The Election Commission at its dialogue with Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Inu) yesterday agreed in principle to ban religion-based politics in the country constitutinally.

The EC also agreed in principle to make war criminals as well as anti-liberation forces (individuals or institutions) ineligible to contest elections.

“Today, we reached a consensus in principle to ban religion-based politics… Now we’ll have to see how it can be made effective,” Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Dr ATM Shamsul Huda told the JSD delegation at the dialogue.

A 12-member JSD (Inu) delegation, led by its president Hasanul Huque Inu, yesterday morning sat with the EC to discuss draft reform proposals on electoral laws.

The demand for banning religion-based politics and preventing war criminals as well as anti-liberation individuals or institutions from contesting elections is growing since the EC has started its dialogue with selected 15 political parties on September 12.

Earlier, the EC sat with seven political parties – Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ), Krishak Sramik Janata League (KSJL), Ganotantri Party, Jatiya Party (Manju), Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Rab), Jamaat-e-Islami

Bangladesh and National Awami Party (NAP-Muzaffar). They all, excepting the IOJ and Jamaat, suggested a ban on any religion-based political party and anti-liberation forces, mentioning the name of only Jamaat.

“The Election Commission will look into the issue with importance,” Huda told the JSD delegation when it placed their proposal for debarring war criminals and anti-liberation elements from contesting elections. Quoting the Constitution, the JSD delegation said doing politics in the name of religion is illegal and religion cannot be used for gaining political purposes.

The JSD leaders said it is the duty of the EC to uphold the Constitution and it would be violation of their (Commissioners) constitutional oath if they allow religion-based political parties to get registered.

“The Constitution (Article 66) has to be amended for making war criminals and anti-liberation forces ineligible… The matter can be treated as academic one, but won’t be effective,” Election Commissioner M Sohul Hussain told the delegation.

Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain was also present at the dialogue.

“We dislike the war criminals and anti-liberation forces, they are hated persons… But it’s difficult to take legal action against them… We need evidence, court orders, specific evidence to disqualify any contestant,” CEC Huda told the JSD leaders.

Banning the war criminals and anti-liberation elements is largely a political matter to which the EC got involved somehow, he said, adding that somehow it couldn’t do it in 36 years (of independence).

“Meanwhile, the Law Adviser said the matter has got complicated in the course of time. It’s true… Resolving the issue is more of a major duty of the government than the Election Commission. We’ll do whatever falls under our jurisdiction.”

CEC Huda said the EC would prepare some specific matters in consultation with all the political parties and compile their suggestions. “And the reform proposals will be finalized after sitting with the political parties all together once again.”

Emerging from the dialogue, JSD president Inu told the newsmen that the EC should have power to ban religion-based political parties.

“The next elections should be free from war criminals and anti-liberation elements… They’re beyond mercy.”

“The Election Commission will send its recommendations to the President in this regard and the government will implement those,” he added.

Mentioning the name of Jamaat, Inu said the party is an identified party that committed war crimes directly opposing the country’s liberation war and “raping women, committing massacres, looting and arson attacks in the name of religion in 1971″.

However, the JSD delegation placed some new proposals on electoral reforms at the dialogue, though they agreed on most of the EC’s proposals like banning student and other professional front organizations as well as foreign units of political parties.

But they were against the proposals of using traditional ballot boxes, disclosing the sources of electoral donations from any individual or institution, and direct as well as secrete balloting within parties for picking up leaders for elections.

JSD suggested introduction of representative government system based on the proportion of obtained votes instead of constituency-based elections, not having the provision to contest by one candidate from more than one constituencies, holding elections in more thanone days and electing president based on the cast votes of all the representatives, including the local body.

Suggestions were also made to keep aside 100 constituencies for women for direct contest, delimitating constituencies, making the EC fully independent and formulating voter list for the Chittagong Hill Tracts as per the CHT peace treaty.

The EC will sit with Jatiya Party (Ershad) on November 1, Bangladesh Awami League on Nov 4, Workers Party on Nov 11, Bangladesh Jatiya Party (Naziur) on Nov 15, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on November 22, CPB on Nov 25 and Samyabadi Dal on Nov 29.

Source: The New Nation

The judiciary finally embarks on a historical journey today as it comes out of the control of the executive organ of the state.

