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The High Court on Monday ordered the government to take appropriate steps for implementation of the Labour Law 2006 in the ship-breaking industry at Sitakunda in Chittagong.
   The bench of Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain and Justice Quamrul Islam Siddiqui also asked the government to explain the reasons for failure to enforce labour safety provisions in the ship-breaking yards where accidents claim lives of a number of workers every year.
   The industry secretary, labour secretary, inspector general of factories, Chittagong divisional commissioner and ship-breakers’ association president were also asked to explain their role in ensuring the safety of workers at the ship-breaking yards in compliance with the Labour Law 2006.
   The court came up with the orders after hearing a public interest litigation writ petition filed by rights organisation Ain o Salish Kendra.
   The petitioner’s counsel Saifur Rashid told the court that almost all the country’s ship-breaking yards had been flouting the Labour Law putting labourers’ lives at stake.
   Deaths from poisonous gas, fire and falling metal scrap are common in ship-breaking yards and on an average at least one labour is injured every day and one is killed a week in such accidents, the counsel argued.
   Although a few errant ship-breakers take some steps to help the families of the victims by giving some money, the deaths of labourers should not be considered mere accidents as they happen due to negligence of owners, he contended.
   ‘Taking no safety measures at hazardous work places must be considered a criminal offence,’ he said.
   The counsel said the Labour Law of 2006 is being blatantly violated in the yards. Labourers work there without any safety gear and handle toxic substances with bare hands. They neither have any job contract nor health insurance.
   Some 30,000 workers are engaged in ship-breaking in Sitakunda, which houses the world’s second largest ship-breaking industry after China, according to an unofficial estimate. At least 61 yards are in operation, eight are under construction and nine have been closed.
   The government earns around Tk 900 crore in revenue in a year from the ship-breaking yards and the industry meets at least 90 per cent of the country’s total demand of iron, the counsel mentioned saying, ‘If the Labour Law continues to be flouted by ship-breakers, the potential industry would be in danger.’
   So far at least 17 workers have died in accidents at different ship-breaking yards this year, said sources.
   At least 18 workers were killed in 2006 and 2007 and 15 in 2008, showing a gradual increase in casualties.
   Ship-breakers are accused of ignoring environmental laws also.
   The High Court on March 17 ordered stopping of all work at ship-breaking yards as none of them had environmental clearance. The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on March 23, however, stayed the operation of the High Court’s verdict.

Bangladesh has registered its objection with the United Nations to India’s claim over certain areas in the Bay of Bengal three months after a similar opposition lodged against Myanmar’s claim over sea waters.
   ‘We have submitted our objection to the maritime commission of the UN on October 29,’ Bangladesh’s permanent representative to the UN, MA Momen told New Age over telephone Monday evening.
   India submitted its claim on maritime boundary to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in May 2009, one month ahead of its deadline.
   Bangladesh earlier lodged its objection with the CLCS, a UN body to deal with the law of the seas, in July this year against Myanmar’s claim on the sea waters.
   Bangladesh and Myanmar sent warships 50 km down Saint Martin’s Island in November last year as the latter allowed a Korean gas exploration company to send survey team and equipment in the Bangladesh waters.
   Dhaka has disputes over territorial waters in the Bay with both New Delhi and Yangon in two areas—that of natural prolongation of the continental shelf and the baseline.
   India argues that the course of the natural prolongation of continental shelf is from east to west while Bangladesh says it is from north to south.
   Bangladesh and India have some overlapping claims on baselines.
   According to the United Nations Convention on Law of the Seas, Bangladesh must demarcate its sea boundaries by July 27, 2011, India by June 29, 2009 and Myanmar May 21, 2009.
   The three countries are signatories to the UNCLOS.
   As per the UN provision, claims submitted by any country would not be taken for final consideration before settling the objection raised by a neighbouring country which might have overlapping claims.
   Dhaka opted to go for negotiations as India and Myanmar recently opposed Bangladesh’s offshore block biddings for exploration of oil and gas even within its own territorial waters as Dhaka did not have an internationally accepted exclusive economic zone.
   Bangladesh has problems with India and Myanmar on the issue of ‘starting point’ on how to mark the coastlines from the exclusive economic zone that has apparently overlapped claims of the three neighbouring countries due to the funnel-like shape of the Bay of Bengal.
   A country is supposed to enjoy its rights to fish and extract and explore other marine resources in its exclusive economic zone, an area of 200 nautical miles into an adjacent sea, according to international maritime law.

