Page 23 - Bangladesh

B'desh's ex-PM Khaleda Zia leaves country to undergo treatment in London

Bangladesh's ailing former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia left the nation's capital for London on Tuesday for medical treatment, said one of her advisers. Zahiruddin Swapan, an adviser to Zia, told The Associated Press by phone that the three-time former premier and also the head of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport late Tuesday on an air ambulance. Our senior leaders left the airport seeing her off, Swapan said. Zia's motorcade took nearly three hours to cross about a 10-kilometer stretch of road to get to the airport from her residence in Dhaka's Gulshan area as thousands of her desperate supporters greeted her on the way, creating traffic chaos. Her hours-long journey to the airport was broadcast live by television stations. An interim government headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus is running the country and plans to hold elections in December this year or in the first half of 2026. Zia was sentenced to 17 years in jail und

For extradition, offender gets protections: Ex-official on Hasina's arrest

ICT issued an arrest warrant against Hasina and 10 others, including her former Defence Adviser Major General (retired) Tarique Ahmed Siddique and former IGP Benazir Ahmed

Bangladesh's crime tribunal issues 2nd arrest warrant against Hasina

The warrants relate to two cases involving allegations of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances

Bangladesh former PM Khaleda Zia to seek medical treatment abroad

The 79-year-old former prime minister, who has been battling multiple health complications, including liver cirrhosis, heart disease, and kidney issues, will stay at her son Tarek Rahman's residence

Bangladesh releases 95 Indian fishermen in reciprocal repatriation

Bangladesh on Sunday handed over to India 95 Indian fishermen while New Delhi released 90 Bangladeshi fishermen. The process of reciprocal repatriation of fishermen in each other's custody came amid frosty ties between the two countries. The decision to release the fishermen was announced by New Delhi and Dhaka on Thursday. The exchange of the fishermen was coordinated by the Indian Coast Guard and the Bangladesh Coast Guard. The Bangladeshi side handed over 95 fishermen and four fishing vessels to the Indian Coast Guard, according to an official statement. The Indian Coast Guard released 90 Bangladeshi fishermen including 12 rescued from sunken fishing boat "Kaushik", it said. "Idian fishermen are being handed over to West Bengal State fisheries authorities at South 24 Parganas post repatriation from Bangladesh," the Indian Coast Guard said in the readout. In recent months, several Indian fishermen have been arrested by Bangladesh authorities when they happened to inadvertently

Bangladesh cancels scheduled judges' training in India amid strained ties

Bangladesh's interim government on Sunday cancelled a planned training programme for 50 judges and judicial officers in India, scrapping a previous notification. The notification has been cancelled, a law ministry spokesman said without elaborating. The Daily Star newspaper, however, reported the cancellation came in compliance with a directive from Bangladesh's Supreme Court. The cancellation order came a day after the state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha reported that 50 lower judiciary judges would undergo a one-day training programme from February 10 at the National Judicial Academy and the State Judicial Academy in Madhya Pradesh. The trainee judges selected under the programme were district and sessions judge or its equivalent officers, additional district and sessions judge, joint district judge, senior assistant judge and assistant judge. The Indian government was supposed to bear all the expenses for the training programmes. India and Bangladesh have witnessed strained

Bangladesh CEC says 180 million people denied their voting rights

Bangladesh's Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin on Sunday said that almost 180 million people have been denied their voting rights and the Election Commission wants to end their deprivation, The Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported. The CEC, while addressing the inaugural ceremony of a training programme for election officers ahead of a voter list updating exercise, said the Election Commission (EC) wants to remove the fact that the people have been deprived of the voting right for so long. We want to remove the pain of their deprivation. We are steadfast in our commitment, he said. The countrywide door-to-door data collection for updating the list of possible voters will start on January 20. The CEC said they are here to hear the 180 million people who have been suffering from the deprivation of voting rights. We've taken the responsibility so that we can remove their deprivation, he said. He said the commission's main goal is to arrange a fair and credible election.

UK minister Tulip Siddiq under scrutiny over ties to former Bangladeshi PM

The filings show that the apartment was registered to Abdul Motalif, a developer linked to the Awami League, the political party led by Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's former PM and Siddiq's aunt

Bangladesh's EC to probe irregularities in Awami League-era elections

Bangladesh's Election Commission (EC) has decided to investigate irregularities and shortcomings in all previous elections, including the three preceding elections that have been controversial during the Awami League-rule in 2014, 2018 and 2024. The Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported that following a meeting, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin instructed all 10 regional election officers to examine the reasons behind the decline in the electoral system and submit detailed reports. The CEC issued written directives, asking regional officials to identify past irregularities and deficiencies and report their findings to the EC secretariat. The 2014, 2018 and 2024 national elections are widely regarded as some of the most controversial in the country's history. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and allied parties boycotted the 2014 election, resulting in one-sided voting and unopposed election of 153 candidates, an unprecedented ..

Pakistan FM to visit Bangladesh; Muhammad Yunus to reciprocate visit

Pakistan's Ishaq Dar will visit Bangladesh next month, the first such trip by a Pakistani foreign minister since 2012, signalling warming ties between Dhaka and Islamabad after Sheikh Hasina's ouster

Iskcon Kolkata to hold daily prayers till normalcy returns in Bangladesh

ISKCON Kolkata on Friday said its followers will continue holding prayers till normalcy returns in Bangladesh, where Hindus and other religious minorities have been facing atrocities since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), Kolkata, has been holding daily prayers at its Albert Road centre here for over a month for the safety and security of religious minorities in Bangladesh, and the release of jailed Hindu spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das and other monks in the neighbouring country. "We will continue with our daily prayers for the minorities in Bangladesh till normalcy returns there," ISKCON Kolkata spokesperson Radharamn Das said. "Devotees are very anxious as to what the future holds for the minorities in Bangladesh," he told PTI. He said the devotees were, however, hopeful that Chinmoy Krishna Das will get justice before the high court in Bangladesh, challenging a Chittagong court order denying bail to ...

