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Thursday, October 7, 2010

[ALOCHONA] Govt needs to heed Justice Rahman’s observations



Govt needs to heed Justice Rahman's observations

 
JUSTICE Muhammad Habibur Rahman, a former chief justice and chief adviser to the 1996 caretaker government that oversaw the elections to the seventh Jatiya Sangsad, may have hit the nail right on the head with his characterisation of the state of governance under the Awami League-led administration. His caustic remarks, which look set to ruffle a few feathers in the ruling camp, actually gave voice to the simmering discontent in the public mind with the many misdeeds the government functionaries, the ruling party lawmakers and their cronies have perpetrated in the past 21 months or so since the AL-led government assumed office in January 2009. According to a report front-paged in New Age on Thursday, Justice Rahman, when launching a report on the 'State of Governance in Bangladesh', prepared by the Institute of Good Governance of the BRAC University, said Bangladesh seemed to be in the hands of manipulators—of tender, admission, recruitment to public offices, etc. While some people, especially the ones loyal or sympathetic to the ruling camp, may find his remarks harsh, his observations seem to aptly reflect the increasing anger and angst, fear and frustration of the ordinary citizens at the lawlessness in almost every area of public interest—civil administration, education, health, and what have you.

   The irregularities and malpractices that Justice Rahman talked of, e.g. in admission to educational institutions, public tenders and recruitment to government offices, have become common knowledge these days as the leaders and activists of the ruling party and its associate organisations, and their cronies run riot for material gains. In some cases, for instance in the recent incident in Pabna, where leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Chhatra League and the Juba League, student and youth fronts respectively of the Awami League, stormed the deputy commissioner's office, forcing cancellation of a recruitment test, even the government and the ruling party leadership were put in an awkward position. Regrettably, however, neither the government nor the ruling party has taken any decisive and demonstrative actions, legal or organisational, against the troublemakers although some senior leaders, including the prime minister herself, issued stringent warnings now and then. The troublemakers seem to have taken their inadequate action or inaction for indulgence and gone on to scale newer heights of criminality.
   
Worse still, the ruling party leadership seems to have become increasingly intolerant with criticism, let alone condemnation, of the performance and policies of the government, dismissing it as propaganda by the opposition and its sympathisers at best and harassing the critics at worst. While it remains to be seen to see how the government and the ruling party react to Justice Rahman's caustic remarks, it can be said without an iota doubt that they would not be able to take refuge in their clichéd 'anti-incumbent propaganda' excuse. After all, even the staunchest supporter of the ruling party or the diehard detractors of Justice Rahman will not be able to characterise him as sympathetic to the opposition.

   Be that as it may, instead of ignoring his remarks, the government would do better to take his observations seriously, for he actually has articulated the concern of the ordinary citizens, whose patience may have been stretched to the limit because of the unbridled lawlessness spread about by the ruling party exponents.
 
 


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[ALOCHONA] Sylhet border tense as BSF builds road inside Bangladesh




 
Panic gripped the people living in the border areas in Sylhet frontier as the Indian border security force continued constructing a road and a bridge some 150 yards inside Bangladesh in Goainghat upazila still Thursday ignoring protests from the Bangladesh Rifles.
   Sources in the BDR and local residents said BSF personnel took a sudden move on October 1 to construct a road over a stretch of 230 acres inside Bangladesh along the border pillar 1270 and 1271 near Pratappur BBR outpost with a plan to build a bridge there.
   The BDR protested at the Indian border guards' activities and requested BSF officials concerned to stop the construction work.
   But the BSF continued the construction work saying that they were just repairing an old road and not building any new structures in the area.
   After repeated request from the 21 Rifles Battalion, the BSF at first agreed on a joint survey to be conducted by the company level officers of both sides to ascertain the ownership of the land over which the road and bridge were being constructed, sources in the BDR said.
   But, the BSF official concerned backed away from the agreement on the plea that the company level or battalion level authorities had no right to conduct such a joint survey of a disputed land. The BSF said that the matter should be discussed at the state level.
   The BDR sources said there was no deputed land in the Pratappur border as par the Land Boundary Agreement of 1974. The matter was settled by the then governments of Bangladesh and India.
   BDR's Pratappur outpost in-charge nayeb subedar Shahed Ali told New Age on Thursday that the BSF had continued constructing the road and the bridge inside Bangladesh territory since October 1, despite repeated protests from the BDR.
   Layek Ahmad, a resident of Hazipur village along the Pratappur border said the BSF men were constructing the road to connect their Padua camp with the zonal headquarters of the BSF.
   'We fear clashes between the two border guards. We will have to suffer in the event of a border skirmish because we have to leave our homes…,' he said.
   When contacted, 21 Rifles Battalion's commanding officer lieutenant colonel Khairul Kadir told New Age on Thursday evening that the BDR was watching the situation.
   He said the BSF authorities did not respond positively so far despite the BDR's repeated requests over the issue.
   'We have informed our higher authorities about the matter,' the BDR official said.
   He told New Age that a government-level decision was necessary before initiating a move like construction of any structures along the border.
   'So far as I know, no such decision has been taken by the Bangladesh and Indian governments,' he said.
 


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[ALOCHONA] Modern day slavery



Modern day slavery

Khamin sheds light on the business of human-trafficking along with the misfortunes of the victims of this modern day form of slavery and evaluates the strength of the state mechanisms in place to tackle the issue


photo by Al-Emrun Garjon
It was with an aim to secure a job, and in the process,

   her family's solvency, that Jakia Dewan arrived at her cousin Salauddin's residence in Mirpur 11 earlier this year. Hailing from the Dewan Kandi village in the Shariatpur district, she is the oldest of five siblings in her family. In an attempt to support the family, her father has been working in the Middle East over the past couple of years.

