United News of Bangladesh

Former State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar, who was admitted to United Hospital in the capital with chest pain, has been kept under close observation in its Coronary Care Unit (CCU). “Doctors have kept him under close observation. His echocardiogram was done in the morning, and other tests are going on,” said Mirza Haider Ali, Babar’s personal assistant. Meanwhile, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir visited Babar in the morning. Babar breaks down in tears at Ziaur Rahman’s grave He talked to the doctors and enquired about Babar’s physical condition. Babar was rushed to United Hospital on Sunday after he complained of chest pain at his Gulshan residence.  He has been undergoing treatment under the supervision of cardiologist Dr Kaisar Nasrullah Khan at the hospital. 10-truck arms haul cases: Babar, 4 others acquitted in another case The former state minister was released from prison on January 16 after 17 years of incarceration, following his acquittal in all cases against him.

BNP leader Lutfozzaman Babar broke down in tears at the grave of party founder Ziaur Rahman in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar after his release from prison, following 17 years of incarceration.  Babar was freed from Dhaka’s central jail in Keraniganj around 1:45 pm, and made his way directly to Zia’s grave. Despite his frail health, he was accompanied by a convoy of several thousand BNP leaders and workers. The journey took approximately three hours.  Lutfozzaman Babar finally walks out of jail Upon arrival, Babar was visibly overwhelmed with emotion and broke down amidst his supporters. He was joined by BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan and senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi. After regaining composure, Babar acknowledged the greetings of party leaders and workers. Babar first visited Zia’s grave, then went to the graves of his parents in Banani, before heading to his residence in Gulshan. Nazrul Islam Khan later spoke to the press, reflecting on Babar’s unjust imprisonment. “Our dear colleague, who endured over 17 years in prison and has now been proven innocent, is finally free,” he said. Babar among 6 acquitted in ten-truck arms haul case Khan added, “Babar, who was young and vigorous when imprisoned, was wrongfully incarcerated due to political vendetta and false charges. He spent nearly six years in a condemned cell. The toll on him has been immense, but we are grateful for the court’s decision to clear him of all charges.” Khan also praised Babar’s devotion to the BNP, noting that despite his ill health, he chose to visit Ziaur Rahman’s grave first, rather than go home to his family. A former Netrokona-4 MP, Babar served twice between 1991-1996 and 2001-2006. He was appointed the youngest state minister for home affairs in Khaleda Zia’s cabinet in 2001. High Court acquits Lutfozzaman Babar in corruption case Following his release, a large crowd gathered outside Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj to welcome him with flowers and congratulations. Babar’s legal battles began in 2007, resulting in multiple convictions, including two death sentences and one life sentence. However, after the fall of the Awami League government in 2024, Babar was gradually acquitted of all charges, including an 8-year corruption sentence and a death sentence in the August 21 grenade attack case.

Lutfozzaman Babar, former state minister for home affairs, walked free after 17 years in prison, receiving a warm reception from BNP leaders and activists at the jail gate. “He walked out of Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj around 2 pm,” said jailer Bashiruddin. Babar will first pay respects at the grave of BNP founder and late president Ziaur Rahman, followed by a visit to the BNP office in Paltan. He will then travel to his ancestral home in Netrakona. 10-truck arms haul cases: Babar, 4 others acquitted in another case The High Court on Tuesday acquitted five people, including Lutfozzaman Babar, in a case filed under the Arms Act over the sensational 10-truck arms haul. The HC bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Nasreen Akter passed the order after hearing. Earlier, on December 18, last year, the High Court acquitted six death-row convicts including Lutfozzaman Babar in a case filed under the Special Powers Act. On April 1, 2004, 10 trucks of arms were seized at the Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Ltd jetty. Two cases – one under the Arms Act and another under the Special Powers Act – were filed with Karnaphuli Police Station the following day, naming 50 people as accused in the arms case and 52 in the other. Babar among 6 acquitted in ten-truck arms haul case On January 30, 2014, Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Judge SM Mujibur Rahman sentenced 14 people, including Babar, to death under the Special Powers Act. They were also handed life imprisonment and seven years' imprisonment each under two sections of the arms case.

