Hasina issued directives while witnessing a presentation on “review of Bangladesh’s macroeconomy against the backdrop of Sri Lankan economic crisis…reports Sumi Khan
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday directed all concerned to take necessary measures so that the country could maintain its current position in the future regarding the foreign debt, as the amount of foreign loans is still “far below” the risk limit.
The premier issued this directive while witnessing a presentation on “offshore tax amnesty” and “review of Bangladesh’s macroeconomy against the backdrop of Sri Lankan economic crisis” at her official residence Ganabhaban.
During the presentation made by the National Board of Revenue (NBR) and Finance Division, the reasons for the ongoing economic crisis in Sri Lanka and its response were discussed in detail alongside reviewing various indicators of Bangladesh’s economy compared to other countries in South Asia.
“Analyzing various indicators of the economy, it was seen that there is no risk of repaying the foreign debt of Bangladesh in the medium and long terms. Almost all the indices indicate that the economy of Bangladesh is relatively stable,” said a statement.
However, special emphasis was given to the implementation of an integrated revenue policy and monetary policy to control inflation in the domestic market in the context of abnormal price spiral of fuel, food products, and other items. in the international market.
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, Prime Minister’s Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources Affairs Adviser Dr. Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Dr. Ahmad Kaikaus, Bangladesh Central Bank Governor Fazle Kabir, Finance Secretary Abdur Rouf Talukder, NBR Chairman Abu Hena Md. Rahmatul Muneem among others were present.
In a case that has shone a harsh spotlight on the right to free expression in Bangladesh, Hriday Chandra Mondal, a Mathematics and Science teacher, was languished in jail for 19 days before getting out on bail on Sunday…writes Sumi Khan
The teacher at Binodpur Ram Kumar High School in Munshiganj Sadar Upazila has been booked for two blasphemy-related offences under the Penal Code, 1860, ostensibly for discussing the distinction between religion and science in the classroom. The teacher is charged with offences under sections 295 and 295A of the Penal Code.
As per experts, the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1989 adds an important caveat – a case under these provisions of the criminal law can only be filed with the approval of the government. However, there is no indication that the police has complied with the provision before recording the case.
Prof Mizanur Rahman, the former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh, highlighted the need for ‘serious deliberation’ before invoking these particular provisions. That is why the prior approval of the ministry has been mentioned in the procedural law.
On March 20, Hriday was trapped by some colleges who use to sell fake certificates to the students, said another teacher of the school, seeking anonymity.
He had been teaching mathematics and science for the last 22 years.
Human rights activists, legal practitioners, academics point to a ‘procedural impropriety’ on the part of the police, which puts the case under yet more scrutiny.
Smriti Singh, deputy regional director for South Asia at Amnesty International said, “It is outrageous that a teacher finds himself behind bars simply for voicing his opinion while teaching a class. Teachers should be free to discuss ideas and opinions of all kinds without fear of reprisals. Hriday must be released immediately and unconditionally.”
This is not the only contention surrounding the controversial case. Lawyers and activists have also questioned the rationale behind denying bail to the teacher, who is behind the bars for more than two weeks.
They believe the detention of a schoolteacher “without regard for the legal process” may have serious implications for the country down the line as it could embolden communal forces. It also sends a worrying signal to teachers and academicians about the concept of “academic freedom” in Bangladesh.
Hriday’s family members are scared. Anita Saha, his domestic help, said, “Last Sunday when I was near the (Hriday’s) house around 1:00 p.m., four-five young men stared at me dead in the eyes. I went inside the house in fear.”
Renuka Hawladar, Hriday’s mother-in-law was harassed by the Islamists. She said, “I was walking on the terrace of our house at 6:00 a.m., when a young man with a brick in his hand addressed me and said, ‘don’t come out of the house’. He then went ahead and verbally abused me. I immediately went back to the house in fear.”
Shrestha Mondal, son of Hriday resumed schooling a day after his father was released from Munshiganj jail. He stopped going to school for 19 days. “Since then, I have been inside the house all day. Not being able to go to school made me quite sad. And my father was also in prison back then,” he said.
“I am not facing any difficulties going to school today (after bail to Hriday). No one is even calling me ‘son of the accused’. None of my friends asked me any questions in that regard.”
Shrestha is a student at the very same school where Hriday teaches.
Shrestha, the student in grade 5, said, “I couldn’t attend my school for 19 days as after the incident students of Classes 6-10 started calling me ‘son of the accused’. After which my mother stopped me from going to school.”