   As fate would have it, her path crossed with that of Priya, a native of the same village as Jakia's. Soon, Priya managed to persuade her to migrate to India in search of a job with a lucrative pay. Alas, having accepted the proposition, Jakia fell for the bait devised by the notorious human trafficker Priya, also known as Shathi, who had been in the business of trafficking women since 2008.

   Fortunately, Jakia was recently rescued from the Budhwar Peth red-light area at Pune in India, by the Pune police, a month after being trafficked into India. She was sent to the Liluah Home rehabilitation centre in Kolkata and was subsequently sent to Bangladesh on May 18 of this year. Although she had been united with her family in Dewan Kandi on May 23, Jakia will doubtless carry mental and emotional scars for the rest of her life.

   Many women and children are illegally trafficked into and out of Bangladesh on a monthly basis under the lure of lucrative pay-days and livelihood in foreign countries. Once they reach the destinations, most of these seemingly innocent victims are sold off to prostitution and criminal rings, who torture these otherwise unwilling beings to submit to their ill-fates.

   Even when most of the fortunate ones find their way back to Bangladesh, it is extremely tough for the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the government authorities to reintegrate them into their communities, as most of their families wish to sever all ties with them.

   Like Jakia, Fatema Akhter from Mymenshingh, Ruma Gani from Bhola, Rehana from Comilla, Sonia Mustafa from Fatikchhari and Dipali from Barisal, were rescued from Budhwar Peth, a famous red-light district, housing a sizeable proportion of sex workers.

   The victims later went onto describe horrific tales about how, after being smuggled into India, they were locked up for days without food. All of them were beaten, their private parts burnt by cigarettes and gang raped, until they succumbed to the wishes of their captors and ended up serving, at least, 25 clients each day.

   Jakia along with other rescued Bangladeshis, used to work under Urmila and Saraswati in Budhwar Peth. The women were sent back by the Indian police through the help of Rescue Foundation Home at Mumbai in Maharashtra, India. The trafficker Priya from Mirpur in Bangladesh, maintains connection with many buyers like Urmila and Saraswati in India, Yemen, Dubai and other parts of the world.

   Apart from these women, some Bangladeshi women were also rescued from Kolkata. Sabina Akhter is among them, having been ferried to a Kolkata brothel by the traffickers. After being rescued by the Shialdah police in Kolkata, she was sent to the All Bengal Rehabilitation Centre. Sabina was sent back to her family at Satkhira on January 31 this year.

   Similarly, the teenage girls, Meem and Boby, were rescued from the Marwari Mandir brothel in Jessore by the Jessore police this year. The two friends were channelled to the brothel in Jessore with the hopes of better jobs abroad by Priya from Mirpur. However, once at the brothel, Meem realised what she was faced with and managed to escape.

   'I contacted the police and asked them to help my friend Boby. The police got Boby out of the brothel,' she tells Xtra.

   Upon speaking to some of the victims identified above, it is evident that Priya operates a substation at Jatrabari, where she transports women and children to her aunt, Kahinoor Begum's residence, to spend the night before their journey.

   'I spent the night before the voyage to India there. Khala (Kahinoor Begum) introduced me to Murshed (Priya's brother) who took us to the Jessore border,' Shilphi Akhter.

   Most of the members operating the trafficking rings, prey on unemployed women as well as children, offering tempting travel packages to cover their intentions, similar to what Sabina Akhter was offered.

   They purportedly target women of attractive disposition, coming from low-income backgrounds, particularly in areas like Mirpur, Asulia and Savar with a large concentration of garment-factories.

   Other areas that have proved fruitful for them are the Bihari camp in Mohammadpur, the Millat Bihari camp in Mirpur, Telugu camp in Agargaon and Horizon camp in old Dhaka. Even the Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar has been identified as a core area for the recruitment of women.

   Upon enticing a potential client, these traffickers generally arrange for a safe passage across the border to India by contacting other members of the wing deployed in Jessore.

    'When Priya Apa (Sister) told me about the job opportunities in India, the first thing I asked her was if it would be possible to manage the expenses of travel with the little amount of money I had, to which she provided assurances,' says Akhi Akther, a resident of the Millat Bihari Camp in Mirpur 11, who was set to be trafficked to Marwari Mandir by Priya. Akhi Akther was rescued by the Jessore police and sent back to her family on April 27 this year.

   According to the accounts provided by some of the victims, Priya's ring used two locationssituated in Bhomra and Kalaroa, near the border in Jessore, to shelter the women and children before their voyage.

   During this time, the victims, through laced drinks, claim to have been sedated till their handover to the Indian agent was completed.

   'I cannot recall much of what went on at the time but I was able to move and follow instructions although I could barely speak,' recounts Jakia.

   To safely cross the India-Bangladesh border, accomplices named Shohel, Raju and Jahangir would aid the traffickers. They would ensure that the victims were given a safe passage without the hassles of paperwork or threats of police checks.

   Even after Jakia's subsequent handover to the Indian agent, she was not aware of the true extent of the situation, which she finally was able to gauge, once she reached Pune, from the demeanours of the host of 12 to 16 year old sex workers she was in the company of.

   'I was always looking for a decent job at home but was happy to find work in India. Unfortunately, I placed my complete trust in Priya insofar as never even having asked her as to the job description and consequently, I found myself thrown into a brothel,' says Jakia.

   According to sources in anti-trafficking organisations in Bangladesh, the operations of trafficking rings are conducted in three tiers; the first one for the recruitment of women by luring them with the prospect of lucrative job offers, the second tier to steer them across the border and the third to handover the victims to parties on the other side.

   'Every tier receives four to ten thousand takas for each woman with the total transaction reaching figures in the region of forty to forty five thousand takas,' says Dipti Baul, Job Placement Officer of Bangladesh National Woman Lawyers' Association (BNWLA), who is working under the Anti-Trafficking Project of the association.

