Ever since Sheikh Hasina was made to be the prime minister of Bangladesh for second time with a grand design engineered by the triangular power structure of Washington-London-Delhi, Hasina has continuously relied on some very specific political capital to continue her ruling and clinging on to power. Approaching almost three years in office, during this period she was asked to perform some very delicate and extremely risky jobs by these triangular power structure. Hasina has so far managed to withstand and perform those tasks. However there have been huge political backlash and opposition internally which she has dealt with an iron fist specially to counter dissident political opinion and opposition political parties under various pretexts and even without pretexts.

For example Hasina came to power with promise to USA that she will be allowed to use Bangladesh as her military base which Hasina has so far delivered on along with subordinating the Muslims army of Bangladesh to US command. Moreover, as per the demand of her master USA, Bangladesh's energy resources have been made open and cheap for USA by Hasina. The latest chapter of recently awarding the country's biggest gas reserve to ConocoPhillips is just an example of her true commitment to her masters in USA. Hasina has continued to work closely with USA in suppressing the call for Khilafah "Caliphate" by banning, imprisoning, torturing and continuously chasing the members of Islamic political parties in her desperate attempt to follow the instruction from her master USA, word by word. With all these coming to absolutely nothing in deterring the work for Khilafah "Caliphate", now her government has started to abduct members of Hizb ut-Tahrir without informing their whereabouts even to the courts let alone to their family.

Similarly with India; when India ordered Hasina to open the most important strategic location of Bangladesh i.e. the Chittagong sea port for India, Hasina quickly agreed to that demand and allowed Indian access to not just sea ports but also to river ports as well. Later on the demands of India continued to grow and Hasina continued to surrender Bangladesh for her political survival. Then the saga of surrender continued with rail-air-sea-river transit to India. For forty years Indian demand for a corridor has not been materialized. However, in the recent showcase of her subservience, last week Hasina has given India transit through Ashugonj port to the northeastern Indian provinces. Regarding this transit the Indian high commissioner has said very openly that, "India will not give any fee for this except what has been outlined back in 1972 protocol." With this Hasina has created a great security and strategic hazard for Bangladesh. But she thinks it worthy for her political survival to show her loyalty at the expense of the country's security and interests!

It may be appropriate to mention here that when Hasina was asked to stage a mutiny by India in the headquarters of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) located at the heart of Dhaka, just after two months in office; it was an expensive and very perilous job. But she did it! With Hasina holding the trigger on the head of Bangladesh army with excuse of political solution into the crisis that ended with the brutal murder 57 top army officers, India finally pulled the trigger by paralyzing the two most brilliant and professional forces of Bangladesh i.e. Bangladesh Army and the Bangladesh Rifles which then continued to become more and more subservient to Indian security needs, rather than protecting Bangladesh as reflected in recent two week long joint India-Bangladesh military exercise from 09th October 2011.

The question is what remains for Hasina to offer to India or to USA so that both of her masters will still require Hasina to remain in the power of Bangladesh. With election approaching in just 24 months her government has been running out of options to win the minds of her foreign masters since most of her strategic cards have already been played out. India got transit, access to Chittagong and Mongla sea ports, access to separatist leaderships held in Bangladesh, control over Bangladeshi army and restructuring of Bangladeshi security forces, and access to the Bangladesh market; while USA got the military bases to counter the rise of Islamic waves as well as counter China, full control over our energy resources, full control over our military and its intelligence. Thus the natural question arises if Hasina has become a redundant servant for USA and India? And what USA and India do with redundant servants who are growing immensely unpopular internally that without resorting to violence and brutal crackdown no other means remain left for them to hold onto power! May be the example of Ben Ali, Mubarak, Gaddafi, Saddam Hussein or Benazir Bhutto will act as examples for Hasina, should she wish to pay heed!

Jafar Muhammad Abu Abdullah
Dhaka

Titles:

• Eurozone Crisis Could Cause Collapse of Global Banking System, Warns Citigroup's Willem Buiter
• America's Child Death Shame
• US Army to Fly ‘Suicide' Drones
• Think 10 Times Before Moving into Pakistan: Army Chief Warns US

Eurozone crisis could cause collapse of global banking system, warns Citigroup's Willem Buiter:

The world banking system could collapse if eurozone leaders fail to curb the region's sovereign debt crisis, according to Citigroup's chief economist Willem Buiter. "If things get out of hand in the euro area, no bank in the financial integrated world will stand," he told a parliamentary committee. Mr Buiter, a former member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, said the recapitalisation of banks and other systemically important institutions should be a priority in the region. "If they don't, we are setting ourselves up for a financial crisis following the sovereign crisis," he said, giving evidence at a session of the House of Lords EU Economic and Financial Affairs Sub-Committee on the eurozone crisis. Mr Buiter said he was not hopeful that "a grand plan, a grand design, [or] even a big bazooka for that matter" would emerge from the European leaders summit in Brussels on Sunday, or at the G20 summit in Cannes on November 3 and 4. "There will be some progress, but very limited," he said. "It's going to take months, probably well in 2012, before we have clarity about how Spain and Italy will be ring-fenced, guaranteed funding, how the banks will be recapitalised and how much of them will end up being majority state owned - I expect a significant number of them."

The super rich a scaremongering again. They want to ensure that governments and the European people do not oppose the measure they are suggesting to ensure that their wealth is protected at the expense of all others. There foremost priority is to limit the debt crisis to a few countries and prevent a contagion, which will bring the whole system down and destroy their wealth.

