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To the Editor

Letters will only be considered if they carry the writer's full name, address and telephone number (if any). The identity of the writers will be protected. Letters must be limited to 300 words. All letters will be subject to editing.
ary 5 to explain that status of "discovery" of WMDs in Iraq. After the speech, four panellists on CNN tore Mr. Tenet's points apart. It looked to us as if Mr. Tenet would have done better if he had kept his trap shut.
The ammunition that Mr. Tenet gave was of various kinds . First, he admitted that intelligence is never absolutely right or absolutely wrong which suggested that the US President was advised tentatively on the case against Saddam Hussein. Second, he admitted that WMDs have not been found and only the "intent" was revealed. Finally, and this is dangerous to the UK, he admitted that Saddam's regime never posed any immediate threat at the time of the invasion which was the main argument for Mr. Blair to take his country to war. The panellists revealed a number of interesting points. First, that containment was working in Iraq. The former chief weapon's inspector Mr. Kay's revelations before resigning that Iraq had no stockpiles of WMDs at the point of invasion strengthens this argument. Second, Saddam Hussein was not that uncooperative as the US stated and one panellist who was a UN weapons inspector said that Iraq did not allow inspection of the sites such as Presidential Palaces because among the inspectors were CIA agents who were known to be plotting to assassinate Saddam. By hindsight now, the places that Iraq did not allow inspectors to enter were places that were not even remotely related to any WMD programme and Saddam Hussein was right not to let the CIA agents in to his security areas on grounds of national and his own security. Finally, the claim by Mr. Tenet that action in Iraq encouraged Libya and Iran to cooperate with IAEA on the nuclear programme is misplaced and wrong. One panellist said that Libya was trying for the last 10 years or so to talk to the Americans to come back to the fold but without success. He just cleverly
Woman leadership
The leaders and the activists of our Islamic parties time and again say that according to Islamic Shariah woman leadership in a Muslim country is not permitted (nejaez). But at the same time two MPs of the Jamaat-e-lslami have become ministers of the government which is headed by a woman prime minister. Another MP of the Islami Oikkya Jote is saying that he will resign from the JS if he is not made a minister.
Now the question is, if woman leadership is not permitted, then is it lawful to become a minister under a woman prime minister?
Iqbal Ahmed
NewEskaton, Dhaka
RAJ UK plots
Thanks are due to the RAJUK authorities for extending the date of submitting application for allotment of plots at Gulshan, Banani and Uttara (3rd phase). As per the notice of RAJUK, persons having land, flat, residence within 590 sq. miles either in one's name or in the name of spouse, children or dependants, have been barred from applying for plot. Apparently it sounds justified, but should it be applicable for the residents of old Dhaka? Is there any cogent reason to debar the people of old Dhaka from applying for the government plots?
If we look into the old part of Dhaka, we see that each residence is owned by a group of people who have inherited the property. Barring a few exceptions, in most cases the individual share of land is less than 2 katha. With the increase of population, the land has been divided into a number of pieces according to the number of co-sharers.
So, anyone visiting the old part of Dhaka will have a glimpse of innumerable buildings vertically extended in a small piece of land. It's really hard for anyone to distinguish the buildings from one another. Since the buildings are constructed
on small pieces of land, proper attention could not be given to sanitation, light, air etc. To tell the truth, no building is hygienic enough to live in. The overall sanitation, drinking water, electricity and other civic amenities are in bad shape.
So, naturally, besieged with a number of problems, many residents of old Dhaka look for better accommodation in the new parts of Dhaka. They become interested to try their luck when the government organisations like RAJUK invite applications for allotment of plots. But, unfortunately, that path has been made inaccessible to them due to the policy pursued by RAJUK. Simply for being a cosharer along with five/six persons (in some cases even more than that) in a small land measuring mostly from .5 to 2 katha, they are debarred from applying for a plot. It's unfortunate and uncalled for. The bar in question should be withdrawn in the greater interest of equity and justice.
It would be appreciated if the proposed amendment is made immediately, so that the people of old Dhaka can apply for the plots in Uttara, Gulshan and Banani, the last date of which has already been extended to 15th instant. We are expecting a corrigendum of the notice in this regard before the deadline.
Engr. Md. Shafique Uddin Bagdasha Lane, Dhaka
"Shopping centres of Dhaka"
This is in response to Mr. SU Ahmed's letter in the DS on February 6, 2004.
My observations on 'Shopping centres of Dhaka' were aimed at not on scrutinising the article, but at pointing out a few of several factual errors for the benefit of the readers. I enjoy a good professional and social rapport with the authors that spans more than two decades. Please be informed that I have
reviewed international journal articles on Dholai Khal, and the DS published several articles by me on urban issues in the early 1990s.
