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The government is thinking about employing army-led task forces to investigate irregularities and corruption in Hajj management in view of the sufferings of hajis every year because of neglect of duties and ill practices by the Bangladesh agencies concerned.
   A four-member committee led by the director general of the Islamic Foundation Bangladesh, Md Fazlur Rahman, is now looking into alleged irregularities in Hajj management.
   ‘Thousands suffer every year because of irregularities in Hajj management and non-cooperation of Hajj mission officials. If required, the task forces will be engaged to investigate corruption as Hajj is a national issue,’ the religious affairs adviser, AF Hassan Ariff, told reporters on Thursday.
   He said a thorough investigation would be carried out to identify the problems that cause ‘untold sufferings’ to people every year.
   It has been alleged that many Hajj pilgrims from Bangladesh suffered a lot in Saudi Arabia because of mismanagement and irregularities by private operators and the Bangladesh authorities concerned also this time.
   ‘The committee formed in January has already worked out a plan to investigate the irregularities and mismanagement by the Hajj agencies and authorities concerned. They are supposed to complete the task in a month,’ the religious affairs secretary, Md Ataur Rahman, told New Age on Saturday.
   At least 55 aspirants could not perform Hajj in 2007 even after completion of all the formalities because of alleged fraudulence of a private Hajj agency, the owner of which has been in hiding since December.
   Early January, an eight-member government Hajj delegation at a high-level meeting at the religious affairs ministry narrated their experiences in Saudi Arabia. They reportedly said many pilgrims from Bangladesh had to suffer a lot in Saudi Arabia because of mismanagement and irregularities by some agencies.
   The religious affairs ministry meeting formed the four-member committee to look into the allegations of irregularities in Hajj management.
   Two hundred and thirty-two Hajj agencies were allowed to offer Hajj packages in 2007.
   Around 46,000 pilgrims — including 5,572 ballot hajis, under government arrangement — performed the rituals in December 2007.

The Transparency International, Bangladesh chairman, Professor Muzaffer Ahmed, on Saturday said confusion had been created about quick dispensation of justice in corruption cases under the existing laws due to legal complexities.
   The TIB chief, however, said that during the anti-corruption drive in last one year it has been established that none is above law.
   ‘The anti-corruption drive has established that none is above law. But, as legal intricacy has surfaced in the anti-corruption process, confusion has been created about whether one would be punished quickly under a law concerned,’ he told reporters at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre.
   Earlier, the TIB chairman inaugurated an annual conference of Sachetan Nagorik Committee (committee of conscious citizens).
   TIB trustee board secretary general and Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam spoke at the conference on ‘citizens’ role in anti-corruption movement’.
   Asked about the legal complexities, the TIB chief said government institutions like the task force, National Board of Revenue, the police and Anti-Corruption Commission are engaged in the anti-graft drive.
   But lack of coordination among various agencies and over-enthusiasm among some people have made things complex, he pointed out.
   Mahfuz Anam said: “Our failure is that we could not free politics from corruption. An elected government will be the only acceptable government if we want to see Bangladesh as a democratic state.’
   ‘Those who will come (to power) will have to be free from corruption. If politicians themselves are not personally free from corruption, Bangladesh will not be a democratic country,’ he said, adding that change in institutions and mentality is required for this, otherwise the leadership would not be free from corruption.
   There is a trend in the country that the persons, who commit corruption, get elected, Mahfuz Anam said adding: ‘This tradition must be demolished. We’ve to create an environment so that everyone knows that the corrupt won’t get vote, won’t get elected.’
   The TIB executive director, Iftekharuzzaman and convenor of the Savar Sacheton Nagorik Committee, Zainal Abedin Khan also spoke at the function.
   Formed by the TIB, Sanak is a network of committees of conscious aimed at creating a social movement against corruption.
   The two-day conference has been organised jointly by Sanak and Youth Engagement and Support, another TIB initiative to implement countrywide youth activities against corruption.

Regional non-governmental organisation Rangpur Dinajpur Rural Service marked its completion of 36 years on Friday with programmes in the Begum Roquiah Auditorium in its building.
   A discussion was held on the occasion. The deputy commissioner, Khandoker Atiur Rhaman, attended the programme as chief guest. Municipal chairman Abdur Rouf Manik and former Rangpur Medical College and Hospital vice-principal Najmul Islam were special guests.
   The deputy commissioner said the people of Rangpur were ind-ebted to the RDRS as it has played a significant role in the development of the region over 36 years.
   The agency started functioning during the war of independence in refugee camps at Cooch Behar, West Bengal, India with Cooch Behar Relief Service and offered medicare facilities for the people injured in the war with the assistance of Lutharam World Federation. Later, it launched its work formally in independent Bangladesh as the Rangpur Dinajpur Relief and Rehabilitation Service in 1972. In 1986, the organisation was renamed again as Rangpur Dinajpur Rural Service.

The police arrested a director of City Bank at his house in the city’s Baridhara area on Saturday.
   The Gulshan police raided the house of Ahmed Rajib Samdani and arrested him.
   The officer-in-charge of the Gulshan police station, Obaidul Hoque, told New Age, ‘Samdani was arrested following an arrest warrant issued by the chief metropolitan magistrate.’
   A police sub-inspector said, ‘Rutex Karim, son of Rezaul Karim, owner of RAK Ceramics, filed a case against Samdani on adultery charge. The police produced Samdani before the chief metropolitan magistrate’s court and the court sent him to jail.

Sector commanders on Saturday demanded that the government should try war criminals by forming an inquiry commission in line with the existing laws of the country.
   They made the demand at a meeting organised at Mukul Niketan High School ground in the town as a part of the
   countrywide programme of Sector Commanders’ Forum.
   AK Khandakar attended the meeting as chief guest while M Safiullah Bir Uttam, Abu Osman Chowduary, CR Dutt Bir Uttam, Harun-or-Rashid Bir Pratik, Jamil D Ahsan Bir Pratik and Amin Ahmed Chowduary as special guests.
   Founder of liberation war museum Akku Chowdhury, journalist Harun Habib, Professor Sakhawat Hossain and Advocate Anisur
   Rahman also spoke on the occasion.
   The forum leaders said the war criminals should be tried to safeguard the country’s sovereignty and free the nation from stigma.
   AK Khandaker said the war criminals were still facing charges in different counties. ‘Why it’s not possible in our country?’
   He also urged the students and the new generation to wage the movement against the war criminals and spread it even to the rural areas of the country.
   Earlier the sector
   commanders placed floral wreaths at Smriti Soudha and the killing ground at Bangladesh Agricultural University.
   Chaired by Principal Motiur Rahman, the programme was moderated by Professor Amir Ahmed Chowdhury Ratan.
   Several hundred freedom fighters from Greater Mymensingh also took part in the programme.

The Awami League begins talks with the components of the AL-led alliance today aimed at placing identical proposals at dialogues between the government and political parties.
   The party is scheduled to sit with the Workers Party of Bangladesh at the house of the acting party president, Zillur Rahman, at Gulshan at 5:00pm today.
   The party presidium at a meting on February 1 decided to initiate talks with the allies to discuss the present political situations and work out an identical proposal for dialogues with the government.
   Senior party leaders on Wednesday worked out the schedule for the talks and decided to sit with the Workers Party of Bangladesh on Sunday. It will sit with the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal on Monday and Samyabadi Dal on Tuesday.
   Sources in the Workers Party said its president Rashed Khan Menon and general secretary Bimal Biswas would lead the party delegation at the talks.