Alauddin Ahmed, the headmaster of the school, spoke to IANS on Monday, about Shrestha attending classes for the first time in a while. “He is a very talented student, as well as son of a talented teacher. His family members were afraid to leave the house after that incident. Now a teacher of the school has been assigned the task. The teacher will make sure to pick him up from home and walk him home after school.”
Munshiganj Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sumon Dev said, “There is no chance in the slightest that the safety of the (Hriday’s) family will be breached. We are monitoring them all the time. Police will not allow any untoward incident to happen with the family.”
Following a bail hearing in the case on Sunday afternoon, Hriday was granted bail and after release, he has sent to Dhaka for treatment.
Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Aminul Islam told IANS that section 196 of the Code of Criminal Procedure makes it clear that a case under the blasphemy provisions can only be filed with the prior permission of the government or the home ministry. Police do not have the unilateral authority to record such a case, he added.
During the flag meeting of the BSF and Bangladesh Border Guards (BGB), the Bangladeshi national was handed over to the BGB in a goodwill gesture…reports Asian Lite News
The Border Security Force (BSF) on Sunday said that it apprehended one Bangladeshi national, who had illegally crossed the International Border and come into the Indian side at Border Out Post Bamoor in North Dinajpur district in West Bengal.
During the flag meeting of the BSF and Bangladesh Border Guards (BGB), the Bangladeshi national was handed over to the BGB in a goodwill gesture.
The North Bengal Frontiers of BSF said that the apprehended Bangladeshi national was thoroughly questioned by the force and after ascertaining that he crossed the International Border by mistake, he was handed over the BGB.
Recently on April 7, 2022, the BSF apprehended an Indian female tout, who was trying to facilitate illegal entry of a Bangladeshi family of four members, near BoP Ramnagar in Nadia district of West Bengal.
The South Bengal Frontiers of the Force said that the Indian woman tout took a hefty amount from the Bangladeshi family, two women with their spouses and a child, were apprehended by the troopers posted at Ramnagar BoP.
The apprehended family said that they gave money to touts for entering India without a valid visa.
They also said that they wanted to come to India to meet their relatives to seek help in searching for a job for livelihood in India.
There has been a rise in infiltration from the Bangladeshi side in the bordering states in the Northeast.
The Ministry of Home Affairs in December 2021 informed Parliament that a total of 1,787 infiltration attempts were registered in the last three years on the India- Bangladesh border while as many as 128 attempts were made at the Indo- Pakistan border.
Similarly, in the last three years, a total of 133 cases of infiltration occurred on the India-Myanmar border while there was no case of infiltration reported on the India- Sikkim border.
Bangladeshi Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said the country’s largest Padma bridge will open to traffic in June this year…reports Asian Lite News
He made the remarks at a meeting in Dhaka on the progress of the project, Xinhua news agency reported.
According to the Minister, the overall work in the project of building the mega multipurpose road-rail bridge dubbed the “Dream Padma Bridge of Bangladesh” is currently 92 per cent completed.
Construction work of the main bridge is 97 per cent completed, he said.
According to the Minister, installation work of the gas pipeline is 99 percent completed, and the 400 KVA power lines 79 per cent completed.
The Padma multipurpose bridge is located about 40 km southwest of Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka.
The huge infrastructure project, with the main bridge spanning 6.15 km in length, is undertaken by China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group Co, Ltd (MBEC).
It is the largest and most challenging infrastructure project in Bangladesh’s history.
The bridge standing across the Padma river to link the northeastern and southwestern areas of Bangladesh, is also a key part in an anticipated trans-Asian railway network.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the main construction work of the bridge in December 2015.
The two sides explored new avenues of cooperation in the health sector to serve the interests of the two nations…reports Asian Lite News
The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) discussed ways of boosting and promoting bilateral cooperation with a high-ranking delegation from Bangladesh led by HE Zahid Malik, their State Minister for Health and Family Welfare, in a meeting recently held at the ministry’s headquarters.
The two sides explored new avenues of cooperation in the health sector to serve the interests of the two nations during the meeting, and also exchanged views on the latest developments in the fields of public health, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and medical licensing programs.
MoHAP, Bangladeshi Ministry of Health discuss ways of boosting bilateral cooperation in health sector
HE Dr. Mohammad Salim Al Olama, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Prevention, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Health Services (EHS), received the delegation in the presence of Dr. Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand, Assistant Under-Secretary for the Public Health Sector, HE Dr. Amin Hussain Al Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary of Health Regulations Sector, and HE Dr. Salem Al Darmaki, Advisor to the Minister of Health and Prevention. The meeting was also attended by HE Mohammed Abu Zafar, Ambassador of Bangladesh to the UAE.
