JaPa
JaPa not to compromise on HR issues: GM Quader
Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader on Wednesday said their party will not compromise when it comes to people’s basic human rights issues.
“The main politics of the Jatiya Party is to ensure good governance,” he said while speaking at a views-exchange meeting at Jatiya Party Chairman’s Banani office.
READ: GM Quader wants crackdown on illegal arms
The Jatiya Party chief said their party will continue to work for building a new Bangladesh as dreamt by its founder HM Ershad with the trust and love of people.
GM Quader, also the deputy opposition leader in parliament, said it has been proved that people enjoyed better basic rights during the rule of Jatiya Party than that of Awami League and BNP. “Ordinary people are still saying that they were in a better situation during Ershad's rule.”
He said people want to see Jatiya Party in power once again.
Quader urged the Jatiya Party leaders and workers to work for making the party stronger at the grassroots level to pave the way for returning to power.
READ: Waterways must be made safe: GM Quader
Jatiya Party presidium members Shamim Haider Patwari , Advocate Rezaul Islam Bhuiyan, Maj (retd) Rana Mohammad Sohel, party chairman’s adviser Hena Khan Panni, party office secretary MA Razzak Khan and joint office secretary Mahmud Alam joined the meeting with its co-chairman Advocate Salma Islam in the chair.
Ziauddin Bablu hospitalised with Covid infections
Jatiya Party Secretary General Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu has been admitted to a city hospital with Covid-19 infections.
He was admitted to Labaid Specialised Hospital in the capital’s Dhanmondi area on Monday evening, Jatiya Party chairman's deputy press secretary Khandaker Deloar Jalali told UNB on Tuesday.
He said Bablu underwent Covid test the same day and the result came out positive.
Jalali, however, said the physical condition of the Jatiya Party leader is good as there is no major complication.
He said their party chairman, GM Quader, urged all to pray for the speedy recovery of Bablu.
Party sources said Bablu recently took part in electioneering in favour of the Jatiya Party candidate in Sylhet-3 by-election held on September 4.
He fell ill after his return to Dhaka from Sylhet and then underwent the Covid test.
Ensure food for poor: GM Quader
Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader on Sunday urged the government to ensure food security of the poor and jobless people during this lockdown by neutrally making a list of them.
“The families of the unemployed people are going through serious ordeal amid corona,” he said in a statement.
Referring to a recent study of PPRC and Brac, the Jatiya Party chief said the living standards of about 15 percent of the country's people or about 2.45 crore have fallen below the poverty line anew during the one year of the Covid pandemic.
Also read: GM Quader demands probe into vaccine, Covid test costs
He said there are now nearly 3.5 crore poor people in the country with the new ones.
GM Quader, also the deputy opposition leader in parliament, said the number of poor people in the country will increase further due to the lockdown enforced by the government to tackle the second wave of the coronavirus.
He said many people have lost their sources of income due to the lockdown. “There’s no food at the homes of those who live from hand to mouth.”
Quader said many families of unemployed poor are facing a disastrous situation for lack of food, life-saving drugs and baby food during the lockdown.
Also read: Much of health sector allocation being looted: GM Quader
“Under such a situation, we demand the government make a proper list of the poor and strengthen the social security programme to ease their sufferings,” he added.
Lockdown can’t be fruitful keeping people hungry: GM Quader
Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader on Saturday warned that the nationwide lockdown, set to be enforced on Monday, will not be successful without ensuring food security for the crores of hardcore poor people of the country.
“Hungry people can never be forced to stay indoors. Hunger and lockdown can’t go together,” he said in a statement.
Quader, also the deputy leader of the opposition in parliament, said there is no alternative to lockdown if the Covid pandemic spreads alarmingly.
READ: GM Quader fears dire social consequences of drug abuse
“But there’re crores of hardworking people in the country who don’t have food in their stocks at homes as they manage their food based on their daily income,” he observed.
The Jatiya Party chief also said the poor and the day-labourers have to buy medicines along with food and in some cases baby food. “They also have to pay house rent.”
He said the families of crores of day labourers will suffer badly if they can’t work due to the lockdown. "It'll create a humanitarian catastrophe across the country."
He also fears that the law-and-order situation in the country may collapse if people suffer from the scarcity of food and other necessary things.
GM Quader said the government must ensure food security for the extremely poor and working people on humanitarian ground during the lockdown.
Besides, the authorities concerned will have to take tough measures so that the government’s aid for the poor and destitute is not stolen.