Vested quarters were involved in igniting the fire at National Curriculum and Textbook Board’s warehouse in Tejgaon that burnt books and papers worth crores of Taka to ashes, said the probe committee.
   It observed that the ‘sabotage’ had been possible because of negligence, mismanagement and inefficiency on the part of the authorities responsible for maintaining the warehouse that caught fire on October 18 until it was doused on October 22.
   The committee is learnt to have apprehended that publishers and traders of textbooks and paper suppliers might have had their hands at fuelling the blaze either to destroy some documents or to make a windfall profit out of a probable crisis of textbooks.
   ‘The fire was not caused by any electric short-circuit or for internal reasons, rather the fire was set in a conspiratorial manner,’ a source said, quoting the findings of the seven-member probe committee.
   The committee members pointed out that disguised criminals took advantage of serious mismanagement, inefficiency and also internal groupings of officials and employees posted at the textbook board. There was no insurance coverage for the property including the warehouse building that was severely damaged by the fire.
   However, the committee has not specifically named individuals responsible for the incident although it had interrogated 30 people including the chairman of the board and some traders. Eight officials and employees were suspended after the incident.
   The committee included reports by intelligence agencies as annexure to the findings of the investigation.
   The government formed the seven-member probe committee, headed by an additional secretary of the education ministry, Razia Begum, asking it to submit its final report within 15 days. The committee submitted its report to the education minister, Nurul Islam Nahid, on Sunday [November 8], six days after the timeframe.
   The probe body report will now be submitted to the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, for keeping the head of the government informed and taking necessary measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents, said sources in the committee.
   The committee found in Tejgaon Warehouse as many as 4.5 lakh copies of textbooks printed for distribution in 2010 academic session, which were not supposed to have been there, a member of the committee said.
   The government has plans to distribute nearly 19 crore copies of primary and secondary school books free among the students at the beginning of the academic year 2010.

Bangladesh and Bhutan have agreed to establish land transport facilities between the two countries to enhance 'intra-regional' trade and travel, according to the ministry of foreign affairs.
   The two sides also decided to waive taxes on most of the products traded by the two countries to increase the volume of trade and commerce.
   Both sides agreed to 'explore the possibility of land connectivity' between the two countries under the aegis of the SAARC 'transport connectivity' to enhance 'intra-regional' trade and travel, according to a joint communiqué released on Monday.
   The ministries of foreign affairs made the announcement simultaneously from the two capitals at the end of prime minister Sheikh Hasina's four-day state visit to the landlocked Himalayan nation Monday.
   'Bhutan has waived all duties on imports from Bangladesh,' the 19-point communiqué read.
   Hasina announced that Bangladesh would reduce the tariff on 18 products imported from Bhutan from the existing rate of 15 per cent to zero per cent, it said.
   Bangladesh's exports to Bhutan is less than $1 million, and includes warm garments, computer accessories, dry food, pharmaceuticals, toiletries, ceramics and textiles, according to bdnews24.com.
   Bhutan's exports to Bangladesh total around $14 million, according to its commerce ministry figures. Bhutan's main export items are fruits, processed fruit products and mineral products.
   The two sides have agreed to explore the possibility of cooperation in the energy sector to use Bhutan's high potential for production of hydro-electricity in order to meet the growing energy demand in Bangladesh under the SAARC charter, to raise the number of reserved seats for Bhutanese medical students in public medical colleges in Bangladesh and to promote regional tourism.
   The tiny mountainous kingdom has the potential to produce up to 30,000 megawatts of hydro-electricity, according to estimates of the SAARC.
   Prime minister Sheikh Hasina returned home Monday afternoon ending a four-day official visit to Bhutan.
   Bhutan was the second country after India to recognise the independent Bangladesh in December 1971.