   According to BNWLA, there have been more than 20 women, who fell victim to the lures of traffickers, much in the same vein as Jakia throughout the year. Fortunately, most of these women, who were sold off to prostitution rings, were eventually rescued by Indian and Bangladeshi law enforcement teams.

   There are, however, others who engineer their own escape, like Shilpi Akhter, having returned to her home in Millat Bihari Camp, Mirpur 11 by fleeing from Budhwar Peth. She fell victim to trafficking earlier in the year but her return has only been greeted by waves of neglect and abuse hurled at her family.

   As such, recovering from the scars inflicted upon these girls in the brothels where they are subjected to mental and physical torture, naturally requires tremendous courage and will.

   'We had to move residence as a result of our neighbours' inhumane attitude towards us,' says Salma Akhter, mother of Shilpi.

   Similar tales of social stigma have been related by other victims as many cite the lack of proper social rehabilitation schemes by the government at large, as the reason behind their failure to reintegrate into society.

   Human trafficking is a global phenomenon. Bahrain, Lebanon, Pakistan and India are just a few of the markets for women and children trafficked from Bangladesh. 'Bangladesh is also used as a transit point for trafficking with Indian agents working as mediators,' says Advocate Salma Ali, Executive Director of BNWLA.

   'It is not confined to just one country but human trafficking is a global phenomenon and happens in almost all countries in the world,' explains Emma Newbury of the international anti-human trafficking group, Stop Trafficking.

   'Bangladesh is considered a source of modern slaves and also a destination point for slaves who are brought in from other countries. I speak from the point of view of someone who believes that when citizens are aware of the problem, they can assert influence on their government and law enforcement agencies to take this problem seriously,' says Nola Theiss, Executive Director of US based Human Trafficking Awareness Partnerships, Inc

   'Victims are recruited by any means possible: family members may sell relatives, small businesses may recruit or transport victims, international rings are involved in large scale trafficking and gangs are often involved.

   'There are many very effective Bangladeshi organisations fighting this crime in Bangladesh, but everyone must be involved at all levels of society,' she adds.

   However, a report published by the US State Department, Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP), June 2010, shows contrasting accounts of the scenario, leading the Bangladesh government and Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, minister of labour and employment, to refute certain aspects of the report.

   The TIP says that, Bangladesh is a source and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to trafficking in persons, especifically forced labour and forced prostitution. A significant share of Bangladesh's trafficking victims are men recruited for work overseas with fraudulent employment offers who are subsequently exploited under conditions of forced labour or debt bondage.

   The report also states that children are trafficked within Bangladesh for commercial sexual exploitation, bonded labour, and forced labour. Some children are sold into bondage by their parents, while others are induced into labour or commercial sexual exploitation through fraud and physical coercion. Women and children from Bangladesh are also trafficked to India for commercial sexual exploitation.

   'Bangladesh is in watch tier 2 in the report. It is true that, the report is not fully reflecting the overall scenario of trafficking in Bangladesh. India is the main market in the subcontinent, but there is no statement for India like Bangladesh in the report,' says Ehsanur Rahman, executive director of Dhaka Ahsania Mission and also a member of the anti-trafficking taskforce cell of the Bangladesh government.

   During the current year, around 54 rescued victims were brought in for rehabilitation treatment at the Ahsania Mission, informs Rahman.

   Since the publishing of the TIP report, the government has been working on anti- trafficking measures, though there is no base line data about the victims. However, different experts from anti-trafficking organisations believe that trafficking is being reduced due to increasing public awareness in the urban and rural areas.

   'There are no official statistics available for the victims of human trafficking but the practical observation and judgment clarifies that there are thousands of girls trafficked from Nepal, Bangladesh and other parts of India, forced for prostitution,' says Triveni Balkrishna Acharya, the president of Rescue Foundation in Mumbai, India.

   'The government has taken the TIP report seriously and are thoroughly studying the report. Already, a comprehensive law against anti-trafficking has been formulated while the government has also passed orders to reactivate the anti-trafficking cell in the thana level,' says Dr Kamal Uddin Ahmed, joint secretary, ministry of home affairs, and head of the Counter Trafficking Cell.

   'Comparatively, the overall situation of trafficking is less than in the past years due to the imposition of strict legal actions by the government as well as the sound involvement of NGOs to eliminate trafficking,' says Shabnaaz Zahereen, Child Protection Officer of UNICEF Bangladesh.

   'If Bangladesh improves its bilateral relations with India and sign a bilateral deed, we think the problems, mainly revolving around the rescuing and repatriation of victims will be solved while trafficking networks will also be broken,' she adds.

   'Apart from this, the government must also take the initiative to pass and enact the draft law against trafficking,' says Salma Ali.

   'Currently in Bangladesh, there are laws against trafficking. The main law against trafficking is prescribed by The Prevention of Repression against Women and Children Act, 2000, which covers trafficking under sections 5 and 6. It prohibits the trafficking of women and children for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation or involuntary servitude. Under articles 372 and 373 of the penal code, the selling and buying of a child under the age of 18 for prostitution is prohibited. Currently, the law on trafficking does not cover men who are trafficked,' says Emma Newbury.

   The Prevention of Repression against Women and Children Act, 2000 (amended in 2003) prohibits the trafficking of women and children for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation or involuntary servitude.

   The Act prescribed penalties ranging from 10 years' imprisonment to a death sentence. The most common sentence imposed on convicted sex traffickers is life imprisonment. These penalties are very stringent and commensurate with those prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape.

   Meanwhile, Article 374 of Bangladesh's penal code also prohibits forced labour, but the prescribed penalties of imprisonment for up to one year or a fine are not sufficiently stringent.

   'Even the SAARC Convention needs to be reviewed because it does not cover trafficking as a whole but rather just the trafficking of women for sexual exploitation. There are no guidelines for child trafficking and forced labour or bondage,' concludes Shabnaaz.

