Sunday, July 1st, 2007HM Ershad yesterday quitted as the Jatiya Party (JP) chairman and appointed Presidium Member Anisul Islam Mahmud to deputise for him till the council elects a new chief. A former military strongman who ran the country for about nine years, he also declared that he would not contest the apex post in the next council.The announcement coming at a press conference at his Baridhara residence has the potential to mark a watershed in the country's politics, meaning an end to his eventful years at the helm of the JP.Ershad, who has been serving as the chairman since 1986, said ...
(read more) Wednesday, June 27th, 2007Rawshan Ershad, senior presidium member of Jatiya Party (JP), in a dramatic development yesterday proclaimed herself as the acting chief and unveiled plans for intra-party reforms apparently seeking to dethrone former president HM Ershad. The same day in a press conference to pre-empt her wife's move, JP Chairman Ershad described Rawshan's activities as anti-organisational and said she might get the axe for those.Later, Rawshan announced 13 proposals for radical changes in the party at a press conference at her Gulshan residence. There she also introduced Presidium Member Golam Mosih as "the new secretary general" replacing the incumbent, Ruhul Amin ...
(read more) Saturday, February 10th, 2007Former state minister for energy AKM Mosharraf Hossain was sent to jail yesterday after a court had scheduled the hearing of his bail prayer for Sunday while a Dhaka court sent former lawmaker Mufti Shahidul Islam to a 30-day detention.Former Jubo Dal central leader and a trader from Karwan Bazar in the capital, Nabi Solaiman, was also sent to a 30-day detention by the same Dhaka court yesterday.BNP leader Mosharraf and Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish leader Shohidul were arrested in the ongoing anti-corruption crackdown. Nineteen other high profile politicians were also arrested in the drive.The joint forces arrested 14 people in ...
(read more) Wednesday, February 7th, 2007The caretaker government is preparing tough laws to make registration of political parties with the Election Commission (EC) mandatory in a bid to ensure financial transparency and accountability of the major parties.Besides, the government will issue an ordinance to bar civil servants from participating in the parliamentary election within at least three to four years of their retirement, said Law Adviser Mainul Hosein yesterday.Major political parties, including BNP and Awami League (AL), have been ignoring the registration law for the last six years since it is an optional provision.Adviser Tapan Chowdhury meanwhile said yesterday the caretaker government will make a ...
(read more) Monday, February 5th, 2007Lakhs of Muslim devotees raised their hands in a mass prayer seeking forgiveness and blessings for mankind and the Islamic world as the three-day Biswa Ijtema concluded yesterday with Akheri Munajat.Maulana Zobairul Hassan from Tablig-e-Jamaat, India led the 15-minute Akheri Munajat (concluding prayer) from 12:47pm at the Ijtema, the second largest congregation of the Muslims after hajj, on the bank of river Turag.Over an estimated 3.5 million people joined the munajat for divine forgiveness and purgation of their souls. Several thousand devotees from foreign countries also attended the annual event of the Tablig-e-Jamaat.All roads led to the northern outskirts ...
(read more) Saturday, February 3rd, 2007The Awami League (AL) led grand alliance wants the caretaker government to set a time frame for holding the next parliamentary elections as early as possible and call off the state of emergency to create a congenial atmosphere for a free, fair and credible election.Most of the top AL leaders are in dark about when the election will be held and expressed their worries in this regard."We do not know when the election will actually be held or what the caretaker government is going to do", a frustrated AL organising secretary told The Daily Star.AL Joint General Secretary Obaidul Quader ...
(read more) Thursday, February 1st, 2007Leaders of both the Awami League (AL)-led 14-party alliance and Jatiya Party (JP-Ershad) last night held a meeting with 14 foreign diplomats at a dinner in Dhaka and discussed different issues including the next polls.AL Presidium Member Kazi Zafarullah hosted the dinner at his Gulshan residence in honour of the new Indian High Commissioner in Bangladesh, Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty.Top diplomats including those from the US, Canada and Australia attended the dinner.Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad, AL presidium members Tofail Ahmed, Suranjit Sengupta, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Workers' Party President Rashed Khan Menon and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal President Hasanul Haque ...
(read more) Thursday, January 25th, 2007Attorney General AJ Mohammad Ali stepped down from the country's highest law officer's post yesterday in the wake of increasing demand for his resignation."I have resigned and sent my resignation letter to the president," Mohammad Ali confirmed when The Daily Star contacted him over telephone yesterday afternoon.He, however, declined to disclose the reasons for his resignation.When journalists tried to meet Mohammad Ali at his office immediately after his resignation to verify the news and its reasons, they were told that he would meet them in the evening.But Mohammad Ali did not meet the reporters and sent an advocate instead around ...
(read more) Saturday, January 20th, 2007Jatiya Party (JP) chief HM Ershad said the new caretaker government should be given at least six month's time to prepare the voter ID cards and take other measures for holding a free, fair and acceptable election in the country. The country's law and order situation has marked a huge improvement since the new caretaker government took over, Ershad said while talking to newsmen at Hazrat Shahjalal Shrine in Sylhet yesterday afternoon.A peaceful and stable situation has been prevailing throughout the country, he said adding that positive changes in other fields have also been noticeable during the last few ...
(read more) Thursday, January 18th, 2007Jatiya Party (JP) Chairman HM Ershad was freed yesterday from serving out the sentence given by the High Court (HC) on December 14 last year in a Japanese boat purchase case.He can now contest the polls as five years have already passed since his serving the sentence.The Public Prosecutor (PP) expressed concern over the trial court order yesterday while the defence was satisfied with it.Earlier on January 4, Judge Mohamamd Amirul Islam of the First Additional District and Sessions Judge's Court, Dhaka, had asked the former president, who was on bail, to surrender by yesterday for serving out his sentence.The ...
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