Page 2 - Bangladesh

BNP's Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir elected as Bangladesh's new President

Ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was on Thursday elected as the country's new President in the first contested poll for the post in 35 years. The 78-year-old BNP stalwart defeated his rival Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmed, the Liberal Democratic Party chairman and the nominee of the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party opposition alliance, Chief Election Commissioner and also Election Returning Officer AMM Nasir Uddin said. Alamgir secured 255 votes while Oli Ahmad bagged 88 votes, he said. Of the total 349 registered voters, 343 voted in the election. Six lawmakers didn't vote, he added. The president-elect will take the oath as Bangladesh's new President on Friday evening at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban. It is the first contested presidential election in Bangladesh since 1991, as the office had largely been filled through consensus and uncontested polls in recent decades. The presidential election was necessitated after Mohammed Shahabuddin, a

Bangladeshis among 9 killed in Kolkata fire; WB orders hotel safety audit

Nine people, including a four-year-old child, were killed and six injured when a fire swept through a five-storey building housing several hotels in central Kolkata on Wednesday, with several Bangladeshis among the dead, prompting the government to order a statewide fire-safety audit. Officials of the state government and the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission initially said five of the deceased were Bangladeshis, including a woman and a child. However, sources at the Bangladesh mission later said the number of Bangladeshis killed in the blaze had risen to seven, adding that an official statement would be issued on Thursday morning. The blaze at Shikha Inn on Mirza Ghalib Street, near the New Market area, came barely 48 hours after another hotel fire in Tarapith killed nine people, putting the safety standards of the state's hospitality sector under renewed scrutiny. Fire and Emergency Services Minister Kaushik Chowdhury said the fire brigade received the call at 2.07 am and began .

Bangladesh seeks faster business visas, balanced economic ties with India

Bangladesh has called for faster issuance of business visas for its nationals travelling to India and urged greater ease of doing business as it seeks to build an economic partnership with New Delhi that is "equally beneficial". State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said Bangladesh want businesses and private sectors of the two countries to "communicate more frequently", Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported on Wednesday. "Business visas for Bangladeshis should be issued more quickly so that businesspeople can travel to India more frequently," she said at a reception here on Tuesday night. The minister also stressed on the need to address "non-tariff barriers, standards and testing-related difficulties, procedural delays, and infrastructure constraints that affect the smooth movement of goods and services". Islam said Bangladesh wanted "more vibrant trade, investment and communication" between the two countries and that greater predictability and ease of doing business .

Bangladesh seeks guarantee clause in renewed Ganges water treaty with India

Bangladesh will seek a "guarantee clause" in the renewed Ganges Water Treaty with India and is ready to approach international forums to protect its water rights, according to media reports. Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee made the remarks on Tuesday at a seminar titled "Ganges Water Treaty: Issues for Renegotiation" organised by the Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs in Dhaka, the state-owned BSS news agency reported. The remarks came as the India-Bangladesh Ganges Water Treaty, signed in 1996 to govern dry-season sharing of the river's waters, is due to expire in December. Water-sharing has remained a key issue in bilateral ties between New Delhi and Dhaka, with Bangladesh pushing for a renewed pact and India maintaining that bilateral discussions on renewal had not yet begun. Anee on Tuesday said Dhaka remained committed to renegotiating the treaty and hoped that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would make a strong case for Bangladesh at the .

B'desh does not want ties with India to deteriorate over Teesta: Minister

Bangladesh does not want its friendly ties with India to deteriorate over the long-pending Teesta water-sharing agreement, a senior minister has said, urging New Delhi to take into account Dhaka's interests while pursuing its own. "The neighbouring country is a friendly country. They have to think that while they have their interests, we also have ours," Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee was quoted as saying by news portal tbsnews.net at a seminar here. "A friend should protect the interests of a friend. We never want our friendly relations with them to deteriorate," he said. Anee's remarks on Sunday come amid a renewed push by Bangladesh to address the Teesta issue, including through the proposed Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project with China's support, as Dhaka seeks to tackle recurring floods, river erosion and dry-season water shortages in the country's northern districts. He said the government had organised several seminars and ...

