United News of Bangladesh

The three-day first phase of the 58th version of the Biswa Ijtema has ended through Akheri Munajat (final prayer) on the banks of the Turag River in Gazipur, with the participation of tens of thousands of devotees. Bangladeshi’s Tabligh Jamaat leader Maulana Jubair conducted the final prayer that lasted for 24 minutes starting at 9:11am Sunday. Tens of thousands of devotees from home and abroad, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, attended the prayer. People were seen joining the prayer from rooftops of buildings, in vehicles as the gathering of the devotees spanned several kilometers surrounding the Ijteam ground. Many attendees broke down seeking the blessing of Almighty Allah in the mundane and late after the death life, with a good number of women participating. After the prayer, a huge rush was seen on the by-roads and train tracks as the devotees started heading towards their destinations in parts of the country. Read: More devotees arrive on 2nd day of Ijtema in Tongi

The first phase of the 'Capital Dredging on 53 Important Inland Waterways’ project is unlikely to end by the deadline with officials blaming a resistance from locals, disputes over demarcation, leasing out of sand fields as well as inadequate space for dumping dredged materials for the delay.