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Freedom@50: Dhaka set to welcome world leaders

Bangladesh government has chalked out elaborate programmes to be held at National Parade Square in the capital, reports Sumi Khan 

Bangladesh is all set to welcome world leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to take part in the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the country’s independence and also the birth centenary of Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The celebrations, which will take place from March 17-27, will also be attended by Presidents Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Bidya Devi Bhandari of Maldives and Nepal, respectively, as well as Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Also Read – Freedom@50: Indian Navy in B’desh

While, Modi, Solih and Rajapaksa will meet Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bhandari and her counterpart Md Abdul Hamid will hold bilateral talks.

Bangladesh government has chalked out elaborate programmes to be held at National Parade Square in the capital.

All the four leaders will deliver separate speeches from the National Parade Ground, which will be live streamed.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, at Hyderabad House, in New Delhi.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Kamal Khan on Saturday morning said that they will avoid large-scale public gatherings in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

He added that there will be strict security measures in place during the programmes.

The invited guests at the in-person events have to undergo Covid-19 testing and carry a negative report to attend. The certificate of the test will remain valid for 48 hours.

Also Read – US Defence Secy due in India to boost ties

About 500 guests from home and abroad will be invited to the National Parade Ground event.

The invitees will attend the programme in-person for four days, while the events of the other six days will be broadcast live.

Special arrangements will be made for the heads of state and governments attending the celebrations.

Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari

As per the schedule, Solih will be in Bangladesh from March 17-18, Rajapaksa from March 19-20, Bhandari from March 22-23 and Modi from March 26-27.

High officials at the Prime Ministers’ Office and the Foreign Ministry said Bangladesh has been in close contact with the governments of the four nations on signing instruments on various issues.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the US, Canada, China, France and several other high-profile dignitaries are expected to send video messages to mark the occasion.

Prime Minister of Bhutan also expressed his desire to join the celebrations, Foreign Ministry officials said. China wishes to send a top ranking leader, who will carry the message of President Xi Jinping on the occasion.

Prime Minister of Canada and President of France will also send messages.

Meanwhile, US Ambassador in Dhaka Earl Miller during a meeting with Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said a high-level dignitary from the Washington government is likely to visit Bangladesh in the near future to join the year-long celebrations.

Also Read – Education must evolve: Hasina

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Asia News

Pakistan blocks TikTok again

The country banned the ByteDance-owned platform in October 2020 for a brief 10-day period for hosting “immoral” and “indecent” videos…reports Asian Lite News

Pakistan has once again banned Chinese short-video making app TikTok, this time for allegedly peddling vulgarity and spreading objectionable content on its platform.

The country banned the ByteDance-owned platform in October 2020 for a brief 10-day period for hosting “immoral” and “indecent” videos.

“In respectful compliance to the orders of the Peshawar High Court, PTA has issued directions to the service providers to immediately block access to the TikTok App. During the hearing of a case today, the PHC has ordered for the blocking of App,” the Pakistan telecommunication Authority (PTA) said in a tweet late Thursday.

According to an Al Jazeera report, Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan accused TikTok of hosting content “unacceptable for Pakistani society.”

Khan said the platform engaged in “peddling vulgarity” and ordered the ban take effect immediately during a hearing on Thursday.

TikTok said in a statement that it “is built upon the foundation of creative expression, with strong safeguards in place to keep inappropriate content off the platform”.

“In Pakistan, we have grown our local-language moderation team, and have mechanisms to report and remove content in violation of our community guidelines. We look forward to continuing to serve the millions of TikTok users and creators in Pakistan who have found a home for creativity and fun,” the company added.

TikTok, along with several other Chinese apps, is already banned in India over national security concerns.

Last October, the PTA had said that the app failed to block obscene and immoral contents despite being told several times.

The app has been installed over 40 million times in Pakistan.

Also read:Pakistan faces 3rd Covid wave

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Benegal’s Tribute to ‘Bangabandhu’

Bangabandhu, Shyam Benegal’s biopic on Bangladesh founder Sheikh Mujibur Rehman

“Bangabandhu was meant to celebrate the birth centenary of Mujibur Rahman. Unfortunately, the film could not be ready in time to celebrate these landmarks as we were stopped in our tracks by the pandemic.”said Shyam Benegal….reports Asian Lite News

The 50th year of Independence is special for Bangladesh as lakhs of Bengalis died fighting for the cause of freedom. It is equally important for India as it played a pivotal role in helping them to overthrow the tyrannical rule of West Pakistan.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s Father of the Nation, was the rallying point of the liberation movement. Thus, it is befitting to immortalise this personality on celluloid. Doing this is veteran director Shyam Benegal who is shooting the biopic ‘Bangabandhu’.

