Yashasvi Jaiswal hit an unbeaten double century to help India to its biggest-ever win Sunday, crushing England by 434 runs in the third Test to take a 2-1 lead in the series. Chasing 557 for victory, England's batting fell like a pack of cards with the loss of eight wickets in the final session to be dismissed for 122 on day four in Rajkot. "In Test cricket... when you're playing well you have to make it big," Jaiswal told broadcasters after the stunning win. "Test cricket is hard, but I thought that when I'm in there, I need to give my 100 percent," he said. Ravindra Jadeja got Mark Wood out for 33 as the final wicket -- and his fifth -- and he kissed the pitch as India registered their greatest win in terms of runs. It was England's second-biggest Test loss since their 562-run defeat to Australia in 1934. England lost their openers, including first-innings centurion Ben Duckett run out on four, before tea and Jadeja then rattled the middle-order with his left-arm spin. Jadeja was named player of the match for his seven wickets in the Test and 112 with the bat in the first innings. Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root extended their poor run in the five-match series, out for four and seven respectively. Skipper Ben Stokes attempted to resist the Indian bowling but fell lbw to left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav for 15 in his 100th Test. "We're 2-1 down in the series but still have two games left," Stokes said. "We leave this game behind -- know we've got to win the next two to win the series." 'Bat till the end' The left-handed Jaiswal stood out with his 214 off 236 balls to flay the opposition attack before India declared their second innings on 430-4. The opener returned to bat in the morning session after he retired hurt on 104 late on day three due to back pain. "Today when I came, I wanted to make sure that I take the game forward and bat till the end," Jaiswal said. He raised his second double ton in consecutive matches with a single off Root and jumped for joy. Jaiswal hit a record-equalling 12 sixes in his knock, which included three straight hits over the fence off James Anderson -- a first for the veteran quick who has 696 wickets in 185 Tests. Jaiswal now stands level with former Pakistan great Wasim Akram, who also hit 12 sixes in an innings against Zimbabwe in 1996. He put on marathon stands that included an unbeaten 172-run partnership with debutant Sarfaraz Khan, who made 68 for his second half-century of the match. The 22-year-old Jaiswal, who hit a match-winning 209 in the second Test, remains the leading batsman in the series with 545 runs. Indian bowlers set up victory after they bowled England out for 319 in the first innings, after the tourists' batting collapsed from 299-5 despite the absence of star spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Saturday. Ashwin, who left the Test midway on day two due to a family emergency hours after taking his 500th Test wicket, returned to the field and got his 501st wicket on the fourth day. Off-spinner Ashwin, 37, became only the ninth bowler in Test history and the second Indian after fellow spinner Anil Kumble (619) to reach 500 wickets. Skipper Rohit Sharma's 131 and his 204-run stand with the left-handed Jadeja steered India to 445 in the first innings after they elected to bat. England won the opener by 28 runs but India bounced back in the second match. The fourth Test starts on Friday in Ranchi. Source: BSS

The delayed final results from Pakistan's national elections on Thursday show that independent candidates backed by ex-PM Imran Khan won the most seats. Independent candidates linked to former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan won the most seats in the country's national election, a final tally by the election commission showed Sunday. Khan-backing independents won 101 of the 264 seats, while the party of another former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, won 75 seats. The Pakistan's People's Party (PPP) which backed ex-Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari came third with 54 seats. Eleven other parties received a total of 34 seats in the National Assembly. Khan — who is currently in prison — and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party were blocked from running in the election, so the supporters of Khan had to run as independents. Both Khan's PTI and Sharif's party, the Muslim League (PML-N) have claimed victory. But as the PML-N becomes the single largest party in parliament, it is likely to have the best chance at forming a coalition. It has already started to seek partners. Internet shut down over post-election clashes The final tally was released over 60 hours after voting concluded in Thursday's national elections, a delay that has raised questions about the process. The vote was overshadowed by a shutdown of internet services due to several bouts of organized violence in the country as well as allegations of manipulation. There were initially no results from two constituencies; in one of the cases, there was no vote because of the murder of a candidate. Khan set for decades in jail The former cricket star was ousted as prime minister in a no-confidence vote in 2022. He has since faced over 150 court cases he claims to be politically motivated and endorsed by his rivals in the current government. Khan has so far been sentenced to three years in jail for corruption, followed by another sentence of 10 years for charges relating to leaking state secrets, then another 14 years for corruption, and, most recently both Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were sentenced to seven years in prison each after a court decided their marriage violated the Pakistani law that states that a woman must wait three months after divorcing to marry again. In another heavy blow to Khan's supporters, a Pakistani court ruled that his party was not allowed to use a cricket bat as their symbol. PTI officials have pointed out that many voters in Pakistan are illiterate, and that not using the bat symbol would negatively affect their numbers. The party has accused the government of conducting a targeted clampdown against Khan and the PTI. Military urges 'unity' Ahead of the final results, Pakistan's powerful military called on politicians to show "political maturity and unity" amid questions regarding the election. "Elections are not a zero-sum competition of winning and losing but an exercise to determine the mandate of the people," army chief General Syed Asim Munir said in a statement. "The nation needs stable hands and a healing touch to move on from the politics of anarchy and polarization," the statement added. Khan has accused the military of acting against him, but the military leaders deny those claims.

