Archive for November 21st, 2008
Friday, November 21st, 2008The BNP-led four-party alliance yesterday announced that it would take part in the parliamentary election if it is held on December 28 but maintained that the government must fulfil three of its key conditions before the polls.In order for the alliance to run in the elections, the government has to lift the state of emergency completely on the last day of withdrawing nominations, delay upazila polls by a month, and scrap the Election Commission's authority to cancel candidature, it said."We gave the government four proposals for going to the elections, but on November 19 the government said it would consider ...
(read more) Friday, November 21st, 2008An overwhelming 96 percent of people want to vote in the next parliamentary election and 86 percent feel that holding the polls on December 18 is very important for the nation, The Daily Star-Nielsen Election Opinion Poll 2008 revealed.A large number of 97 percent respondents are confident that the upcoming elections will be free and fair.They also want the next government to make prices of essentials as its prime task as 41 percent of the respondents marked it as the top most priority issue.The next two issues they feel important to address are corruption (14 percent) and law and order ...
(read more) Friday, November 21st, 2008BNP is yet to begin the process of picking contenders in the upcoming parliamentary election through grassroots level party committees across the country in line with the electoral laws and its own constitution.Party chief Khaleda Zia however said on Monday that they were completing preparations for the polls 'despite uncertainties'.Sources in the party said they need time to make polls preparations including selection of candidates as per proposals from grassroots committees. In such a situation, the party is demanding deferral of the polls beyond mid-January next, they added.“We have not yet received any directive from the party high ...
(read more) Friday, November 21st, 2008The Election Commission (EC) yesterday re-fixed the dates for scrutiny and withdrawal of applications for candidacy in the parliamentary and upazila elections.It also restated that it would put back the national election by 10 days provided the BNP-led four-party alliance commits to participate in it.Meanwhile, a senior BNP leader yesterday morning talked to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda over phone and discussed matters relating to the polls, a source in the EC said.Details of the discussion however could not be learnt immediately.The same day Election Commissioner Muhammed Sohul Hussain in the morning told The Daily Star, ...
(read more) Friday, November 21st, 2008Awami League (AL) may review party nominations in a number of constituencies following AL grassroots' discontent with party picks and since the party now has the time to address the issue.Meanwhile, AL President Sheikh Hasina and LDP President Col (retd) Oli Ahmed submitted their nomination papers for Bagerhat-1, Rangpur-6 and Chittagong-13, Chittagong-14 constituencies.AL Parliamentary Board headed by Sheikh Hasina has kept all candidates' signatures on nomination withdrawal forms, sources said.Many party leaders believe that party picks were not appropriate in many constituencies as a good number of party men who are relatively fresh, young and apparently unknown to ...
(read more) Friday, November 21st, 2008The High Court (HC) yesterday ruled that the Anti-Corruption Commission's (ACC) permitting its officials to file a graft case against former lawmaker Habibur Rahman Mollah was legal.It also said the anti-graft body's receiving investigation report from its officials and okaying the proposed charge sheet in the case were done with lawful authority.Senior counsel for ACC Anisul Huq yesterday told The Daily Star that the HC verdict means the trial proceedings against Mollah will go on. The same fate awaits similar cases pending with the HC including those against former prime ministers Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia.The bench comprising ...
(read more) Friday, November 21st, 2008Irregularities by the land ministry in a housing project for its officials and distribution of plots violating cooperatives rules have caused a loss of Tk 81.3 lakh to the state, reveals an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).The investigation also reveals that as a reward for carrying out the irregularities, 100 plots were given to former and incumbent government staffs, military officials, judges, and private company officials who are not members of the cooperatives.The investigation found though there is no legal authority, the ministry permitted Multipurpose Cooperatives Ltd of its officials and employees to acquire abandoned and uncultivable Khas land ...
(read more) Friday, November 21st, 2008Complications have arisen over interpretation of the rulings delivered by the Supreme Court (SC) and the High Court (HC) about laboratory tests of powdered milk.Upon receipt of the certified copy of the SC ruling yesterday, the government said it will arrange laboratory tests of only eight brands of powdered milk in question at three laboratories at home and also at a laboratory in Europe through World Health Organization (WHO)."We received the copy of the Supreme Court ruling today. We have already formed a committee to collect the samples of the eight brands of powdered milk. From the court ruling, we ...
(read more) Friday, November 21st, 2008The Sector Commanders Forum (SCF) yesterday urged people not to vote the war criminals and anti-liberation forces into parliament.They made the call at a rally at the municipal auditorium in Satkhira.The sector commanders urged the political parties to keep from any electoral alliance with the Jamaat-e-Islami.Calling for boycotting the war criminals politically and socially, they said it is their duty to see that collaborators and criminals of 1971 do not work their way into parliament.Maj Gen (retd) KM Shafiullah Bir Uttam, Maj Gen (retd) Abu Osman Chowdhury, Lt Gen (retd) Harun-ar-Rashid Bir Pratik, Maj Gen (retd) Jamil D Ahsan ...
(read more) Friday, November 21st, 2008Awami League President Sheikh Hasina and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia are likely to attend a reception for the Armed Forces Day today.The Sector Commanders Forum however decided to boycott the programme for inviting war criminals to the function, its chairman Air Vice Marshal (retd) AK Khandker said.The reception will be thrown at Senakunja in Dhaka Cantonment.Abul Kalam Azad, press secretary to the AL president, confirmed last night that the former prime minister will be attending the programme.Maruf Kamal Khan, deputy press secretary to Khaleda Zia when she was prime minister, told The Daily Star that the BNP chief is ...
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