In welcoming the delegation to the UAE, Al Olama stated that the UAE and Bangladesh share deeply rooted relations, stressing the importance of pushing them towards new horizons in order to serve the mutual interests of both countries, expand the scope of fruitful cooperation, and promote bilateral health relations.
Al Olama briefed the delegates on the Ministry’s latest achievements in the field of digital health services, and on how it is promoting innovation and leveraging advanced technologies to support the future of health care, in line with the wise directives of the government to proactively handle future changes in the health field.
During the meeting, he also detailed the ministry’s initiatives and projects, emphasizing the ministry’s tireless efforts in the areas of prevention, health education, the pharmaceutical industry, health professional licensing, and private health facilities, as well as the ministry’s commitment to providing innovative solutions based on health data management and health information systems.
MoHAP, Bangladeshi Ministry of Health discuss ways of boosting bilateral cooperation in health sector
Expressing gratitude
The Bangladeshi minister, for his part, expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the UAE for the initiatives and medical assistance provided to his country to improve the efficiency of Bangladesh’s health sector.
He also stressed that the meeting provided an excellent opportunity to further deepen bilateral health relations and explore potential for greater cooperation, lauding the distinction and excellence of the UAE’s health sector, as well as its global reputation at all levels.
Photo taken on Dec. 14, 2016 shows images of the victims of the genocide including eminent academicians, litterateurs, doctors, engineers, journalists and other notable personalities who were murdered by Al-Badr, an auxiliary force of the then Pakistani occupation army in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh. Bangladesh observed Martyred Intellectuals Day in commemoration of the martyrdom of the members of the intelligentsia who were assassinated at fag end of Bangladesh liberation war. (Xinhua/Rizwan Karim/IANS)
“Despite the passage of 50 years since the ‘1971 Genocide’ Pakistan has shown no intention to apologize,” said Casaca..reports Asian Lite News
Remembering Bangladesh victims of ‘Operation Searchlight’, Paulo Casaca, founder and Executive Director of South Asia Democratic Forum (SADF) urged the international community to recognize the 1971 genocide of Bangladeshis by Pakistan and fix responsibility on them.
“It is so important for all genuine human rights defenders, to get together with Bangladeshis and together with them say: remember the genocide and demand responsibilities from perpetrators!” said Casaca.
Despite the passage of 50 years since the ‘1971 Genocide’ Pakistan has shown no intention to apologize.
Casaca said that he was touched by the Bangladeshi people’s struggle for memory, justice, and accountability regarding the Genocide perpetrated against Bangladesh by the Pakistani military authorities.
“This genocide, organised in tandem with Islamic fanatic organisations from both West and East Pakistan, was meant to destroy the Bengali identity by murdering elites, destroying religious diversity, and raping women,” he said.
Recalling his visit to the Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital – where countless victims of the Islamist terror actions were being dealt with, Casca said, “At face-value, the issue was related to the supposedly faulty conditions of the coming elections; however, as ‘Zead-Al-Malum – public prosecutor of the ICT – explained in a public conference on the 7th (December 2013), ‘protests would vanish if the Government was to accept demands to dissolve the Tribunal’ (International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh-ICT). All the protests regarding the lack of those elections’ democratic credentials were nothing but a smokescreen used to hide the fundamental goal by Islamists to obtain impunity for the genocide’s culprits.”
Casca said that would have certainly not understood what was going on had he not been in Dhaka himself, speaking to doctors, magistrates, academics, or simple citizens as none of these facts were ever available in the Western press.
Memorial of clay of refugees of the Bangladesh genocide.(WIKIPEDIA)
“Quite the contrary, a meticulously built, fictitious reality wherein this genocide’s master minders were presented as ‘opposition leaders’, ‘businessmen’ or ‘religious entities’ – mercilessly persecuted by an authoritarian government – was shamelessly hammered throughout the western press (and most in particular by some NGO such as ‘Human Rights Watch),” said Casca.
“Realising to what extent reality was turned upside down, how the very same organisations supposed to ‘watch’ for the respect of ‘human rights’ were actually working for providing impunity to genocide perpetrators, was extremely shocking,” he added.
In SADF’s latest contribution dedicated to the Bangladeshi genocide, Professor Uddin quoted ‘The Ten Stages of Genocide’ as described by Gregory Stanton in 1996 (classification, symbolization, discrimination, dehumanization, organization, polarization, preparation, persecution, extermination, and denial).