Confutation in figure

by Khamin


Human trafficking is recurrent in most countries around the world and Bangladesh is no exception in that sense, although there are no exact figures to denote the actual gravity of the situation in the country. Even the anti-human trafficking NGOs in the country, which include the Bangladesh National Woman Lawyers' Association (BNWLA), Centre for Women and Children Studies (CWCS) as well as the Ahsania Mission have no clear figures.

   Moreover, the government's anti trafficking cell was also unable to confirm an accurate figure depicting the rate of trafficking per month. However, most of the NGOs are providing statistics based on the estimates produced in 2001, under the Operations Research Project (ORP), a project of the ICDDR,B: Centre for Health and Population Research, which worked in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Bangladesh Government, supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

   The report titled 'Trafficking of Women and Children in Bangladesh, An Overview' says that about 200,000 women and girls from Bangladesh were trafficked to Pakistan over the 10 years leading to its publication, continuing at the rate of 200-400 women per month.

   This year, another study titled 'State of Trafficking in Women and Children and their Sexual Exploitation in Bangladesh' was released with the help of ANESVAD of Spain on July 29, at a press conference in BRAC Centre.

   State minister for women and children's affairs, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury released the report, and ANESVAD Foundation Asia's coordinator Olatz Landa, IOM's South Asian representative, Rabab Fatima, BNWLA's executive director Salma Ali, Population Council's country director, Ubaidur Rob and additional inspector general of the police, NBK Tripura were all present at the programme along with CWCS president, Professor Ishrat Shamim.

   The study shows that although there is no reliable estimate of the number of women and children who have been trafficked from Bangladesh, it has been estimated that 200 to 400 young women and girls are smuggled every month.

   Although USAID Bangladesh in a report stated that numbers on trafficking in Bangladesh are unavailable, estimates on the number of women and children trafficked, range from 10,000 to 20,000 per year.

   Even though it was conducted in the year 2001, ICDDR,B's report still forms the basis of the data provided by most NGOs. As such, the veracity of the figures in today's context has been questioned in several quarters. Variations over the last nine years or so are a certainty, even if some NGOs conform to the figures of 200-400 women being trafficked per month, as provided by the report. There have also been allegations that NGOs resort to adhering to these figures in an attempt to gain attention from USAID and procure funds in the process as the organisation has allocated funds, numbering in the millions to tackle human trafficking.

   'There is no exact figure denoting the rate of human trafficking due to the absence of any form of base line data in Bangladesh. To my knowledge, the figures were alarming in 1997 but since then, the Bangladesh government has taken various initiatives to address the issue while the media has also played its part in raising awareness on the issue, all of which has contributed to reducing the amount of trafficking,' says Professor Ishrat Shamim, president of the Centre for Women and Children Studies.

   Ehsanur Rahman, executive director of Dhaka Ahsania Mission believes that, due to media awareness programmes and the government's imposition of strong legal measures, the number of people engaging in such heinous business is substantially lower than in the past.

   Meanwhile, Shabnaaz Zahereen, UNICEF Child Protection Officer, also believes that the figures are on the decline while Dr Kamal Uddin Ahmed Joint Secretary (Political) from Ministry of Home and head of Counter Trafficking Cell reaffirms the doubts over the existence of exact figures.

   'In accordance with the police stations from all over the country, we are trying to sum up the figure but what we can confirm is that the figure is rather minute,' he conludes.
 



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RE: [ALOCHONA] Daily Star - Remembering Azam Khan



Heart warming reflection indeed.

The story brings back my own personal encounter with General Azam Khan. I recollect with great horror the night of fear and destruction during the cyclone that swept over the coastal belt of Bangladesh.

The year was 1961 and after spending a terrible night of fury and destruction we were awaken to find the extent of devastation. It was early in the morning and we were busy providing essential services to the villages adjacent to the Dhaka-Chittagong highway near Faujdarhat.

Two scenes have been etched in my memory.

The first one was the memory of a dead body of a little girl. As we reached a small uprooted home we saw over turned CI sheet, what was part of a house. As we tried to turn a sheet over a tiny hand caught our attention. Removal of the sheet revealed the dead body of a little girl. So pure and innocent yet lifeless. I do not want to think any more.  

The second scene was this: As we struggled through this massive work, not exactly knowing what to do with so meager resources. Suddenly we saw a jeep or was it a truck approaching from the direction of Dhaka. The vehicle stopped and the person who got out was none other than General Azam Khan, the govern of EP.

The very sight of him had an electrifying effect on all. We were energized and motivated beyond description. Our young hearts knew no politics. But even we knew that there was no help from the local administration. Despair was removed by courage and hope hearing a few words of encouragement from the general. The governor moved on. But the good feeling he left behind stayed with us. Where were the local members of administration? None could come from Chittagong yet the governor was there from Dhaka. He must have started the night before.

Eventually the villages around the coastal belt were cleared of dead bodies, houses rebuilt and families rehabilitated yet these two scenes will remain forever in my heart.

Aziz Huq   


 

From: rkhundkar@earthlink.net
Date: Wed, 6 Oct 2010 16:28:04 -0700
Subject: [ALOCHONA] Daily Star - Remembering Azam Khan

 
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Point Counterpoint

Remembering Azam Khan

Megasthenes
 

LT. General Azam Khan was above all else a soldier, pure and simple. His only direct involvement or interaction with the people of Bangladesh was for a brief period, from April 1960 to May 1962, when he held the office of governor of the then province of East Pakistan.
 
Azam Khan had represented a martial law regime, far from home and to a people who were culturally and linguistically removed from his own. He was thus an improbable candidate to make an impression in the minds and hearts of the Bangladeshi people. And yet, many of those old enough to remember the early years of the decade of the 1960's would agree that he was different.
 
