Category: Politics
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‘শেখ হাসিনা ৪ঠা আগস্টেই পদত্যাগের সিদ্ধান্ত নিয়েছিলেন’
ছাত্রদের কোটা আন্দোলনের এক পর্যায়ে ৪ঠা আগস্ট যে জটিল বাস্তবতা তৈরি হয়েছিল এবং দেশের একটি অংশ তাকে টার্গেট করে যেভাবে সমালোচনা করছিল, তখন গণভবনে অবস্থানকারী তৎকালীন প্রধানমন্ত্রী শেখ হাসিনা হতাশা থেকে বার বার বলেছিলেন যে, এত কিছু করার পরও যদি এরা সমালোচনা করে, তাহলে তারাই দেশ চালিয়ে দেখুক। তিনি তখন তার সরকারের হাত ধরে দারিদ্রের…
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Press freedom, rule of law key to peacebuilding
This op-ed was published on September 28, 2024. For decades, Bangladeshi media has played a vital role in upholding the spirit of democracy, human rights, and the fight against corruption as the fourth pillar of the state, despite limitations such as inefficiency, politicization, and threats. Press freedom is essential for any functioning democracy. The role…
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Professor Muhammad Yunus: The importance of being earnest
In this op-ed dated August 17, 2024. I warned that nepotism, arrogance, and culture of impunity could nullify the revolution’s success. From childhood, humans learn about their daily needs from their surroundings and the dos and don’ts from their parents, teachers, journalists, public representatives, law enforcers, and the judiciary. However, while the textbooks, social norms…
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Why did Nixon sell lethal-end weapons to genocider Pakistan?
Pakistan had a request for five F-104 replacement aircraft and wanted to get 100 US-made second-hand M47 tanks, which were part of a promise to Gen Ayub Khan from President Lyndon Johnson during a stopover visit to Karachi airport in December 1967. After months of negotiations, President Richard Nixon on June 11, 1970, approved the…
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Why is ‘Joy Bangla’ slogan so powerful?
“Joy Bangla” meant hail Bangla or long live Bangla, referring to the land where the Bengali-speaking people lived in undivided India. The slogan, first used by our great national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam with the spirit of Bengali nationhood in 1942, became the strongest words against domination and discrimination of the West Pakistani military rulers.…
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How dangerous are the Afghan returnee militants of Huji-B?
Bangladesh has been talking about Islamist militancy and extremism, or an armed struggle to establish a Shariah-based state, since early 1999. Members of the Bangladesh branch of the Pakistani militant outfit Harkatul Jihad al-Islami or HuJI attacked poet Shamsur Rahman with the intention of killing him on January 18 of that year. After that, in…
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1971 Genocide: Ukhiya Buddhists fled to Arakan to save their lives
After the Pakistani military launched genocide in East Pakistan on March 25, 1971, to suppress the Bengali resistance for an independent Bangladesh, other Bengalis linked to Islamist parties became their supporters and formed auxiliary forces, like the Peace Committee, Razakar, al-Badr, al-Shams, and Mujahid Bahini, across the country. The collaborators were mainly tasked with assisting…
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What are the political reform proposals for Bangladesh already available?
Ever since the student leaders of Ganatantrik Chhatra Shakti announced a government-ouster movement on Saturday, the social media and mainstream media have flooded with nominations for the new prime minister from civil society, the main opposition BNP and Islamic scholars. Some are also suggesting the names of Cabinet members. Yet, no one has come up…
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Bangladesh anti-quota movement: Dangers of open social media in the third world
When some top media outlets and their sympathizers in the opposition, civil society and young generation work together against the establishment, it may not take too long to unseat a government. It’s not surprising that a harsher reaction from the executive and legislative bodies of the State is imminent. The incumbents would try their best…
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Don’t normalize hatred, brutality and politricks, pls!
Overenthusiasm and inaction are both harmful in crisis times. Since childhood, humans usually learn about the standard of living from their surrounding environment, from parents to classmates to birds and animals. As they grow up, many children spontaneously learn about while some are taught the dos and don’ts—both social norms and laws of the land.…
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Why has the US been dismayed with Sheikh Hasina since 2009?