Chinese business community and Bangladesh-China Alumni called for Overseas Bangladeshi students to return home and contribute to their homeland’s development at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Initiative in Bangladesh Exhibition 2023 which took place on Friday morning at Bangabandhu Bangladesh–China Friendship Exhibition Centre in Purbachal, Dhaka. HighlightingChinese companies’unwavering confidence in Bangladesh market, Mr. KeChangliang, the President of CEAB, unveiled a robust localization strategy being adopted by Chinese business communityin a move to tap into global expertise to drive localized solution that cater to unique business environment of Bangladesh.  “Most Chinese companies are going through reforms in Bangladesh in the direction for setting up regional HQ and deepening localization. During this BRI in Bangladesh Exhibition, there will be a job fair for Bangladeshi returnee students from China.I hope through this job fair, both Bangladeshi returnee students can get good offers and Chinese companies can source the right people. We will set up a long-term platform for such talent matching activities, ”He said in his opening speech. Mr. Munshi Faiz Ahmad, Chairman of Association of Bangladesh-China Alumni (ABCA) and former Ambassador of Bangladesh to China, welcomed Chinese business community’s localization trend and underscored the valuable skills and experiences that Bangladeshi returnee students could bring to their homeland as assets that align seamlessly with Bangladesh’s vision for growth and innovation. Executive Chairman of BIDA of Prime Minister’s OfficeMr. Lokman Hossain Miah, Minister Counsellor, Charge d’affaires of Chinese Embassy in BangladeshH.E. Mr. Yan Hualong,Vice Chairman of EPBMr. A.H.M Ahsan,Additonal Secretary and Wing Chief of ERD,Ministry of FinanceMr. Md. Anwar Hossain, and President of BCCCIMr. Gazi Golam Murtoza also addressed at the Seminar. The Belt and Road Initiative in Bangladesh Exhibition 2023, hosted by Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh in association with Chinese Enterprises Association in Bangladesh (CEAB)and  Bangladesh China Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCCI), brought together a total of 400 government officials, diplomats and business professionals to network and explore strategies for facilitating cooperation between Bangladeshi and Chinese business communities.  The Exhibition took place from 8-10 September 2023, aiming to review the fruitful results of the proposed Belt and Road Initiative in Bangladesh during its 10 years track and propose approaches to strengthen bilateral cooperation so as to  drive ever-lasting socio-economic growth of Bangladesh.