The much-demanded implementation of the separation of the judiciary is now expected to ensure justice without any hindrance as in the past when justice often used to be delayed and the judiciary process controlled by the government.

The magistrate courts across the country come out of the executive control today and continue operating under the authority of the Supreme Court (SC).

Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed will inaugurate the Dhaka District Judicial Magistracy and the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistracy at 10:30am today at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre.

Lawyers across the country will observe the day as the Judiciary Separation Day.

However, while the separation nourishes big hopes, a few lower court judges told journalists yesterday that to make the separation meaningful cooperation is necessary from all sections of people, especially the police and administration.

The constitutional provision could be implemented much earlier had the successive political governments worked with goodwill. A non-partisan caretaker government is now implementing the provision for separation of the judiciary following the 12-point directive of the Supreme Court given in 1999.

The SC directive came following filing of a case–popularly known as Masder Hossain case–in 1995 by 440 members of the lower tier of the judiciary.

Masder Hossain, who is now inspector general of registration, yesterday said, “Oppressed people suffered a lot of harassment for getting justice. I only wish with the implementation of the separation justice seekers will get fair justice swiftly without spending much money.”

Law Commission Chairman Justice Mostafa Kamal, who was the chief justice when the SC gave its directives, yesterday told The Daily Star, “The caretaker government has been able to launch the primary work of separation despite resistances and I congratulate both the caretaker government and the Appellate Division for their accomplishment. At the same time, I cherish the hope that the distribution of work among all kinds of magistrates will follow the directions of the Appellate Division. No one wants a clash.”

LAST DAY OF EXECUTIVE JUDICIARY

Hundreds of executive magistrates yesterday performed their final judicial duties at the magistrate courts across the country while 218 judicial magistrates start their duties today.

Newly appointed Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) AKM Enamul Haque along with nine judicial magistrates took over the charge of the Dhaka magistrate courts from outgoing CMM magistrate Tariqul Islam. A total of 91,000 criminal cases have been pending with 25 magistrate courts in Dhaka.

SC Registrar Ikteder Ahmed on behalf of the lower court judges told reporters, “Appointment of 655 judicial magistrates has been approved and 218 of them have already been appointed. The Supreme Court appointed 202 judicial magistrates from the sessions judge’s courts while the rest joined the judicial service from the administration.”

Ikteder also said, “The authorities will welcome if magistrates from the executive wish to join the judicial service on deputation or through absorption.”

Ruling out anticipations that the backlog of cases will worsen due to lower number of magistrates, he said, “The executive magistrates used to perform the judicial task on a part-time basis while the judicial magistrates will be performing duties round the clock. So, the cases will be disposed of quickly.”

The SC registrar said four lakh cases have been pending with the magistrate courts at present.

He said they have sorted out 2,066 eligible applicants for the vacant posts of judicial magistrate and that the authorities have initiated the process to complete the appointments.

The SC approved withdrawal of the magisterial power of 170 of 173 administrative officials forwarded by the establishment ministry, Ikteder said, adding, “We did not approve withdrawal of the remaining three officials following their willingness to work as judicial magistrates.”

Asked if influence of the government or the executive organ would be removed completely from the judiciary, Ikteder said, “Such incidents have never taken place at the district judge’s courts. So, it seems that it will not happen in the magistrate courts either after the separation.”

He said action will be taken against magistrates if irregularities are found with any one. The district judge’s courts, the High Court, the Supreme Court and the law ministry will take the action in a combined way.

Masder Hossain also said, “I hope the nation will get rid of such allegations.”

Judicial Service Association President and Dhaka district judge AKM Ishtiaq Hussain was also present at the briefing at the SC.

“Coordination among the judiciary, police and administration is needed to make the judiciary separation meaningful. The separation effort cannot advance if the coordination does not take place,” said Ishtiaq.

Ishtiaq explained that the police are responsible for producing a witness before the court in a criminal case while the court issues summons to produce the witnesses. The case cannot advance if the police do not work in accordance with the court order.

Administrative officials are also involved with the case proceedings as the court may ask for documents in both civil and criminal cases or summon people from the administration if necessary.

