This is the first foreign visit of General Manoj Pande after taking over as Indian Army Chief, as per a statement issued by the Indian High Commission in Dhaka….reports Asian Lite News
Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande arrived in Dhaka on Monday morning on a four-day visit to further strengthen the defence ties between the two nations.
General Manoj Pande is visiting Dhaka at the invitation of General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed, chief of Army Staff, Bangladesh.
This is the first foreign visit of General Manoj Pande after taking over as Indian Army Chief, as per a statement issued by the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.
The visit of General Manoj Pande will further strengthen the close and fraternal ties existing between the armed forces of the two countries, it added.
The Indian Army Chief is accompanied by his spouse Archana Pande and a three-member delegation.
He is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Security Affairs Advisor to the Prime Minister, service chiefs of Bangladesh Army, Navy, Air Force, PSO Armed Forces Division of Bangladesh and meet other senior officers of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, it said.
A house belonging to a Hindu family was also set afire. The violence took place after the Friday prayers….reports Sumi Khan
A mob organised by Islamists in Bangladesh’s Narail district has allegedly attacked a Hindu temple and also vandalized several houses belonging to the minority community, the police said on Saturday.
The violence in Digholia village took place on Friday evening over a young Hindu boy’s social media post.
A house belonging to a Hindu family was also set afire. The violence took place after the Friday prayers.
Police had fired warning shots to disperse the Islamists, said police inspector Haran Chandra Paul.
Paul said the Hindu boy allegedly posted something on Facebook that angered the Muslims.
Narail Superintendent of Police Prabir Kumar Roy said the law enforcers were working to keep the situation under control.
“We’re investigating the incident. Those responsible for the violence will face action. The situation is normal for now,” he said.
The US report pulled up the Bangladesh government headed by Awami League for deregistering Jamaat as a political party which prohibits them from seeking office….reports Sumi Khan
A US State Department report defending the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh has angered veteran freedom fighters for backing “a Pakistan-paid war criminal, militant-breeding party, which committed rape and genocide”.
Jamaat-e-Islami, which was an auxiliary force of Pakistan Army in the then East Pakistan, had led in crimes against humanity and atrocities along with Pakistani soldiers, said the veterans who fought the Liberation War back in 1971, expressing their anger and frustration for the unabashed lobbying of US for a party that had been convicted of war crimes with Pakistan forces by a judicial process.
Several top leaders of the Jamaat have been found guilty for murder, rape, and forcible conversions of minorities, and some have been hanged following the long judicial process of the Bangladesh War Crimes Trials.
However, the US State Department report 2022 on human rights situation in Bangladesh pulled up Sheikh Hasina government over “action against Jamaat-e-Islami”.
Veteran Bangladesh war heroes are stunned by the US defence of the Jamaat, whose declared objective of creating a “Pakistan-owned Islamic Republic” has been found to be going against the spirit of the secular democratic policy of Bangladesh.
Former Justice Shamsuddin Ahmed Manik said that the Jamaat has violently agitated on a host of issues and dozens of innocent people have died in their firebombing of passenger buses and trains.
Author Sukharanjan Dasgupta said: “US envoy Peter Haas may lament Washington’s 1971 policy as a ‘mistake’ but this US defence of Jamaat proves the Americans retain the same policy of backing pro-Pakistan forces in Bangladesh. Or else why would those claiming to fight the militants seek to pitch for Jamaat.”
He contended that the Americans always use Islamist radical forces to fight progressive nationalists in Asia.
“That is why they are shedding tears for the Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladesh, the party of the war criminals that opposed its independence, killing millions of innocent people,” he said.
Peter Haas, U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh
The US State Department report says: “Opposition ‘activists’ faced criminal charges. Leaders and members of Jamaat-e-Islami, a leading Islamist political party in the country, could not exercise their constitutional freedoms of speech and assembly, because of harassment by law enforcement.”
Jamaat leader and former minister in the Premier Khaleda Zia’s BNP-led four-party coalition government, Matiur Rahman Nizami was hanged to death on May 11, 2016 after being convicted of war crimes. Convicted of superior responsibility as the chief of the ferocious Al-Badr militia forces in 1971, he was found guilty of systematic killings of over 450 people alone in his own village in Santhia of Pabna and also grabbing the ancestral house of legendary Indian film actress Suchitra Sen. This was retrieved by the Hasina led government on 2014, following a SC order.
However, the US report pulled up the Bangladesh government headed by Awami League for deregistering Jamaat as a political party which prohibits them from seeking office.
“The fundamental constitutional rights of speech and assembly of its leaders and members were denied,” it said.