Bangladesh seeks 'propitious environment' for PM Rahman's India visit

Bangladesh on Sunday said a "propitious environment needs to be created" by India for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to visit New Delhi, linking it to Dhaka's pending extradition requests regarding deposed premier Sheikh Hasina, according to a media report. The development comes amid uncertainties over Rahman's visit to New Delhi for the BRICS summit on September 12-13. Rahman met Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi on August 10. During the meeting, he sought the extradition of Hasina, following up on formal requests sent to New Delhi so far. But there was no clarity on whether he would visit New Delhi. "Officials of Bangladesh and India have been in touch with each other for several weeks on the possibility of a bilateral visit by Hon'ble Prime Minister Mr Tarique Rahman to India," Bangladesh's foreign ministry spokesperson Shahidul Karim was quoted as saying by the state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) news portal on Sunday. However, he told the media, the process was ..

Bangladesh says PM Rahman's India visit hinges on schedule, bilateral talks

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's proposed visit to India has yet to be finalised, with the timing depending on his "schedule" and the "progress" in bilateral discussions, a junior minister said on Thursday. "The government is positive about visits to all countries. But it will depend on the PM's schedule and on how far discussions between the two countries progress," State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam told reporters at the foreign office. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited his Bangladesh counterpart to join the outreach of the upcoming BRICS summit in New Delhi in his capacity as the current chair of the BIMSTEC, as India is hosting the event on September 12-13. The BIMSTEC, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, is a regional grouping comprising India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Tuesday said that two separate ...

Sheikh Hasina vows return to Bangladesh in December despite threats

Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday declared that she is determined to return home in December to put the country on the "right track" as she is undeterred by the threat of imprisonment or a death sentence. Hasina made the remarks during an audio-only virtual press conference -- her first public media interaction since fleeing to India on August 5, 2024 in the face of a massive protest. Attendees were unable to see the former prime minister and heard only her voice. "I know, they may put me in jail or kill me," she said, adding "I will go back home to be with my people." The Awami League leader also described India as a "great friend" of Bangladesh and said it always stood by her country in times of difficulty. In her comments, Hasina delved into the prevailing political environment in her country and the challenges facing its people, asserting that her return is not about power but to put Bangladesh back on the track of development, secularism and ...

Datanomics: State of Delhi-Dhaka economic ties after Sheikh Hasina

Bangladesh's economic engagement shifted towards China, the US and the Netherlands after Hasina's exit, while trade and investment ties with India weakened

Ready to face risk of arrest or death to restore democracy, justice: Hasina

Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday declared that she is determined to return home in December, pledging to face the risk of arrest or a death sentence, in order to "restore democracy and justice" to the country. Hasina said this at a virtual press conference in her first public media interaction since fleeing to India on August 5, 2024. "My return is not about power, it's about putting Bangladesh back on track of development, secularism and prosperity," she said. "I know, they may put me in jail or kill me," she said, adding, "I will go back home to be with my people." Hasina, 78, has been living in India since fleeing Dhaka. "I have decided to go and I will go to Bangladesh," she asserted. Last November, Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia by a special tribunal in Dhaka for alleged "crimes against humanity" over her government's brutal crackdown on student-led protests in 2024. Since that verdict, Dhaka has been urging New Delhi to extradite her t

Bangladesh seeks India's stand on Sheikh Hasina's planned media appearance

Bangladesh has sought clarification from India over its position on deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's planned press conference in New Delhi on Wednesday, coinciding with the second anniversary of her government's ouster, a minister here said on Monday. Addressing a media briefing, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam also said that Hasina's public political activities from Indian territory could have a negative impact on bilateral relations between the two countries. According to some media reports, Hasina, 78, is expected to join a private event hosted by the Foreign Correspondents' Club of South Asia (FCC South Asia) virtually on August 5 in New Delhi. Hasina's US-based son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, former education minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel, and Bangladesh Human Rights Watch general secretary Mahammad Ali Siddique are among those who would join the event. "Bangladesh wants India to make its position clear on the matter," Shama said, adding that Dhaka do

