The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, on Friday 16 November said that if Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and its front organisation Islami Chhatra Shibir continued creating violence, action would be taken in keeping with the Shariah provision ‘qisas.’
Qisas is an Islamic term which means equal
retaliation and follows the principle of an eye for an eye.

Hasina asked Jamaat and Shibir activists not to do excesses to protect war
crimes suspects now facing trial.

The Awami League president, Hasina, at the party’s central working committee meeting in her residence, Ganabhaban, in the evening also reminded the leader of the opposition in the parliament, the BNP Jamaat and others that excesses would not serve their purpose of foiling war crimes trial.

‘This will not stop war crimes trial. Trials, if required, would be expedited,’ Hasina said at the meeting.
Referring to Jamaat and Shibir’s attack on the law enforcement agencies, Hasna said that all knew who was doing it and why.

‘If it is not stopped, we know what steps we should take. The steps are laid out in the Shariah. If required, action will be taken according to the provision of qisas,’ Hasina said.
After Hasina had made the opening statements, the central working committee held the meeting behind closed door.
Awami League leaders Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Matia Chowdhury, Kazi Zafrullah and Mahbub Alam Hanif, among others, attended.

The Daily Star reported, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said those attacking law enforcers and trying to hinder the war crimes trial could be tried under sharia.
The more excesses they do, the faster will be the war crimes trials. There will be no let-up in the trials, she said.

The government knows how to deal with those who are attacking police and out to save the war criminals. Besides, there are even alternative means like sharia and qiyas to try them, she said.
Her comments follow a spate of attacks on the police by activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student body Islami Chhatra Shibir. The Islamist party has lately stepped up its demonstrations for a halt to the trials of its top brass on charges of war crimes.
I also want to say that these trials [war crimes trials] must also be held and none can prevent them, she said.
The Daily sun reported Awami League president and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Friday issued a strong warning of action against Jamaat if the embattled party continued to create anarchy in a bid to stop the war crimes trial.

Speaking at a meeting of the Awami League Working Committee at her official residence Ganobhaban, she made it clear that the trial of war criminals would not be stopped even in the face of political anarchy and turmoil.

“The nation wants the trial of those involved in crimes against humanity during the War of Liberation in 1971, and it will be completed at any cost,” she said. “Nothing can stop it.”

Hinting at the recent spate of violence by Jamaat-e-Islami activists, Sheikh Hasina said, “No benefit can be gained through crossing limit. War crimes trial would not be stopped. Rather, it would be expedited, if necessary.”

The premier said, “Tough steps will be taken if these violent activities are not stopped. What type of steps can be taken is stated in the sharia law. Steps will be taken as per the kiash, if necessary.”

AL trying to woo Jamaat: Khaleda
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson, Khaleda Zia, on Saturday 10 November said that the Awami League was covertly trying to establish links with the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami over its plan to hold the next general elections under the ruling party.
The opposition leader accused the AL government of attempting to make underhand deals with Jamaat, an ally of BNP, at a time when the ruling party leaders were very vocal against the Islamist party.
‘They bash Jamaat in every sentence. Where was Jamaat when Awami League waged the movement against us in 1995-1996? They were not war criminals at that time. Now, they are again covertly trying to establish links with Jamaat over the next elections,’ Khaleda said.

The opposition leader was addressing a rally at Khizari Adarsha High School ground at Ramu in the evening, 40 days after sectarian violence left many Buddhist monasteries destroyed in Cox’s Bazar.
On 11 November The New Age reported,
Khaleda denied the ruling party’s charges that her activists were involved in the attacks on Buddhists in Ramu on September 29.

The BNP chairperson said the government’s reluctance to launch a judicial probe indicated that it was behind the heinous attacks that had ruined a part of the country’s heritage.
She said government forces and associate bodies of the Awami League were behind the rioting and pledged to hold trial of the perpetrators if her party returned to power.
‘Different forces of the government, Chhatra League and Juba League had carried out the attacks,’ Khaleda said.

