United News of Bangladesh

Police filed a case against former state minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak  in Natore's Singra upazila under the Arms Act for failing to deposit his licensed firearms as per a government directive. Sub-Inspector Abul Kalam Azad of Singra Police Station filed the case on Wednesday, accusing the former minister of violating official orders. Zunaid Ahmed Palak hospitalized while on remand According to the case statement, the government had suspended all firearm licenses issued up to August 5, last year, instructing license holders to submit their weapons to the respective police stations. Despite the deadline passing, Palak failed to surrender a pistol and a shotgun that remained in his possession.  

Former State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak on Wednesday said he had no involvement in the killings on August 5 last year as he hid inside the Parliament complex throughout the day. "I want to inform the court that on August 5, I was present in Parliament from 11am. At one point, the Parliament came under attack. I along with the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and 12 others, took shelter in a special room. Around 2:30am, the army rescued us from there," Palak said. The former state minister made the remarks when he was  produced before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court in Dhaka. He also requested the court to allow interrogations at the jail gate if necessary, noting that he has already been placed on an 86-day remand. "Since I was in Parliament the entire day, I had no connection to any murder that took place on August 5," he said. Palak, Shahjahan among 6 accused remanded in murder, other cases According to police, on August 5 last year, a painter named Abdul Jabbar was murdered in  Badda area. Palak was an accused in the case and investigators say he needs to be remanded for questioning to unearth the motive and details behind the killing. After hearing arguments from both sides, the court granted police three days to interrogate Palak in connection with the murder case.

Former Awami League ministers Dr Dipu Moni, Sadhan Chandra Majumdar, Qamrul Islam and three others were on Tuesday shown arrested in three murder cases involving the July uprising in Gazipur. Judge of the Gazipur Metropolitan Magistrate Court Omar Haider passed the order to show them arrested in the cases, said advocate Shahiduzzaman, president of Jatiyatabadi Lawyers’ Forum in Gazipur chapter. The rest of the accused include former state minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak, former army official Ziaul Ahsan and Bangladesh Bank official Nazrul Islam. Earlier in the morning, the accused were produced before the court from Kashimpur Central Jail in Gazipur and Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj. Shomi Kaiser, Dipu Moni among 10 shown arrested in fresh cases Seeing the accused on the court premises, BNP like-minded lawyers staged demonstrations seeking justice for the July uprising martyred. The protesters also threw eggs targeting the accused and chanted slogans against the Awami League and the party’s President Sheikh Hasina, who fled the country on August 5 in the face of the student-led mass uprising that ousted the then ruling party.

Former food minister Qamrul Islam, ex-state minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak, former State Minister for Industries Kamal Ahmed Majumder and former Mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation Atiqul Islam have been shown arrested in separate cases filed with different police stations in the capital linked to July movement. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate GM Farhan Istiaq passed the order after the investigating  officers of the cases produced them before the court. 219 arrested during DMP’s special 24-hr drive on Saturday Earlier at 10:08 am, they were brought to the dock from the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court. Then they were escorted from the court to jail. Among them, Palak was show arrested in the murder case of Sajedur Rahman Omar and Jahangir Alam at the Jatrabari Police Station. HC to hear Chinmoy’s bail petition after Eid vacation Kamal Ahmed Majumder was shown arrested in connection with the murder of Tariqul Islam Rubel at the Kafrul Police Station, while Atiqul Islam and Qamrul Islam were shown arrested in the murder case of Sajid Hawlader at the Badda Police Station.  

All social media platforms including Facebook will be unblocked within two hours on Wednesday. State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak confirmed the development. Palak shared the update following virtual meeting with representatives from Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube, joining from Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) building in Dhaka's Agargaon this morning. Earlier on July 18, internet services were disrupted and access to social media platforms were blocked.   Read more: Only Youtube gets back to Palak; Facebook, others have till Wed morning