Announced in January 2020, the shooting of the biopic was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Now that norms have been relaxed, Benegal is going full steam. The director, 86, is full of vigour, as he goes about setting up the scene.

Talking about the project, Benegal says: “Bangabandhu was meant to celebrate the birth centenary of Mujibur Rahman (who was born on March 17, 1920) as well as the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh (Rahman declared Independence from Pakistan on March 26, 1971). Unfortunately, the film could not be ready in time to celebrate these landmarks as we were stopped in our tracks by the pandemic.”

The Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner, Benegal is to bring to the fore the humane aspects of Rahman’s personality. For instance, he was recently shooting a scene wherein Rahman is seen at his Dhaka residence refusing to eat. The reason was the distress his countrymen were going through facing famine in the 1970s.

Talking about Rahman, Benegal compares him to the protagonist of a Shakespearean tragedy. “He was a man who loved his country too much. He also trusted his countrymen too much. In spite of multiple warnings, he never believed in increasing his personal security.”

Rahman was unfortunately assassinated on August 15, 1975, in a military coup.

The shooting schedule of the biopic is expected to continue till mid-April even though the release date of the movie is yet to be announced. With the production shifting gears with Prime Minister’s scheduled visit on March 26 to Bangladesh, it is hoped that the film will be canned soon.

Shyam Benegal

According to Benegal, “the remaining crowd and war sequences for the movie will be filmed in Bangladesh once the monsoon is over”.

Benegal says the production carefully tries to balance by being neither a hagiography nor too critical. While the film will not follow Rahman’s life chronologically, it is expected to touch upon certain turning points and aspects of his life that made Rahman who he was.

The movie will go beyond the “public image of a leader” and offer glimpses of his private life, he added.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

The two actors who are essaying the lead roles in the film are Bangladeshi actors Arifin Shuvoo as Rehman and Nusrat Imrose Tisha as Fazilatunnesa, Rahman’s wife. The movie is being jointly produced by the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC) and National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC). The roles of Sheikh Hasina and Sohrawardy will be played by Nusraat Faria and Tauquir Ahmed.

Also read:Bangladesh seeks official apology from Pakistan

Talking about his role as Rahman’s father, Khairul Alam Sabuj said: “I am very excited about my role. Based on the famous image of Bangabandhu and his father, I collected a similar piece of clothing for my role.” Dilara Zaman as Rahman’s mother is preparing for make the role authentic.

Since Benegal was clear about making the film in Bengali, he decided to choose Bangladeshi actors for the prominent roles. The original script has been written by Shama Zaidi and Atul Tiwari which is in English. “We have writers who adapted it in Bengali and brought in the local idiom,” observes Benegal.

Apart from the biopic, an airtime exchange programme between Prasar Bharati and Bangladesh Radio Betar has also been launched. The content from Maitree service has started airing in Dhaka while reciprocally content from Bangladesh Radio Betar has started airing on All India Radio in Kolkata.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

Commenting on the new heights achieved in India-Bangladesh relations, the Bangladesh Information Minister Muhammad H Mahmud said “without the support of India, the liberation of Bangladesh would never have been possible; our relationship is historic”.

Terming this friendship as organic, Prakash Javadekar, the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister, said both the countries shared a great legacy.

“We look forward to engage further with Bangladesh TV (BTV) and Betar in co-production of content. Also India will extend all possible cooperation to Bangladesh in setting up the BongoBandhu film city.”

Also read:Bangladesh thanks India for providing vaccines

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Pakistan faces 3rd Covid wave

Pakistani Finance Minister Asad Umar speaks during a press conference in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan
Pakistan has already started Covid 19 vaccinations last month

The Minister added that the uptick in cases was witnessed in districts where a large portion of the Pakistani British community lives….reports Asian Lite News

Asad Umar, Pakistan’s Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, on Friday said that a third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic has started in the country.

“Yes, there is no doubt that the third wave has started and basically, the phenomena that’s driving it is the spread of the UK strain,” The Express Tribune quoted Umar as saying while speaking to a local media outlet.

The Minister added that the uptick in cases was witnessed in districts where a large portion of the Pakistani British community lives.