The provision for the separation of the judiciary from the executive was introduced in the constitution after the country’s independence in 1971.

The demand also existed in the then East Pakistan as the 1949 draft constitution of the Awami League had pledged to separate the judiciary from the executive.

The Jukta Front also demanded the separation of the judiciary in the 15th point of its 21-point demand announced on November 4, 1953.

The then provincial legislative passed the law for separating the judiciary in 1957, but no gazette notification was issued to enact the law. In 1958, the Law Commission recommended following the law and bringing judicial magistrates under the direct control of the High Court. It identified coexistence of the judiciary and the executive as the main reason behind delayed disposal of cases.

Article 22 of the constitution of independent Bangladesh says, “The state shall ensure the separation of the judiciary from the executive organs of the state.”

Source: The Daily Star

Dhaka, Oct 31 (bdnews24.com) – The interim cabinet Wednesday approved a proposal to make the Anticorruption Commission an autonomous body.

The proposal is designed to amend the Anticorruption Commission Act 2004, which describes the graft watchdog as no more than ‘independent and neutral’.

“The amendment [after final vetting] will now make the commission autonomous as well,” the Press Information Department said in a statement.

The ACC had earlier sent the proposal to the Cabinet Division seeking autonomy.

Approval for the amendment will be effective after a vetting from the law ministry, according to a decision taken at a meeting at the Chief Adviser’s Office, chaired by Fakhruddin Ahmed.

The council of advisers also approved in principle the National ID Card Ordinance to introduce “modern and digitised” national ID cards to citizens at home and abroad.

The meeting addressed a number of other issues including the vendors agreement, which is necessary to transfer the assets and liabilities of Sonali, Janata and Agrani banks to public limited companies.

The advisory council meeting also discussed proposals for further amendments to the Islamic University Act 1980 and Islamic University (Amendment) Act 2006.

In line with the amendments, the Madrasa Education Board will conduct the exams of Fazil and Kamil students who have signed up for a two-year course for academic year 2005-2006.

On the other hand, the Islamic University will conduct the exams of Fazil and Kamil students who have signed up for a three-year course for academic year 2005-2006.

BANE Election 2007
Symbols of “Unity, Trust and Commitment of Actions”

Belal-Sujon-Shilu Parishad
A Community Centre is our Mission Priority.
Help us to accomplish this mission.

Posted by;

[Belal-Sujon-Shilu Parishad]
Please give us a chance

Below are the details on our Mission Statement for your information.

Mission Statement

Belal-Sujon-Shilu Parishad (2008-2009)

We understand and recognize that “Bangladeshi friends and families” here in New England have become a vibrant, growing and rising community during recent years along with day to day increasing new issues over the changing times and circumstances in maintaining a successful family, community and social life. We, the “BELAL-SUJON-SHILU Parishad” is firmly committed to work closely and aggressively with each and every community member on the most pressing community issues; listen, value and address your concerns and sagacious opinions in coalescing the entire community under the glorious and historic banner of Bangladesh Association of New England (BANE) for its growth, success and prosperity. We shall preserve, protect and uphold the BANE Constitution at all times. Please give us a chance to serve the community with our commitments of hard works, honesty and sincerity. We assure our true commitments to you of being resolute on the following “plan of ACTIONS".

1. A Community Centre : Already with the commitments of about $45,000 (Forty Five thousand dollars) from our overwhelmingly interested community members; on the very first day in the Executive Committee, we ( BELAL-SUJON-SHILU Parishad) shall begin to work closely with all our community organizations, community leaders, businessmen, philanthropic agencies, local governments and general members to secure “DOWNPAYMENTS” for a Community centre of our own.

2. Disaster fund/ Funeral Home: Shall immediately establish a community “funeral home fund", a natural disaster fund and shall peruse the prospects of establishing a community banking facility “like Sonali exchange field office".

3. We shall firmly uphold and promote our family values, religious values and cultural value s at all time.

4. General meeting: Accountability and transparency would be our top priority . We shall invite at least one general meeting each year to listen and to address all the felicitous community issues, to report activities of the executive committee including financial updates to maintain our probity.