On Friday night, the government announced to enforce a fresh nationwide "strict lockdown" from Monday, as the country grapples with a surge in coronavirus cases and fatalities with the highly infectious Delta variant playing havoc.
The restrictions will remain in place for seven days when the government and private offices, barring those of emergency services, will remain shut.
READ: Not possible to tackle Covid with gifted vaccines: GM Quader
The National Technical Advisory Committee on Covid-19 pandemic on Thursday recommended imposing a "nationwide shutdown" for two weeks to contain the worsening Covid-19 situation in the country.
Indian variant of Covid may wreak havoc on Bangladesh: GM Quader
Voicing deep concern over the outbreak of Indian Covid variant in bordering areas, Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader on Sunday warned that the nation will have pay a heavy price for lack of measures to stop it.
“The way Indian (Delta) variant of the Coronavirus has been spreading in frontier districts is extremely alarming,” he said in a statement.
The Jatiya Party chief said though the infection and fatality rates of the deadly virus are increasing day by day, many people are still entering Bangladesh from India every night dodging the border guards. “So, the frontier districts must be put under a stricter lockdown.”
Also read: No support from ministry for local Covid vaccine: GM Quader
GM Quader, also the deputy opposition leader in parliament, said the members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) can be deployed in those districts to implement the lockdown. “We’ve to pay a heavy price if any lenient attitude is shown towards the Indian variant.”
He said the government must ensure adequate food support to the bordering districts alongside imposing the lockdown.
“Hungry people can never be kept confined to their homes without ensuring food for them,” the Jatiya Party chairman observed.
Besides, he said, healthcare services need to be improved rapidly at the district level.
GM Quader said all the district hospitals, including the bordering ones, must be equipped with adequate oxygen support, necessary medicines and other equipment to deal with the growing number of Covid patients.
Also read: Take mega projects to improve healthcare system: GM Quader
The highly contagious Indian variant of the coronavirus was detected in Bangladesh for the first time on May 8 and it is spreading in different parts of the country, including Dhaka.
Experts fear that Bangladesh may face the worst outbreak of the deadly virus by the end of June.
Bangladesh closed its border with India for any kind of movement except that of cargo on April 26 which was later extended till June 14 to control the spread of coronavirus as the situation in the neighbouring country has deteriorated.
JaPa accuses govt of harassing opponents
Jatiya Party on Wednesday accused the government of harassing its leaders and activists in Narayanganj’s Sonargaon over the vandalism at Royal Resort.
In a statement, party chairman GM Quader and General Secretary Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu said neither Jatiya Party nor its any leaders and activists were nvolved in the attack on the Royal Resort in Sonargaon on April 3 following the detention of Hefazat-e-Islam leader Mamunul Haque with a woman.
However, they said Jatiya Party’s Sonargaon Upazila unit President and Shambhupura Union Parishad Chairman Abdur Rauf and Sonargaon Municipal Jatiya Party Vice President and Municipality Councilor Farooque Ahmed were arrested by implicating them in "false" cases. “Besides, at least 35 more of our leaders and activists are being harassed in the false cases."
Also read: Jamaat and Japa leaders detained in Narayanganj
The Jatiya Party top leaders demanded the government immediately release Rauf and Farooque and stop the harassment of their leaders and workers.
They alleged that Jatiya Party leaders and activists could not stay at home during this holy month of Ramadan amid coronavirus pandemic as police are raiding their houses every night.
GM Quader and Bablu also said family members of the Jatiya Party leaders and activists have become worried over the continuous police raids.
Also read: Killing of Chattogram workers unacceptable: GM Quader
They demanded the government ensure that no innocent person who had no involvement in the resort attack incident is unnecessarily arrested or harassed.
Hefazat-e-Islam's Joint Secretary General Mamunul Haque was detained with a woman he claims as his second wife at Royal Resort in Sonargaon on April 3.
Hours later, a group of leaders and supporters of Hefazat and some locals attacked the resort and snatched Mamunul.
Jamaat and Japa leaders detained in Narayanganj
Narayanganj metropolitan Jamaat-e-Islami amir Maulana Mainuddin Ahmed and Sonargaon Jatiya Party president Shambhupura UP chairman Abdur Rauf have been arrested in connection with the violence in Narayanganj during Hefazat-e-Islam strike, last month.
Narayanganj additional superintendent of police (A Circle) Mehedi Imran Siddiki confirmed this.