The fourth anniversary of the death of Enayetullah Khan, the founding editor of New Age and editor-in-chief of the weekly Holiday, will be observed today.
   A titan of Bangladeshi journalism of regional and international repute for his fearlessness for more than four decades, Enayetullah Khan passed away in Toronto, Canada, on November 10, 2005, at the age of 66. He had suffered from cancer of the pancreas.
   Having begun his career as a journalist as a cub reporter with the erstwhile Pakistan Observer in 1959, Enayetullah Khan went on to found the weekly Holiday in August 1965, before taking over as editor of the paper in 1966.
   He founded New Age as its editor and publisher in June 2003. He was also editor of the Bangladesh Times between 1975 and 1977. He was awarded Ekushey Padak for excellence in journalism.
   He served as a minister of the government of Bangladesh (1977–1978) and as ambassador to China, North Korea, Cambodia and Myanmar (1984–1989).
   Known for his democratic activism, Enayetullah Khan was at the forefront of the Buddhijibi Nidhan Tathyanusandhan Committee instituted on December 18, 1971 to investigate murders of intellectuals in the terminal days of the war of independence in 1971 by Al-Badr and Al-Shams — the killer wings of the Jamaat-e-Islami.
   Khan was also an organiser of the Civil Liberties and Legal Aid Committee (1974) that defended the political victims of the Rakkhi Bahini, Famine Resistance Committee (1974), Farakka March Committee led by Maulana Bhasani (1976), and Committee against Communalism (1981).
   He received his MA degree in philosophy from Dhaka University. In his student days, he held leadership positions as general secretary of the Ananda Mohan College Students’ Union in Mymensingh, member of the Dhaka University Students’ Union (1958–59), and vice-president of the Dhaka Hall (now Shahidullah Hall) Students’ Union (1959–60).
   He was president of the National Press Club (1973–76) and the Dhaka Club (1984–85).
   Born on May 25, 1939 in Mymensingh, Enayetullah Khan was the third son of the late Justice Abdul Jabbar Khan, a former speaker of Pakistan national assembly.
   The National Press Club will hold a discussion meeting to commemorate Enayetullah Khan at 4:00pm today.

The government will take action against the perpetrators of the bomb attack on the ruling Awami League lawmaker Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, and not even members of the army, if found linked to the incident, will be spared, the home affairs minister warned Monday.
   ‘The matter is under investigation. …Whoever is found involved in the attack on Taposh must get punishment,’ Sahara told reporters in reply to a query after a meeting with the visiting UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate executive director, Mike Smith.
   A number of dailies on Sunday reported that several military officers might have a hand in the attack on Taposh, one of the lawyers of the state panel in the appeals in the Sheikh Mujibur Rahman murder case.
   Sahara said there had been allegations against military officers for their role in political killings since the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on August 15, 1975.
   ‘They [military officers] would not dare to do it again once the Bangabandhu murder trial is completed and the perpetrators get punished,’ the home minister said.
   She said the UN CTED has offered to establish a counter-terrorism institute in Bangladesh for the countries under the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.
   ‘We have supported the proposal for setting up such an institute which will benefit not only Bangladesh but also other SAARC countries in their fight against militancy,’ Sahara said.
   She affirmed the Awami League-led government’s determination to uproot militancy and continue its efforts to improve law and order.
   Taposh, a nephew of prime minister Sheikh Hasina, came under the bomb attack as he was leaving his Motijheel office by car at night on October 21.
   The lawmaker from a Dhaka constituency escaped unhurt, but 12 people were injured by the blast.
   He was orphaned as a baby as his parents Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni and Arzoo Moni had also been murdered on August 15, 1975, hours before army mutineers killed the country’s founding president Sheikh Mujib.
   Taposh filed a case with Motijheel Police Station on October 22 for the bomb blast, alleging that relatives and associates of the death-row convicts of the August 15 killings were involved in the bomb attack.
   Senior Awami League leaders also made similar allegations in public meetings and also in parliament.
   They described the attack as an attempt on the life of Taposh, a state counsel in the Sheikh Mujib murder case whose trial process is in final stage.
   A number of close relatives of former army persons, convicted of assassinating Sheikh Mujib with most of his family and awarded with death penalty, were arrested in connection with the attack.