Illegal migration from Bangladesh a matter of 'serious concern': Par panel

A parliamentary committee has said that illegal migration from Bangladesh continues to remain a matter of "serious concern", as it also recommended that a "dedicated bilateral mechanism" or a joint working group be set up between the two countries to monitor the progress of nationality verification and repatriation. The panel also noted that continued diligence is essential to "ensure that Indian nationals are not deported to Bangladesh in error". The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, led by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, said this in a report tabled in Parliament on Thursday. It is titled - "Action Taken by the Government on the Observations/ Recommendations contained in the Ninth Report of the Committee on the subject 'Future of India-Bangladesh Relationship'". The panel noted that illegal migration from Bangladesh "continues to remain a matter of serious concern, particularly in the border states of West Bengal and Assam". The committee said it is aware tha

Bangladesh 'reviewing' PM Modi's invitation to PM Rahman for India visit

Bangladesh is "reviewing" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's invitation to his counterpart Tarique Rahman to visit India, a senior minister said here on Wednesday. Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman made the comments when asked about India's invitation to PM Tarique Rahman to attend the upcoming 18th BRICS Summit in Delhi. "We are currently reviewing it (invitation)," Rahman told reporters after High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi paid a courtesy call on him five weeks after his arrival as the Indian envoy here. In a post on X, the Indian High Commission in Dhaka said the envoy "reaffirmed India's commitment to a positive, constructive and forward-looking partnership with Bangladesh, rooted in mutual interest and mutual benefit, and to deepening people-centric cooperation across all sectors." He also met State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam for a wide-ranging exchange on strengthening bilateral ties, it added. Rahman said the premier has received several invitations for ...

Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin resigns, cites health issues

The Bangladesh President resigned two years before his term ends, citing health complications, with Speaker Hafizuddin Ahmed set to take charge as acting President

Brics 2026: Bangladesh invited as India hosts key ministerial meetings

India's invitation to Bangladesh marks a key diplomatic development ahead of the Brics Summit, with ministerial meetings helping shape the bloc's agenda

Bangladesh President likely to resign soon amid rising political tensions

Bangladesh's President Mohammad Shahabuddin is likely to resign soon, nearly two years ahead of his tenure, political sources and media reports said on Thursday. Shahabuddin was elected to the highest office by the past parliament and happens to be the only person still holding his constitutional position long after the violent July-August 2024 student-led street protest that toppled prime minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League government. Hasina fled to India and has been living there since August 5, 2024. "It is likely that he (Shahabuddin) will resign soon," a senior leader of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) told PTI without further elaboration. However, reports carried by several mainstream Bangladeshi media over his resignation gained momentum in the past two days suggesting Prime Minister Rahman's government was no longer comfortable with Shahabuddin. Newspaper Prothom Alo quoted a high-level government source as saying that the ...

A nuclear debut in Bangladesh tests developing world's atomic shift

The $12.6-billion Rooppur nuclear plant is expected to meet up to 15% of Bangladesh's electricity demand, underscoring the country's push to reduce fossil fuel imports

Sheikh Hasina, exiled party leaders may return to Bangladesh in Dec

Exiled former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina says she will return from India in December to surrender despite facing a death sentence, saying she wants to face her fate on home soil

China backs Bangladesh's new government: Xi Jinping tells Tarique Rahman

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday met the visiting Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and offered Beijing's support for the new government in Dhaka. On the final day of his five-day visit, Rahman met Xi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Xi told Rahman that China supports Bangladesh's new government in its smooth administration and stands ready to carry out high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with Dhaka. Xi said China is willing to map out key cooperation with Bangladesh and tap into the potential for collaboration in green and low-carbon development, digital economy, information technology, artificial intelligence and other fields, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. Before meeting Xi, Rahman met Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China and discussed issues related to bilateral ties. On Thursday, Rahman held talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, after which they signed 13 agreements. The two countri

India elevates Bangladesh envoy Dinesh Trivedi to Cabinet-rank status

The Centre granted High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi status equivalent to a Union Cabinet minister, signalling the importance it attaches to ties with Bangladesh