People wearing face masks walk on a road in Rawalpindi of Pakistan’s Punjab province

“We then asked NIH to carry out genome sequencing, after which it became evident in northern Pakistan, including Islamabad,” said Umar, who also heads the country centre for Covid-19 response.

Later, he added, sequencing was carried out across the country, adding: “(We reached the conclusion that) the dominant strain right now is the UK strain.”

On Friday, Pakistan’s Covid-19 case tally crossed the 600,000 mark with 2,701 fresh infections.

There are a total of 566,492 recoveries, while the death toll stood at 13,377.
Also read:Turkey, Pakistan to cement defence ties

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JCPOA: US not to impel Iran

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday made clear in a congressional hearing that Washington would not make concessions only to get a meeting with Tehran…reports Asian Lite News

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=et8at2HPGaA

The US reaffirmed that it would not offer any unilateral incentives for talks with Iran.

“We will not offer any unilateral gestures or incentives to induce the Iranians to come to the table,” State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters on Thursday during his daily briefing, Xinhua news agency reported.

“If the Iranians are under the impression that absent any movement on their part to resume full compliance with the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) that we will offer favors or unilateral gestures, that’s a misimpression,” he added.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday made clear in a congressional hearing that Washington would not make concessions only to get a meeting with Tehran.

Blinken also dismissed media reports that South Korea would release frozen Iranian assets before Tehran “comes back into compliance” with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

The US and Iran are in a standoff over reviving the nuclear deal.

The Joe Biden administration said that if Iran returns to full compliance with the JCPOA, the US would do the same. But Iran insisted its compliance would only take place once US sanctions were removed.

Tehran recently also rejected an offer from the European Union to hold nuclear talks with European countries and the US.

In response to the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal in 2018 and the reimposition of sanctions, Iran has suspended implementing parts of its obligations under the deal.

Also read:Biden’s $1.2T Relief Package To Reboot US Economy

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Pelosi tears into China on Tibet

House of Representatives Speaker hits out at Beijing for campaign to destroy Tibet’s proud culture and history, reports Asian Lite News

China for decades has waged a campaign to destroy Tibet’s proud culture and history, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi has alleged, asserting that the US will continue to stand with the Tibetan people and honour those who sacrificed all for their rights and freedom.

Speaking on the occasion of the 62nd anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day on Wednesday against the Chinese occupation of the remote Himalayan region, Pelosi said, “Sixty-two years ago, brave Tibetans rose up against the Chinese invasion to protect their way of life and culture. Today, we continue to stand with the Tibetan people and honour those who sacrificed all for their rights and freedom. Tibetan men, women and children want simply to practice their faith, speak their language and celebrate their culture free from violence and intimidation. Yet, Beijing for decades has waged a campaign to destroy Tibet’s proud culture and history, which remains a clarion call for action to freedom-loving people worldwide,” the top Democrat said.

That is why, last year, the US reaffirmed its bipartisan, bicameral support for the people of Tibet by enacting the Tibet Policy and Support Act, which strengthens diplomatic ties between the US and the Central Tibetan Administration and makes clear that decisions regarding Tibetan religion should be made solely by Tibetan religious leaders, she asserted.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Previous US president Donald Trump in December last year had signed into law a bill which called for establishing a US consulate in Tibet and building an international coalition to ensure that the next Dalai Lama is appointed solely by the Tibetan Buddhist community without China’s interference. This prompted China to warn that the act will seriously disrupt and hurt bilateral relations.

Also read:Biden to secure 100mn more J&J jabs

The new Joe Biden administration on Tuesday said the Chinese government should have no role in the succession process of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

“This year, as we mark this solemn anniversary, we continue to take inspiration from the Dalai Lama’s powerful message of peace, faith and love,” Pelosi said.

“Guided by His Holiness’s spirit of hope, we will never rest in our efforts to advance freedom and opportunity in Tibet and throughout China – because if we do not stand up for human rights in China due to commercial interests, then we lose all moral authority to talk about human rights in any other place in the world. We will not be deterred in this vital mission,” said the House Speaker.

The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader has been demanding meaningful autonomy for Tibetans.

The 85-year-old Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 following a crackdown on an uprising by the local population in Tibet. India granted him political asylum and the Tibetan government-in-exile is based on Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh since then.

China views the 14th Dalai Lama as a “separatist” working to split Tibet from China.