5. Review/Amendments of the BANE Constitution: Within 30 days in the Executive Committee, we shall constitute and nominate a 5-member Constitution Committee to review and evaluate the provisions in the constitution with the changing current needs and circumstances; and to prepare a report for public dissemination. Within 6 months, this report shall be produced before the community members in a General meeting for their opinions, consideration and predilection for appropriate actions and disposition on amendment decisions.

6. Provide assistance, guidance and counsel to our new immigrants and address our overall community issues with ACTIONS; like educating and helping on unemployment issues, public and affordable housing, health care services for the uninsured and low income families, appropriate public benefits guidance, employment guides and preparing for citizenship examination.

7. Shall invite Bangladesh Mission at least once year to help our community members locally on Passport renewal/Visa and related issues.

8. A Community Learning Centre: Establish a community learning centre to help the prospective college going students for SAT preparations, College Admissions and financial Aid guide. In addition, this centre shall provide assistance to needy and interested community members on writing/spoken English and Computer literacy. Shall create a fund to award financial assistance to our genius and needy College going students.

9. Tax Return Assistance: During Tax return season, we shall make arrangement for assistance in filing Tax Return to the interested community members.

10. We have NO propensity to any political party and thus shall NOT support, oppose and endorse any such organization in/under BANE platform.

11. Invite our business community: Once a year to assist our prospective and interested community members in opening their own new businesses. We shall also publish a comprehensive Community Directory.

12. Shall introduce the Community into the main stream American society that shall play an important role for the success and growth of all of us with the wide and collective participation in local, state and federal programs. We shall do so by keeping close contact with local, state and federal organizations and public representatives like Mayors, Governor, Congressman and Senators.



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Dhaka, Oct 29 (bdnews24.com) – Former finance minister M Saifur Rahman announced Monday he had been made acting chief of the BNP and Hafiz Uddin Ahmed had been appointed acting secretary general, in a major turn of events in the troubled party.

The announcement came from Saifur’s press briefing after a late-night meeting of senior BNP leaders at his Gulshan home.

In a written statement, Saifur said: “I have been made the acting chief of the party in the absence of the BNP chairperson because I am the most senior leader of the party.”

The decision taken at the BNP standing committee’s meeting will be sent to BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia for approval.

“The BNP’s standing committee has faith in the ideology of Shaheed Zia [former president and BNP founder Ziaur Rahman] and in the leadership of Khaleda Zia,” Saifur said.

“The BNP will fight a legal battle for the freedom of Khaleda Zia,” he said, of the former prime minister who has been detained in special jail since September 3.

The meeting also scrapped Khaleda’s decision on the expulsions of Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, Ashraf Hossain and Mofiqul Hasan Tripti from the party.

Khandaker Delwar Hossain was earlier installed by Khaleda as secretary general, replacing Mannan Bhuiyan.

Both remain members of the standing committee, according to the latest decision.

Delwar was relieved of all responsibilities as secretary general for “health reasons", according to the meeting decision, said Saifur.

Bhuiyan was the last to arrive at the meeting. Chowdhury Tanveer Ahmed Siddiqui, RA Gani, Khandaker Mahbubuddin Ahmed, Mahbubur Rahman and M Shamsul Islam were among the senior leaders who attended the meeting.

BNP’s acting office secretary Rizvi Ahmed opposed the new move, in an instant reaction.

“This decision is undemocratic and ill-motivated,” he told bdnews24.com.

Dhaka, Oct 27 (bdnews24.com) – Some 800,000 health workers and volunteers Saturday fanned out across the country to vaccinate about 25 million children aged 5 and under in a relentless effort to eliminate polio, according to a health ministry statement.

In the first round, children will also be given vitamin A capsules to combat night blindness in addition to their oral polio drops.

Health adviser ASM Matiur Rahman inaugurated the vaccination drive earlier on Thursday at the Extended Programme of Immunisation (EPI) building in Mohakhali through administering two drops of polio vaccine to a child.

Polio clawed its way back last year after a nearly six-year pause, prompting the government to launch a new series of campaigns in April 2006 with the help of the United Nations Children’s Fund and the World Health Organization.

The government earlier vowed to continue its fight to check spread of polio. Health authorities in Cox’s Bazar recently vaccinated thousands of children against polio in the wake of reports of a new case in Myanmar.