US Department of State Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel on Friday said US nominee for World Bank presidency, Indian-American Ajay Banga is uniquely equipped to lead the World Bank at such a critical moment. During a press briefing, Patel said, Ajay Banga “is uniquely equipped to lead the World Bank at such a critical moment, and he’s an exceptional candidate.” Banga’s “leadership skills and management experience, his experience in the financial sector, will help achieve the World’s Bank objectives by eliminating extreme poverty, expanding prosperity, while also doing so in a very evolving and dynamic global playing field, where we’re dealing with a lot of new and pressing issues and challenges, like climate change and global health challenges and other things as well,” Patel added. The World Bank recently said that Indian-American Ajay Banga is the only candidate nominated for the President’s position as the nomination period closed on March 29. The World Bank announced that Ajay Banga will be considered for the position. In a press release issued on its website, the World Bank said, “The World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors confirmed that, as announced on February 22, the period for submitting nominations for the position of the next President of the World Bank Group closed on Wednesday, March 29 at 6:00 pm ET.” The World Bank said, “The Board received one nomination and would like to announce that Mr Ajay Banga, a US national, will be considered for the position.” The World Bank said that a formal interview will be conducted with the candidate in Washington DC. It said, “In accordance with established procedures, the Board of Executive Directors will conduct a formal interview with the candidate in Washington D.C., and expect to conclude the Presidential selection in due course.” In February, US President Joe Biden nominated former Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga to lead the World Bank. In a statement, Biden had noted that Ajay Banga is “uniquely” equipped to lead the World Bank at a critical moment in history. Biden’s statement read, “Ajay is uniquely equipped to lead the World Bank at this critical moment in history. He has spent more than three decades building and managing successful, global companies that create jobs and bring investment to developing economies and guiding organizations through periods of fundamental change. He has a proven track record managing people and systems, and partnering with global leaders around the world to deliver results.” Source: The Statesman

Barcelona beat Sevilla by 3-0 margin in Spanish La Liga. In this victory, Xavier Hernández's team moved 8 points ahead of Real Madrid.  The Catalans strengthened their position at the top of the league table with a fifth win in a row. Sevilla were cornered by Barcelona's planned attack at the Camp Nou. But in the first half only the goal was elusive for the hosts.  The guests were upset by one attack after another. The first half was goalless.  After the first half, Barcelona opened their account in the second half. Barcelona took the lead in the 58th minute with Jordi Alba's goal. The Spanish defender scored from Franck Yannick's assist inside the d-box. In the 70th minute, Gavi, who was standing in the gap, made the scoreline 2-0 from Rafinha's pass. And after 9 minutes, Rafinha put the Catalans ahead. The Brazilian striker scored the team's third goal in a great partnership with Jordi Alba. So, Barcelona got a 3-0 victory.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (Sunday) called upon the new generation to be prepared with the knowledge of science, technology and research to lead the country towards prosperity utilising their hidden talents.   "Our worthy children should be prepared with the knowledge of science, technology and research to lead the country in future. Hope you all will flourish your hidden talents in every sector and forward the country to make sure that Bangladesh doesn't lag behind anymore," she said. The prime minister was addressing the award distribution ceremony among nationwide winners of Bangabandhu Talent Hunt Competition-2022 joining virtually from her official Ganabhaban residence in the capital.   Expressing her heartiest greetings to the winners, she said, "Your hidden talents are the future of our country."   The premier asked all concerned to find out hidden talents, saying, "Our children have plenty of intelligence and they are born in the era of technology. So, you should focus on searching hidden talents and utilising those for country's development."   Against the backdrop of global advancement in science and technology, she said Bangladesh has to keep pace with the evolution.   "So, we have to work on education and research of science, health, water resources, agriculture and others. We are giving most importance to the research," she said. She also referred to her government's first separate allocation of Tk 12 crore for research particularly on agriculture to make Bangladesh self-reliant in food production after assuming power in 1996.   The premier mentioned that they allocated Tk 100 crore in the budget the next year (1997) for research, saying, "Research can show us the path (of prosperity and advancement)."   She went on saying that innovative thoughts among children can advance Bangladesh ahead.   "The new generation can march the country ahead through practice of science and technology," she said.   