Attorney general Mahbubey Alam on Monday prayed to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court to pass observations so that no Supreme Court judge could become chief martial law administrator in future.
   The chief law officer of the state made the prayer during the 26th day’s hearing in the appeals against the High Court verdict that had upheld the death sentences of 12 former army men for killing the country’s founding president and all but two of his family.
   He also prayed to the five-member Appellate Division bench to make observation against the then chief justice, who became the chief martial law administrator and went to Bangabhaban to administer the oath of office to Khandaker Mushtaque Ahmed as president on August 15, 1975, the day Sheikh Mujib was killed.
   ‘The court will not only deliver verdict in the case but also make some observations to refrain any judge from you from being CMLA in future… A judge will die but never administer the oath of office to any unconstitutional government or never be a CMLA,’ Mahbubey Alam told the court in his concluding argument.
   He also prayed for passing some observations so that the government could bring back home the fugitive convicts, now living abroad.
   Rebutting the defence submission that death sentence of the appellants should be commuted to imprisonment for life because of their prolonged custody in the case, Mahbub replied, ‘The convicts had confessed to the foreign media that they had killed Mujib, so there is no scope to show sympathy for them and reduce their convictions.’
   He also said that the convicts had secured permission to appeal against their convictions giving ‘false representation of information to the highest court saying that the convicts were forced to make confessional statement in court after being remanded for a long period in violation of laws regarding remand.
   Mahbub prayed for rejection of the defence argument, which said that prosecution had failed to prove the existence of conspiracy through the confessional statement of Syed Faruque Rahman as the third High Court judge, who had delivered verdict in the split opinions of the two HC judges, discarded Faruque’s confession, recorded by a magistrate.
   Citing the deposition of prosecution witnesses to establish conspiracy, Mahbub said that all the convicts assembled at Balurghat parade ground in Dhaka Cantonment on the night of August 14, 1975 when Faruque delivered a speech to the soldiers citing reasons to overthrow the Mujib’s government.
   Refuting the argument made by another defence that two appellants were not involved in Mujib’s killing as they did not go to the spot, Mahbub replied, ‘It is clear from the evidence that there were some activities [previous conduct] which are very much relevant when one group went to the place of the killings, and the other groups went to their designated places [action during the course of committing murders] and after the murder, there were some activities [subsequent conduct].’
   The chief law officer of the state with emotion in his voice said that the nation witnessed a famine in justice after 1996, as some Supreme Court judges had felt embarrassed to hear the case.
   ‘We were victims of a famine in justice when one judge after another had felt embarrassed to hear Sheikh Mujib’s case,’ said Mahbub, referring the famine of 1974 when many people died in starvation though there was no shortage of food. ‘The court should also make some observation in the judgment so that no judge ever feel embarrassed to hear such important case.’
   The court resumes hearing today while state prosecutors Towfiq Newaz and Ajmalul Hossain, and Supreme Court Bar Association president AFM Mesbahuddin are scheduled to make their submission in the case.

Shaheed Noor Hossain Day will be observed across the country today to commemorate the pro-democracy movement activist of the late 80s.
   On this day in 1987, Noor Hossain, a young pro-democracy campaigner, was shot dead by the police near Zero Point in Dhaka during demonstrations against the then autocratic regime of HM Ershad.
   With slogan ‘Down with autocracy’ written in white paint on the chest and ‘Let democracy be freed’ on the back, Noor Hossain was at the centre stage of that day’s street agitation until he was shot dead.
   The killing of Noor, a Juba League activist, further fuelled the movement and turned the struggle for democracy into a popular uprising that led to the fall of Ershad on December 6, 1990.
   Since then, political parties, social and cultural organisations have been observing the day as Shaheed Noor Hossain Day.
   Members of socio-political and cultural organisations will remember the pro-democracy martyr and wear black badges and place flowers at Noor Hossain Square [Zero Point], where he was killed and at his grave at Jurain in Dhaka. Zero Point was later renamed as Noor Hossain Square.
   The president, Zillur Rahman, and the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, gave separate messages on the occasion.
   Leader of the opposition in parliament and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and Gana Forum president Dr Kamal Hossain also issued separate messages.
   ‘The fearless fighter, who was in the forefront of a procession, shed his blood for building a non-communal, progressive and democratic Bangladesh and his blood did not go in vain. Democracy was restored in continuation of his martyrdom,’ Zillur Rahman said in his message.
   The president said, ‘I firmly believe that the country’s democracy will not be hindered as long as the memory of Noor Hossain will remain alive.’
   Prime minister Sheikh Hasina in her message termed November 10 as an unforgettable day for the movement for restoration of democracy in Bangladesh, saying that on that day, the streets of Dhaka were stained with blood of Juba League leader Noor Hossain.
   She said, ‘The heroic democratic struggle spearheaded by the Awami League continued to free the country from autocratic rule which continued after the killing of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.’ She said, ‘At one stage of the movement, Noor Hossain joined an AL procession on November 10 in 1987 with the slogan ‘let democracy be freed, autocracy exterminated’ written on his chest and back. The bullet of autocratic ruler pierced the chest of Noor Hossain and his supreme sacrifice accelerated the movement of the democracy-loving people.’
   Khaleda Zia paid rich tribute to the memories of Noor Hossain and prayed for peace of his departed soul.
   In her message Khaleda said on November 10, 1987 democracy-loving people of the country took to the streets to protest against the autocratic rule.
   In a similar message, BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain paid tribute to Noor Hossain.
   Awami League, Ganatantrik Bam Morcha, Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Jatiya Mukti Andolan, Citizen Rights Movement and Green Voice are scheduled to place wreaths at Noor Hossain Square today morning.
   Bangladesh Khetmajur Samity in separate statements recalled with deep respect Syed Aminul Huda Titu, another victim of the movement against the autocratic ruler.