Even though the two countries have maintained a bilateral relationship, the United States, under three different presidents, has always been critical of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League for some of her major political decisions that hurt US interests related to Grameen Bank founder Dr Muhammad Yunus, the trial of war criminals linked to Jamaat-e-Islami, the hanging…
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Strict actions are needed for effective reforms
This op-ed was published on March 15, 2024. As Bangladesh continues to grapple with longstanding crises such as reserve management, corruption, and law enforcement, it’s evident that meaningful reforms are needed to overcome this uncomfortable situation and ease uneasiness. And such reforms demand resolute leadership. The aftermath of the recent elections, which saw the incumbent…
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Bangladesh’s drug problem is deep-rooted, unstoppable
Over the past four decades, Bangladesh has been alarmed by the rise of new synthetic drugs, the number of drug addicts among adolescents and young women, drug smuggling, drug-related crimes, substandard rehabilitation centres, and lax monitoring and enforcement of laws. During this period, successive governments have formulated new laws and modernized some age-old laws, increased…
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US interests, accusations of ‘Arab Spring’, and Bangladesh’s path forward
In a recent twist of geopolitics, Russia has accused the United States of planning events to destabilize its close ally Bangladesh following the January 7 elections. The allegations, drawing parallels with the “Arab Spring”, shed light on the intricate dynamics of great power competition in South Asia. Earlier, China slammed the US for its alleged…
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What did the Biden administration seek from Sheikh Hasina?
Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League came under great pressure at home and abroad from the very beginning regarding the dramatic results of the 2018 parliamentary elections and allegations of vote rigging—that too after a lopsided election in 2014. Her government had to face one rumor after another, harsh controversies and criticisms for corruption, irregularities, inefficiency, nepotism…
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How US is modernizing Bangladesh Army
Despite calls by US politicians and Human Rights Watch to exclude members of the Bangladesh Army and police from the UN Peacekeeping missions, accusing them of violating human rights, the United States has continued providing Bangladesh with numerous new military capabilities to support the Army, Navy, Air Force and Special Operations units. This assistance comes…
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JUNE 22, 1971: US was nonchalant when Syed Nazrul sought recognition
The Nixon administration decided to keep mum when it received the first formal request for US recognition of Bangladesh in June 1971 and announced support for a unified Pakistan. Dated “Mujibnagar”, April 24, the letter requested President Richard Nixon’s immediate US recognition of the “sovereign independent People’s Republic of Bangladesh” and establishing diplomatic relations with…
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2023: Will the BNP be victorious between Eids?
The ruling Awami League has been in power since 2009. Its archrival BNP has often declared dates during intense public protests, notably before the general elections of 2014 and 2018, but has been unable to overthrow the ruling party. They abstained from the 2014 elections but decided to participate in the following one as a…
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May 10, 1971: Pakistani military ruler Yahya invites Awami League to form government
In early May during the Liberation War, Pakistan President General Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan was pondering the transfer of political power without holding fresh elections. He was in favour of the Awami League forming the nucleus of the government in East Pakistan as it swept a landslide victory in the December 1970 elections, except for…
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1952 Language Movement Series: Not 5, dozens were killed on February 21-22
Bangalees started getting united to thwart possible attempts to undermine Bengali in July 1947, a month before the establishment of Pakistan and India based on religion, as they sensed the political leadership in West Pakistan would prioritize Urdu. They were right. The initiatives, taken by the West Pakistani rulers and supported by some Bangalee Muslim…
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সরকারের সাথে হেফাজতের অন্ধকারে গোপন বৈঠক ফাঁস
না, আর লুকানো গেলো না। গত কয়েক মাস তর্জন-গর্জন করে, ঘৃণার বিষবাষ্প ঢেলে, সরকার-বিরোধী সহিংস তান্ডব চালিয়ে সোমবার ১৯শে এপ্রিল ২০২১ সালে শরীয়া আইন প্রতিষ্ঠার আন্দোলকারী হেফাজতে ইসলামের নেতারা প্রথমে একদল গোয়েন্দার সাথে বৈঠক করে। এরপর রাতে ধানমন্ডিতে স্বরাষ্ট্রমন্ত্রীর বাসায় একঘন্টার উপর বৈঠক করে বের হওয়ার সময় সাংবাদিকদের সামনে পড়ে যায়। বৈঠকে কি আলাপ হলো…
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THE BLOOD TELEGRAM: How a US envoy exposed genocide by Pakistan Army
While the Nixon-Kissinger administration continued supporting military strongman General AM Yahya Khan, who launched a crackdown to “maintain the integrity of Pakistan,” a diplomat in Dhaka urged the US government to express shock, describing the atrocities in a telegram on March 27, 1971. “Selective Genocide” was the title of the telegram sent by Consul General…
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যুদ্ধাপরাধী সৈয়দ মোঃ কায়সার কে?
