including general strike, if the government does not do so.

The organisation staged countrywide demonstrations on Thursday after the deals had been signed.

The organisation's member secretary Anu Muhammad said that the Awami League-led government had betrayed the people by signing such unequal deals.

Bangladesh will now lose the ownership of its natural resources, Anu said.

Bangladesh will get only 20 per cent of the gas extracted and it will be impossible for Bangladesh to bring the gas from the deep sea to the mainland and the US company, as a result, will export all the gas, Anu said.

The government has signed the deal hurriedly to satisfy the imperialist design, he said.

The organisation has plans to wage united movements and enforce a general strike this month in protest at the deal, Anu said.

It will announce the programmes at a press conference on Saturday, he said at the rally.

The organisation's leader Haider Akbar Khan Rano, also the acting president of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, at the rally said that the people had rejected the deal as it is contrary to national interest.

He called on the government to scrap the deal immediately and said it would otherwise be a betrayal by the government with the people.

Syed Abul Maksud,

also a leader of the organisation, said that the government had signed the deal to satisfy the imperialist America.

Tipu Biwas, the convener of the Gana Front, said that the government ignored national interest by signing the deals with ConocoPhillips.

The general  secretary of the Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh, Saiful Huq, said that the people will would lose their rights to natural resources by way of the deal.

Bazlur Rashid Firoz, a central leader of Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal, said that the day of the singing would be remembered as a 'black day' in history.

CPB central leader Ruhin Hossain Prince, Ganatantri Party general secretary Nurur Rahman Selim, Workers Party (Reconstituted) general secretary Abdus Satter, Gana Sanghati chief coordinator Zonayed Saki, Democratic Revolutionary Party general secretary Mushrefa Mishu and Workers Party leader Ragib Ahsan Munna, among others, spoke.

The effigy of Tawfiq-e-Elahi, the energy adviser to the prime minister, was burnt at the rally.

A procession followed the rally. Several hundred people joined the programmes.

source:NewAge

Shafique terms Rafique’s claims ‘misleading’

Law minister Shafique Ahmed said on Thursday that senior lawyer Rafique-ul Haque's remarks on the constitution reprinted after repeal of the Fifth Amendment was 'misleading and baseless'.

He said that the constitution was reprinted in accordance with the Supreme Court's verdict that had declared the Fifth Amendment void and nothing relating to the provisions of the caretaker government system was changed.

'The constitution has been reprinted in line with the court's verdict on the Fifth Amendment and the caretaker government system has been kept intact,' Shafique Ahmed told a press briefing at the secretariat.

Rafique-ul Haque was quoted by a private television on June 12 as saying that changes had been made in Article 99 of the constitution although the verdict did not say anything about that Article.

Rafique wondered how the constitution reprinted in February should reflect the Supreme Court judgment that declared the caretaker government system illegal in May.

The court also suggested dropping of the provision for appointment of retired chief justice or Appellate Division judges as chief adviser or advisers to the caretaker government, which was introduced through the 13th Amendment in 1996.

 'In line with the Article 99 of the reprinted constitution, former Supreme Court judges cannot be the chief adviser or advisers to the caretaker government. But the Supreme Court didn't say anything about this in its verdict on the Fifth Amendment, he reportedly said.

Shafique, a lawyer by profession, told reporters that only the amendments which had come through martial law proclamations had been repealed.

'So, the word 'Betito' (except) which was incorporated through the Fifth Amendment was dropped from the Article 99. We have not done anything beyond the verdict on the Fifth Amendment,' he added.

The minister said Rafique's remarks were misleading, illogical and baseless as the provisions relating to non-party caretaker government remained unchanged in the reprinted constitution.

He said it was the court and not the government that had annulled the caretaker government system. 'It is now obligatory for all to abide by the court's verdict.'

Shafique, however, said that the main opposition should come to parliament and say under which system the next general election should be conducted.

source:NewAge

325 murdered during present govt’s tenure

The home minister, Sahara Khatun, on Thursday told parliament  that 325 persons were killed and 276 others were wounded in various violent incidents in the country during the tenure of the present government till May 30, 2011.