India may be the world’s second fastest growing economy, but it figures among the worst when it comes to man-woman equality — at 114th among 134 countries, on the World Economic Forum rankings.
   Worse, sharing Nobel laureate Amartya Sen’s concern over female foeticide and 25 million ‘missing women’ in India, the WEF has placed the country at the bottom of the table on health and survival issues, reflecting the huge gender gap.
   The India Gender Gap Review 2009, released at the India Economic Summit in New Delhi on Monday, ranked the country behind Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal — showing that women in these countries share resources with men more equally than in India.
   The Geneva-based international organisation, known for its global conferences and studies, has made strong remarks against the wide inequalities between the health facilities extended to males and females. ‘We find that there are still persistent gaps in health and survival, a fact that contributes to India’s ‘missing’ women,’ it said.
   It said close to 300 Indian women die every day during childbirth or of pregnancy-related causes, and the country has the worst sex ratios at birth in the world, ranking 131st on this variable.
   However, India’s performance in empowering women politically, relative to the rest of the work, is strong, ranking at the 24th position. Women hold 11 per cent of the positions in Parliament and 10 per cent ministerial-level positions.
   As Indira Gandhi remained the prime minister for 16 years, India was ranked fourth on the indicator relating to number of years that a female leader has held the head of government position in the last 50 years.
   The survey, which reviewed attitude of large companies vis-a-vis their women employees, said over time ‘a nation’s competitiveness depends significantly on whether and how it educates and utilises its female talent.’
   Commenting on the issue, Chanda Kochchar, Managing Director and CEO of ICICI Bank said the women power can add to the economic strength of the country. ‘I am a believer on gender neutrality. If it (the ratio of working women) goes up to 50 per cent in 20 years, we will be adding 0.5 per cent to our GDP every year,’ Kochchar said.
   All other BRIC nations - Brazil, Russia, China — are ahead of India in terms of the gender equality gap, the WEF report revealed.

Bangladesh Football Federation in an emergency meeting on Monday night sacked national team’s Brazilian coach Edson Silva Dido from his coaching responsibility.
   Shahidur Rahman Santo replaced him as acting coach.
   Dido declared his 23-member SAF championship squad excluding a good number of experienced players prompting BFF to interfere into the matter.

The president, Zillur Rahman, has called for concerted actions of the leaders of Muslim nations to face the challenges caused by climate change, food insecurity and the current economic crisis.
   ‘Our common objective is to build a strong, prosperous and self-reliant economy for the Muslim states, which needs collective and consolidated efforts,’ he said while addressing the Economic Summit of COMCEC (Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation) under the Organisation of the Islamic Conference at Four Season hotel in Istanbul on Monday.
   The COMCEC organised the Economic Summit marking its 25th anniversary, which was presided over by its chairman president of Turkey Abdullah Gul and attended by 11 presidents, three vice-presidents and six prime ministers and number of ministers of 57 OIC member countries.
   The summit was crowned by presidents of Afghanistan, Iran, Bangladesh, Syria, Sierra Leone, Somali, Guinea Bissau, Qatar, United Comore Komolar, Kyrgyzstan and Kuwait, vice-presidents of Bahrain, Iraq and Gambia and prime ministers of Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Tajikistan, Guinea, Palestine and Mauritania.
   The major goal of the summit is to increase trade and economic cooperation among the OIC member countries amid the ongoing global economic crisis. At the summit, the leaders of the OIC member countries also expressed their opinions in favour of increasing bilateral and multilateral cooperation among the OIC countries as well as boost up south to south trade and commerce relations.
   The summit was inaugurated by the welcome speech of the Turkish president which was followed by the statement of the OIC secretary general, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, and speeches of the heads of state and the government.
   At his speech, the Bangladesh president said it was important to exploit the full potentials of resources of OIC member countries by enhancing intra-OIC economic cooperation and commercial activities.
   ‘It is regrettable that despite our excellent political relations, intra-OIC trade is still insignificant,’ he said, adding, ‘Therefore, we need to focus on meaningful engagement in areas of economic cooperation, trade, science and technology, agriculture, rural development.’
   Zillur said there were many common and complementary factors in the economies of OIC member states for mutually beneficial cooperation. ‘We must make the best use of these opportunities for the benefit of our peoples,’ he pointed out.
   He said due to current global economic recession like other countries, Bangladesh had also been witnessing decline of various economic index like remittances, trade earning, credit, crunch in employment market at home and abroad and flow of foreign direct investment and stagnant ODA.
   ‘It is, therefore, critical that OIC re-energises COMCEC as a mechanism for supporting each other in such crisis,’ he said. Mentioning that Bangladesh is one of the worst victims of climate change despite its contributions to this global menace is insignificant.
   Development efforts of Bangladesh have been severely frustrated by the devastating impacts of natural disasters, which are hurting with increased frequency and severity, Zillur said.
   The president said frequent natural calamities were threatening the country’s development gains as well as efforts to attain the Millennium Development Goals. ‘The erratic pattern of flood, cyclone and drought is posing particular threat to our food security,’ he added.
   The president hoped that the summit would usher in new opportunities, provide guidance and show the avenues for increased economic cooperation for the betterment of countries of OIC and it people. ‘We as leaders of the Muslim nations, must accomplish the tasks for our people and for posterity, let us collectively face the challenges with our wisdom, sagacity and vision,’ Zillur said.
   Mentioning that Bangladesh joined the OIC in 1974 under the leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Bangladesh president said since then the country had remained at the forefront of all OIC activities.
   The Turkish president said as per the purpose of COMCEC to promote economic and commercial cooperation among the OIC countries, it had taken initiative to establish trade preferential system, trade financing, promotion of government among the private sector institutions.
   ‘At present where concerted action in dealing with climate change, food and financial crisis became a necessity, we need to develop COMCEC cooperation in a way that would present the good examples and convey to the world the peaceful message inherent in the Islamic civilization,’ he said.