The premier said her government has taken various measures such as establishing science and technology universities, institutes, maritime university and medical university across the country mainly to inspire the students in science education as they found less interest among the children about science after assuming power in 1996. Describing the talent hunt competition as a marvelous system to reach grassroots talents, the prime minister thanked the organisers to include specially able children in the competition as it is one of the steps to bring them in the mainstream of the society.   She stated that the differently able children have huge talents, saying, "We have to find out the talents in them and use their potential in country's development." Sheikh Hasina called upon the new generation to prepare their mindset to work with all, especially the differently able children for the advancement of the country. "I am telling the new generation that we have to mix and work with all of them to ensure our development," she added.   Mentioning that her government has transformed Bangladesh into a developing nation and has been working to make it a developed one by 2041, she said, "You (new generation) are the soldiers of 2041."   She also said her government has been implementing Delta plan-2100 to ensure an improved and secured life for generation after generation.   The prime minister said the Father of the Nation had given the most importance on education particularly on science, technology and vocational education in building the nation immediately after announcing education as the weapon of reducing poverty.   As part of his (Bangabandhu's) move, she said Bangabandhu incorporated education as the basic rights in the country's constitution that was prepared by only nine months after independence.   Bangabandhu nationalised 36,165 educational institutions and built and repaired the already ravaged educational institutes during the War of Liberation, she said. She also said the Father of the Nation made free primary education for all and up to secondary education for female and distributed books free of cost to spread the light of education everywhere.   The premier said that Bangabandhu had also prepared an education policy which he could not implement as he along with most of his family members had been assassinated on August 15, 1975.   Following the footsteps of Bangabandhu, she said her government had nationalised 26,993 primary schools across the country and is distributing books free of cost and giving money to 1.40 crore students directly through their mother's cell phone alongside providing stipends and scholarship to two crore more students.   Sheikh Hasina said her government has given the topmost priority on the education sector as they consider education as the most effective weapon to wipe out poverty from the country.   Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni, Deputy Minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury and Technical and Madrasah Education Board Secretary Md Kamal Hossain spoke at the function while Secondary and Higher Secondary Division Secretary Md Abu Bakr Siddique gave the address of welcome.   Fifteen students out of 7680 participants have been awarded in 2022 with a cheque of Tk 2 lakh each, certificates, crest and medal while 117 others who took part in the competition also got Tk 30,000 each along with other benefits.   On behalf of the prime minister, the education minister handed over the awards among 15 winners in five categories.   Two students on behalf of 15 awardees also expressed their feelings to win the competition.   A video documentary on the Bangabandhu Talent Hunt was screened on the occasion.   At the directive of the prime minister, the nationwide talent hunt competition started in 2013 aimed at finding out grassroots level talents among the secondary and higher secondary students and inspire them to use their intelligence in nation building activities.   The competition was renamed as Bangabandhu Talent Hunt Competition marking the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and golden jubilee of the country's independence in 2020. The competition was not held for two consecutive years, 2020 and 2021 due to the outbreak of the global Coronavirus pandemic. Source: BSS AH

Four of the 10 most valued domestic firms together added a whopping Rs 231,320.37 crore in market valuation last week, with market heavyweight Reliance Industries contributing the most to the overall gains. Last week, the Sensex jumped 884.57 points or 1.61 per cent. While TCS, Infosys and ICICI Bank were the other gainers from the top-10 pack, HDFC Bank, HUL, LIC, SBI, HDFC and Bharti Airtel faced erosion from their market valuation. Their cumulative losses stood at Rs 68,140.72 crore. The valuation of Reliance Industries jumped Rs 138,222.46 crore to reach Rs 18,80,350.47 crore. The market capitalisation (m-cap) of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) rallied by Rs 64,618.85 crore to Rs 12,58,274.59 crore and that of Infosys zoomed Rs 25,728.52 crore to Rs 6,40,373.02 crore. ICICI Bank added Rs 2,750.54 crore, taking its valuation to Rs 517,049.46 crore. In contrast, the m-cap of Bharti Airtel tanked Rs 25,955.25 crore to Rs 376,972.75 crore. The valuation of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) tumbled Rs 13,472.25 crore to Rs 506,157.94 crore. HDFC's valuation plunged Rs 9,355.02 crore to Rs 413,299.36 crore and that of Hindustan Unilever (HUL) dived Rs 8,963.69 crore to Rs 538,561.56 crore. The market valuation of HDFC Bank declined by Rs 6,199.94 crore to Rs 766,314.71 crore and that of State Bank of India (SBI) dipped Rs 4,194.57 crore to Rs 414,369.71 crore. In the ranking of top-10 firms, Reliance Industries retained the title of the most valued firm, followed by TCS, HDFC Bank, Infosys, HUL, ICICI Bank, LIC, SBI, HDFC and Bharti Airtel. Source: Rediff.com