There was more than one account as to the reasons for his appointment. The best-known version was that the then President Ayub Khan had wanted the most dynamic and effective person for the job, and Azam Khan had the well-deserved reputation of getting things done. Earlier as minister for refugees and rehabilitation, he had pushed through in six months the housing development of Korangi, to resettle thousands of refugees who were living in makeshift slum accommodations in Karachi.
 
Reportedly Ayub Khan had told Azam Khan that "if you don't go to East Pakistan, I will have to go myself." Another version was simpler; Ayub Khan wanted to put some distance between Azam Khan and the levers of power.
 
Azam Khan made his presence felt soon after he assumed office. At that time, whenever the governor travelled by car within the city, the roads on his route would be cleared of traffic a few minutes ahead of time by an advance security vehicle. This was both for reasons of security and convenience. Azam Khan dispensed with this practice, and the gubernatorial limousine, with a security car in attendance, would be seen with other vehicles on the streets of the city.
 
Traffic congestion, of course, was not a problem then. He toured frequently and extensively. There was the occasional newspaper report -- and also picture -- of his sharing the frugal meal of a fisherman or farmer on such tours. Azam Khan would describe fishermen and farmers as his "jheley bhai" and "chashi bhai." There may be a similarity to what is known as "kissing babies" prior to elections in a Western country.
 
On the other hand, a senior member of a military regime firmly entrenched in power, would not have the time, inclination or need to indulge in a public relations exercise, not in the bad old days when the Cold War was at its apogee.
 
As governor, Azam Khan was also the chancellor of the few universities that existed at the time, and took keen interest in the student community. One evening, he turned up at SM Hall without notice. A thoroughly flustered security guard, Naju Mian -- who was almost integral to the ambience of the Hall of that time -- could not locate the Provost, Dr. Mazharul Haque, and so rushed to inform the general secretary of the Hall Union, who welcomed the distinguished visitor.
 
Azam Khan was his usual effusive and affable self. He mixed freely with the students present and was shown around the Hall. He then declared that he would dine with the students. There was no time to add anything special to the menu; the governor, however, relished the meal.
 
He was less satisfied, though, with the state of the crockery, which admittedly was much used. On his inquiry, the general secretary informed him that about 300 students were living in the Hall. A week or so later a set of 300 dining plates, with matching quarter plates, and 300 drinking glasses were delivered to the Hall, courtesy of the chancellor.
 
In May of 1961 a devastating cyclone, with a top speed of over 100 miles per hour, struck the port city of Chittagong and surrounding coastal areas. Over 12,000 people perished; many more were severely affected. There was widespread damage to property and infrastructure. Azam Khan was indefatigable in organising and supervising relief operations, and in touring the affected areas extensively to assess first hand the extent of damage. He seemed almost to thrive on the punishing schedule that he set for himself.
 
As an administrator, Azam Khan had vision and drive. At that time some of the government offices functioned from tin sheds in the Secretariat. As the administration and the bureaucracy expanded, there was pressure on the available accommodation. A proposal was submitted to the governor for another tin shed to be built in the Secretariat premises to provide much needed additional space.
 
Azam Khan, however, had more ambitious ideas. He preferred something that would cater for future needs as well; a multi-storied building, sturdy enough for a helipad on the roof. Construction of the first nine-story building of Secretariat began not long afterwards.
 
Azam Khan was removed from office in May 1962. An exchange of letters at that time between him and Ayub Khan brought out a stark perception gap. Ayub Khan was emphatic that the governor was essentially the agent of the centre, and, in his opinion, Azam Khan no longer possessed the unswerving commitment to the centre's policies that was expected of the governor. In other words, he had "gone native." Azam Khan's focus, on the other hand, was simply on doing what he believed to be the right thing, doing what needed to be done.
 
In 1975, Bangladesh and Pakistan decided to exchange resident ambassadors, and Azam Khan was offered the ambassadorship to Bangladesh. He declined the appointment. He could not, he felt, represent either Pakistan in Bangladesh, or Bangladesh in Pakistan. He maintained contacts, of course, with successive ambassadors/high commissioners of Bangladesh to Pakistan (Between 1972 and 1989, Pakistan was not a member of the Commonwealth).
 
In 1986, not long after the inception of Saarc, Pakistan hosted a meeting of Saarc finance ministers in Islamabad. Azam Khan travelled by car from Lahore to attend a small dinner party for the delegation from Bangladesh at the residence of the then ambassador.
 
He was in an expansive and nostalgic mood. He recalled the 1953 anti-Ahmadiyya riots in Lahore and other areas of the Punjab. It had begun as a religio-political agitation. A motley group of extremists had demanded that the Ahmadiyyas be declared a religious minority, and that all Ahmadiyyas holding important positions in the government be removed from office. The main target was Foreign Minister Chaudhury Zafarullah Khan. There was the threat of "direct action" if the demands were not met.
 
Prime Minister Khwaja Nazimuddin, a devout Muslim and a thorough gentleman, could not accede to the demands. He was, however, less than firm and decisive in addressing the admittedly difficult situation. In the month of March, when civil administration broke down in the face of widespread riots, killings, looting and arson in Lahore and other cities of the Punjab, martial law was proclaimed in the affected areas. Azam Khan, as the GOC of the 10th Division at Lahore, administered the martial law and quelled the riots with utmost rigour and efficacy.
 
A summary military court sentenced to death Maulana Maudoodi and Maulana Abdus Sattar Khan Niazi for their role in fomenting the disturbances. The sentences were subsequently commuted to life imprisonment, and eventually both were released. This was Pakistan's first experience of martial law; it would last for over two months.
Azam Khan believed, as did many others, that the riots were a cynical ploy by a political cabal, which included Punjab Chief Minister Mian Daultana, to undermine and discredit Prime Minister Khwaja Nazimuddin. Both Nazimuddin and Daultana would be ousted from office in the aftermath -- and largely as a consequence -- of the riots.
 