Former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf has alleged that Afghanistan is under influence of Indian intelligence agencies even as he admitted that there is ‘an ingress of the Pakistani spy agency ISI in every terrorist group’, reports Hindustan Times on Monday.
   ‘Afghan intelligence, Afghan president, Afghan government. Don’t talk of them. I know what they do. They are, by design, they mislead the world,’ Musharraf told CNN in an interview telecast on Sunday.
   ‘They talk against Pakistan, because they are under the influence of Indian intelligence, all of them,’ he retorted when told that ‘American intelligence, the Afghan government, Afghan intelligence all say’ Taliban leader Mullah Omar is in Pakistan.
   ‘The Afghan intelligence (is) entirely under the influence of Indian intelligence. We know that,’ added Musharraf who is currently in London.
   Asked if Pakistan was not willing to really help Afghanistan succeed because it viewed Afghanistan as a client state of India, Musharraf said: ‘No, not at all. That is not the case.’
   ‘Whatever I am saying, I am not saying it here. I have given documentary evidence of all this to everyone. There is the documentary evidence. And we know the involvement of Indian intelligence, in India, with their intelligence,’ he claimed.
   ‘I have given documentary evidence to everyone from top to bottom. Everyone knows it. And we have the documentary evidence,’ the former Pakistan Army chief said.
   At the same time Musharraf admitted that there is an ingress of the Pakistani spy agency Inter Services Intelligence in every group, but denied reports and statements by US leaders that ISI still supports the Taliban terrorists.
   ‘They (ISI) will not support it (terrorists). That was not the government policy. That was not
   the military policy. However, there was ingress,’ he said.
   ‘Always, in every group, there is an ingress of the ISI. And that is the efficiency, the effectiveness of the ISI. You must have ingress, so that you can influence all organisations.
   ‘And it is this ingress of theirs, which doesn’t mean that they are supporting them, but they have ingress. They have some contacts, which can be used for their own advantage,’ Musharraf said.
   The former president said American and other foreign forces were not welcome in Afghanistan, but now since they are there, they should not quit before defeating the al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
   ‘Yes, they are not welcome. Foreign troops are not welcome there (in Afghanistan),’ he said when asked how the situation was any different in Afghanistan when he had opposed US forces going into Pakistani territory to deal with the terrorists.
   ‘But now that they are there, we have to win. And quitting is not an option at all. I don’t think quitting is an option at all,’ Musharraf said.
   ‘Anyone who is talking of quitting doesn’t understand the ramifications of quitting. He must sit down and analyse what will happen if he were to quit there without a solution.’
   We have to defeat the al-Qaeda, we have to dominate the Taliban, and we have to introduce a credible, legitimate government in Afghanistan. But we cannot leave before that,’ he said.