Also read:Biden’s $1.2T Relief Package To Reboot US Economy

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New Sea Route and China’s Military Interests in Arctic

14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) states that China would “participate in pragmatic cooperation in the North Pole” and “raise its ability to participate in the protection and utilisation of the South Pole”, according to a Reuters report from Shanghai, reports SPS Pannu

Amidst growing tensions in the South China Sea, Beijing has unveiled an ambitious plan to construct a “Polar Silk Road” and actively participate in the development of Arctic and Antarctic regions raising fears of increased militarisation and environmental damage to the planets fragile ecological area.

“China will participate in the pragmatic cooperation on the Arctic and the building of a ‘Polar Silk Road’,” according to the draft outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for national economic and social development and the long-range objectives through the year 2035, the country’s Xinhua news agency reported from Beijing on Friday.



The plan states that China would “participate in pragmatic cooperation in the North Pole” and “raise its ability to participate in the protection and utilisation of the South Pole”, according to a Reuters report from Shanghai.

China has been eyeing rich mineral resources as well as new shipping routes in the Arctic region, as climate change melts ice in the region.

The document makes it clear that the aggressive Xi Jinping regime is stepping up plans to increase the country’s presence in the Polar regions even as it adopts a hostile policy of blocking sea lanes to international waters in the South China Sea.

Ironically, China claims it is a “near-Arctic country” to justify its foray into the polar region.

Also read:China okay with Covid origin probe

The aggressive stand was spelt out in an article in the Global Times which states: “China is a near-Arctic country. It has been participating in the region’s affairs with an inclusive, cooperative and win-win attitude. It is not a courtesy extended by Arctic countries but a right endorsed by the international law that allows China to take part in regional affairs.”

China had released a white paper in 2018 announcing its vision of extending the Belt and Road Initiative to the Arctic for developing shipping lanes in the region. It had said enterprises would be encouraged to build infrastructure and conduct commercial trial voyages, paving the way for Arctic shipping routes that would form a “Polar Silk Road”.



Energy-hungry China has ensured its presence in the Arctic through the Russian Yamal Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) project in which the country holds a 20 per cent stake. The project is expected to yield four million tonnes of LNG a year.

Earlier most of the traffic through the northern sea route merely linked Russian vessels travelling between Russian ports along the Arctic. However, after the Russia-China cooperation in the region, Chinese companies started making trial runs to develop it as an alternative route to reach the European markets.

The route cuts the distance between Europe and Asia by 3,000 miles and reduces the travel time for ships by as many as 11 days compared to the southern voyage via the Strait of Malacca and the Suez Canal. The route is increasingly being viewed as the next big shipping route over the next decade.

After the release of the white paper, western nations and critics fear China’s increasing footprint in the Arctic and possible military deployment.

Biden’s response


Meanwhile, to counter the growing military presence in the north from Russia and China, the US and Canada plan to modernize a network of defence satellites and radar in the Arctic, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

President Biden asked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to ramp up Canada’s spending on defence, including an upgrade of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, commonly known as Norad, during a bilateral meeting between the two leaders recently, recently, the report said.



Norad was a central part of the US and Canadian military’s Cold War deterrence strategy against the former Soviet Union. Consisting of satellites, ground-based radar, and air-force bases located mostly in Alaska and the Canadian Arctic, the surveillance system was designed to give the military allies notice of any impending attack from the north.

The system, once state-of-the-art, has since become outdated. New missiles being deployed by Russia and China can travel at more than five times the speed of sound and fly much farther than their predecessors, which would overwhelm the existing surveillance network, Michael Dawson, who served as Canadian political adviser to Norad command in Colorado from 2010 to 2014, was quoted as saying by the Wall Street Journal.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

Also read:China to meet US top diplomats next week

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Suu Kyi charged with bribery

Myanmar's State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi attends a ceremony to mark the 72nd Martyrs' Day in Yangon, Myanmar, July 19, 2019. Myanmar held a state ceremony here Friday to mark the country's 72nd Martyrs' Day, paying tribute to fallen national heroes including General Aung San and eight others who sacrificed their lives in 1947 for regaining the country's independence. (Xinhua/U Aung/IANS)

The allegation is the strongest yet levelled by the military since it overthrew Suu Kyi and the country’s democratic leadership on 1 February…reports Asian Lite News

Myanmar’s military rulers have accused the ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi of illegally accepting $600,000 (£430,000) and gold.

