Bangladesh

Ahead of polls, B'desh Jamaat chief vows strong, respectful ties with India

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman on Wednesday said that his party would work to build "strong, respectful and mutually beneficial" relations with India if voted to power. Rahman made the comments during a meeting with a group of journalists in Dhaka on the eve of the general elections. Rahman emphasised national unity, equal citizenship and constructive relations with neighbouring countries, including India. "We seek positive relationships with our neighbouring countries and with friends around the world. India is our nearest neighbour, and it will remain a priority. Our goal is not to create conflict but to build partnerships for development and peace. Mutual respect and trust are essential," he said. Bangladesh will hold its first general elections since the 2024 uprising that led to the ouster of then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Jamaat-e-Islami, leading an 11-party alliance, has emerged as the main rival to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led ...

Bangladesh elections: All you need to know about key players, parties

The BNP, led by Tarique Rahman, and the Jamaat-e-Islami are seen as frontrunners, with the student-led NCP in distant third. The Awami League is barred from contesting

Bangladesh election tests Gen Z uprising, India-China power balance

Bangladesh's first election since Muhammad Yunus took charge as interim leader will test whether Gen Z-led protest movements can convert street momentum into stable, long-term political power

US-Bangladesh pact to put India's textile, cotton exports in a spot

India's textile industry sees the US-Bangladesh trade deal as a mixed outcome, with zero reciprocal tariffs for some Bangladeshi goods potentially hurting apparel and cotton yarn exports

US-Bangladesh trade agreement unlikely to dent India's auto exports

The US-Bangladesh reciprocal trade pact is unlikely to materially affect India's auto and auto component exports, analysts say, despite tariff concessions and wider market access for Dhaka

US-Bangladesh pact unlikely to impact India's pharma, medtech exports

Industry executives say the US-Bangladesh reciprocal trade agreement is unlikely to materially affect India's pharma and medtech exports, given India's scale and established FDA-approved supply chains

Bangladesh heads to polls on Feb 12: Why the outcome matters for India

Bangladesh votes on February 12 in its first election since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government; the outcome could shape political stability and ties with India

$800-billion global textile market: How India stacks up against Vietnam, Bangladesh & others

India’s textile sector is navigating tariff shocks, global competition, and a shifting sourcing landscape. We explain how India compares with Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Pakistan

Bangladesh textile exports to US go 'tariff-free': What it means for India

Bangladesh's key export-earning ready-made garments made from cotton and synthetic fibres imported from the US will enjoy zero reciprocal duty under a new trade deal

China's influence in Bangladesh likely to deepen as India's ties decline

China has stepped up its investment and diplomatic outreach in Dhaka, most recently signing a defence deal to build a drone factory near Bangladesh's border with India

US trims Bangladesh tariffs to 19%, eases access for some garments

Bangladesh on Monday secured a reduced 19 per cent tariff under a trade agreement with the United States that would exempt some textiles and garments manufactured with US materials, interim government chief Muhammad Yunus said. In an X post, he said Washington had "committed to establishing a mechanism for certain textile and apparel goods from Bangladesh using US-produced cotton and man-made fibre to receive zero reciprocal tariff in (the) US market". Yunus, known for his pro-US stance, said the deal was reached after nine months of negotiations since April last year. Meanwhile, the US Treasury Department or any office of the Trump administration made no immediate comment on the development. According to Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman, Bangladesh's key export-earning ready-made garments (RMG) made from cotton and synthetic fibres imported from the US would enjoy zero reciprocal duty under the deal. He said the agreement was signed in Washington by Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bash

Facing democracy test, Bangladesh at a crossroads ahead of elections

India will closely watch the first post-Hasina parliamentary polls, amid concerns over minority safety, regional alignments and a tight BNP-Islamist contest

Best of BS Opinion: America's about-turn poses a global dilemma

From prosperity and human flourishing to the decline of American dominance, shifting global blocs, Bangladesh ties and disability policy, today's Opinion page maps key faultlines

Bangladesh court sentences Sheikh Hasina to 10 yrs in jail for corruption

A Bangladesh court on Monday sentenced deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in jail in two separate corruption cases related to alleged irregularities in allocations of land in a government housing project. Dhaka Special Judge's Court-4 Judge Rabiul Alam handed down the verdicts, sentencing Hasina to a total of 10 years' imprisonment - five years in each case, state-run BSS news agency reported. The court sentenced 78-year-old Hasina, her nephew Radwan Mujib Siddiq, and her nieces, Tulip Rizwana Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq, and others in the cases over alleged irregularities in the allocation of plots under the Rajuk New Town Project in Purbachol. The judgment was pronounced at around 12.30 pm. Tulip Siddiq was sentenced to four years' imprisonment - two years in each case - while Radwan Mujib Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq were each sentenced to seven years' imprisonment in both cases. Rajuk member Mohammad Khurshid Alam, the only accused to surrender before the court, was ...

From Bangladesh to Nepal: Decoding India's aid to neighbours in Budget 2026

The 2026 Budget, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday, signalled a clear push to strengthen ties with the neighbouring countries

Bangladesh confirms 330 int'l observers for Feb polls; India yet to respond

India has also been invited to join the international observer mission for Bangladesh's general election, but has yet to confirm its participation, a statement said

Bangladesh appoints UK law firm to arbitrate coal pricing with Adani Group

Bangladesh has appointed a British law firm to represent its state-run Power Development Board (BPDB) in mediation proceedings over its disputes with Adani Power Limited on the Indian conglomerate's coal pricing and power tariffs, officials said on Friday. The BPDB officials said they appointed London-based 3VP, a leading law firm that provides commercial and financial litigation, to represent Bangladesh in the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), a court of international arbitration. The Bangladesh-based Business Standard (TBS) newspaper said the 3VP chambers, headed by King's Counsel Farhaz Khan, had beenadvising a national review committee on the Adani deal for several months. The development came in less than a week, within five days of the committee submitting its final report detailing power sector agreements signed during thedeposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's toppled Awami League government. "Our move to appoint the British firm came as Adani Power initiate

Sheikh Hasina slams Bangladesh's upcoming election from her exile in India

From her exile in India, Bangladesh's ousted leader Sheikh Hasina has slammed the country's upcoming election after her party was barred from the polls, remarks that could deepen tensions ahead of the pivotal vote next month. Hasina, who was sentenced to death for her crackdown on a student uprising in 2024 that killed hundreds of people and led to the toppling of her 15-year rule, warned in an email to The Associated Press last week that without inclusive and free and fair elections, Bangladesh will face prolonged instability. She also claimed that Bangladesh's interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus deliberately disenfranchised millions of her supporters by excluding her party - the former ruling Awami League - from the election. "Each time political participation is denied to a significant portion of the population, it deepens resentment, delegitimizes institutions and creates the conditions for future instability," she wrote. "A government born of ..

Bangladesh panel says Adani power contract overpriced, flags anomalies

Bangladesh government-appointed panel claimed electricity from Adani's Godda plant is priced well above market rates and includes Indian corporate taxes

With EU FTA, textile firms hope to surpass Bangladesh in European exports

India's textile and apparel industry expects the India-EU trade deal to boost exports, help Tiruppur overtake Bangladesh in Europe and revive growth after tariff-led losses