Talking to IANS, veteran freedom fighter Foyez Ahmed Siddiqui said: “After the independence of Bangladesh, Pakistan-paid Jamaat was active in militancy against the innocent people. It pursued its Pakistani fundamentalist agenda with violent attacks on minorities and unleashed a ruthless tactic to employ radical values to upend the secular policy of Bengali culture until a high court verdict banned the party, bringing some justice for millions of families who fell victim to persecution since 1971.”
With Bangladesh scheduled to go in polls by end of next year, the US report clearly acts as a shot in the arm for the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Justice Manik told IANS.
The nexus between BNP and Jamaat dated back to the country’s first military dictator General Ziaur Rahman.
Bangladesh’s export income in the 2020-21 fiscal year (July 2020-June 2021) was recorded at $38.76 billion…reports Asian Lite News
Bangladesh saw exports soar more than 34 per cent to $52.08 billion in the 2021-22 fiscal year (July 2021-June 2022), official data showed.
According to data released on Sunday by the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) under the Ministry of Commerce, Bangladesh achieved the highest export earnings in the 2021-22 fiscal year with the final months recording robust income growths.
“In the 2021-22 fiscal year, exports reached $52,082.66 million, setting a new record,” said the EPB.
With $4.91 billion in export earnings in June, up 37.19 per cent over the same period a year ago, the country’s overall export earnings in the last fiscal year exceeded the target of $43.50 billion, Xinhua news agency reported.
Bangladesh’s export income in the 2020-21 fiscal year (July 2020-June 2021) was recorded at $38.76 billion.
As always the growth in the 2021-22 fiscal year was largely attributed to the demand for ready-made garments.
Bangladesh’s earnings from garment export, which make up more than three fourths of the country’s annual incomes since the beginning of this decade, surged to $42.61 billion in the 2021-22 fiscal year, according to the EPB.
Knitwear garment export grew 36.88 per cent year-on-year to $23.21 billion while woven garment export rose 33.82 per cent to $19.40 billion.
During the cited period, many other traditional export items like frozen foods, home textiles, leather and leather products and footwear also performed well, showed the EPB data.
India-B’desh ties
Enhanced cooperation between India and Bangladesh can go a long way in strengthening their position in the apparel industry and making South Asia the hub for apparel and textile innovations, Bangladesh’s High Commissioner H.E Muhammad Imran said here on Saturday.
“Efforts are being made to boost cooperation between the two countries, and am confident that the Apparel Sourcing Week (ASW) 2022 will play a key role in this,” he said.
The ASW 2022, Asia’s premier sourcing show for the apparel industry, has been held successfully in Bengaluru with new opportunities and avenues to strengthen India-Bangladesh collaboration and bilateral trade and make Asia the global Apparel Sourcing Hub.
Organised by Apparel Resources, ASW is taking place in Bengaluru with an overwhelming response from all partners.
Some of the topics to be covered on Saturday of ASW 2022 include Mitigating Risks in Sourcing, D2C Opportunities for Fashion, among other panel discussions and industry sessions.
Major Asian economies including India, Japan and China are making Bangladesh their sourcing destination for garment items. In fiscal 2020-21, Bangladesh exported garment items worth 421.86 million to India, which was $420.73 million in fiscal 2019-20, according to an official statement.
ASW 2022 also endeavours to take India-Bangladesh collaboration in the industry to the next level by building on the existing and potential synergies between the two countries.
She asked the party leaders and activists to stand beside the people to pursue the government’s move that none will remain poor, homeless and hungry anymore…reports Asian Lite News
Prime Minister of Bangladesh and the President of Awami League, the ruling party in the country, Sheikh Hasina has said that despite her “tireless effort to secure the future of the nation, some people at home and abroad have been trying to oust the Awami League (AL) led government”.
“What is the guilt of Sheikh Hasina’s government? For what crimes, they want to dislodge the AL government?” she asked while addressing party leaders and activists during visit to her ancestral home in Gopalganj’s Tungipara on Monday.
It was Hasina’s first visit to her hometown through the Padma Bridge since its opening by her on June 25. The Prime Minister, accompanied by her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and daughter Saima Wazed, also offered prayer at Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s mausoleum in Tungipara.
Hasina paid tributes to Bangabandhu by placing a wreath on his mausoleum.
She reminded her party activists as well as the countrymen that the world is now going through a “critical juncture” due to the double blow of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, and reiterated her call to all to show austerity in every sector particularly in using energy like electricity.
“Each of the Awami League leaders and workers has to work for changing the mindset of doing only for oneself,” she said.