The special drive in Cox’s Bazar was part of a campaign to reinforce efforts to prevent cross-border infections after the WHO recently warned Bangladesh about a 3-year-old boy who was diagnosed with polio in Myanmar’s Rakhine or Arakan state, just 10 kilometres across the border.

Fresh cases have been reported in some Indian states last year, according to WHO.

Saturday’s anti-polio drive is being carried out with the help of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative—a partnership among UNICEF, Rotary International, WHO and the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

UNICEF and WHO helped the government conduct extensive polio vaccination programmes in 1995-2004. In August 2000, the country believed it had seen the last case of polio.

But the country’s efforts to be declared polio-free were dented last year when the virus left a 9-year-old girl paralysed in Chandpur.

It was not clear how she became infected, but the virus has also been found in parts of neighbouring India. Since then, the health ministry said, at least 16 other new cases have been found.

On Saturday, the officials are also camping at bus and train stations in the capital and elsewhere to make sure children who have no permanent address or are travelling are not left out.

In the second round of vaccination scheduled to start Dec 8, children will be given their second dose of polio drops as well as Albendazol, a medication in single tablet form to fight intestinal tapeworms.

The polio virus enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. It invades the nervous system and can cause permanent paralysis within hours. It can be fatal in some cases.

The virus can cause permanent paralysis in the lower limbs and abdomen of the sufferer.

About 1,880 people were sickened by polio worldwide in 2005, down from more than 350,000 before 1988, when WHO launched a global anti-polio campaign, WHO said. In 2006, the worldwide cases reduced to 1,526, the statement said.

Leaders of different political parties sharply reacted to the Jamaat secretary general's claim that there is no war criminal in the country and termed it false. They also demanded trial and punishment of war criminals and ban on political activities of Jamaat.

While talking to newsmen after a dialogue with the Election Commission on the electoral reforms, Jamaat Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid on Thursday claimed that there was and there is no war criminal or anti-liberation force in the country.

Discarding the claim, the leaders of different political parties including Awami League, said there were war criminals who worked against the Liberation War in 1971.

In an instant reaction, AL acting president Zillur Rahman on Thursday said, "It's is a history that war criminals killed 30 lakh people during the liberation war in 1971".

Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) General Secretary Mujahidul Islam Salim told The Bangladesh Today on Friday that the Jamaat leaders, who were the collaborators of Pakistani forces, are the war criminals.

Still they are committing crimes against the people as well as the country, the CPB general secretary alleged.

Talking to this correspondent, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) president Hasanul Haq Inu termed the Jamaat leader's claim false and said Jamaat leaders have told an utter lie in public, which is a denial of the history of Liberation War.

During the war in 1971 War, Golam Azam, Motiur Rahman Nizami, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid and many others supported Pakistan forces and worked against the liberation of the country, he mentioned.
They were also involved in serious crimes like mass killing, torturing and raping the women, the JSD president alleged.

After Bangladesh came into being, the governments pardoned collaborators but not the war criminals, Inu added.

BNP's expelled secretary general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan in his reaction said there were war criminals, rajakars, al badar and al Shams during the liberation war.

The governments that came to power after the liberation war did not identify the war criminals and bring them to justice, Bhuiyan said adding all the governments forgave the war criminals.

Asked whether an electoral alliance can be formed with Jamaat, the expelled secretary general said an alliance for election purpose can be formed with any political party.

Ekattorer Ghatok Dalal Nirmul Committee and South Asian People's Union against Fundamentalism and Communalism in a press release condemned the claim of Mujahid.

Pakistani evil forces in collaboration with Jammati-e-Islami, Muslim League and Nejami Islam killed around 30 lakh unarmed people and brutally tortured around two lakh women, the press release says.
UNB adds: Dhaka City Awami League on Friday strongly protested Thursday's remarks by Jamaat secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid that they did not work against the liberation war in 1971.

Mujahid also claimed that there is no war criminal in the country.

In a statement, AL Dhaka City unit AL acting general secretary Advocate Kamrul Islam said Jamaat was directly involved in all the massacres, women repression and looting in 1971.

"Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid himself is a war criminal. No mercy for the war criminals," Kamrul said vowing to continue their fight against the war criminals until they are tried.