The High Court on Tuesday acquitted five people including former state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar in a case filed under the Arms Act over the sensational 10-truck arms haul. The HC bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Nasreen Akter passed the order after hearing. The others acquitted include— former DGFI director Maj Gen (retd) Rezzakul Haider Chowdhury, Mohsin Talukdar, Enamul Haque and Nurul Amin. The court also commuted the death sentences of five convicts to different years' of jail in the case. Of them, Indian separatist outfit United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) chief Paresh Barua’s death sentence was reduced to 14 years jail, while death sentence of Akbar Hossain, Liakat Hossain, Hafizur Rahman and Shahabuddin  was commuted to ten years jail. Home Ministry reiterates action against illegal foreign nationals in Bangladesh Besides, the court also exempted four others including former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, Dwin Mohammad, former National Security Intelligence director general Abdur Rahim and Hazi Abdus Sobhan as they died during the trial proceedings. Motiur Rahman Nizami was executed in 2016 for crimes against humanity. All of them were given life imprisonment in the case. Earlier, on December 18, last year, the High Court acquitted six death-row convicts including Lutfozzaman Babar in a case filed under the Special Powers Act. On April 1, 2004, ten trucks of arms were seized at the Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Ltd jetty. Zia Orphanage graft case: Judgment on Khaleda's appeal Wednesday Two cases – one under the Arms Act and another under the Special Powers Act – were filed with Karnaphuli Police Station the following day, naming 50 people as accused in the arms case and 52 in the other. On January 30, 2014, Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Judge SM Mujibur Rahman sentenced 14 people to death under the Special Powers Act. They were also handed life imprisonment and seven years' imprisonment each under two sections of the arms case. The 14 sentenced to death included former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, former state minister Lutfozzaman Babar, ULFA chief Paresh Barua, former DGFI director Maj Gen (retd) Rezzakul Haider Chowdhury, and former NSI director general Abdur Rahim. The charges were related to smuggling under the Special Powers Act.

Pakistan are all set to take on the hosts Bangladesh in a three-match T20I series starting from Friday. Ahead of this series, Pakistan captain Babar Azam said they are looking forward to continuing their T20 World Cup momentum and forgetting the semifinal defeat to Australia. Under Babar’s captaincy, Pakistan won five matches in a row in the Super 12s stage of the World Cup but stumbled against Australia in the semifinal. Despite that defeat, Pakistan gained much appreciation from the cricketing world. “It certainly was a big disappointment to lose a game in the World Cup,” Babar told on Thursday in the pre-series press conference. “The whole team got hurt. But we are confident of rectifying our mistakes and going forward. We have faith among us.” Also read: Bangladesh v Pakistan: Young Tigers look to restore pride lost in World Cup Bangladesh are going to miss the services of Mushfiqur Rahim in this series. Shakib Al Hasan is also out of action due to an injury. Despite their absence, according to Babar, Bangladesh cannot be taken easily. “They are seasoned campaigners, and they play BPL so we cannot beat them easily,” Babar added. “We don’t want to lose the momentum that we got in the World Cup. We also have Test matches in this series. So we should not take them lightly.” While the first match of the series is on Friday, the second match will be played on Saturday, and the third and final match is scheduled for November 22 (Monday). All of these matches will be played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur. Also read: Is Mahmudullah unaware of Mushfiqur’s omission? The first Test of the series will take place at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram from November 26, and the second Test will be played in Dhaka from December 4.