‘The government was behind the violence at Ramu, Ukhiya and Patiya. Nobody from the government came to help the poor Buddhists during the attacks. I want to ask why there was no police, military or anyone from the government between 9:00pm and 2:00am although the police station is just half a kilometre away and a military camp is four kilometres from the spot.
The government allowed them to move after the destruction was completed,’ she said.
‘Actually police and military had no fault. It was the government which barred them from moving. The same tactics were used in the case of the carnage at the BDR headquarters when military was not allowed to move in,’ she said.

Khaleda said she had formed a committee to probe the Ramu attacks and also demanded a judicial inquiry. ‘But the government did not initiate a judicial probe as it would have opened a Pandora’s box,’ she said.

The BNP chief accused the government of resorting to falsehood over the Ramu incidents and putting the blame on the opposition. ‘Our lawmaker Lutfar rushed to the scene and stood by the people but they are now blaming him.’
Khaleda said Bangladesh was a role model for communal harmony but the Awami League had ruined it. ‘Whenever Awami League came to power they unleashed terror on the people.
They did it in 1971-1975. Properties of Hindus were grabbed and women became helpless,’ she said.

The opposition leader alleged that the ruling party did nothing for the people in the last four years rather went on a ‘looting spree’ and at the fag end of their rule they attacked the temples to loot valuables.
‘Should such a government be allowed to stay in power,’ she asked.
Khaleda said prices of everything had shot up during the current regime of Awami League but human blood had become the cheapest thing.

She called on the people to say goodbye to the government and force it to restore the caretaker government system. ‘Fearing a debacle, they have changed the constitution to stay in power for ever. They now have two options, either holding fair elections under a non-party neutral government or be ousted by the people from power,’ she said.
BNP activists attended rally carrying the party symbol sheaf of paddy, giant portraits of Khaleda and Tarique Rahman and other leaders of the party.
Khaleda embarked on a three-day tour of Chittagong-Cox’s Bazar on Friday afternoon and stayed the night in Chittagong. She started for Ramu at around 11:00am and addressed a roadside rally at Chakoria in the afternoon.

At Chakoria, Khaleda said the government was plundering public wealth.
Pointing to the prime minister, the BNP chief said, ‘You killed people with oars and sticks in 2007. We have records of everything.’
She accused the ruling party leaders of siphoning off money which, she said, they had earned through ‘plunder’ and ‘extortion’.
‘Though the family of the prime minister and her cabinet members had links with the controversial Hall-Mark and Destiny groups, none of them has been being arrested,’ Khaleda alleged.

On the same matter The Daily Star reported on 11 November BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday again blamed the government and the ruling Awami League men for what she called their involvement in the brutal attacks on Buddhist homes and temples at Ramu and Ukhia on September 29 and 30.
Claiming that her party's local MP Lutfar Rahman from Cox's Bazar was innocent, the leader of the opposition said that the present government had blamed the BNP men every time an incident took place in the country.
He [Lutfar] rushed to the spot [Ramu] to help the local people, but he was blamed for the incident. The government was saying this as they do not know [how] to speak the truth. Khaleda told a rally on Khijari High School ground at Ramu in the afternoon.
The BNP chief also called upon the Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and Muslim communities to unite by forgetting all differences, and to uphold Bangladesh as a model before the world.
Khaleda left Dhaka on Friday on a three-day visit to Chittagong and Cox's Bazar to reassure the Buddhist community forty two days after the mayhem took place.

On the night of September 29 and the following day, a mob destroyed over a dozen temples and their houses in Ramu, Patiya and Ukhia. The violence was triggered apparently by a Facebook photo defaming the Holy Quran.
Several hundreds of Buddha statues were also looted from different temples and monasteries during the mayhem that led to huge criticism at home and abroad.
Khaleda said: I want to say clearly that the Awami League and government men were behind the mayhem in Ramu. Arrest and try them. Otherwise, my government will the bring perpetrators to book if we come to power at the next election.

She also urged people irrespective of their religious identity to oust the present government as it has failed to protect people's life and ensure security of the minority people.
Before attending the rally, Khaleda visited Sima Bihar, a Buddhist temple, and assured the minority people of financial assistance to rebuild the affected temples.
In her over half-an-hour-speech, the former premier questioned why the local administration had not taken any measures to prevent the attacks at 9:00pm.
Why were the police, Rapid Action Battalion and army not sent to the spot?