In the month of July, a two-member Court of Inquiry was constituted to inquire into the "Punjab Disturbances of 1953." The Court comprised the chief justice of the Lahore High Court, M. Munir, as president and Justice M.R. Kayani, Puisne Judge, as member. The close to 400-page report of the Court exhaustively covered the issues, facts and train of events in respect of what happened. Their lordships concluded their report almost on a note of despair: "But if democracy means the subordination of law and order to political ends, then Allah knoweth best and we end the report."
 
Azam Khan spoke in passing about Ayub Khan. Their association went back many years, to the time when both were young officers of the British Indian army. They did not keep in touch after Azam Khan's recall from Dhaka in 1962. He did attend the obsequies though after Ayub Khan passed away in 1974, and there he met Begum Ayub Khan after a gap of many years.
 
She lamented -- with just a touch of reproach -- that Ayub Khan's close comrades and associates had deserted him. Surrounded by sycophants and deprived of honest counsel, his judgment had faltered in his last years of power. Azam Khan replied gently that he had never parted company with Ayub Khan; it had been the other way around.
 
In the late 1980's the then ambassador of Bangladesh received a cryptic message from Azam Khan. Could the ambassador drop in for a cup of tea the next time he was in Lahore; there was an important matter that the general wanted to discuss with him. The ambassador was happy to oblige and on his next trip to Lahore went to Azam Khan's residence.
 
Begum Azam Khan welcomed him warmly and asked if he knew what it was that the general wished to discuss with him. The ambassador did not know. She then proceeded to enlighten him. Azam Khan had drawn up papers making a gift of his considerable landed property to the people of Bangladesh, and planned to hand over the documents to the ambassador. Begum Azam Khan felt that the ambassador should know something; the estates were the main source of income for the family.
 
The ambassador was an astute and accomplished diplomat, one of the best of Bangladesh. He was placed in a quandary. He could not accept the outrageously generous gift, not in the light of what Begum Azam Khan had told him. On the other hand, how could he decline gracefully without causing hurt? He had only minutes to marshal his thoughts before his host joined him in the lounge.
 
Azam Khan greeted his guest with his usual warmth. Over the years, he said, he had received much love and affection from the people of Bangladesh. It was not something that could be repaid. However, he wished very much to show his appreciation, and had thus decided to gift his lands to the people of Bangladesh. The ambassador thanked him.
 
Azam Khan's love for the people of Bangladesh was known to all, and did not need to be reaffirmed. As a student of Dhaka University in 1961, the ambassador had once attended a talk by the then chancellor at a student function. In his talk, Azam Khan had stressed the importance of self-reliance for a nation and people in achieving something worthwhile. This message had stayed with him. There were many who subscribed to such an approach. Would accepting the general's very generous gift be consistent with this teaching? Azam Khan, of course, got the drift of what the ambassador was trying to convey. He never raised the matter again.
 
There was a soft, almost sentimental, side to Azam Khan which seldom came to the fore. Sometime in the early 1990's he showed the high commissioner of Bangladesh an address of welcome that had been read out in his honour -- and subsequently bound and presented to him -- during a visit to a university, as governor, decades earlier.
The address was in Bangla, and Azam Khan wondered if the high commissioner could translate it for him. By the time the high commissioner had finished his verbal translation, Azam Khan's eyes were moist. He was moved to tears as much by the words of the address, as by the memories they evoked.
Azam Khan passed away not long afterwards. He was, as he himself liked to say, a simple and humble man. There cannot be too many such simple and humble men in any country of the world. May the earth rest lightly upon him.

Megasthenes is a columnist of The Daily Star.




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[ALOCHONA] Buy your tickets online NOW to avoid paying an extra $10.00 at the gate at AABEA's convention on this Saturday (October 9). Enjoy a fun-filled day with Entertainment/Cultural Program, Science Fair, Seminar, & Dinner. [3 Attachments]

[Attachment(s) from Mahfuzur Rahman included below]

 
The following event is NOT limited to engineers and architects only.  All are invited to attend & enjoy.
   
American Association of Bangladeshi Engineers & Architects
(AABEA)
Presents
 
 AABEA's Biennial Convention 2010
 
on
Saturday, October 9, 2010 from 10:00 am till 12:00 midnight
 
The Universities At Shady Grove

9630 Gudelsky Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850


Admission Price: $20.00 per person in online
                                                     $30.00 per person at the door on Oct 9 
                                                          FREE for Science Fair participants and children under 12 
                                                                  (Courtesy dinner is included in the admission)

