Archive for October 31st, 2006
Tuesday, October 31st, 2006Awami League-led 14-party alliance leaders met President and Chief Adviser to the caretaker government Iajuddin Ahmed yesterday and demanded that he should perform 11 urgent tasks, including reconstitution of Election Commission (EC) and neutralisation of civil and police administrations, within November 3 to prove his neutrality.The chief of the non-party interim government assured the eight-member delegation of the 14-party alliance led by Awami League (AL) chief Sheikh Hasina that all possible steps will be initiated for holding a free and fair election."If the chief adviser fails to prove his neutrality by this time, we will declare our next course of ...
(read more) Tuesday, October 31st, 2006Former prime minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday asked people to remain alert against any move to foil the next general election and create constitutional crisis. She also urged her party men to retaliate in similar way if attacked by their political opponents.Urging all other political parties to help caretaker government hold a free and fair election, she said, "President has taken up the charge of chief advisor constitutionally".She was addressing a huge rally in front of the BNP central office at Naya Paltan to declare a three-day programme against anarchy and vandalism of 'the 14-party combine'. Dhaka ...
(read more) Tuesday, October 31st, 2006 Four people died and around 300 people were injured following violence between activists of Awami League (AL)-led 14-party alliance and the BNP-led four-party combine at different districts of the country yesterday.AL activists allegedly murdered a Jamaat-e-Islami leader at Ashashuni upazila of Satkhira Sunday night. The fourth consecutive day of clashes saw the death toll rise to 28 with an AL activist succumbing to his injuries in Netrakona yesterday.The dead were identified as Arman, 32, Jubo League activist of Maij Char of Sadar upazila in Kishoreganj, Zobed Ali, 55, Jamaat president of Khazura union of Ashashuni upazila in Satkhira, Jamirul ...
(read more) Tuesday, October 31st, 2006In his first move after swearing in as the chief of the caretaker government, President Iajuddin Ahmed last night cancelled contractual appointments of nine secretaries and transferred 18 other high ranking bureaucrats, according to a government announcement.Dr Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, principal secretary to the immediate past prime minister (PM), is the most prominent among the secretaries whose jobs were terminated. He is the most benefited bureaucrat of the immediate past BNP-led four-party alliance government. His job tenure was extended five times breaking all previous records in the civil administration.The rest of the secretaries who received pink slips are Secretary to ...
(read more) Tuesday, October 31st, 2006Formation of the caretaker government is likely to take at least two more days as Awami League (AL)-led 14-party coalition has taken a 24-hour time to propose names for the posts of 10 advisers.Although an eight member coalition delegation led by AL President Sheikh Hasina yesterday held a crucial meeting with Iajuddin, they did not propose any name for the posts.Hasina asked for time when the president who is also the chief adviser to the interim government requested her to propose some names of neutral personalities for appointment of advisers.Instead, AL handed over an 11-point charter of suggested ...
(read more) Tuesday, October 31st, 2006The BNP-led alliance government's handling of the power sector reminds what Aesop had said hundreds of years ago -- 'honesty is the best policy'. In other words, dishonesty is the worst policy. In its five-year rule, the alliance government has allowed dishonesty to dominate various executive decisions in the power sector. As a result, the government has failed miserably in the power sector and the nation is bearing the brunt of it.This failure is a sharp contrast to the success in the power sector during the previous Awami League rule. The AL government had brought in around 1,300 MW electricity ...
(read more) Tuesday, October 31st, 2006The capital has started coming back to life again from yesterday evening just after 14-party coalition announced withdrawal of its Dhaka siege programme.Earlier, the siege programme, aiming to resist Justice KM Hasan from assuming the office of the caretaker government chief, created a disquieting stagnation in the city which persisted from Friday night to Monday evening.Residents of Dhaka city refrained from coming out of home during the day yesterday. Panic-stricken people hardly even went to kitchen markets or brought their vehicles out, but a number of inner-city buses were seen operating on the roads. Academic institutions also remained closed ...
(read more) Tuesday, October 31st, 2006Eminent Jurist Dr Kamal Hossain yesterday said President Iajuddin Ahmed violated the constitution and has become his own chief adviser.He also said reshuffling of the administration and re-constitution of the Election Commission are the principal tasks of Iajuddin as the chief adviser to purge the two vital institutions of partisan influence."We will realise that President Iajuddin is neutral if he appoints new officials removing all politically appointed officials including the secretary to the president, his secretary of military affairs and his press secretary," Dr Kamal, president of Gono Forum, told reporters after coming out of a meeting with Awami League ...
(read more) Tuesday, October 31st, 2006A legal notice was served yesterday on President Iajuddin Ahmed to refrain from performing as chief adviser to the caretaker government, the post he assumed on Sunday night in addition to his presidential responsibilities.Challenging his action, Advocate Manzill Morshid said the president has violated the constitution by assuming himself as chief adviser without exhausting the options laid down in article 58 C (3, 4 and 5).He urged the president to appoint a chief adviser to the non-party caretaker government in accordance with the constitution within three days, failing which he will move the High Court to protect the integrity of ...
(read more) Tuesday, October 31st, 2006Prices of essentials including potato, eggs, oil, meat and fruits have once again increased even after the end of the Eid ul-Fitr, due to the volatile political situation across the country. Although the demands for essentials have fallen sharply in the capital as a large number of its dwellers were unable to return to the city after observing Eid at their homes away from the capital due to the countrywide siege programme, the prices of many items shot up in the last four or five days.Retailers and wholesalers attributed this price spiral to the countrywide siege programme, and unpredictable ...
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