The allegation is the strongest yet levelled by the military since it overthrew Suu Kyi and the country’s democratic leadership on 1 February, the BBC reported.

No evidence was provided for the charge.

Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun also accused President Win Myint and several cabinet ministers of corruption.

Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), won a landslide victory in the polls last year, but the military now claims the election was fraudulent.

Independent international observers have disputed the military’s claim – saying no irregularities were observed.

Suu Kyi has been held for the past five weeks in an undisclosed location and faces several charges including causing “fear and alarm”, illegally possessing radio equipment, and breaking Covid-19 restrictions.

Also read:Junta intensifies media crackdown in Myanmar

The illegal payments charge levelled on Thursday was the most serious so far. The value of the gold the military alleges she illegally accepted is roughly £450,000.

Myanmar has been gripped by street protests since the military seized control and detained Suu Kyi. Her image has been held aloft by the protesters.

At least seven more people were killed by security forces on Thursday, taking the total death toll to more than 60. Witnesses said that some protesters had been shot in the head.

The UN, US and a host of other countries have condemned the killing of civilians in the crackdown against anti-coup protesters in Myanmar, and called on the authorities to exercise restraint.

The military has dismissed criticism of its actions, instead blaming Suu Kyi for the violence.

Also read:Myanmar lifts Arakan Army terrorist label

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‘Pak Continues To Train Terrorists in PoK’

G. Kishan Reddy

There are several terrorist training camps in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), which are used for training and subsequently infiltrating trained militants and terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir, said Reddy…reports Asian Lite News

Pakistan is running many terrorist training camps in occupied Kashmir and using them to push terrorists into Indian territories, the government said in the Parliament on Thursday.

Replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Home, G. Kishan Reddy, said the government has consistently pressed Pakistan to put an end to cross-border infiltration of terrorists and dismantle the infrastructure supporting terrorism on a permanent basis.

“According to reports, there are several terrorist training camps in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), which are used for training and subsequently infiltrating trained militants and terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir for carrying out terrorist activities. Some of these training camps are still active, which are imparting training to the militants,” he said.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan


Reddy added that the government has repeatedly raised the issue of Pakistan’s continued support to cross-border terrorism and terrorist infiltration in bilateral, regional and multilateral fora.

To destroy one such terror camp, India had carried out the Balakot air strike two years ago.



On February 26, 2019, at around 3.30 a.m., 12 Mirage 2000 fighter jets crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and destroyed a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp in Balakot.

The Balakot airstrike demonstrated India’s prowess to retaliate to Pakistan’s sinister intentions.

Codenamed as ‘Operation Bandar’, the air strike was conducted by the seventh and ninth squadrons of the Indian Air Force.

Also read:Turkey, Pakistan to cement defence ties

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Samsung heir faces probe over drug use

Lee is currently serving a two-and-a-half-year prison term for bribing impeached former President Park Geun-hye and her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil to win government support…reports Asian Lite News

Jae-yong, the imprisoned de facto leader of Samsung Group, is under investigation over an allegation that he took anesthesia drug propofol shots illegally, police said on Thursday.

Propofol is a highly regulated drug in South Korea that the country’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety issued standards to prevent its misuse and abuse.

The ministry issued a notice last September to set standards for the use of narcotic drugs propofol and zolpidem, saying propofol is a “psychotropic drug used to induce and maintain the general anesthetic state.”

The Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency said they were looking into the accusation made against Lee, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, that he illegally used the anesthesia drug at a plastic surgery clinic in Seoul last year, but refused to provide further details on the ongoing case, reports Yonhap news agency.

The police are said to have visited Lee, who is imprisoned in the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, south of the capital, last month to take a hair sample from him for drug testing.

Also read:Q4 2020: Samsung To Post $9 Bn Operating Income

Lee is currently serving a two-and-a-half-year prison term for bribing impeached former President Park Geun-hye and her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil to win government support for a smooth father-to-son transfer of managerial power at Samsung.

Samsung said that Lee only took propofol shots for medical purposes and that the police have not corroborated the allegation against him, reports Yonhap news agency.

Early last year, a similar accusation was filed against Lee with the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission that he regularly used propofol at another plastic surgery clinic in Seoul.

The case has been referred to the Supreme Prosecutors Office.

Lee also denied the allegation at that time and requested the case to be reviewed by an independent committee consisting of outside experts to see whether the prosecution’s investigation is legitimate.

Also read:Samsung heir jailed over corruption