REGISTER NOW!  Tickets are selling very fast!  After making your payment through online, please print the confirmation receipt.  Please bring the print out & your valid ID at the hall to get your tickets.  

~~~~ Please see the colorful attachments ~~~~

tixbutton.jpg

PROGRAM SCHEDULE: 
10:00 am to 12:00 Noon:  SCIENCE FAIR for children ages 5 to 17 in rooms 101 & 102
                                                        {complimentary breakfast will be served to all participants and attendees.  Many wonderful projects will be displayed at the Fair}
                                               (Parents, please register your child at
                                http://www.aabeadc.org/convention2010/sciencefair)
1:00 pm to 5:00 pm:  Technical Seminar - "Bangladesh in 2030 and Beyond" in room 203
                                      {Former US Ambassador to Bangladesh and Scholar of Woodrow Wilson Institute, Mr. William B. Milam, will moderate one of the most
                                       important sessions.  Voice Of America will cover the seminar series.} 
6:00 pm to 7:30 pm:  Courtesy DINNER for ticket holders only in the cafeteria in building III
                               (Serving of dinner shall close promptly at 7:30 pm)
7:30 pm to 9:00 pm:  Welcome Ceremony & Award Ceremony for Science Fair participants
                         (please show your wrist band before entering in auditorium)
9:00 pm to 11:30 pm:  Thrilling Entertainment program {special attractions are described in the following}
                          (please show your wrist band before entering in auditorium)

 
ATTRACTIONS OF THE ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM
Songs, Dances, Music Video, Fashion Show, Comedy Drama "Bhalobasha Bhalobasha" by Jamaluddin Hussain & Mrs. Rowshon Ara Hussain (leading members of "Nagorik Natya Shomprodai" and founders of "Nagorik Natyangan"), and modern songs by Anila Chowdhury (a highly popular contemporary singer in Bangladesh for current generation) 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

DIRECTIONS:   From I-495 take I-270 North towards Frederick.  Take Exit 8 to Shady Grove Rd.,  At exit ramp keep left and turn left at signal on Shady Grove Road – West towards Hospital.  Pass the Hospital.  Next signal is Rte 28 (Darnestown Road).  Pass Rte 28, then turn immediate first right at Gudelsky Drive.  After entering to Gudelsky Drive, turn left (towards USG Buildings I, II, III) and continue, you will see the Auditorium Building at your right.  Parking is on your left.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Enjoy a diverse selection of Science Fair, series of very highly informative Seminars, shopping opportunities throughout the day, and end on a high note with a breathtaking Entertainment Program on October 9, 2010.  Please mark your calendar immediately for October 9, 2010 to bring your family, relatives, & friends and stay with us all day & evening to enjoy AABEA's Biennial Convention as well as annual family & friends get together.  Thank you very much for your outstanding help & support and remember, together we can achieve great things.
 
Best Regards,
 
AABEA Central Executive Committee and AABEA Washington DC Executive Board
 
For further information please contact us at "contact@aabeadc.org".
 
or any of the following executive board members:
Faisal Quader, President, AABEA Washington DC Chapter: 301-990-7363; 301-526-7888 (cell) 
Nasreen Chowdhury, President-Elect, AABEA Washington DC Chapter: 703-493-9219; 703-944-4604 (cell)
Ajhar Nakib, Secretary, AABEA Washington DC Chapter: 703-760-9616; 703-953-4788 (cell)
Mahfuzur Rahman, Treasurer, AABEA Washington DC Chapter: 410-796-0577; 301-646-3475 (cell); 703-875-4054 (work) 
Shah "Raja" Ahmed, Executive Member, AABEA Washington DC Chapter: 301-873-1440 (cell)
Zia Karim, Executive Member, AABEA Washington DC Chapter: 352-383-1582; 410-807-6160 (cell)
Imran Feroz, Executive Member, AABEA Washington DC Chapter: 443-756-9858
Misu Tasnim, Executive Member, AABEA Washington DC Chapter: 240-462-4000 (cell)
Hares Sayeed, President, AABEA Central Committee: 202-841-6269
Ahmed Ali, Executive Member of AABEA Central Committee and Liaison to Washington DC Chapter: 301-404-5567

American Association of Bangladeshi Engineers & Architects (AABEA)

Attachment(s) from Mahfuzur Rahman

1 of 1 Photo(s)

2 of 2 File(s)


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[ALOCHONA] US keen about Bangladeshi troops in Afghanistan

* Why Pakistanis, called Taliban should be allowed to rule Afghanistan?
* Is Afghanistan a Province of Pakistan?
* Why should your Taliban rule Afghanistan, when Afghans hate their Guts?

* If Taliban are Afghans, why they did not run in last 2 Elections to come in power democratically instead of staying busy terrorizing
Afghans and their Foreign Supporters and country builders?

* Why instead participating in Elections, Taliban always issue Death Threats to Afghans to stop them from going to Polls?
* Even a few Afghans that Pakistan has bought to become Taliban can not win in Elections because Afghans hate their guts for selling themselves therefore, even they do not run in Elections.
* You think, Pakistani Looters the Taliban are going to build Afghanistan? ... How come they had not done that from 1996 to 2001, when they were in power in Afghanistan? How come they had been nothing but destruction for Afghanistan? Why was there no Electricity and Food for Afghans? Why were they looting even Red Cross and UN Food Warehouses that were built for Afghans? ... Why US and her Allies had to give $ 200 million a year Food Charity to Afghans during Taliban Regime to save Afghans being starved by Taliban?

May I ask, when has USA left Army of its any ally to die, when it left a country before in the history of this world that you are scared that Bangladeshis would be left to die there?

May I be an American but am a Moslim and want good for Moslims all around the world and you want good only for your JehaaDis called Taliban.

"Ask not, who is speaking. Listen to what is he saying ...!" ... (Hazrat Ali)
-------------


--- In alochona@yahoogroups.com, "QA-(T-I)-(RAH) RAHIDUR RAHMAN" <rah@...> wrote:
>
> You are not pakistani , you are an Western American Mollah. So leave it
> As a SAARC member BD troops in Afganistan is not allowable, where US/NATO force can't stop the WAR. Moreover, many Bangladeshis are working in Afghanistan through different NGO's. However, this is not a UN mission, where BD troops are allowed to develop the structure of that country not for minimise the WAR. IF US force are withdrawn from Afghan, so let the Afghan, Taliban to build their country as their own ideologi. Our non-sense foreign minister family (particular) physician try to show herself as a BIG INTELLECTUAL.
> ________________________________
> From: alochona@yahoogroups.com [alochona@yahoogroups.com] on behalf of ANDREWL [turkman@...]
