Page 3 - Muhammad Yunus

From Nepal to Dhaka: A growing list of India's neighbours shaken by protest

From Nepal's social media ban riots to Bangladesh's student uprising and Sri Lanka's economic collapse, India's neighbours face repeated upheavals with regional fallout

Interim govt committed to holding polls in Feb 2026: Bangladesh adviser

Bangladesh's interim government is "unwavering" in its commitment to hold general elections in February next year, Law Adviser Asif Nazrul has said, according to media reports on Wednesday. "The government is moving forward with all preparations for the election," Nazrul was quoted as saying by the state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS). "The polls will be held in February, and the government's stance on this remains unwavering," he said after a meeting at the Cabinet Division on Tuesday. The law adviser's comments came amid growing speculation over the elections, following statements by National Citizen Party leaders who dismissed the possibility of polls taking place in February next year without key reforms and the completion of trials initiated by the interim government. Commenting on the issue, Nazrul said that political parties making statements about the timing of the elections is part of the political process. "You have always seen this. Traditionally in Bangladesh, s

Statsguru: How India, Bangladesh fared after a year under Yunus' rule

Despite worsening diplomatic ties and rising anti-India sentiment under Mohd Yunus' rule, India's trade with Bangladesh has seen unexpected growth, led by imports

Bangladesh to hold general elections in first week of Feb 2026: CEC

Bangladesh's poll body chief on Saturday said general elections would be held in the first week of February 2025 but ensuring it in a free, fair and impartial manner remained a major challenge. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin, however said the exact date would be disclosed two months before the schedule was announced. People have lost confidence in the election system, the Election Commission and the administrative machinery involved in the electoral process, state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) quoted Uddin as saying at a function in northwestern Rangpur district. Uddin said his office, however, was working tirelessly to restore this lost trust. The CEC's comments come four days after interim government Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus announced that the polls would be held in February next year. Yunus had made the announcement coinciding with the first anniversary of the ouster of prime minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League regime on August 5. Uddin feared t

Reckoning in Dhaka: A year since the coup, Bangladesh is in a shambles

An indecisive "interim" government under Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is increasingly prey to non-democratic Islamists, who envisage a Bangladeshi caliphate. None of this augurs well for the country

Bangladesh to hold next parliamentary polls in February 2026: Yunus

Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday announced that the next parliamentary election will be held in February next year. Yunus made the comments during a televised address to the nation on the first anniversary of last year's student-led protest movement, dubbed the "July Uprising", that toppled longtime prime minister Sheikh Hasina. "On behalf of the interim government, I will send a letter to the chief election commissioner requesting that the Election Commission hold the national election in February 2026, before the upcoming Ramzan," Yunus said while addressing the nation. The month of Ramzan is set to begin on February 17 or 18 next year. Earlier, general elections in Bangladesh were scheduled for the first half of April next year.

A year after bloody revolt, Bangladesh still far from political stability

Abdur Rahman Tarif was talking to his sister Meherunnesa over the phone when the voice on the other end of the call suddenly fell silent. In that moment, Tarif knew something bad had happened. He rushed home, dodging the exchange of fire between security forces and protesters on the streets of Dhaka. When he finally arrived, he discovered his parents tending to his bleeding sister. A stray bullet had hit Meherunnesa's chest while she was standing beside the window of her room, Tarif said. She was taken to a hospital where doctors declared her dead. Meherunnesa, 23, was killed on Aug 5 last year, the same day Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to flee the country in a massive student-led uprising, which ended her 15-year rule. For much of Bangladesh, Hasina's ouster was a moment of joy. Three days later, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus took over the country as head of an interim government, promising to restore order and hold a new election after .

Bangladesh govt sets up probe panel to investigate Dhaka jet crash

The commission will be led by former secretary AKM Zafar Ullah Khan and has been asked to submit its report within four weeks

Yunus thanks India, global teams for treating Dhaka plane crash victims

The international medical teams are currently in Dhaka to provide specialised healthcare services to victims of the recent plane crash at Milestone School and College

Bangladesh violence: 14 held after deadly clashes in Hasina's stronghold

At least 14 people have been arrested following clashes in Gopalganj, the hometown of Bangladesh's founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, that left four dead and prompted a curfew, according to a media report on Thursday. Four people were killed in clashes over a rally organised by the National Citizen Party (NCP) on Wednesday in Gopalganj, which turned into a virtual battlefield as hundreds of supporters of Rahman's daughter and deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina clashed with police, ahead of the planned march of the student-led party. According to The Daily Star newspaper, 14 people have been arrested in connection with the clashes. "The joint forces handed over the 14 individuals to us," Abdullah Al Mamun, inspector (investigation) of Gopalganj Sadar Police Station, was quoted as saying by the newspaper. Filing of cases is underway, he added. said. Four extra platoons (nearly 200 soldiers) of the paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were rushed to Gopalganj following the clashe

