Islami Bank In Bangladesh under investigation for terrorist financing.

Islami Bank In Bangladesh under investigation for terrorist financing. (BDNews).

"Islami Bank already gave a report on how its profits are spent. The intelligence people have been instructed to look into whether there are any discrepancies in it," said the minister.

He was speaking to reporters after emerging from a meeting of the ministry's Antiterrorism Committee on Thursday.

Kamal said the government was monitoring a few other financial institutions, operated by the bank, accused of terrorist-financing.

"The key to terrorism is funds. If that can be traced then wiping out terrorism will be easier," said the minister.

Islami Bank has been under international pressure in the last few years after a US Senate Committee report accused it of terrorist financing.

Banks like HSBC, Citi Bank NA and Bank of America have suspended transaction with it since then.

According to Bangladesh Bank officials, the bank maintained accounts of people, who were on the UN's suspicious people's list.

Islami Bank authorities did not disclose information of those accounts to the central bank.

The Bangladesh Bank has been monitoring the Islami Bank for quite sometime. It appointed an ‘Observer’ to the institution in 2010.

On April 15, the Prime Minister's Office had sent a letter to the central bank governor asking for information on the bank's 'corruption'.

It read, “Bangladesh Bank earlier had helped the government by providing information about the irregularities-corruptions at Islami Bank. The Prime Minister’s Office has received complaints regarding several other irregularities-corruptions.

“Details on those irregularities-corruptions are needed. Hope, you will cooperate by providing the information soon.”

The bank, widely believed to be supported by the Jamaat-e-Islami, has come under fire from pro-liberation forces for their alleged funding of Islamist groups.

The party itself is facing investigation of the International Crimes Tribunal for the crimes against humanity committed during the War of Independence.

The Board of Directors of the bank is always dominated by people linked to Jamaat-e-Islami.

Video - Secret Pakistan : Documentary by BBC Part 1.

"Secret Pakistan" by BBC showing involvement of ISI and Pakistan Army in helping taliban. Some MIGHT/MIGHT NOT agree with it. It's their personal matter.

Pakistan - Major Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami boycotts vote in Karachi, alleges rigging.

Pakistan - Major Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami boycotts vote in Karachi, alleges rigging.(ET).

KARACHI: A major Islamist party on Saturday announced it would boycott Pakistan’s elections in the country’s financial hub Karachi and another city, accusing a rival party of rigging and violence.

Jammat-e-Islami (JI) is thought to be the third largest party in the city after the secular Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), which were coalition partners in the outgoing government.

“These are false elections, armed workers of the MQM are terrorising people and rigging the elections,” Muhammad Hussain Mehanti, a JI party leader announced at a press conference.

“MQM workers are openly displaying arms and torturing people, they are harassing people, how it is possible to conduct fair and free elections in such an atmosphere?” Mehnati said.

Cricket star Imran Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) also accused the MQM of major rigging in the city.

JI withdrew all of its 29 candidates who were contesting for national and provincial seats, as well as withdrawing from the city of Hyderabad in Sindh. The party did not take part in the last elections in 2008.

Responding to the boycott, Haider Abbas Rizvi, a senior MQM leader, said: “By boycotting the elections, (JI) deprived the people of Karachi and Hyderabad of democratically defeating it through ballot.”

The election commission also raised concerns about threats to its staff in the port city, which it says has prevented them from performing their duties.

“In other instances, attempts have been made to hijack the vehicles transporting voting material from the returning officers to the polling stations. This has caused serious delays in polling,” it said in a statement.

The independent Free and Fair Election Network tweeted from its account that three of its observers had been beaten up by MQM workers in a district of Karachi.

Arif Alvi, a senior PTI leader, also charged that “extensive rigging” had taken place, claiming that thousands of its supporters had been prevented from voting.

JI also complained of a delayed start in voting in many parts of Karachi, which last year saw record violence linked to ethnic and political tensions.Read the full story here.

Bangladesh police go's on alert after deadly riots killed Twenty people.

Bangladesh police go's on alert after deadly riots killed Twenty people.(AlJazeera).The government of Bangladesh has deployed troops in the north of the country as 20 more people were killed in fresh clashes over the conviction of an Islamist party leader for war crimes in the Muslim-majority nation.
Twelve people were shot dead in the north and northeast district of Bogra and one policeman was killed in clashes with protesters in the western district of Jhenidah, police officials said, adding two people were killed late on Saturday.
More than 10,000 stick-wielding protesters attacked five police stations, forcing police to open fire, they said.
The Jamaat-e-Islami, country's largest Islamic party, has enforced a nationwide two-day strike, that begins on Sunday, to protest the verdict and killing of its activists in police "brutalities".

"The toll could rise," Shahjahanpur district's deputy police chief Moqbul Ahmed said, adding that troops had been deployed to boost security.

Our correspondent in Bangladesh, who we are not naming for security purposes, says there has been no let up in the violence since the verdict was issued.
"Troops are on the streets in Bogra - after police stations came under attack - and it is the only district in Bangladesh where the army has been deployed, because they are very concerned about what's happened in the last 24 hours."

"Section 144 of the penal code has now been imposed, which means that gatherings of four or more people are banned," our correspondent added.

Two other people were also killed on Saturday night, including a ruling party student activist who was allegedly hacked to death by suspected Jamaat supporters, police said.
An inter-city train was torched late Saturday in the northwest but there were no casualties, police said.

The death toll in the clashes over the war crimes verdicts has risen to 76 since January 21, including 60 killed in the past four days after Jamaat's vice president was sentenced to death, police said.

Delwar Hossain Sayedee was found guilty of murder, religious persecution and rape during the 1971 independence war on Thursday, triggering violent clashes between Jamaat supporters and police across the country.The war crimes trials of a dozen Jamaat and main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leaders have opened old wounds and divided the nation, with the opposition parties accusing the government of staging a witch-hunt.

The government, which says the war claimed three million lives, rejects the claims and accuses Jamaat leaders for much of the carnage during the 1971 independence war.

Jamaat-e-Islami backed Pakistan during the independence war but denies their supporters were involved in atrocities. Independent estimates put the death toll from the war in which Bangladesh won its independence from Pakistan at a much lower figure of 300,000 to 500,000.Read the full story here.

Related: A great post related to these events can be read here. Smoke coming out of the keyhole