Babar Azam, Trent Boult, and Shakib Al Hasan have topped the ICC ODI rankings in the batting, bowling, and all-rounder categories, respectively. Pakistan captain has been in excellent form in recent years but has been unable to dethrone Virat Kohli from the top spot. Finally, Babar has climbed to the top of the ICC rankings. In bowling, Bolt is now one of the top bowlers in the world, so him being number one is completely justified. Meanwhile, Shakib has reclaimed his no.1 spot immediately after returning to international cricket. ICC player rankings in May 2021 across all formats are discussed in this article. Latest ODI Ranking for the players Babar Azam of Pakistan tops the ODI batting rankings with 865 points, followed by Virat Kohli (857) and Rohit Sharma (825). New Zealand's Ross Taylor (801) and Australia's Aaron Finch (802) complete the list of top five in batting rankings. Mushfiqur Rahim has the highest batting ranking among Bangladeshis, his position is 18th. Besides, Tamim Iqbal is at 23rd position and Shakib Al Hasan is at 26th position. In bowling, Kiwi pacer Trent Boult is at the top with 737 points, followed by Afghanistan's Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, New Zealand's Matt Henry, India's Jasprit Bumrah, and Bangladesh's Mehedi Hasan. Meanwhile, Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan is in 16th position, while cutter-master Mustafizur Rahman is at 18th spot. Shakib Al Hasan tops the all-rounder category with 408 points, followed by England's Ben Stokes, Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi, England's Chris Oakes, and Afghanistan's Rashid Khan. Besides, Bangladesh's Mehedi Hasan is ranked 20th. Also Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka: Five Memorable match-winning ODI performances Updated Test Ranking for the players New Zealand captain Kane Willaimson tops the Test batting rankings with 919 points, followed by two Australians Steve Smith (891) and Marnus Labuschagne (878). England's Joe Root (831) and India's Virat Kohli (814) complete the list of top five in batting rankings. Mushfiqur Rahim has the highest batting ranking among Bangladeshi, his position is 21st. Besides, Tamim Iqbal is in the 26th position and Mominul Haque is in the 30th position. In bowling, Aussie pacer Pat Cummins is at the top with 908 points, followed by India’s Ravichandran Ashwin (850), New Zealand’s Neil Wagner (825), England’s James Anderson (822), and Australia’s Josh Hazlewood (816). Meanwhile, Bangladesh's Taijul Islam has the highest bowling rankings among the Bangladesh player, his position is 25th. While Shakib Al Hasan is ranked 27th and Mehedi Hasan is at 30th spot. The Windies captain Jason Holder tops the all-rounder category with 423 points, followed by England's Ben Stokes (393), India’s Ravindra Jadeja (386), India’s Ravichandran Ashwin (353) and Shakib Al Hasan (338). Besides, Bangladesh's Mehedi Hasan is ranked 14th. Read Batsmen shine in practice game ahead of Sri Lanka ODIs Latest T20I Ranking for the players England’s Dawid Malan tops the T20I batting rankings with 892 points, followed by Aaron Finch (830), Babar Azam (828). New Zealand’s Devon Conway (774) and Virat Kohli (762) complete the list of top five in batting rankings. Young top-order batsman Mohammad Naim has the highest batting ranking among the Bangladesh cricketers, his position is 28th. Besides, Litton Das is in the 29th position and Mahmudullah is in the 31st position. In bowling, Proteas bowler Tabraiz Shamsi is at the top with 732 points, followed by Afghanistan's Rashid Khan, Australia’s Ashton Agar, England’s Adil Rashid, Afghanistan’s Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman. Meanwhile, Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan is in 23rd position, while left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman is at 41st position. Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi tops the all-rounder category with 285 points, followed by Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan, Australia’s Glen Maxwell, Scottish sensation Richard Berrington, and Ireland’s Gareth Delany. Besides, Bangladesh's T20 captain Mahmudullah Riyad is ranked 12th. Read Shanto omitted as BCB announces squad for Sri Lanka ODIs Bottom Line Bangladeshi players have a mediocre position in the ICC player rankings as of May 2021. Bangladesh cricketers are always lagging behind in the world rankings due to a lack of consistency. This scenario will improve if we are able to consistently compete at an international level. On the other hand, cricketers like Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, Kane Williamson, and Pat Cummins are among the top in the ICC rankings across all formats.

Bangladesh continued to struggle – now with bowling - in the first Test of the two-match series against Pakistan in Rawalpindi as Shan Masood and Babar Azam hit centuries for the hosts on Saturday.