4G mobile internet service has been after 10 days of shutdown. However, TikTok and Meta services, including Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp, will remain restricted. Earlier in the day, State Minister of Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak announced that mobile internet will be restored at 3pm today. The minister came up with the announcement while briefing the media following a meeting with Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh. Palak said all subscribers will get 5 GB internet for 3 days for free. Regarding access to social medial platforms, the state minister said the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has sent letters to authorities of social media platforms including Facebook, Tiktok and YouTube. Palak said that Facebook is promoting the content that is supposed to be automatically blocked according to their policy. “No action has been taken against those contents and we wanted to know why they didn't take action.” Read: Decision on mobile internet restoration after meeting with AMTOB: Palak “Their representatives were summoned to explain it in Dhaka  by July 31. Then decision will be taken after discussing with them,” he added. Following a complete internet blackout for five days, the government restored only broadband internet connections from Tuesday night (July 23) on a priority basis. In the wake of violence amid students’ demonstrations for quota reform, the government halted mobile internet services in the morning on July 18 and at 9pm on the same day broadband internet services were suspended, disconnecting Bangladesh with the rest of the world online and disrupting various services. On Saturday, Palak claimed that internet was not intentionally shut down but was disrupted due to the burning of three data centers and hundreds of kilometers of cables. These incidents caused a loss of Tk500 crore in the telecom sector alone and a total loss of hundreds of crores of taka, he added. He also said that there were attacks at 17 locations in Dhaka Division. “In Mohakhali, three data centers housed 18 IIG systems, which host 70% of the ISP servers, causing the internet disruption. We did not intentionally shut down the internet.” He said these while addressing an event held at Agargaon in the capital marking Sajeeb Wazed Joy's 54th birthday. Mobile internet temporarily shut down, says Palak; cites unstable situation as reason  

Around 79-80% of broadband internet services will be restored by tonight (July 24, 2024), according to Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB). ISPAB President Emdadul Hoque told UNB that they are aiming to fully restore broadband internet services by tonight. “We are working on this; hope at least 70-80% will be restored,” he added. Govt offices to operate from 11 am to 3 pm Wednesday, Thursday: Ministry Internet services in some areas were restored last night. Important establishments including government institutions, banks, gas and electricity service providers had broadband internet services restored on a priority basis. State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak will speak in detail on this matter at the BTRC Bhaban this afternoon.

In response to the unrest sparked by ongoing protests demanding reforms to the quota system in government jobs, mobile internet services have been temporarily shut down, State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology, Zunaid Ahmed Palak said today (July 18, 2024). During a press briefing at the ICT Tower in Dhaka’s Agargaon, Palak addressed the media, saying, “Mobile internet services have been temporarily halted due to the unstable situation created centering the protests. Once the situation stabilizes, we will restore connectivity promptly.” ‘Complete Shutdown’: Protestors, police clash in Dhaka’s Uttara; police box and 2 buses vandalized The state minister explained that the suspension was necessary to curb the spread of rumors and maintain stability amid the protests. “Various groups with vested interest have been spreading false information on social media, contributing to the instability. Hence, the decision to shut down mobile internet services was made without prior notice, based on the evolving situation,” he added. Palak also highlighted the government’s communication with major social media platforms like Facebook, Google, YouTube, and TikTok. He expressed dissatisfaction with their privacy policies concerning the removal of controversial content. “We have contacted these companies, but their privacy policies regarding content removal are not satisfactory. If their actions lead to any casualties, they will not be exempt from accountability. These companies must establish data centers in Bangladesh and operate in compliance with local laws,” he said. Read more: Shutdown cripples capital city amid clashes between police and protesters

Startup Bangladesh Limited, the flagship venture capital fund of the ICT Division, today announced that it has canceled a Tk 5 crore investment proposal for 10 Minute School, Bangladesh’s largest edtech platform. The decision was shared on Startup Bangladesh’s verified Facebook page and reiterated by State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak on his own verified page. Attack on students: Quota protesters block Khulna-Jashore Highway “Startup Bangladesh Limited has rejected the investment proposal of Tk 5 crore for 10 Minute School,” Palak posted. Quota protests: NSU, BracU, IUB students block major roads in Dhaka This move comes amid the ongoing protests demanding reform of the quota system in government jobs. Ayman Sadiq, co-founder and CEO of 10 Minute School, has publicly supported the protestors’ demands for quota reform. “We demand quota reform. Merit should be the biggest quota,” Sadiq posted on his Facebook on Saturday, using the hashtag #QuotaMovement. Quota reform protests: Students block several points of Dhaka-Barishal Highway

State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak on Monday (June 24, 2024) said a drive involving all concerned will be conducted to stop online gambling. Around 50 lakh people are involved in online gambling, the state minister told reporters after a meeting with French Ambassador to Bangladesh Marie Masdupuy at the secretariat. Read more: Finance Minister sees online gambling, hundi behind increasing money laundering When his attention was drawn to the issue of money laundering through online gambling, the state minister said, "We have exchanged views on online gambling. Our children of different ages are at serious risk. Even many elderly retired persons are coming in. Analyzing the data, we have seen how 50 lakh people have become involved in these gambling sites.” "We are trying to block illegal gambling sites. I'm also trying to create awareness. So that common people are not deceived by any such temptation.” A total of 2,600 gambling sites have already been blocked and now mobile apps are being blocked, he said adding “It's a continuous process, it will continue.” He said they sat with the Department of Telecom, National Telecom Monitoring Centre, Computer Council, BTRC and Cyber Security Agency to discuss blocking of these gambling sites. Read more: Online gambling apps to be stopped: Palak