“The last twenty-five years taught us that we must add a completely new stage to that process: reversal. For the denial stage has been transformed into a more complex category of disinformation,” said Casca.
Disinformation is not so much about lying (or at the very least, simply, outright lying). It is rather about creating doubts; magnifying distorted, secondary points and denying on this basis a whole narrative; distorting a context and – perhaps the most modern technique – disinforming in the name of ‘the fight against disinformation’.
During the 1971 genocide in Bangladesh, the Pakistan military deliberately harmed hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshi citizens.
Rights group says the horrors of 1971 are considered one of the worst mass atrocities in history. The damage they inflicted can be described in the following numbers– as many as three million people were believed to have been killed, up to 2,00,000 women were violated and over 10 million people were forced to cross the border to India to seek shelter. (ANI)
Bangladesh High Commissioner in London Saida Muna Tasneem noted that Sir Peter Shore MP, the then chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, placed a motion in parliament condemning the Pakistani atrocities during Bangladesh’s Liberation War in 1971. More than 233 MPs later placed another motion seeking an end to the genocide in Bangladesh and the recognition of it as an independent nation. Now the British Parliament should bring a new motion recognising the genocide
Bangladesh High Commissioner in London Saida Muna Tasneem has urged the British Parliament to table and pass a motion recognising one of the worst genocides in history by the Pakistani forces in 1971.
Bangladesh High Commissioner H.E. Saida Muna Tasneem
She made the call at a virtual discussion organised by the high commission and University College London to mark Bangladesh’s Independence Day on Friday, the high commission said in a statement on Saturday.
Tasneem noted that Sir Peter Shore MP, the then chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, placed a motion in parliament condemning the Pakistani atrocities during Bangladesh’s Liberation War.
More than 233 MPs later placed another motion seeking an end to the genocide in Bangladesh and the recognition of it as an independent nation, she said.
Now the British Parliament should bring a new motion recognising the genocide, she said.
She also called for more content on the genocide in British and international journals, promising support.
Tasneem thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for declaring Mar 25 National Genocide Day. The high commissioner said it is their duty to create global awareness about the genocide.
High Commissioner of India Gaitri Issar Kumar and Bangladesh High Commissioner Saida Muna Tasneem with artist Asad (File)
Lord Rami Ranger, chairman of Conservative Friends of India, said he would continue supporting Bangladesh’s demand for the recognition of the genocide. He urged Bangladesh to set up a monument in the UK remembering the victims of the Pakistani atrocities.
A documentary on the genocide was screened at the event. The participants paid their respects to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the martyrs who were killed in the war.
Now the British Parliament should bring a new motion recognising the genocide, she said…reports Asian Lite News
Bangladesh High Commissioner in London Saida Muna Tasneem has urged the British Parliament to table and pass a motion recognising one of the worst genocides in history by the Pakistani forces in 1971.
She made the call at a virtual discussion organised by the high commission and University College London to mark Bangladesh’s Independence Day on Friday, the high commission said in a statement on Saturday.
Tasneem noted that Sir Peter Shore MP, the then chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, placed a motion in parliament condemning the Pakistani atrocities during Bangladesh’s Liberation War.
More than 233 MPs later placed another motion seeking an end to the genocide in Bangladesh and the recognition of it as an independent nation, she said.
Now the British Parliament should bring a new motion recognising the genocide, she said.
She also called for more content on the genocide in British and international journals, promising support.
Tasneem thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for declaring Mar 25 National Genocide Day. The high commissioner said it is their duty to create global awareness about the genocide.
Lord Rami Ranger, chairman of Conservative Friends of India, said he would continue supporting Bangladesh’s demand for the recognition of the genocide. He urged Bangladesh to set up a monument in the UK remembering the victims of the Pakistani atrocities.
High Commissioner for India to the UK Gaitri Issar Kumar, Joann Digeorge-Lutz, Chair of the Department of Liberal Studies at Texas A&M University, Meghna Guhathakurta, director of Research Initiatives, Bangladesh, Sultan Mahmud Sharif, an organiser of Bangladesh’s Liberation War Movements in the UK, Jasmina Sarajlić, representative of the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in London, and UCL research fellow Bayes Ahmed also spoke on the occasion.
A documentary on the genocide was screened at the event. The participants paid their respects to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the martyrs who were killed in the war.