She alleged that the AL spoke about secularism but carries out repression and attacks on the minorities and loots their wealth whenever it comes to power.
The BNP does not talk about secularism; rather we believe in religious values so that people of all religions can freely practise their own faith, she added.
Earlier at a roadside rally at Chakoria bus stand, Khaleda warned Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, saying: "You killed people using logi-boitha in 2007. We have a record of everything."

She alleged that the government had provided firearms to the Chhatra League and Jubo League to suppress opposition leaders and activists. "But we will build strong resistance together with the people so that they do not get any scope to use them," added Khaleda.
GOVT-JAMAAT CONNECTION
In her Ramu speech, the opposition leader alleged that even though the government had always spoken against the Jamaat-e-Islami, it was trying in clandestine manner to take the Jamaat on its side so that the key BNP ally participates in the coming polls.
But the government is yet to see success as the Jamaat is strict [regarding the BNP-led opposition's demand for restoring the caretaker government system].

Khaleda also said the government had always spoken about Jamaat leaders' involvement in war crimes. She demanded to know where the razakars were and the war criminals when they [AL] waged a movement with the Jamaat in 1996 regarding the caretaker government and when they [AL] and Jamaat participated in the polls together under Ershad [regime] in 1981?
The opposition leader is set to speak at a roadside rally at Ukhia today before leaving for Dhaka in the afternoon.
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Confusion over ransom :
Thursday, November 15 The Daily Star report said, a day after abducted kindergarten student Parag Mondol was found in Keraniganj, conflicting stories have emerged surrounding the ransom.
According to Rab intelligence and other sources, a ransom of more than Tk 1 crore was paid to a gang led by a listed criminal who recently came out of jail on bail in an abduction and arms case.
"We had all the information regarding the deal between Parag's family and abductors. But we didn't intervene considering the boy's safety and that is how the criminals escaped after taking the ransom money," said Lt Col Ziaul Ahsan, director of Rab's Intelligence Wing.
"We have specific information that Parag's family paid a ransom of Tk 50 lakh in cash for his release. This was not made known to us by the family, though.
Also, several sources insist that the actual ransom amount was more than Tk 1 crore.

But Inspector General of Police Hassan Mahmood Khandker differed on the issue of ransom and claimed that the child had been rescued through police intelligence activities and application of strategic techniques.
IGP Khandker declined to disclose the strategic techniques, saying, "The strategy of the law enforcers and intelligence should never be disclosed for the sake of arresting the criminals."

He refused to admit the failure of law enforcers and intelligence in rescuing the boy as well as in arresting the criminals. "The police may not be successful instantly in every case. There is still scope of arresting the criminals and bringing them to book."
"The criminals had assigned one Kala Chan in Keraniganj to watch the movement of Parag's family. We learnt that he was paid a split of Tk 4 lakh from the ransom money. But all of a sudden he has mysteriously disappeared [from yesterday]."
Sources say this Kala Chan was actually arrested by Rab.

Lt Col Ziaul Ahsan added the battalion had identified a mid-level criminal, active mainly in Old Dhaka and Keraniganj area, as the main culprit. "The criminal had planned the abduction soon after he came out of prison on bail recently."
On the matter of ransom, he said, "The money was handed over to the kidnappers at a place in the city outskirts, a few kilometres away from Aminbazar around 9:00pm, about three hours before the child was found at Atibazar [a few kilometres off the place where the transaction took place.
When the money was handed over, a Rab team was nearby. But since the child had not yet been found, they could not make a move. The gang managed to get away, he added.

A day before, Commanding Officer of Rab-10 Lt Col Kamrul Hasan had said they had information that the abductors had demanded Tk 2 crore from the family. But the family did not disclose this to the law enforcers.
So far, the family has remained tight-lipped on the issue of ransom fearing a backlash. However, Parag's uncle Pradip Kumar Dutta Tuesday night said the family had its own arrangement to rescue the child.
Son of businessman Bimol Chandra Mondol of Keraniganj, Parag was abducted by a band of armed criminals on the morning of November 11 while he along with his two sisters and mother was about to get into their car for going to school.
The criminals also fired two shots at his mother, one at his elder sister and another at the driver of the car.