Perhaps I should start writing again, as Mr. Ahmed suggested, starting with 'Dhaka's antiquity' which certainly goes several centuries.
Mahbub Rahman
Architect-Urban Designer Dhanmondi, Dhaka
"Why?"
This letter is in response to Prasenjit
have national holidays for Durga Puja, for Christmas and for Budhha Purnima proves the point. Look at the United States. It has people with different ethnic backgrounds and religions. Yet, Christianity is the only religion that is celebrated. There are no holidays for Eid or Puja. Why, don't the American Muslims or Hindus belong to that country? At least, in Bangladesh the minorities get holidays to spend that special day in whatever fashion they like, which is a lot more than what other countries do for their minorities.
used the Iraq issue to draw the attention of the USA, which he received. Of Iran, the panellists said that Iran's decision to open its facilities was taken when the US got bogged down in Iraq and was in no position to mount an additional assault and that too only after the EU foreign ministers who had been working with Iran for a long time made a visit to Tehran.
Ayearago, Mr. Tenet was leaving no one in doubt that Iraq had WMDs. In his speech, all he could say was that intelligence now available proved only Iraq's intent to posses WMDs which not only weakens the
Sarker's letter entitled, "Why?", February 6.
He questions why we don't pay as much attention to festivities of other religions. I think the answer is quite simple: we live in a country which has a Muslim-majority, and so Eid celebrations are a lot more extravagant than Durga Puja, for example.
However, that does not mean that we don't respect other religions and their festivals. The very fact that we
NM
Wl, USA
Cl A d i rector speaks
These columns have carried many letters expressing divergent views on US/UK invasion of Iraq, mostly against. Those who opposed were given the best ammunition to argue against the war from none other than the CIA Director George Tenet when he came live on TV on Febru-case for invasion; it destroys it. It would now be interesting to see how the US administration handles the fallout and whether Mr. Tenet becomes the fall guy. Also, we would wait to see how Mr. Blair handles Mr. Tenet's categorical assertion that Iraq was not an imminent threat when he allied with the US to invade Iraq.
Shahjahan Ahmed
Dhanmandi RA, Dhaka Tikka and Niazi
A H Jaffor UIlah wrote that the Pakistani military gave a heroic last rite and honour to Tikka Khan and no such rite will ever take place for General Niazi.
It however doesn't change the status of any Pakistani who was involved in the genocide in Bangladesh.
Abul Fazal Mohammad Abdul Harris
Freedom Fighter, York, UK
Africanand soon.
Likewise, Mr. Nath has dismayed me by drawing attention of the US Congressmen and some other organisations to his fictitious allegations that the minorities are discriminated against in Bangladesh. I think Mr. Nath needs to think about the word discrimination more carefully than he did. I would like to point out that people like Mr. Nath have an edge on us because they have the luxury to appeal to some, converting an injustice perpetrated against them to a discrimination, while we, the so called majority, cannot
US Congressmen and minorities
After reading the letter of Mr. Bijan Kumar Nath published in The Daily Star on January 28, the accusation of a black student in a foreign Institute came to my mind. When the inebriated student from an African country was charged by police for making bizarre noise on the corridor of a hostel at night, he accused the police of discriminating a black, an
appeal to anyone when faced with injustice.
Can the examples cited by Mr. Nath be termed as discrimination or are those commonplace injustice? Can Mr. Nath answer to the following questions that are whacking my mind: 1) what is the basis of defining majority and minority? 2) If I as a Muslim and as an ethnic Bengali, is selected for a membership of the majority, can Mr. Nath guarantee an effective safeguard for me against
the examples of discriminations he cited land-grabbing, antagonism by the political opponents when the party I vote for loses the election and so on? If you can, please render me your contacts through The Daily Star so that I can fulfil my dream of getting that guarantee in exchange of a befitting reward for you.
I would ardently request Mr. Nath not to mix up migration or immigration (economic or voluntary) with political asylum. We people have a trend to be the majority that is one of the supreme causes of immigration. Why the Jews around the world tend to come to the state of Israel? Are they being discriminated against in Ethiopia, former Soviet Union or in the United States? Why have my millionaire Bangladeshi Hindu friend living abroad built a luxurious house at Salt Lake, Kolkata? He could have easily lived in an elite locality of Dhaka where religion or ethnicity could have never been a matter of one's query.
The feeling of being a member of the majority is just like the feeling of wearing ornaments by a woman. It strengthens the interior of a person more than it can beatify the exterior. And not only that I Democracy also heralds the infliction of the opinion of the majority on the minority if there is no such complex procedure of elections as for the president of the United States (Mr. Gore got more votes than Mr. Bush in 2000). And even the most powerful and advanced country, from which the Congressmen are, has not been able to prevent the hate-crimes despite sincere efforts.
Ahmed Mohiuddin
Dhaka