America's child death shame:

Sixty-six children under the age of 15 die from physical abuse or neglect every week in the industrialised world. Twenty-seven of those die in the US - the highest number of any other country. Every five hours a child dies from abuse or neglect in the US. The latest government figures show an estimated 1,770 children were killed as a result of maltreatment in 2009. A recent congressional report concludes the real number could be nearer 2,500. In fact, America has the worst child abuse record in the industrialised world. Scale of the abuse is mindboggling. Even when populations are taken into account, Unicef research from 2001 places the US equal bottom with Mexico on child deaths from maltreatment.

Islam has forbidden the neglect of children and has made it obligatory for parents to provide food, clothing, shelter and to meet the various other requirements of their children. The messenger (s.a.w) of Allah said, "It is enough sin for a person that he ignores those whom he is responsible for." [Abu Dawood]. Thus, within the Islamic framework children are regarded as a blessing and the family is viewed as playing a pivotal role in the stability of society.

US Army to fly ‘suicide' drones:

A miniature suicide drone designed to quietly hover in the sky before dive-bombing and slamming into a human target will soon be part of the US Army's arsenal, officials say. Dubbed the "Switchblade," the robotic aircraft represents the latest attempt by the United States to refine how it takes out suspected militants. Weighing less than two kilos, the drone is small enough to fit into a soldier's backpack and is launched from a tube, with wings quickly folding out as it soars into the air, according to manufacturer AeroVironment. Powered by a small electric motor, the Switchblade transmits video in real time from overhead, allowing a soldier to identify an enemy, the company said in a press release last month.

At last, the US government has confirmed that suicide bombing even though it is carried out by machines is a valid tactic in military warfare.

France begins withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan:

France is set to pull out nearly 200 troops from Afghanistan in a few hours, kickstarting withdrawals announced three months ago by Paris. Another 200 soldiers are due to return home before Christmas as part of Nato's plan to end combat mission by 2014. France has some 4,000 troops in Afghanistan and 75 of its soldiers have died in the country since 2001.Several countries, including, the US, the UK, Canada and Belgium, have also announced plans to withdraw troops. Some US and Canadian troops have already headed home, handing over responsibilities for security to Afghan forces.The US plans to withdraw 33,000 soldiers by the end of 2012.Most French soldiers are deployed in the district of Surobi and in the neighbouring province of Kapisa. "We are carrying out a proportional withdrawal," French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet told France Inter radio ahead of Wednesday's withdrawal.

At a time when America is contemplating an attack on Pakistan, America's ally has decided to withdraw some of its troops. The Dutch have already withdrawn their troops and it is clear that the European contingent of NATO countries is not supporting America's war on terror. So what is preventing Pakistan's leadership from saying NO to America's war on terror and severing all ties?

Think 10 times before moving into Pakistan: Army chief warns US:

Amid escalating tensions, Pakistan's all powerful army chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, has warned the US not to launch any military offensive into his country's tribal region. Asking the US to "think 10 times" before moving into North Waziristan region from Afghanistan, Kayani reminded the Americans that Pakistan was a nuclear power and should not be compared with Iraq or Afghanistan. The army chief, who has been smarting since US commandos intruded into Pakistan and killed Osama bin Laden in a Pakistani town in May, was addressing members of parliament's defence committee on Tuesday. But Kayani did not specify what Pakistan would do if American troops, now massed on the Afghan side of the border, did move into North Waziristan hunting for the militant Haqqani network. US officials are linking the Haqqani group with Pakistani's intelligence agencies and say it has stepped up attacks on American interests in Afghanistan, with some tacit Pakistani backing. Xinhua quoted a participant as saying that the general rejected US allegations that Pakistan was using the Taliban-linked Haqqani network for waging a proxy war in Afghanistan. Pakistan, Kayani insisted, was a part of a solution to the Afghan tangle, not the problem. The US is livid with the Pakistani establishment for not taking strong action against the Haqqani group. The Americans say Pakistan, which remains obsessed with India's growing clout in Afghanistan, is trying to keep alive the Haqqani network so that it plays a role in any Kabul dispensation once the US army pulls out. Kayani said he had told the Americans that Pakistan would go for military action in the region if the situation demanded but not under any pressure. "If somebody convinces me that military action in North Waziristan will resolve all problems, I am ready to go for it tomorrow," he said.

Has not the time for warning passed? If Kayani is sincere then he should immediately cut the supply linesto NATO forces, expel the US diplomatic and military staff, and actively buttress Pakistan's ability to repel any attack. This includes mobilising nuclear weapons and making them active. Actions speak louder than words, and the time for action is here and now.

On the eve of Saturday 10/09/2011 CE the Zanzibar Isles were afflicted with an unparalleled historic calamity that spread grief, tears and pain into every house with the capsizing of the MV Spice Islander in the Nungwi area. This is the worst and most severe accident to have afflicted Muslims of these islands as the passengers are estimated to have reached 3,000

The secret agencies of Pakistan make another failed attempt to link the world's largest political party, Hizb ut Tahrir, with militancy and terrorism. Hizb ut Tahrir denies the report published in two Urdu newspapers according to which police arrested a member of Hizb ut Tahrir from a protest held outside the Parliament House and recovered uniforms of the security services from his possession.  The concocted story was released by a previously unheard of news agency