The UP chairman Abdur Rauf was arrested on Monday afternoon and the Jamaat amir Maulana Mainuddin Ahmed was arrested on Sunday night.
Also read: 12 more Hefazat supporters held over Brahmanbaria violence
The court has sent the Amir of Jamaat to jail and fixed Wednesday for the remand hearing
He has been shown as an accused in three cases of Siddhirganj police station.
In one of the cases, the police asked for a 7-day remand.
However, Maulana Mainuddin Ahmed's lawyer Main Uddin Mia said he was not an accused in any of the three cases.
"Besides, we do not believe that Maulana Mainuddin was involved in the incident mentioned in the statement of case," he added.
Also read: Hefazat leader Mamunul Haq finally arrested
On March 28, Hefazat-e-Islam called for a nationwide strike.
During the strike supporters of Hefazat vandalized and set fire to more than 50 vehicles on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway in Signboard, Sanarpar and Shimrail areas of Narayanganj.
In this incident, 8 separate cases were filed in Siddhirganj police station accusing 132 people and hundreds of unidentified persons.
35 accused have been arrested so far in these cases, police said.
GM Quader greets PM on Pahela Baishakh
Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader, also the deputy opposition leader in parliament, on Saturday greeted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the occasion of Pahela Baishakh.
On behalf of GM Quader, his assistant personal secretary M Abu Tayab and Jatiya Party organising secretary Mamtajuddin took a greeting card to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) at noon, said a press release.
They handed over the card to PM’s protocol officer Md Abu Zafar Raju.
Earlier on Monday last, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina greeted Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Leader of Opposition in Parliament Begun Raushon Ershad and Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader ahead of Bangla New Year 1428.
The nation will celebrate Pahela Baishakh, the first day of the Bangla calendar, on Wednesday on a limited scale marinating the government’s directives issued over containing the upsurge in coronavirus cases.
BNP, JaPa mourn Prince Philip’s death
BNP and on Friday expressed deep shock over the death of British Queen Elizabeth’s husband Prince Philip.
In a condolence message, the party said, “Not only Britain but also the entire world, especially the Commonwealth countries, lost a tested friend at the demise of Prince Philip.”
It said the people of the UK have lost a guardian who gave Queen Elizabeth the full support and strength in performing her responsibilities. “In his personal life, Philip was a very polite, humble, cordial and gentleman with strong morale,” the party said.
It also said the Prince had worked tirelessly to make British society more tolerant, balanced and humanitarian based on justice. “Besides, Prince Philip had done much to preserve wildlife and the environment and develop the young people.”
Also read: Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, dies aged 99
Expressing deep sympathy for the members of the British Royal Family and the British people, BNP prayed for the eternal peace of Philip’s departed soul.
Meanwhile, Jatiya Party also expressed deep condolence at Philip's death.
In a condolence message, Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader said Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, was engaged in humanitarian work. “He had given encouragement and support to Queen Elizabeth’s social services throughout his life.”
In another condolence message, Jatiya Party Secretary General Zaiuddin Ahmed Bablu also condoled the death of Philip.
GM Quader and Bablu also prayed for the eternal peace of Price Philip’s departed soul and conveyed their sympathy to the bereaved Royal Family members.
Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II's husband, died aged 99, the Buckingham Palace said on Friday.
Man to die for killing JaPa leader in Khulna
A tribunal on Monday convicted a man and sentenced him to death for killing Jatiya Party leader Sheikh Abul Kashem in 1995.
The condemned convict is Tarik Hossain. He was tried in absentia.
The court also acquitted six people as allegations brought against them could not be proved.
Those acquitted are—Tariqul Hud, Abdul Gaffar Biswash, Wasiqur Rahman, Mushfiqur Rahman, Mafizur Rahman and Milton alias Anisur Rahman.
According to the prosecution, Sheikh Abul Kashem, former general secretary of Khulna Metropolitan unit of Jatiya Party and his driver Mikail Hossain were shot dead by some miscreants on April 25, 1995.
Also read: JaPa leader sued in Ctg for ‘hurting religious sentiments’
On May 5, 1996, CID submitted chargesheet against ten people. The other accused in the case are Iktier Uddin Babul, Syed Manirul Islam and Aminul Haque.
On June 8, 1997, the government exonerated Aminul from the murder charge. Besides, Syed Manirul and Babul died during the trial proceeding.
After examining the records and witnesses, Khulna Public Safety Disturbance Crime Prevention Tribunal Judge Saifuzzaman handed down the verdict.