B'desh imposes curfew, deploys army after violence in Hasina's stronghold

The violence began on July 16 when attackers vandalised a stage set up for a rally organized by the National Citizen Party, a newly formed political group launched by student activists

Man held in Bangladesh for suspected ties to Pak-based militant group

Md Foysal reportedly travelled to Afghanistan via Pakistan and recruited others for extremist activities

Bangladesh struggles with unrest fallout after last year's govt ouster

Bangladesh was on the cusp of charting a new beginning last year after its former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was removed from power in a student-led uprising, ending her 15-year rule and forcing her to flee to India. As the head of a new interim government, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus promised to hold a credible election to return to democracy, initiate electoral and constitutional reforms and restore peace on the streets after hundreds were killed in weeks of violence that began on July 15, 2024. A year later, the Yunus-led administration has struggled to contain the fallout of the uprising. Bangladesh finds itself mired in a growing political uncertainty, religious polarisation and a challenging law-and-order situation. Here's what to know about Bangladesh a year after the protests that toppled Hasina. Chaotic political landscape Uncertainty about the future of democracy looms large in Bangladesh. The student protesters who toppled Hasina formed a new political

Bangladesh ex-PM Hasina formally indicted in crimes against humanity case

Bangladesh's deposed premier Sheikh Hasina was on Thursday formally indicted in a crimes against humanity case by the country's International Crimes Tribunal, media reports said. The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) ordered a crimes against humanity case against the ousted prime minister, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan and former inspector general of police Abdullah Al Mamun for their attempts to suppress the July-August student-led protests last year. Mamun has pleaded guilty and petitioned to turn state's witness in the case, according to the bdnews24 news portal. It added that he is the only one of the three to be detained in jail. The trial will proceed with the other two in absentia. Hasina fled to India on August 5 after her Awami League government was toppled last year.

Mob violence was public outrage, not anti-judiciary, says Bangladesh AG

Bangladesh's Attorney General Mohammad Asaduzzaman on Saturday said last year's nationwide mob violence was not manifestation of distrust against judiciary but rather an outburst of public outrage against the deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's ousted Awami League regime. Asaduzzaman was speaking at a function organised as part of the series of events coinciding with the first anniversary of the Awami League regime's ouster on August 5 last year after a more than a month-long student-led agitation that had witnessed violence at several places across the country. This (mob violence) is not a reflection of public distrust of the judiciary, rather an expression of anger accumulated in the past 17 years (against the past regime), Asaduzzaman said. The attorney general, however, said such anger is not justified. A leading rights group Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) had last month reported deaths of at least 179 people in mob attacks between August 2024, when the past regime was ousted, an

B'desh interim govt pursuing extradition of former PM Sheikh Hasina

Foreign Affairs Advisor to B'desh Interim Government, Md Towhid Hossain stated that a letter was sent to India requesting Hasina's extradition and noted that necessary follow-ups would also be made

Bangladesh court sentences Sheikh Hasina to 6 mths in jail in contempt case

This is the first time that the ousted Awami League leader has been sentenced in a case since she left office last year and fled the country

Next elections to be 'most credible' in Bangladesh's history: Yunus' aide

The next general elections will be the "most credible and peaceful" in Bangladesh's history, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus' aide has said, asserting that the interim government has taken all necessary measures to ensure free and fair polls. Yunus' Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam made the remarks on Saturday during an interaction with journalists in Khulna city, the state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) news agency reported. General elections in Bangladesh are scheduled for the first half of April next year, the chief adviser announced last month. Asserting that the polls will take place in a festive and peaceful environment, Alam said, "The upcoming national election will be the most credible and peaceful one in the country's history." He said that the primary goal of the mass uprising in July 2024, which ousted the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League regime, was to restore democracy in Bangladesh and added that the interim government has taken all necessary measures to ensure free a

India curbs jute imports from Bangladesh to protect domestic industry

India has restricted jute and fibre imports from Bangladesh to only Nhava Sheva port, citing unfair trade practices, subsidies, and the need to protect domestic industry and rural jobs

B'desh interim govt forms committee to probe allegations over last 3 polls

The interim government of Bangladesh has formed a committee to investigate allegations of irregularities, corruption and administrative involvement in the 2014, 2018, and 2024 general elections and make recommendations on ensuring fair elections in the future, a notification said. The five-member panel led by former high court justice Shamim Hasnain will submit a report by September 30 on allegations that the three elections were manipulated to secure victories for the then-ruling Awami League party by systematically depriving citizens of their voting rights, BD NEWS 24 quoted the cabinet division notification as saying on Thursday. The notification said the rule of law, democracy, and fundamental human rights were reportedly undermined during the elections, which faced widespread criticism both domestically and internationally. It said the committee would analyse reports from election observers, domestic and international monitoring bodies, civil society organisations, and media ..