India, Bangladesh announce reciprocal repatriation of fishermen in custody

India and Bangladesh on Thursday announced that they will kick-start a process of reciprocal repatriation of fishermen in each other's custody, a move that came amid strain in their bilateral ties. Shortly after Bangladesh said it will hand over 95 Indian fishermen to Indian authorities on January 5, India said it will release 90 Bangladeshi fishermen on the same day. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said mutual exchange of fishermen and their vessels has been worked out keeping in mind the primarily humanitarian and livelihood concerns of the fishing communities on both sides. "In recent months, several Indian fishermen have been arrested by Bangladesh authorities when they happened to inadvertently cross the International Maritime Boundary Line and entered Bangladesh waters," it said. The MEA said several Bangladesh fishermen have also been apprehended by Indian authorities in similar circumstances. "Earlier today, 95 Indian fishermen were handed over by Bangladesh authori

Mamata accuses BSF of infiltration plot; border guards reject claim

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday accused the Border Security Force of facilitating infiltration from Bangladesh as part of a central government "blueprint" to destabilize the state, a charge the BSF denied, asserting it diligently guards the country's boundary. Speaking at an administrative review meeting at the state secretariat, Banerjee alleged that the BSF was allowing infiltrators to enter through areas like Islampur, Sitai, and Chopra. "We have information that the BSF is letting infiltrators enter India through various border areas. This is a deliberate attempt to destabilize the state. There is a deep-rooted conspiracy involving the central government," she said. Banerjee said she could sense a "blueprint of the Centre" behind this attitude of the BSF. "Goons are entering India. I want peace on both sides of the border. We have a good relationship with neighbouring Bangladesh," she said. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo further alleged that women

B'desh continues to erase role of Hasina's father Mujib, now from textbooks

New Bangladeshi textbooks for primary and secondary students have reportedly removed the title 'Father of the Nation' for Mujibur Rahman

Racket facilitating entry of Bangladeshi nationals busted in Delhi, 4 held

Delhi Police said it has uncovered a large-scale illegal immigration racket involving Bangladeshi nationals and arrested four people, including two persons from the neighbouring country who allegedly entered India illegally, an official said on Thursday. The other two arrested are accused of facilitating the Bangladeshi nationals' unlawful immigration and document fabrication. The immigration racket involved handlers in Bangladesh and India who handled transportation and others in India who helped forge fake documents for their stay in India. Police have also seized fake Aadhaar and PAN cards, Indian passport applications, and other documents. Police said they have also discovered "donkey routes" via Meghalaya and Assam in the border states that the two foreign nationals used. Joint Commissioner of Police (Southern Range) Sanjay Kumar Jain said Delhi Police has apprehended two Bangladeshi nationals -- Bilal Hosen and his wife Sapna -- along with two Indian nationals -- Aminur Ishla

Mamata Banerjee alleges BSF letting 'Bangladeshi terrorists' enter Bengal

Calling it the 'blueprint' of central government, Mamata Banerjee alleged that the BSF was allowing 'Bangladeshi terrorists' to cross the border to create instability in West Bengal

Hindu monk Chinmoy Das' bail plea rejected by court in Bangladesh

Chattogram's Metropolitan Sessions court denied bail to Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, arrested on November 25 in connection with a sedition case

Bangladesh's political turmoil gives Bengal BJP's membership drive a fillip

The violence against Hindus in Bangladesh has provided a fillip to West Bengal BJP's membership drive, as the party struggles to meet its ambitious one crore target, while campaiging against the atrocities on minorities across the border to consolidate Hindu support in the state. Attacks on the minority community on the other side of the border has provided the party with a rallying point, as it seeks to counter challenges posed by organisational gaps, internal discord, and the ruling Trinamool Congress's (TMC) political dominance. Both TMC and BJP are leveraging the Bangladesh issue to shape the political narrative ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. The Bangladesh turmoil, where Hindu minorities have been at the receiving end, has accelerated the membership drive, as people see the BJP as the only party capable of ensuring stability and are afraid of similar events under TMC's rule, which is known for its minority appeasement, state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar told PTI. Top

Awami League may contest elections unless banned, says Bangladesh CEC

Bangladesh's Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin has said that ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League may participate in elections unless the government or the judiciary issues a ban against the party. The chief election commissioner (CEC) said this during a meeting with election officials at the Chittagong Circuit House on Monday, The Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported. Nasir Uddin also assured that the Election Commission runs with complete independence and faces no external pressure. We are committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure a fair and transparent election, he added. The CEC also acknowledged the issue of fake voters in previous elections and attributed a decline in voter registration to mistrust in the voting process. He announced plans to initiate a voter list update soon to address these concerns. The voter list will be updated within the next six months. This time, elections will not follow previous patterns. Since August 5, there has been .

Protesters in Bangladesh demand Proclamation of July Uprising by Jan 15

The "March for Unity" began Tuesday afternoon at the Central Shaheed Minar, with participants observing a minute of silence to honor those who lost their lives in the July protests