Stop arrests over anti-govt views: Rizvi

BNP Acting Secretary General and Prime Minister’s Political Adviser Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has called for an end to the practice of arresting people merely for expressing anti-government views or applying the law based on political identity.

He made the remarks as the chief guest at a seminar titled “Recent Gas and Power Crisis: Responsibilities of the Government and the People”, organised by the Jatiyatabadi Samajik Sangskritik Sangstha (JASAS) at the National Press Club in Dhaka on Tuesday.

Rizvi said the ongoing gas and electricity crisis was not created by the government but had been exacerbated by the global war situation, difficulties in LNG imports and a technical fault at the Maheshkhali LNG terminal.

“The government is not sitting idle over the crisis; various initiatives have been taken to address it,” he said.

He alleged that attempts were being made to turn the gas and power crisis into a political issue, confuse the public and create disorder on the streets.

Rizvi said opposition parties in a democratic system had the right to criticise the government and its policies.

“Through constructive criticism, the government can understand its mistakes and take necessary measures,” he said, adding that opposition parties also had a responsibility to play a constructive role.

Referring to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Rizvi said disruptions to international energy supply routes, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, were affecting LNG supplies.

He said Bangladesh, being dependent on LNG imports, was facing difficulties in ensuring adequate gas supplies to the national grid, households and industries and maintaining normal power generation amid disruptions to maritime shipping.

He said the crisis was not solely an internal problem for Bangladesh and that global circumstances also had to be taken into account while discussing it.

Rizvi said the government had taken an initiative to allocate an additional Tk 40,000 crore to tackle the crisis and was contacting neighbouring and nearby countries to secure gas supplies.

He said arrangements were being made to source gas from Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia and other countries.

Regarding the Maheshkhali LNG terminal, he said repair work was underway following a technical fault.
Rizvi also stressed the need to strengthen state institutions, saying the country’s democracy had repeatedly suffered because its institutions were not strong enough.

He called for independent and effective institutions, including the higher judiciary, media, police administration, education and healthcare systems.

As the country was moving towards a new election process, he said state institutions, including the police administration, would have a direct role in the process and should therefore operate responsibly and remain free from partisan interests.

Rizvi further said law enforcement agencies should not be used for political purposes.

“Arresting someone simply for expressing an anti-government opinion or enforcing the law based on political identity is a practice we must move away from,” he said.

The seminar was chaired by BNP National Executive Committee member and JASAS central committee convener actor Helal Khan. Culture State Minister Ali Newaz Mahmud Khaiyam attended as a special guest.

Jahangirnagar University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Kamrul Ahsan, JASAS Member Secretary Zakir Hossain Rokon, BNP Assistant Secretary for Cultural Affairs Said Sohrab, Volunteer Affairs Secretary Mir Sharafat Ali Safu and Research Affairs Secretary Shamimur Rahman Shamim, among others, also addressed the seminar.

US sanctions putting Iranian students at risk
AFP

US sanctions have disrupted English proficiency testing in Iran, threatening the overseas study plans of thousands of Iranian students who can no longer sit for exams required by foreign universities.

Nikki, a 32-year-old Iranian student who had planned to study psychology in Italy, was due to take the TOEFL English proficiency test in Iran later this month. But the exam was suspended following the latest US sanctions, leaving her scrambling for an alternative.

“When I found out that the exam had been cancelled… I did not leave my room for several days because I was crying,” Nikki said.

“My plans were left hanging midway.”

The US-based Educational Testing Service (ETS), which administers TOEFL, said the exams were suspended after the US Treasury stopped issuing licences for them.

ETS said Iranian students could still travel abroad to take the test. However, that option is prohibitively expensive for many, particularly as Iran faces severe economic pressures.

Other English-language tests, including PTE and the increasingly popular Duolingo English Test, have also been suspended in Iran, according to Iranian media.

“We can no longer take any of the exams here,” Nikki said.

Costly alternatives
Taking an English proficiency test abroad is beyond the reach of many Iranian students.

Iran’s economy has been under pressure for years because of international sanctions, while the situation has been further compounded by more than six months of war with the United States.

The Iranian rial has fallen to record lows, reaching around 2.2 million to the US dollar in recent days. Year-on-year inflation stood at 89 percent for the Iranian month ending August 22, sharply reducing purchasing power.

“I am now trying to get a loan so that I can book the exam and go to a neighbouring country to take it,” Nikki said, adding that she was considering Armenia.

“The money I was supposed to spend on the health of my teeth now must go toward the exam and the trip,” she added.

Iranian students have been using Telegram groups to share information about available testing options and seek the cheapest and quickest ways to complete their university applications.

In one group with more than 24,000 members, students discussed travelling to Armenia, Iraq or Turkey, while calculating the additional costs involved.

One student ruled out taking the test in Istanbul, saying travelling there was “for the rich who can afford flights”.

Officials condemn suspension
Iranian officials have condemned the suspension, saying the restrictions showed that Washington was targeting Iranian citizens across different sectors.

Science Minister Hossein Simaei Saraf described the move as “‘Stone Age’ behaviour”, apparently referring to language used by US President Donald Trump when he threatened to send Iran back to the Stone Age.

For Leila, a 32-year-old Tehran resident, the cancellation was another setback after she secured admission to a graduate arts programme in Berlin this summer.

She had already deferred her university offer for a year because of uncertainty surrounding the war, which has continued despite an April ceasefire that halted its most intense phase.

“I have no plans to take the exam elsewhere; financially, it is not possible for me to take it outside Iran,” she told AFP, describing the situation among Iranian students hoping to study abroad as one of “sheer despair”.

With her plans now in disarray, Leila said she would probably pursue further studies inside Iran instead.

“I have learned to make several plans to survive tough situations,” she said.

“So I will probably go to university here.”