The Prime Minister said that her government has been working “tirelessly to transform Bangladesh into a developed and prosperous nation — free from poverty and hunger as envisioned by the Father of the Nation”.
She asked the party leaders and activists to stand beside the people to pursue the government’s move that none will remain poor, homeless and hungry anymore.
“Big countries, such as America and England, around the world are now suffering from food crisis. We’re still in a good position and trying to be well. It requires help from all,” Hasina asserted.
She said her government has built the Padma Bridge, given electricity to every house, giving home to landless and homeless people, and is ensuring food security for all.
Further, describing the grassroots activists as the lifeline of her party, she said, “The grassroots activists alway take right decision, and hold up the party.”
She asked the party leaders to inquire about the wellbeing of every partyman and stand by them if required.
Hasina urged the party leaders to bring “every inch of land across the country under cultivation” to grow more food as Bangladesh never faces such a crisis.
She recalled the “inhuman torture on the leaders and activists of AL during the regimes of Pakistan Army President Ayub Khan and Yahiay Khan”.
On her way to Tungipara, Hasina and her family members spent some time on the Padma Bridge and took a rest for a while in Jajira point’s service area.
Hasina, who was first to pay the toll of the country’s longest Padma Bridge during its opening, also paid the toll from and off to Dhaka.
She criticized the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and other like-minded parties who came to power to “make their own fortunes”. Hasina said that the AL since its foundation has been working to “give the people something instead of making their own fortune”.
The Prime Minister said, “The Father of the Nation did not form the party for the lust of power and wealth, rather he did so to work for the welfare of the countrymen.” So, she said, the leaders and workers of the party follow the ideal of Bangabandhu and stand beside the people.
“The power of people is the main strength. Time and again, attacks were carried out on my life. But, almighty Allah saved me so that I can do something for the wellbeing of the people of my motherland. That’s why, my government had been able to construct the much-hyped Padma Bride by own funding, and carry out other development projects to ensure the country’s overall development,” Hasina added.
She said that the country can combat any disaster with collective efforts of all, which it (the country) has proved by successfully tackling the floods.
The Prime Minister added that Bangladesh has administered the Covid-19 vaccine to the masses free of cost “which many developed countries could not do”.
The toll from Bangladesh’s unprecedented floods has risen to more than 100, the authorities said…reports Asian Lite News
According to a daily flood report of the Health Emergency Operation Center and Control Room on Sunday, the floods have killed 102 people in 27 of the 64 flood-affected districts between May 17 and June 28.
Most victims died from drowning, snake bites and lightning in the flood-hit areas, showed the report.
At least 7 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours as of Sunday morning, Xinhua news agency reported.
With roads washed away by the floods triggered by heavy seasonal rains and onrush of water from hills, the authorities have still been battling to deliver supplies in many northeastern and northern districts.
The floods have caused widespread damage to houses and crops across vast swathes of northern and northeastern regions.
Bangladeshi State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief, Md Enamur Rahman earlier told reporters that both the government and private agencies have been working together in the greater Sylhet region worst hit by the floods.
The three other accused in the case, Tajul Islam alias Forkan, Md Jahed Miah alias Jahid Miah, and Saleque Miah alias Sayek Miah, were sentenced imprisonment until death on the same charges….reports Sumi Khan
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1) of Bangladesh on Thursday sentenced Pakistan-backed fugitive war criminal Md Shafi Uddin Moulana, a Razakar Bahini leader, to death for crimes against humanity during the Liberation War of 1971 at Lakhai upazila in Habiganj.
Shafi, who is absconding since the beginning of the case, was the central committee secretary of East Pakistan Nezam-e-Islam, a wing of Jamaat-e-Islami. He participated in the provincial assembly elections as its candidate, according to the case records.
The three-member tribunal, headed by Justice Md Shahinur Islam, found the other accused guilty of the charges brought against them for committing genocide, murders, rapes, abductions and tortures during the 1971 Liberation War in Lakhai.
The three other accused in the case, Tajul Islam alias Forkan, Md Jahed Miah alias Jahid Miah, and Saleque Miah alias Sayek Miah, were sentenced imprisonment until death on the same charges.
The special court, however, acquitted another accused, Sabbir Ahmed, of war crime charges.
According to the verdict, Sabbir, who is also on the run, got acquitted as the prosecution failed to prove the charges brought against him. The tribunal withdrew an arrest warrant it had earlier issued against Sabbir.
In 1971, Shafi took the stance against the Independence of Bangladesh and worked as a close associate and collaborator for the Pakistani Occupation Army.
He was also known as a leader of the �peace committee and Razakar Bahini of Lakhai’ and worked as the auxiliary force of Pakistan Army, who committed genocide, rapes and killings.
