Dhaka: BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Saturday claimed that the country has been facing a worst time as the present government failed to fulfill the people’s hope and aspirations.
"Situation has been created to hold mass upsurge as the government failed to maintain the pace with people’s aspiration," she said after inaugurating the party’s national executive committee meeting at the auditorium of Institute of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh in the capital.
Terming the present government a failure, Khaleda said it is the time for BNP to take the leadership of the country.
BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain made the welcome speech at the programme. http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=25058
2. Govt to thwart any attempt to foil war trial: Home Minister
Ctg: Law enforcement agencies must prevent activities which create anarchy in the country with the intention of sabotaging the trial of war criminals, said State Minister for Home Affairs Shamsul Haque yesterday.
He directed them to stay alert as attempts to create instability in the country by exploiting mosques and madrasas have already begun, in a bid to save the war criminals.
The process of war crimes trial has started, he said, while addressing a view exchange meeting with the law enforcement agencies at Chittagong Circuit House.
The minister said, “No political party or group will be allowed to hold any programmes in mosques, madrasas or on the streets in favour of the alleged war criminals.”
They have to go through a legal procedure at the court of law, he added.
The minister directed the agencies to continue their ongoing operations to combat terrorism, militancy and drug-dealing in order to maintain law and order situation.
He also asked the Narcotics Control Department to start mobile court drives as soon as possible.
The government has decided to recruit a total of 32,000 members of the police force of which 13,000 will be appointed this year, in an effort to modernise police, the minister informed.
Three large laboratories would be established in Chittagong, Rajshahi and Khulna to help the police to examine drugs and other chemical substances, while seven smaller ones would be set up exclusively for Rab, he added. www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=148831
3. AL plans reshuffle at grassroots
by Hasan Jahid Tusher in the Daily Star, July 31
Ruling Awami League, in the face of severe internal feud, stalemate over party activities and lack of coordination between the rank-and-file members, has planned to bring major changes to its grassroots level leadership after the Ramadan.
The changes will be made aiming to bridge the gap between the grassroots and the party lawmakers, and give dynamism to the party activities, the party insiders said.
To bring about the change, AL will count on youths and females to hold the leadership at the grassroots level as per the directives of Prime Minister and party Chief Sheikh Hasina.
The party will also give preference to those who are relatively educated, qualified, dedicated and committed to the party and its top leadership for top positions in grassroots committees, AL Organising Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim told The Daily Star.
The process of holding council at the grassroots level will start from ward units immediately after Eid-ul-Fitr, said AL leaders.
According to the party leaders, almost all the 73 organisational district units are facing severe internal conflict for many years.
But no initiative has been taken to resolve the issue in the last one and a half years, causing the party to be in a mess, party sources said.
AL Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif said, "We will hold the councils of the grassroots units after the Ramadan. I think the government and party activities will become more effective with the changes in the grassroots leadership."
Nasim said female workers would be considered for leadership at the grassroots level since the party wants to recruit 33 percent women in all tiers of the party.
However, he said the prime target would be to establish coordination between the rank-and-file members and remove internal feuds. http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=148823
4. Ex-army officers rarely receive services from SKS
Dhaka: Although Sena Kalyan Sangstha (SKS) is a philanthropic organisation whose only duty is to ensure welfare, former army officers and their family members rarely receive any advantages from SKS, reported the BBC radio documentary "Probaho" yesterday.
The documentary titled "Fouji Banijjo" (Military in Business) revealed that many former army officials complained they do not get benefit from SKS mainly due to bureaucratic tangles that rule the institution.
The welfare activities of SKS usually include education and training scholarships, medical treatment and financial assistance to widows of army personnel. How much money was spent in these sectors in last 38 years has never been made public, reported the weekly documentary in its third episode.
Some former army officers said 80 percent of their officials are not aware of SKS and its duty at all while only 2 percent might have got some benefit from it.
"I went to SKS to receive assistance for my liver diseases but the authority SKS said that their book does not have any instruction regarding treatment of liver diseases except cancer and diabetes," sergeant (retd) MA Ohab told the documentary.
"Havilder Bachchu and I went to SKS for a job at first for us and later for our children. We maintained all the formalities in this regard and waited for two years,” said nayek (retd) Fazlul Karim.
“At last when we got the chance to meet the high-ranked officials of SKS, they suggested us to wait. We have waited for two more years and another wait for two to four years will land us in our graves,” he added.
The army personnel alleged that 60 percent of the army officers and their families, who live in villages, do not come to SKS for any kind of assistance. But SKS even cannot meet the needs of the rest 40 per cent living in the cantonment.
The documentary, prepared by Kamal Ahmad, also mentioned that SKS made a profit of Tk 36 crore in 2007 while the growth on this annual profit was 30 percent in 2008.
Despite several attempts, the BBC could not get any official comment either from SKS board of trustees or its managing director or the army chief.
The SKS was established under Philanthropic Organisation Act, 1890 with an aim to provide welfare to the former army personnel from the income of the organisation’s profit and its properties, the documentary said. It also reported that currently three flourmills of SKS meet one eighth of the demand of flour in Bangladesh.http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=148841
5. Women affairs secretary, Bscic boss killed in road crash
The secretary of the Women and Children Affairs Ministry and chairman of the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (Bscic) were killed in a road accident on the Dhaka-Aricha Highway in Uthuli upazila of Manikganj Saturday morning.
Women affairs secretary Razia Begum and Bscic chairman Siddiqur Rahman were killed around 7:00am when they were going to Gopalganj from Dhaka to join the programme where the prime minister is expected to attend.
The accident occurred when a bus from opposite direction hit the Pajero jeep carrying the victims at Uthuli-Paturia turning, leaving both of them critically injured, police said. www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=25055
