BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman has joined the interview process for nomination seekers through Skype, amid BNP’s allegation that there was no internet connection in and around the party chairperson’s Gulshan office since last night.

“Tarique Rahman gave us necessary directives over the polls and he asked us to remain united to ensure victory of the polls. We will participate in the elections even if we have to fight and wage a movement,” Shaheed Uddin Chowdhury Annie, publicity affairs secretary of BNP, told The Daily Star.

The BNP leader confirmed that Tarique joined the BNP parliamentary board around 11:00am today.

BNP kicked off its third day of interviews with nomination-seekers from the Feni-1 constituency at 10:05am, said Sayrul Kabir Khan, a staff of the BNP chairperson’s media wing.

Earlier in the day, Sayrul told The Daily Star that Skype was not accessible today as there was no internet connection.

WHAT IS TARIQUE’S ROLE IN NOMINATION PROCESS?  

Through video conference, Tarique, who has been staying in London since 2008, on Sunday interviewed 540 nomination seekers from 72 constituencies of 16 districts in the two divisions at the BNP chief's Gulshan office.

Tarique, who was sentenced to 17 years in prison in two corruption cases and life imprisonment in the August 21 grenade attack, also interviewed the nomination aspirants today, on the second day of the nomination process of BNP.

The Awami League questioned his inclusion in the BNP nomination board and drew the Election Commission's attention to the issue.

WHAT DID EC SAY ON TARIQUE CONDUCTING INTERVIEWS?

The EC secretary said yesterday that BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman did not violate electoral code of conduct by interviewing nomination seekers from the party through videoconference.

“As he [Tarique] interviewed the candidates online, the commission thinks that it cannot do anything right now,” Helaluddin Ahmed said yesterday.

WHEN WAS SKYPE BLOCKED?

The telecom regulator blocked the communication application Skype.com on Sunday night and later blocked its mobile application yesterday.

A top official of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission confirmed the news without commenting any further on the issue.

The BTRC issued the order to all the internet international gateways, internet service providers and mobile operators.

A top official of the Internet Service Provider Association of Bangladesh said they complied with the order within a few hours of getting it and the software was no longer available in the country.

WHY IS TARIQUE ‘TABOO’?

Tarique has been living in London for the last nine years.

Convicted in several cases (in absentia) including that of the sensational August 21 grenade attack, he does not have any valid Bangladeshi travel document.

He had handed over his passport to the UK Home Office almost four years ago.

The UK Home Office sent his passport to the Bangladesh High Commission. He has to apply for a new passport to return home, according to a UNB report.

Bangladesh government wants to bring Tarique back and face punishment he received in three separate cases, including the Zia Orphanage and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases.

Besides, the Supreme Court in an order had also barred media outlets and others to publicise any statement of Tarique Rahman.

WHAT IS SKYPE?

Skype is a telecommunications application software product that specializes in providing video chat and voice calls between computers, tablets, mobile devices, and smart watches via the internet and regular telephones. Skype additionally provides instant messaging services.

Earlier in 2015, the government had blocked almost all the communication application as a wholesale basis including Facebook, Whatsapp, Viber and other applications immediately after the Supreme Court pronounced its verdict maintaining its previous ruling that upheld death penalty of two war criminals.

In August this year ICT and Telecom Minister Mustafa Jabbar said they will consider blocking any social media site like Facebook again and if needed internet could be also shut down to save the state and citizens of the country.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged all to cast vote for Awami League in order to continue the development activities of her government and ensure a hunger and poverty-free Bangladesh.

“Every vote is valuable and your one will help us form the government for the continuation of the country's development,” she said at a rally at Bhanga circle in Faridpur, on her way to Dhaka from Tungipara. The rally was organised as part of the party's second day of election campaign.

“If Awami League fails to return to power, the construction work of the Padma Bridge will be suspended,” she said.

The AL president also sought vote for Kazi Zafarullah, the party nominee in Faridpur-4.

Read More: Give us another chance to serve

“I'm seeking your vote... as you can understand how valuable your vote is for the continuation of development and establishment of Bangladesh as a dignified country in the world arena,” the prime minister added.

Bangladesh became independent through casting vote for “boat” and gradually a hunger and poverty-free country has been built, she said.

Referring to many development works carried out by her government, the AL president said, "We've become self-reliant in food, while the literacy rate in the country has increased... there has been a rise in power generation, too."

Addressing another rally at Mahendra Stand in Daulatdia of Rajbari, she said, “It's important for Awami League candidates to win in all the seats. Keep it in mind while casting your vote.”

“During the BNP-Jamaat rule, there was a rise in terrorism and militancy as people saw the incidents of 10-truck arms haul, August 21 grenade attack and serial bomb blast across the country. People across the country got terrified. Bangladesh also became the champion in corruption for five times.”

“After forming the government, we've taken steps so that the people can lead a happy life,” Hasina said.