Tajul, Jahed and Saleque were members of the Razakar Bahini.
The tribunal’s investigating agency released the final report on March 21, 2016 against the five accused per sons.
The trial in the case began on February 8, 2019 with the framing of charges against the accused.
Momen in his speech expressed solidarity with the flood victims in Sylhet and other areas of Bangladesh and spoke in detail about the relief and rescue operations the government has been implementing…reports Sumi Khan
Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen has asked that those who made false corruption allegations against the Sheikh Hasina government over the Padma Bridge project must apologise and pay compensation.
“Under the courageous leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the historic Padma Bridge has been built with our funds and resources and now represents a nation on the road to self-reliance and prosperity,” said Momen while speaking as the chief guest at Bangladesh High Commission, London’s gala celebration titled “Padma Bridge: Milestone of a Decade of Growth and Prosperity” held on Monday in east London, the heart of British-Bangladeshi community.
Highlighting the significant economic growth that Bangladesh achieved in the past decade, the Foreign Minister added, “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s timely and innovative initiatives made Bangladesh a self-sufficient country in staple crop production, which increased four-fold from 11 to 44 lakh tonne, and her business-friendly government boosted export earnings from $7-$8 million to $48 million. Apart from this, our economy gained a strong foothold during the pandemic as expatriate Bangladeshi, including from the UK and Ireland, remitted $25 billion to their homeland.”
Padma Bridge (Photo Twitter@RussEmbDhaka)
Momen in his speech expressed solidarity with the flood victims in Sylhet and other areas of Bangladesh and spoke in detail about the relief and rescue operations the government has been implementing since the recurrence of the natural disasters.
The Foreign Minister also said that he had discussed the latest flood situation as well as relief and rescue operations with the high-level government authorities and relevant ministries to ensure that the flood victims received adequate support.
Additionally, he had spoken with the Education Ministry about supplying textbooks to those districts where the school children lost their books to the flooding and gave assurances that they would be provided with new books.
Speaking on some problems facing expatriate Bangladeshis, the Minister added that he has suggested the ministries concerned to form a special tribunal to solve the disputes and cases relating to their land and property; and to ease further the security checks at the airports in Bangladesh, and issue passports in the shortest possible time.
High Commissioner Saida Muna Tasneem in her welcome remarks, said, “Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman gave us an independent nation in 1971. After 51 years, his visionary daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave the historic Padma Bridge, which is a glorious symbol of Bangladesh’s self-reliance and self-respect and a milestone in the development and prosperity of Bangladesh towards Bangabandhu’s ‘Sonar Bangla’.”
The High Commissioner lauded the contributions of Bangladeshis living in the UK and Ireland to Bangladesh’s economy, including the Padma Bridge, by sending record remittances back home.
Expressing her deep solidarity with the flood-affected people in Bangladesh, including in Sylhet division, the envoy added, “Bangladesh High Commission has set up a helpline to provide the necessary information and emergency assistance to the expatriate Bangladeshis whose family members and relatives are affected by the flooding.”
“If anyone needs assistance for sending and distributing relief materials to the flood-affected areas, they can also communicate the High Commission through the helpline details which are available on the High Commission’s Facebook page,” she said.
Speaking on the occasion, Tower Hamlets Mayor Lutfur Rahman, who is a British-Bangladeshi citizen, congratulated Sheikh Hasina and her government for building the Padma Bridge, which significantly improved the country’s communication infrastructure.
Commenting on natural disasters across the world, including the current floods in Bangladesh, the Mayor cited the statement of Sheikh Hasina delivered at the COP26 in November 2021 holding developed countries responsible for some of the climate-related incidents in Bangladesh.
He suggested Bangladesh government to continue its campaign so developed countries take responsibility for climate-related losses and damage.
A prominent British-Bangladeshi community member Jalal Uddin also spoke at the event, attended by more than 400 enthusiastic expatriate Bangladeshis who came from different cities and towns of the UK and Ireland to celebrate the inauguration of Padma Bridge.
In order to receive vaccination, children aged 5-12 will have to register using their birth certificate on the government’s (Surokkha) app…reports Asian Lite News
Bangladesh has decided to start administering COVID-19 vaccines to children aged 5-12 amid a fresh surge in COVID-19 cases.
Bangladeshi Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque made the announcement on Wednesday, saying the initiative will start next month.
“We’ll start the vaccination program in the last week of July,” he said at a news conference.
“We’ll soon procure vaccines and syringes suitable for children,” said Maleque.
In order to receive vaccination, children aged 5-12 will have to register using their birth certificate on the government’s (Surokkha) app.