আওয়ামী লীগের অর্থমন্ত্রী আবুল মাল আব্দুল মুহিতের ভায়রা সৈয়দ মোঃ কায়সার একজন ব্যবসায়ি। তার জন্ম ১৯৪০ সালের ১৯শে জুন হবিগঞ্জের মাধবপুর উপজেলার ইটাখোলা (নোয়াপাড়া) গ্রামে। পড়াশুনা ঢাকার আরমানিটোলা উচ্চ বিদ্যালয় এবং জগন্নাথ বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ে। ১৯৬২ সালে সে ফজলুল কাদের চৌধুরীর কনভেনশন মুসলিম লীগে যোগ দেয় এবং ১৯৬৬ সালে সিলেট জেলা বোর্ডের সদস্য নির্বাচিত হয়ে ১৯৭১ পর্যন্ত…
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Seven-Murder Case: Sincerity of government questioned
It took the government 13 months to dismiss Awami League councillor Nur Hossain, prime accused in Narayanganj seven murder case! Charge sheet in the case was submitted in April, one year into the contract killings. The abductions and subsequent killings were carried out by over two dozen officials and subordinates of RAB 11 — an…
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Bangladesh Police exposes its real face during protests against sexual assaults
An all-out student strike has been announced for Tuesday, May 12, over the police torture on protesters Sunday. Police detain six while injure 30 activists who joined a demonstration in front of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police headquarters this noon! To the police, it was an offence to demand arrest of the culprits who sexually assaulted…
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Is criticising religious fanatics in secular Bangladesh a crime?
Islamist militant groups across the world have been implementing a plan to establish strict Shariah-based laws in some particular countries. They are working in coordination with the nearest other groups. It’s shocking that in 2007-08, the government claimed that they had been able to paralyse militant groups by executing some top JMB and JMJB leaders including Shayakh…
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আজব একটা দ্যাশ, আজব তার অরাজনৈতিক সমাজ!
এখানে দেশবরেণ্য (!) শিক্ষক-বুদ্ধিজীবী-সাংবাদিকরা রাজাকার শিরোমনি গোলাম আযমের নাগরিকত্ব ফিরিয়ে দেবার জন্য সরকারের কাছে আবেদন করে, যাদের মধ্যে প্রধানমন্ত্রীর উপদেষ্টা ইকবাল সোবহান চৌধুরী ও প্রাক্তন আইনমন্ত্রী শফিক আহমেদও আছে! এখানে চিহ্নিত জামায়াতী যুদ্ধাপরাধীদের ন্যায়বিচার নিশ্চিত করার জন্য তথাকথিত নিরপেক্ষ সাংবাদিক ও মানবাধিকার কর্মী ও সংগঠন একজোট হয়। এখানে গনতন্ত্র পুনরুদ্ধারের জন্য আলবদর নেতা কামারুজ্জামানের সাথে…
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Does Sheikh Hasina want secularism? Really?
It is interesting as well as inspiring to read the remarks made by our prime minister favouring secularism, which is one of the four principles of the constitution reinstated in 2011 after several decades. But the acts of the government and the public servants in this regard are not seen; as if the provision was added as…
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Chhtra League: Rejected or rewarded?
The ruling party’s student wing has gone mad, thanks to the party chief, Sheikh Hasina — the prime minister, who prefers to keep her violent youths on the streets as striking force! The problem is that two other violent parties — BNP and Jamaat — think and act the same way! Two persons among those…
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What did Oyasiqur write that he’d be killed?
A war crimes trial campaigner, he was critical of radical Islamists in jamaat and militant organisations, he protested delay in Avijit Roy murder case, corruption of the government, violation of human rights of the indigenous people and religious minorities. But the govt neither killed him nor sued him for hurting religious sentiment. The killers including…
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