She said the second Padma Bridge would be constructed on completion of the first one. “A feasibility study is underway for the second Padma Bridge. Awami League knows it very well how to take the country forward.”

Addressing a public rally at Komorpur Abdul Aziz Institution in Faridpur Sadar, Hasina said, “We don't want to go back to the dark era, we've started moving forward to the path of light and the journey will continue if you cast your vote for 'boat'.”

The AL chief also sought vote for Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain contesting from Faridpur-3.

Hasina said, “BNP-Jamaat men had looted the assets of the country and ate up the money of orphans. They had come to power to kill people and commit corruption. They can't do anything other than burning people and carrying out destruction.”

The spirit of Liberation War had diminished with the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on August 15, 1975, she said while addressing another rally at Paturia Ferry Ghat in Manikganj.

“The BNP-Jamaat doesn't believe in Liberation War. They don't want people's welfare. Development will take place only if the Awami League is voted to power,” she said.

Earlier in the day, Hasina started her journey around 9:04am by road from Tungirpara.

On Wednesday, the AL president launched her party's election campaign for the upcoming national election by addressing a public rally at Sheikh Lutfar Rahman Government Degree College ground at Kotalipara in Gopalganj.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addresses a rally at Maligram in Faridpur’s Bhanga on Thursday, December 13, 2018. Photo: PID

A case was filed against BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, its Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and four other leaders on charge of assaulting Bangladesh Jononetri Parishad President AB Siddique in Dhaka’s Bangsal on April 30.

The four others are BNP leaders are Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Goyeshwar Chandra Roy and Rizvi Ahmed.

After hearing, Metropolitan Magistrate Abu Sufian Md Noman directed the officer-in-charge of Bangsal Police Station to investigate the matter and submit a report before it.

In his complaint, AB Siddique alleged that a group of unknown BNP leaders and activists stopped him on his way to Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court and threatened him to withdraw all the cases filed by him against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, Tarique, Mirza Fakhrul and several other BNP leaders.

They also assaulted him and tore down his 'Mujib coat' saying that they did this as per the instruction of the BNP leaders mentioned above, he claimed.

Bangladesh Jononetri Parishad is a pro-Awami League organization.

Bangladesh and India signed seven memorandum of understanding (MoUs) on cooperation in seven sectors during a virtual summit today.

The seven MoUs include framework agreement on high impact community development projects; cooperation in the field of agricultural, protocol on trans-boundary elephant conservation; supply of equipment and improvement of garbage/solid waste disposal ground in Barishal City Corporation; cooperation between Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Museum, Dhaka and museum in New Delhi; terms of reference of India-Bangladesh CEOs Forum; and framework understanding on cooperation in Hydrocarbon sector.

The virtual summit between Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian PM Narendra Modi began around 11:30am.

Hasina and her counterpart Modi delivered their opening remarks.

The meeting will continue until 1:00pm today.

Following that, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen will hold a press conference at the State Guesthouse Padma in Dhaka at 2:30pm.

They launched a postal stamp marking the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and inaugurated Bangabandhu-Bapu Digital Museum, which highlights the lives and activities of the founders of Bangladesh and India.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today laid the foundation stone of a 4.8km double-line dual-gauge Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Railway Bridge -- aimed at boosting rail communication between the capital and western zones of the railway.

Once constructed, the dedicated dual-gauge double-track railway bridge over the Jamuna River, which will be built some 300 metres upstream of the Bangabandhu Bridge that has a single rail line, would be the largest dedicated rail bridge in the country.

The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone virtually from her official residence Gono Bhaban.

Bangladesh Railway, along with the consultant organisations -- Oriental Consultants Global Company Limited and Chodai Company Limited of Japan and Development Design Consultants Limited of Bangladesh in association with ACE Consultants Limited of Bangladesh -- have already completed a detailed design of the railway bridge.

The main bridge will be constructed in two phases. Two separate agreements have already been signed with Obayashi-TOA-JFE, Japan and IHI-SMCC JV, Japan for eastern and western parts of civil works respectively.

A joint venture of Obayashi Corporation, TOA Corporation and JFE would construct the eastern part of the bridge at a cost of Tk 6,801 crore, while another joint venture of the IHI and SMCC will work on the western part which will cost Tk 6,148 crore.

As per the agreements, land was handed over to both contractors in July this year.

The main project operations include the construction of a 4.8km long dual-gauge double-track bridge, construction of a 7.6km long double-line railway approach embankment, erection of 30.73km dual-gauge railway track, construction of 16 railway approach viaducts, minor bridges and culverts, renovation and remodeling of Bangabandhu Bridge East and Bangabandhu Bridge West stations and yards.

The new bridge will be able to run trains at a speed of 120 kmph on broad gauge line and 100 kmph on metre gauge track. With the construction of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Railway Bridge, 88 trains will be able to run.

The project is scheduled to be completed by 2025.