The cabinet on Monday asked the home ministry to update the Bangladesh Rifles Order 1972 by bringing about necessary amendments to the law.
   The cabinet at a meeting, presided over by the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, at the Prime Minister's Office, discussed in details the proposal
   for issuing a gazette
   notification by the home ministry for holding trial of any future mutiny and criminal offences by Bangladesh Rifles personnel under clause 5 (1) of the Army Act but did not take a decision.
   'As the law minister is now out of the country, the cabinet did not take a decision on the matter…A decision will be taken after further discussion in the presence of the law minister,' the prime minister's deputy press secretary told reporters.
   The issue was earlier placed on the agenda of the November 2 meeting of the cabinet but was not discussed as most of the ministers said they were unaware of the details in the proposal and asked the home ministry to place the proposal in the next cabinet meeting.
   They also observed that since it was a sensitive matter, the cabinet should not hurry into issuing a gazette notification for holding trial of any future BDR mutiny under the military law.
   After an inter-ministerial meeting on October 30, law minister Shafique Ahmed said the trial of the soldiers accused of being involved in the February 25-26 BDR mutiny would begin in the first week of November in six special courts led by the BDR director general under the Bangladesh Rifles Order 1972.
   Two separate reports were also placed in the meeting on the participation of Bangladesh delegation in the Commonwealth finance ministerial conference and the annual meeting of the World Bank and IMF and the parti-cipation of the Bangla-desh team at the sixth trade ministers' meeting of the least developed countries, held in Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania in October 14-16.

Tension mounted in Lalmonirhat town after two local unit offices of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party were set on fire allegedly by the activists of the ruling Awami League at BDR Road and Station Road on Sunday evening.
   Witnesses said a large group of 60-70 ruling party men at first attacked the railway unit BNP office at Station Road. They vandalised the office before setting it on fire. Then they attacked and torched the Lalmonirhat district BNP office at BDR Road in the town.
   Locals also said the ruling party men brandishing machetes marched down the roads in the town in a show of strength after the arson attack.
   Police and fire fighters went to the spot after the attackers left. Fire engines put out the flames.
   Police reinforcements have been deployed at BDR Road, Station Road and Mission intersection in the town.

In a rural Maoist stronghold in central India, off limits to the police and government officials, people are queuing for photos they hope might save their lives.
   Indian security forces are set to launch a major offensive against Maoist rebels whose insurgency has escalated across the country, posing a challenge to the authority of the state led by the prime minister, Manmohan Singh.
   Stuck in the middle of the conflict zones are thousands of villagers from indigenous tribes - some embittered by years of government neglect, others brutalised by the rebels and many who simply want to be left alone.
   The queue in Markapur, 186 miles from the capital of Chhattisgarh state in central India, is for photos to be used on makeshift identification cards that can be brandished if the long-forecast offensive begins.
   'We decided to get an identity card. I could flash it to prove that I am neither a Maoist nor an anti-Maoist,' said Bukti Mai, 36, a member of the Gonde tribe who lives in small mud house hidden deep in the forests. Bukti stood with other tribal men and women outside the studio to get the first photograph of her life, which will be used on an ID card that is stamped by the village head but of no official value.
   'People are scared. They are making the cards on their own, just to be on a safe side when the war begins,' explained Ramesh Ghondal, a government officer in Dantewada, about an hour's drive from Markapur.
   Tribal groups such as the adivasis in Chhattisgarh have been left behind by economic development elsewhere in India and their poverty and discontent with local government corruption is seen as a major source of Maoist support.
   'The Maoists sold us a dream. A dream of a better tomorrow and convinced us that it was our duty to kill the rich who exploit the poor,' said Huda Sukhnath, a former rebel who lives in another Maoist-dominated village near Markapur.
   In the past two decades, Maoists have trained thousands of tribal men and women as foot soldiers, teaching them and their children to fight, lay landmines and make remote-control detonators for explosives.
   Those who pledged allegiance to the Maoists and vacated their ancestral land to set up training camps were rewarded, handed guns and indoctrinated in the ideology of fighting government rule and landlords.
   But the impoverished rural masses, on whose behalf the Maoists claim they are fighting, are subject to the vagaries of rebel power, with its summary justice, intimidation and ideological strictures.
   According to the Maoist guidelines, all members should refrain from having children as a family could make the 'comrade' emotional and hinder his or her ultimate mission of waging a war against the state. They also have to undergo compulsory military training and refrain from meeting family and friends who are not Maoists.
   Hardain is one of few brave enough to speak out in an area where suspicion of the media runs deep and talking to a government official can lead to execution for being an informer.
   The rebels also set strict rules governing villagers in their areas. Women, for example, are obliged to prepare food for visiting 'comrades.'
   Hardain says his 12-year-old son was recently rebuked by a local leader and punished after he was found guilty of dancing to a Bollywood film song in the training camp.
   The government-backed paramilitary defence movement called the Salwa Judum (People's Army) has recruited some of the villagers who objected to the rigorous military training and the Maoist brainwashing.
   In 2008, India's top court expressed its disapproval of state backing of Salwa Judum, which stands accused of gross human rights violations, including arming children to fight the so-called 'Red Menace.'