England cricket chief Rob Key said a "talented" Test side can become a force again under new captain Ben Stokes despite a dismal run of results over the past 14 months. Talismanic all-rounder Stokes was named Thursday as the successor to Joe Root, a close friend, in Key's first major announcement since becoming managing director of the England men's team. The 30-year-old Stokes takes over the reins with England at a low ebb after an Ashes hammering in Australia and a dispiriting series defeat in the West Indies. England, world champions in the white ball, 50-over format, have slumped to fifth in the world Test rankings after winning just one of their past 17 matches. But Key, who played 15 Tests for England as a batter, was upbeat about the future, saying many of England's recent troubles were related to the extra pressures of playing during the coronavirus pandemic, including having to operate in bio-secure bubbles. "We can make decisions, we can produce good cricketers and county cricket can be a breeding ground for great international cricketers as it was before," Key told reporters at Lord's on Thursday. "I'm optimistic about English cricket, otherwise I wouldn't have taken this job." The 42-year-old, who has given up a career as a television pundit to take up his new job, succeeds Ashley Giles, who was sacked following the 4-0 flop in Australia. That came after series losses in India and at home against New Zealand, while India led 2-1 after four Tests in the subsequent series in England, with the fifth and final match rescheduled to July this year after coronavirus cases in the visitors' camp. Key is seeking to appoint separate red and white-ball coaches after Chris Silverwood was dismissed from his overarching coaching role after the Ashes rout and he remains convinced that whoever is looking after the Test side will be working with gifted players. - Best choice - "I think there are talented cricketers in there," he said. "We just haven't got the best out of them. That's your job if you are a coach, if you are in the set-up, that's my job as an MD, to make them play as well as they can. "I need to appoint a coach who creates an environment in which they can do that. I see no reason why they can't do that." Key said he had no qualms about appointing Stokes to a demanding role even though it would add to the already heavy workload of the all-rounder, who last year took a break from cricket to "prioritise his mental health". "I talked to a lot of people that know him," said Key. "Every single one of them said that they felt he'd be an excellent captain. Then we sat down and we were sort of aligned in our thinking. "How we see the game -- and I couldn't do it as a player -- but it's how I wanted to play the game. He does it. "He epitomises everything our red-ball team needs. I just want him to go out and do that and lead from the front. And I think he'll do that." Stokes's first match as the permanent England skipper will come against New Zealand, the country of his birth, at the start of a three-Test series at Lord's on June 2. England then face India in their delayed fixture before a three-match Test series against South Africa. Source: AFP/BSS AH

Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani on Wednesday said that India has been at the forefront of uplifting and empowering women at the socio-economic and political front while addressing the 66th session of the United Nations Commission on Status of Women (UNCSW). "India is witnessing a rapid transition from women's development to women-led development, we have developed a multi-pronged approach in our strategy under the leadership of our honorable Prime Minister," Irani said in her address. The Minister highlighted several aspects of the socio-economic and political status of women in India, giving various statistics related to female literacy, sex ratio, female ownership of land, houses, and bank accounts, and also political participation of women in parliament. "We are firmly committed to eliminating all forms of discrimination, disadvantages, and violence against women. This is the fundamental framework that underpins our development story in which women's agency and leadership plays a key role in the realization of our aspiration of an 'Atmanirbhar Bharat', that is an India that is self-reliant, not just for our own sake, but in the interest of the global community in the post-COVID world," the minister said. Irani also paid homage to female healthcare workers and scientists for their major role in handling the COVID-19 pandemic in India. "I pay homage to the service and resilience of over 6 million Indian female frontline workers who have protected our communities during the pandemic and Indian female scientists who have immensely contributed to the development of the vaccine and test kits in India," she said. She further highlighted the steps being taken by the Indian government to facilitate gender equality in India. "The government of India has taken various steps to ensure that women in India are educationally, socially, economically and politically lifted," Irani said while citing steps like the introduction of a Gender Inclusion Fund under the New Education Policy (NEP), provisions in the new labour codes to promote female employment and encouraging female participation in previously unconventional sectors like mining and defence. The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. It is a functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and was established on June 21, 1946. Source: Business Standard