Hasina calls for more collaboration to ensure food security
Hasina said that Bangladesh is now advancing towards development and prosperity at an irresistible pace….reports Asian Lite News
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina boldly declared on Saturday that there is none who can play a game with the fate of Bangladesh and its people.
“None will be able to play with Bangladesh and none will be able to play ducks and drakes with the fate of the people of Bangladesh,” she said.
The Bangladesh premier made these remarks while virtually addressing the opening ceremony of the four-day long ‘Joy Banglar Joyotsob’ at the historical Suhrawardy Udyan from her official residence, Ganabhaban.
The Cabinet Committee on Golden Jubilee organised the event as part of the closing ceremony of the celebrations of 50 years of the country’s Independence.
She said that as per the Constitution that was given by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman just after nine months of attaining Independence, the present government is moving ahead following every footstep of Bangabandhu.
“We have to maintain the pace of this advancement,” the Prime Minister said, adding that her government has formulated the Perspective Plan-2041 for the future generations while implementing the eighth five-year plan.
Hasina said that Bangladesh is now advancing towards development and prosperity at an irresistible pace.
In this connection, she called upon the new generation to maintain the pace of the development following the future plans of the government.
She said the Awami League-led government has presented its plans for the future generations.
“We’ve implemented the Vision-2021, we’ve entered the satellite era, we are building nuclear power plants, we are doing infrastructural development, we are creating employment opportunities, we are setting up 100 economic zones,” Hasina said.
“We have to remain advanced in education, knowledge, technology, science and every sector. Now no one can neglect Bangladesh while people of this country can stand up with their heads high in the world arena,” she added.
“The Delta Plan-2100 has been formulated and we have started to implement some of it with an aim to give a better life to the people of this country,” she said.
With the Minister for Liberation War Affairs A.K.M. Mozammel Haque in the chair, Secretary in the Ministry, Khaja Miah, delivered the welcome address.’
A total of around 72 participants, mostly university students from different universities in the Netherlands joined the conference and took part in the discussion during the two Q&A sessions….reports Asian Lite News
Highlighting the great importance and an absolute necessity to honour the victims of genocide and their descendants, speakers at an international conference have demanded international recognition of the Bangladesh genocide that took place during March-December 1971.
The demand came during an international conference held on Thursday titled, ‘Bangladesh: Justice after genocide’ held at Leiden University in the Hague and organized by Europe based Bangladeshi diaspora organization European Bangladesh Forum (EBF) in collaboration with the Leiden University UNICEF Student Team the Hague & SESA (Southeast and South Asian) Club by CIROS (Community of International Relations and Organisations Students).
A total of around 72 participants, mostly university students from different universities in the Netherlands joined the conference and took part in the discussion during the two Q&A sessions.
Former member of the Bangladesh Parliament M Mahjabeen Khaled shared her personal story saying, “that topic is very personal to me and my family” and “The war of liberation defines me and what I am today.” She further stated, “1971 liberation war has narrated thousands of personal stories and I hope that in the 21st century the global community will stand alongside Bangladesh, not just to remember, but also to recognise the Bangladesh Genocide of 1971.”
Paying rich tributes to Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, founder of Bangladesh, former ambassador of Pakistan to the US Hussain Haqqani said, “had he lived, I am certain he would have supported the idea of a formal apology from Pakistan for the tragedy inflicted on the people of Bangladesh during their war of liberation. This demand is supported by fair-minded people, like Pakistani dissidents like me,” the Pakistan diplomat said adding, “collective apologies help heal wounds and enable nations to deal with past wrongdoing. Bangabandhu’s (Sheikh Mujibur Rehman’s) life and struggle make him a hero for the people of Bangladesh and other nations but in a fairer world, he would not have had to face the repression and injustice that he fought at great cost to himself and his family,” Haqqani further said.
EBF also plans to organize a two-day long demonstration in front of the historic ‘Broken Chair’ at the UN building in Geneva, Switzerland starting today. The demonstration is being organized in collaboration with the International Human Rights Commission Bangladesh, Geneva. The demonstration will reiterate the demand for trial of the perpetrators responsible for the genocide in Bangladesh and international recognition of the 1971 genocide committed by the Pakistan army.
During the 1971 Genocide in Bangladesh, the Pakistan military deliberately harmed hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshi citizens. Rights group says the horrors of 1971 are considered one of the worst mass atrocities in history.
The damage they inflicted can be described in the following numbers. As many as three million people were believed to have been killed, up to 200,000 women were violated and over 10 million people were forced to cross the border to India to seek shelter. (ANI)