'A total of 325 people were killed by gangsters, muggers and extortionists in the country till May, 30, 2011 after the alliance government assumed the state power,' she said during the question-answer session, adding that 276 people were also injured in the incidents.
The minister said that 171 of the killings were committed in the city.
She said that most of the gangsters and assailants involved in the killings
had been arrested and the police patrols were strengthened in the mugging-prone areas.
'A list of extortionists and snatchers has been prepared and the law enforcers are keeping watch on the suspects,' she said.
In reply to another question, she said that the committee on withdrawal of 'politically motivated' cases in its 28 meetings from 2009 to June 7, 2011had recommended withdrawal of 7,032 cases but the ministry was yet to know the number of cases withdrawn by the court so far.
'The process for withdrawal of the cases by the court is on,' she added.
The minister also said that her ministry had recommended withdrawal
of 5,888 cases and also withdrawal of the names of 3,010 accused from 945 other cases from a list of 6,833 cases sent to the ministry from different districts. The cases were filed during the rule of the BNP-Jamaat
alliance government.
Courts withdrew on executive orders 2,303 criminal cases in 2001-2008, said Sahara.
The minister, in reply to another question said that the work in a project to
install 155 closed circuit television cameras at 59 spots in the capital was going on to identify criminals and curb crimes and the project would be implemented by the outgoing fiscal.
source:NewAge

Deals signed with ConocoPhillips

*    Petrobangla to get 24.75–36pc of gas and 27–38.25pc of oil or condensate

*    Conditional provision for export of 80pc of gas as LNG

*    Contract to be terminated if exploration well drilling not committed in three years after geophysical survey

*    Surveys to be completed in three phases in nine years

*    Corporate income tax, income tax of sub-contractors, income tax of employees of contractor and sub-contractor to be paid by the contractor

Staff Correspondent

State-run oil, gas and mineral resources corporation Petrobangla on Thursday signed production sharing contracts with US oil company ConocoPhillips for oil and gas exploration in deep sea hydrocarbon block 10 and 11 amid protests from experts, civic forums and political organisations.

ConocoPhillips will conduct seismic surveys in 5,158 square kilometres of the Bay of Bengal, an area 280 kilometres off the Chittagong port covering the two hydrocarbon blocks, in three phases in nine years.

ConocoPhillips vice-president William G Lafferrandre said that they would start exploration activities in the next winter.

The contract will be terminated after three years if the US company does not commit drilling an exploration well after the geophysical survey in each of the blocks.

The company will get 55 per cent of the available petroleum (gas and condensate or oil) each year in cost recovery. It will also get its stake from condensate or oil and gas in profit share.

Petrobangla will get 24.75–36 per cent of the total recoverable natural gas and 27–38.25 per cent of the total condensate or oil.

Both Petrobangla and ConocoPhillips agreed to exclude an area of 1,605 square kilometres from block 10 and 11 temporarily as the ownership claim dispute of the area, involving India and Myanmar, is pending with the International Tribunal for the Laws of the Seas.

Energy expert Nurul Islam, who is also a professor in Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, expressed his concerns that the country might be deprived of using the gas extracted by way of the deal.

He said that there were provisions in the model PSC 2008 that might encourage gas export in the form of liquefied natural gas from the two hydrocarbon blocks.

Government policymakers and Petrobangla officials in the signing ceremony, however, told reporters that the model PSC also had provisions by way of which the US company would need to obtain permission of Petrobangla to export the gas in the form of liquefied natural gas.

According to Article 15.5.4 of the model PSC 2008, Petrobangla can retain only 20 per cent of the total marketable natural gas for the first 10 years if allows the US company to export the gas in the form of liquefied natural gas.

The rest of the gas might be exported in the form of liquefied natural gas and Petrobangla will get paid for its share.

As for government statement on conditions in the PSC, experts and activists said that the energy ministry and Petrobangla had given similar permissions in the past and had given international oil companies many facilities ignoring national interest.

Petrobangla allowed Cairn Energy to sell its portion of the total recoverable gas from hydrocarbon block 16 directly to the private sector at a negotiated price.

Referring to the national export policy, Nurul also said that the policy had an article which would allow international oil companies to export their shares of the natural gas in the form of liquefied natural gas.

'And the policy does not make it mandatory for the international oil companies to seek permission of Petrobangla or the energy ministry to do so,' he added.

Asked why the government is keeping the controversial provision that allows contractors to export gas, the policymakers and the officials could not give any clear answer.