Imamates of the Bakul Cell at Dhaka Central Jail, mostly politicians and business tycoons, who were detained during the military-backed interim administration, will meet at a get-together tonight at the house of a former student leader, the organisers said.
   Most of the inmate politicians from both the ruling and opposition parties have given their consent to attend the programme to be held at the house of former Awami League assistant secretary Jahangir Sattar Tinku.
   While in jail, the leaders had vowed to work together to create a relation of tolerance and cooperation between the two top leaders and reform the jail code and renovate the prisons.
   One of the BNP leaders said they had agreed to work for reducing the gap between the two major parties, but after being released from jail the Awami League leaders seem to have backtracked from that stance. 'We are meeting again and likely to discuss it too,' he said.
   Tinku told New Age that it would be a simple social get-together, nothing political. 'We had passed a long-time in the same cell and had created a cordial relationship among us. Many of us were asking for a get-together and I have taken the occasion of my birthday to arrange it,' he said.
   Awami League leaders Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir, Obaidul Kader, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Asim Kumar Ukil, BNP Leaders Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, Mirza Abbas, Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud, business tycoons Abdul Awal Mintoo, Nurul Islam Babul and Atiqullah Khan Masud have been invited to the party.
   Tinku said they might discuss the issue of reforming the jail code and renovation of prisons across the country. 'Alamgir Bhai already have drafted a paper on the issue and we will discuss it,' he said.
   'Besides some contemporary issues also might come up for discussion,' he said, but did not elaborate.

A police constable was shot dead by robbers in the early hours on Monday at Himchari in Cox's Bazar.
   The victim was identified as constable Sosam Chakma, 36, of Diginala under Khagrachara. He was posted at Ramu police station of the district and was working at Idgor police outpost.
   Cox's Bazar police super Mohammad Shakawhat Hussein said the police of Idgor outpost under Ramu were informed that a group of robbers were preparing for robbery at Himchari hill point on the Eadgong-Idgor road under Cox's Bazar sadar and on the border of Ramu upazila Sunday midnight.
   A police team, comprising six members, rushed to the spot. As the team reached the spot, the robbers opened fire on the police team. Sosam Chakma sustained bullet injury.
   He was admitted to Dolhazara Christen Hospitals in a critical condition at about 2:30am but the duty doctor declared him dead.
   Later, the police arrested four suspected robbers from Koroliamora under Ramu police station.
   The body of Sosem Chakma was sent to his house in the afternoon after post-mortem examination.

A separatist group in India's troubled north-east has enforced a dawn-to-dusk strike across the state of Assam.
   The 12-hour strike was called by the United Liberation Front of Assam to protest against the arrest of two of their top leaders in Bangladesh.
   Shops and markets closed down, public transport was affected, school and college attendance was reduced, but government offices worked normally.
   The police and paramilitary troops were deployed across Assam on Monday.
   'The ULFA is considerably weakened now, but we are taking no chances,' Assam's senior police officer, Bhaskarjyoti Mahanta, said.

Viqarunnisa Noon School and College has earned Tk 60 lakh from sales of admission forms this year though it will screen out seven out of every eight children willing to enroll in class one in the city's top-graded girls' school.
   The authorities sold 12,000 admission forms for 2010 academic session against 1,525 seats in class I in all the four branches in Dhaka, members of admission committee said.
   Against the total 1,395 seats in Bangla medium sections of the four branches, a total of 9,600 forms were sold while 2,400 forms were sold for only 130 seats in English medium sections.
   Guardians stood in queues from midnight until next morning between November 1 and 5 to collect and submit forms from its main campus on New Baily Road and branches at Dhanmondi, Bashundhara and Azimpur.
   A form was sold for Tk 500, up from Tk 400 of the past year, though the school authority has not yet announced any increase in the number of seats either in Bangla or English medium.
   Children, not older than 6 years and a half, will have to face a 50-mark written test, the first hurdle just at the start of their long academic life, to see their parents' dream come true.
   Most of them sacrificed their playtime for admission coaching for months to prepare for the test, scheduled for December 19 for English medium and December 26 for Bangla sections.
   Only the fortunate among them will begin formal schooling from January 1 at Viqarunnisa Noon School, which initiated the admission process this year a bit earlier than previous years to comply with the government order to close admission by the yearend.

A 22-year-old Indian student was punched on his face by a group of Australians, who also told the victim that 'in this place there is no home for you'.
   Sai Ratan Tiwari, who hails from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, was on his way to a temple along with a friend on Sunday when two Australians stopped him and asked where they were going.