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (Wednesday) stressed the need for preparing the young generation with the spirit of the Liberation War and ideal of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman aimed at building a non-communal, knowledge-and science-based progressive society to lead the country towards development and prosperity, urging the Jubo League to take the leading role in this regard.    “We want to prepare the young generation to take Bangladesh ahead in future,” she said while addressing a discussion marking the 49th founding anniversary of Bangladesh Awami Jubo League from her official Ganabhaban residence in the capital through a video conference.   Against the backdrop of the demand of the BNP leaders to send  Khaleda Zia abroad for treatment, the Prime Minister said they have shown the highest sympathy to the  BNP chairperson by allowing her to stay home and take the country’s best treatment despite the fact that she was convicted for embezzling orphan’s money and giving patronage to the killers of Bangabandu, deliberately celebrating her fake birthday on August 15, giving no scope for treatment of ailing political leaders and making several attempts on her life.     She asked the BNP leaders: “What are they expecting from us?  We have allowed her to stay home and take treatment freely in the country’s best hospital. Isn’t it enough? Isn’t it a great generosity?  We’ve shown it (generosity). How more (I would do)?”   Sheikh Hasina, also president of the Awami League, asked the Jubo League leaders and workers to devote themselves in serving the people and create an atmosphere so that the future generation could get a beautiful life in the future.   Mentioning that the youths took the leading role in each of the democratic movements, the Prime Minister said that they had dedicated the 2018 election manifesto of the Awami League by selecting the slogan “Development of youths lead to prosperous Bangladesh.”  Sheikh Hasina said her government has taken multifaceted programmes, including generating employment and giving training in various fields and creating scope of taking loans without collateral so that they could stand on their own feet and create jobs for others shunning the chase after jobs.   “Our target is that the young generation would work to take Bangladesh ahead,” she continued.   Former chairman of Jubo League and incumbent Presidium Members of the Awami League, Advocate Jahangir Kabir Nanak and former general secretary of the Jubo League and now Organizing Secretary of the AL, Mirza Azam, MP, and immediate past Jubo League General Secretary Harunur Rashid spoke at the discussion, presided over by Jubo League Chairman Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash.  Jubo League General Secretary Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil conducted the discussion.   Video messages of greetings from former Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor and Chairman of board of directors of the BSS, Professor Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique, former State Minister for Information and renowned cultural activist Tarana Halim, former Vice-Chancellor of the Jagannath University Professor Dr Mijanur Rahman, Editor In Chief and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Director of the DBC News Mohammed Manzurul Islam, senior journalist Mustafiz Shafi and noted folk singer Shafi Mandal, were aired in the function.      Sheikh Fazlul Huq Moni (father of Parash) founded the Jubo League following the directive of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on November 11, 1972.  The Prime Minister highly appreciated the speech of the Jubo League Chairman Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash saying that if the leaders and activists of the organization can realize the speech of their chief and work accordingly, the future of Bangladesh will be very bright.  “If it is possible to build Bangladesh with the ideology of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the spirit of the Liberation War, the country will march towards a developed and prosperity maintaining the current socio-economic advancement of Bangladesh,” she said.   The Prime Minister also inaugurated distribution of 61 houses, built by the Jubo League, among the homeless people as part of the government’s move to bring all the homeless and landless people under the housing scheme. Referring to birthday celebration by Khaleda Zia on August 15, Sheikh Hasina said, “What is the meaning of celebrating birthday by cutting cake on August 15? It is to hurt us who lost parents, brothers and children. Isn’t it? Khaleda Zia celebrates August 15 as her birthday. If so, how can they expect more from me?” The Prime Minister said that Khleda Zia mentioned several dates as her birthday in different documents.   She said Khaleda Zia rewarded and patronized the killers of the Father of the Nation. Khaleda Zia had brought a killer of Bangabandhu to parliament as the opposition leader after 1996 farcical election, she said. BNP leaders are now talking about Khaleda Zia’s treatment abroad though she was a convict in graft case, she said, adding that they must remember that Khaleda Zia did not allow former army chief general Mustafizur Rahman to receive treatment in the CMH, and denied treatment facilities to HM Ershad in jail, his wife Raushon Ershad and Matia Chowdhury, and unleashed tortures on AL leaders, including Bahauddin Nasim. “The BNP leaders now want sympathy and cooperation (from us). But I would like to ask them how Khaleda Zia behaved (with us). What were the remarks of Khaleda Zia before the August-21 grenade attack?” she said. Referring to Khaleda Zia’s remark that Sheikh Hasina would never be even the opposition leader let alone the Prime Minister and Awami League would not go to power even in 100 years, the premier said the destiny is that Khaleda Zia has now failed to become an opposition leader. Source: BSS AH