The policymakers also said that the deal with ConocoPhillips would protect Bangladesh's resources in the Bay and ensure its long-term energy security.

The finance minister, Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, said that the deal would not only safeguard the interest of the country but also will do more than that. 'It will protect our resources in the sea,' he added.

The Petrobangla chairman, Hossain Monsur, said that two neighbours of Bangladesh had already started drilling for oil and gas exploration and extraction in the Bay.

He said that India was coming from the west and Myanmar from the east to claim the resources in the Bay of Bengal. 'So we must take serious initiatives to claim and protect our resources there,' he said.

The prime minister's energy adviser Tawfiq E Elahi Chowdhury said that the deal was part of the government's overall strategy for long-term energy security.

'We will initiate oil and gas exploration and extraction in the Bay more vigorously as the country's gas reserves are depleting,' he said.

Asked how the country will get its share of the gas extracted, Tawfiq said that it was not a big deal to set up a pipeline to feed the gas into the national grid.

The Petrobangla secretary, Imam Hossain, and the energy ministry's deputy secretary AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed signed the agreement with ConocoPhillips vice-president William G Lafferrandre for the exploration in block 10 and 11.

The cabinet committee on economic affairs on May 23 approved the proposal for the signing of the production sharing contracts with ConocoPhillips.

ConocoPhillips won exploration rights to eight deep-sea hydrocarbon blocks — 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 20 and 21 — during the country's bidding round 2008.

source:NewAge

Khaleda sets conditions for dialogue

Leader of the opposition and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia said on Thursday that her party can sit for discussion only if the Awami League-led government retracts its decision to rescind the election-

time caretaker government provision.

Referring to the prime minister's call to propose a new 'formula' in place of the CG system, Khaleda said emphatically at a media briefing in her Gulshan office, 'There is no need to propose any new formula. Our stand is clear — the caretaker government provision shall be retained in the form it now exists in the Constitution.'

Khaleda convened the media briefing to reveal her party's stand on the caretaker government issue following the government's repeated calls to suggest a new formula.

'It is now their turn to take a decision. We will not take part in any elections held under a political government,' reiterated Khaleda.

'We will sit for discussion on the appointment of the chief adviser and about how the Election Commission and the administration can be reconstituted to make them neutral, but before that the government will have to make it clear that the caretaker government provision will be retained,' she said.

Accusing the government of 'conspiring to hold the next polls under its regime' by 'misinterpreting' the court's verdict, Khaleda said in a resolute voice, 'Our movement will continue to resist the government's attempt to hold the polls under a political government. We want to ensure the people's right to vote freely in a fair election.'

'The prime minister is creating a smokescreen by giving a wrong interpretation of the court's verdict of the 13th Amendment so that she can hold the next polls with her own people at the helm,' Khaleda alleged.

'The Appellate Division's verdict did not declare the caretaker government provision illegal from this moment. This provision will lose its legitimacy only after the holding of the next two polls under it,' she argued.

Khaleda quoted excerpts from the verdict to substantiate her stance. 'The Constitution (Thirteenth Amendment) Act 1996 is prospectively declared void and ultra vires of the Constitution,' she said. 'The second part of verdict reads: "The election to the Tenth and Eleventh Parliaments may be held under the provisions of the above mentioned Thirteenth Amendment on the age-old principles".'

Referring to the ruling party's call to join Parliament, Khaleda said, 'The BNP always wants the Jatiya Sangsad to be a functional one. We never said we will not join Parliament despite the fact that the government has made it dysfunctional.'

Khaleda termed the government's urging them to participate in parliamentary proceedings a 'farce' as they were not allowed to speak in the Sangsad.

In reply to a question, Khaleda reiterated that BNP would not accept introduction of the electronic voting system.

When she was asked whether or not her party would accept former chief justice Khairul Haque as the next chief adviser, Khaleda said that he was partisan. 'We will not accept him as the chief adviser.'

'There are more provisions in the system that deal with the selection and appointment of the chief adviser, which we can sit down to discuss with the government,' she told reporters.

BNP has been repeating that it would not join the next general elections if the caretaker government system was scrapped after the prime minister recently said it was not possible to retain the system as the court had annulled it.

The BNP enforced a 36-hour hartal and is planning a long movement to force the government to withdraw its decision to scrap the caretaker government system.

source:NewAge