Bangladesh’s Cabinet Division on Tuesday issued a circular with the six-point directives to contain the fresh outbreak of the pandemic.
In line with the directives, people must wear masks at all gatherings, shopping malls and restaurants under the “No mask, no service” policy.
Those who bear any symptoms are encouraged to get themselves tested for COVID-19.
The directives are aimed at limiting the fresh spread of the new wave of COVID-19 as Bangladesh is again seeing a surge in fresh cases after a respite of several months.
Bangladesh reported three fresh deaths from COVID-19 on Tuesday, the highest number of daily deaths confirmed in about three months.
Meanwhile, the country reported over 2,000 COVID-19 cases for the third consecutive day with the daily test positivity rate jumping to 15.47 percent in the 24 hours till 8:00 a.m. local time Tuesday.
To date, Bangladesh has recorded 1,969,361 COVID-19 cases including 2,087 new cases on Tuesday, as the death toll rose to 29,145, the Directorate General of Health Services said.
A student activist of the Pakistan-sponsored Opposition BNP — Bayazid Talha was on the bridge to unscrew the nuts and bolts, and his video on TikTok led his party colleagues to unleash a social media campaign questioning the quality of construction….writes SUMI KHAN
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police of Bangladesh has seized the car of TikToker Bayezid Talha who had posted a video on Facebook allegedly after removing screw bolts from a railing of the Padma Bridge. Police are looking for Kaiser who was with him at the time of the incident.
Immigration authorities have been warned not to allow Kaiser, an expatriate Bangladeshi from Qatar to leave the country, said Muhammad Rezaul Masud, special superintendent of CID’s Cyber Police Centre.
Earlier on Sunday, police detained Talha from Shantinagar in Dhaka and he was booked under the Special Powers Act. On Monday, a Shariatpur court granted a seven-day remand against Talha.
“We think it is a big crime to loosen the screw bolts of the bridge’s railing, record the video, and capitalise it by hurting people’s emotions…,” said Rezaul Masood, Special Superintendent of Police for CID’s Cyber Investigation Division.
“The toll tax collection of the 6.15 km Padma Bridge, built over Padma River in Bangladesh, crossed BDT 21 million mark. Thousands travelled across the bridge on Sunday after being inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. However, Pakistan sponsored Opposition Islamist groups in the country started a new smear campaign – questioning the quality of construction,” an intelligence official told IANS, seeking anonymity.
“The long-awaited inauguration of Padma Bridge, one of the most challenging projects in the country, and the accomplishment of the mega project with our own fund is a matter of immense joy, pride and ability. It also upholds the dignity of the country,” Sheikh Baharul Islam, a veteran Freedom Fighter and one of the founders of the Genocide Museum of Khulna, told IANS.
A student activist of the Pakistan-sponsored Opposition BNP — Bayazid Talha was on the bridge to unscrew the nuts and bolts, and his video on TikTok led his party colleagues to unleash a social media campaign questioning the quality of construction.
Soon after the video went viral, the BNP from its verified Facebook page posted that the construction of the $3.6 billion bridge was deeply flawed and faulty.
When Hasina decided to build the bridge with the country’s own resources after the World Bank pulled out over unsubstantiated corruption allegations in 2012, BNP supremo Begum Zia had called the move a “pipe dream” and asserted that the bridge will never be completed. Other BNP leaders joined the chorus with many even calling for the resignation of Hasina.
Even the World Bank, which once cited the corruption allegations as a reason to stop financing the project, is now congratulating Bangladesh and its people on the completion of the much-awaited bridge.
Youths were seen going live on Facebook from the bridge asking for a boycott of the pro-Pakistan BNP-Jamaat alliance for the betterment of the country.
BNP’s Facebook post after Talha’s arrest triggered an uproar on social media among people from all quarters.
“You said this bridge would never become a reality. So fugitive criminal Tarique Rahman, come with your convicted corrupt mother Begum Zia and other leaders to see,” some Bangladeshi netizens said on videos filmed on the “majestic” bridge.
That was also largely the public mood as hundreds attacked BNP activist Talha’s video showing him loosening the nuts and bolts of the bridge.
Anik, a Dhaka University student mockingly said in his post: “… While people in thousands are rushing to get a glimpse of the bridge, BNP’s politics to undermine this bridge would only make the party more unpopular, isolated and less trustworthy.”
In Bangladesh’s bitterly polarised politics, a baseless smear is a frequently used weapon. But despite the attempt to spread panic over the quality of construction, the mounting traffic on the bridge seems to indicate that the commuters are not taking Talha’s TikTok video seriously.