> Sent: Wednesday, October 06, 2010 5:41 PM
> To: alochona@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: {Disarmed} [ALOCHONA] US keen about Bangladeshi troops in Afghanistan
>
>
>
> I am not a Pakistani. I became American in 1981 and got my passport that year but I love BD more than Pakistan though my relatives still live in both countries, besides in Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Saudi Arabia, UK., Canada and USA. I hate nobody. I dislike certain people, when they give me a reason to dislike them and almost all of them are Mollaas and Punjabis.
> I have my reasons to see Bangladesh Army deployed in Afghanistan and I believe it would be a good idea.
>
> --- In alochona@yahoogroups.com<mailto:alochona%40yahoogroups.com>, Farida Majid <farida_majid@> wrote:
> >
> >
> > S. A. Hannan is against the idea of BD troops in Afghanistan as a part of ISAF. He writes:
> >
> > Why as a Muslim country it would involve itself in fratricidal war in another Muslim country.[sic]
> >
> > Very strange words coming from a staunch, cold-blooded supporter of 1971 Genocide in Bangladesh where
> > his dear Jamaati bretheren committed mass murder of innocent, non-threatening Muslim fellow-citizens along with Hindu
> > fellow-citizens who were fellow-Bangalees!
> >
> > I have a lot of affection for Afghanistan though I've never been there. The people there followed a big-hearted
> > Sufi Islam, not unlike the people of Bengal, and led simple life. It is the Pakistan's diabolical ISI in cohoot with the CIA that
> > created the Taliban in order to destroy a fragile people inhabiting a part of the world coveted by World Powers.
> >
> > Now, Turkman, I don't think BD soldiers are very keen to meet Pakistani army whom they have already
> > defeated. It is that vicious communal "mullah" faction of Bengali people who killed their own people who have not
> > been vanquished. I hope you, and all the Pakistani friends will wish us well when we conduct the Trial of the War
> > Crimes seeking not only delayed justice but an end to all the evil efforts to mullacratize the country.
> >
> > Farida Majid
> >
> >
> >
> > To: alochona@yahoogroups.com<mailto:alochona%40yahoogroups.com>
> > From: turkman@
> > Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2010 08:29:09 +0000
> > Subject: [ALOCHONA] US keen about Bangladeshi troops in Afghanistan
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > What are BD Troops for if they can not kill Pakistan Army's Protege, the Taliban?
> > Would not be a good experience for them?
> > Why we have to worry US is going to move out of Afghanistan?
> > Would USA run away and leave Bangladeshis there to die?
> > Afghanistan is a Moslim Country and this is why we should go there to save it instead of being taken over by Pak Army's Mercenaries, the Taliban. Its not a Factional War because Taliban are not Afghans. They are Pakistanis.
> > How do you know, no other Moslim Country has agreed to send her Army?
> > They are lining up asking for their prospects if BD refuses or can not provide enough troops. China wants to send her Troops but USA has ignore her offer and asked BD.
> >
> > --- In alochona@yahoogroups.com<mailto:alochona%40yahoogroups.com>, "S A Hannan" <sahannan@> wrote:
> > >
> > > Dear sirs,
> > >
> > > Assalamu Alaikum.I fail to understand why USA is asking for Bangladesh
> > > forces in Afganistan.Bangladeshi soldiers have been playing god role as
> > > peace keepers under UN command .They never participated in any combat or war
> > > in favor of one party against the other in any civil war in any country.A
> > > civil war is going on in Afganistan .Why as a Muslim country it would
> > > involve itself in fratricidal war in another Muslim country.
> > >
> > > Further, the war is at a fag end and US is preparing to withdraw from
> > > there. They are preparing present Afgan government soldier for that purpose.
> > > Why they are trying to involve Bangladesh when no other Muslim country has
> > > agreed to do so. It is a serious miscalculation on the part of US.No hope
> > > that Bangladesh government will accede except at its peril. It was foolish
> > > on the part of Dipu Moni that it was under consideration
> > >
> > > Shah Abdul Hannan
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > _____
> > >
> > > From: alochona@yahoogroups.com<mailto:alochona%40yahoogroups.com> [mailto:alochona@yahoogroups.com<mailto:alochona%40yahoogroups.com>] On Behalf
> > > Of Isha Khan
> > > Sent: Friday, October 01, 2010 6:27 AM
> > > Subject: [ALOCHONA] US keen about Bangladeshi troops in Afghanistan
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > US keen about Bangladeshi troops in Afghanistan
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > bdnews24.com, Dhaka-Washington has 'intensified' its efforts for Bangladeshi
> > > engagement in Afghanistan, a US embassy official said on Thursday, two days
> > > after the Taliban cautioned Dhaka against sending troops to the war-ravaged
> > > country.
> > >
> > > "The United States has intensified its discussion on Bangladesh's engagement
> > > in Afghanistan for global peace and stability," Nicholas Dean, the current
> > > charge d'affaires of the US mission in Dhaka, told reporters at a press
> > > conference. Dean, also deputy chief of the mission, made the statement
> > > without any further elaboration when reporters asked about the US position
> > > about Bangladesh's military presence Afghanistan.
> > >
> > > The press conference was organised for Ertharin Cousin, President Obama's
> > > representative to the UN agencies in Rome, to brief journalists about her
> > > four-day visit to Bangladesh.
> > >
> > > Foreign ministry sources say, the US government has been trying to persuade
> > > Dhaka to send soldiers to Afghanistan as Washington reportedly plans to
> > > withdraw from the war-torn country supposedly dominated by fundamentalist
> > > Islamist radicals that are understandably strongly anti-American. But Dhaka
> > > is very 'cautious' about the American request since the government would be
> > > in 'trouble' if it bows to this US pressure, the officials say.
> > >
> > > Besides, officials say, Bangladeshi troops would not be able to face the
> > > brutal and fanatic fighters in Afghanistan as the American and NATO troops
> > > with sophisticated and superior weaponry could not root out them.
> > >
> > > The French Press Agency (Agence France Presse - AFP) reported two days ago
> > > that the Islamic militants have warned Bangladesh about sending soldiers to
> > > Afghanistan.
> > >
> > > The US-led forces occupied Afghanistan after the twin towers in New York
> > > were brought down on Sep 11, 2001 in a daring terrorist attack. The American
> > > media as well as the global establishment subsequently made it out to be
> > > that the terrorists who had perpetrated the attack were based in
> > > Afghanistan.
> > >
> >
>
>
>
>
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