Page 25 - Sheikh Hasina

Bangladesh oppn party holds protest as it boycotts Jan 7 national election

Hundreds of opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party supporters protested on Sunday to mark International Human Rights Day, as the country gears up for a general election on January 7 that the opposition says should be held under a non-partisan, caretaker government. The party, led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, is boycotting the election, leaving voters in the South Asian nation of 166 million with little choice but to re-elect Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League for a fourth consecutive term. At Sunday's protest in front of the National Press Club in downtown Dhaka, opposition activists said they do not think a fair and free election can take place under Hasina's watch. The gathering took place weeks after a massive opposition rally on October 28 turned violent. The party's decision to boycott the polls comes amid a monthslong crackdown that has reportedly seen hundreds of opposition politicians jailed and critics silenced, an allegation authorities have ...

Bangladesh set to hold general elections on January 7, says EC chief

Bangladesh will hold the much-awaited general elections on January 7, the country's chief election commissioner announced on Wednesday. Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal announced the dates during an address to the nation that was telecast live. The announcement came amid mounting political tensions as Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its far-right allies like the Jamaat-e-Islami have waged a street campaign demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government to allow a non-party interim government to conduct the general elections. The ruling Awami League has dismissed the demand, saying elections would be held under Premier Hasina, who also rejected proposals for dialogue with the Opposition by the US and other major Western countries, calling BNP a terrorist organisation. Since October 28, the opposition parties have been enforcing transport blockades and clashing with police and rival activists in support of their demand. The political viole

Cambodian template for Bangladesh elections

The 2024 general election will clearly take place in an environment full of geopolitical and economic challenges, with the US seeing the China challenge in Bangladesh

Bangladesh PM Hasina appears on Time Cover, says tough to overthrow her

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has appeared on the cover page of Time magazine, in an interview asserted it is difficult to overthrow her government through a democratic system. Elections in Bangladesh are scheduled in January 2024. "I am confident that my people are with me They're my main strength It's not that easy to overthrow me through a democratic system The only option is just to eliminate me. And I am ready to die for my people," Hasina told Time magazine, according to the excerpts of the interview released by the news outlet. The November 20 edition of the magazine, which featured Hasina on cover page, will hit the stands on November 10, the New York-based outlet said. "At 76Bangladesh's Prime Minister is a political phenomenon who has guided the rise of this nation of 170 million from rustic jute producer into the Asia-Pacific's fastest-expanding economy over the past decade. "In office since 2009, after an earlier term from 1996 to 2001, she is the wor

PM Modi, Sheikh Hasina jointly inaugurate three development projects

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday jointly inaugurated three projects via virtual mode, including a key rail link between Tripura's Nischintapur and Gangasagar in the neighbouring country. The other two projects inaugurated by Modi and Hasina are the 65-km Khulna-Mongla Port Rail Line, and Unit 2 of the Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant in Bangladesh's Rampal. The 15-km Agartala-Akhaura Cross Border Rail Link is expected to boost cross-border trade and significantly reduce the travel time between Agartala and Kolkata via Dhaka. It is a matter of joy that we have connected once again to celebrate the success of the India-Bangladesh cooperation, Modi said in an interaction with Hasina over video-conferencing. In the past nine years, the work we have done together has not happened in decades, he said.

Bangladesh PM's daughter nominated as WHO's South-East Asia director

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's daughter Saima Wazed, a mental health expert, has been nominated as the next regional director of the World Health Organization's South-East Asia region. Dr Shambhu Prasad Acharya, a senior WHO official, was the other candidate. He was nominated by Nepal. The member states voted to nominate Wazed to the post during a closed meeting at the 76th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the South-East Asia Region. The nomination will be submitted to the WHO Executive Board during its 154th session which will take place from January 22 to 27 in Geneva, Switzerland, according to a statement from the world health body. Wazed will take office on February 1, 2024.

PM Modi, Sheikh Hasina to inaugurate cross-border rail project on Nov 1

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina will jointly inaugurate a key cross-border railway project on Wednesday, officials said. The prime ministers of the two neighbouring countries will launch the Agartala-Akhaura Cross Border Rail Link Project at 11 am in a virtual ceremony, they said. The 15-km rail link (5 km in India and 10 km in Bangladesh) will boost cross-border trade and significantly reduce the travel time between Agartala and Kolkata via Dhaka, the officials said. The trial run of the project will take place at 12 pm on Monday. It encompasses one major bridge and three minor bridges. At present, it takes about 31 hours to reach Kolkata from Agartala by train, which will be reduced to just 10 hours, an official said. The Indian Railways had allocated Rs 153.84 crore from its budget to expedite the project work, he added.

B'desh PM Hasina inaugurates largest infra project built with Chinese loan

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday inaugurated the 82-km Padma Bridge Rail Link, the country's largest infrastructure project built under China's Belt and Road Initiative. Hasina unveiled the Dhaka-Bhanga section of the rail route between Dhaka and Jashore through the Padma Bridge from Mawa Railway Station in Munshiganj. The remaining portion of the project linking Jessore is expected to be launched in June of next year, the Dhaka Tribune reported, quoting project officials. Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen, who attended the inaugural ceremony, said the Padma Bridge Rail Link is a landmark project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and also the largest infrastructure project in Bangladesh using Chinese preferential loans. As one of the most important infrastructure projects in Bangladesh, it is estimated to directly benefit 80 million people and boost economic growth by 1.5 per cent, he claimed. The project is estimated to cost Tk 39,246.80 crore, wi

Biden to Sunak: Check when will global leaders depart from G20 Summit 2023

Centre has assigned responsibilities to Union Ministers of State to see off the foreign delegates after the summit

Finance Minister interacts with Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina at G20 dinner

Bangladesh PM, who arrived in India on Friday, held a bilateral talk with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi on the same day

India, Bangladesh discuss bilateral cooperation, sign 3 MoUs ahead of G20

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sign agreements on cooperation in digital payments, renewal of the Cultural Exchange Programme, and agricultural research

'I'm looking forward': PM Modi on three bilateral meetings scheduled today

PM Modi is scheduled to meet Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, US President Joe Biden and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday

G20 Summit 2023: PM Modi to hold 15 bilateral meetings over three days

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold over 15 bilateral meetings with world leaders between Friday and Sunday as India hosts the G20 summit meeting over the weekend. Official sources said he will hold bilateral meetings with the US president and the Bangladeshi prime minister on Friday at his official residence. He will also hold a meeting with the leader of Mauritius. On Saturday, he will hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of the UK, Japan, Germany and Italy besides attending the G20 events. Modi will hold a working lunch meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday, the sources said. The prime minister will also have a pull-aside meeting with his Canadian counterpart. He will also have bilateral meetings with the leaders of Comoros, Turkiye, the UAE, South Korea, the EU/EC, Brazil and Nigeria, they said.

PM Hasina asked Bangladeshi Hindus not to consider themselves minorities

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday asked Bangladesh's Hindu community not to consider themselves minorities, saying the country belongs to everyone irrespective of caste, creed and religion as they fought for its independence against Pakistani occupation forces in 1971. "Why would you call yourselves a minority? ... There is nothing like minority and majority here, she said during an interaction with leading Hindu community leaders coinciding with Janmashtami at her official Gano Bhaban residence here. Hasina said, Don't undermine yourselves as a minority...Why are you doing so when you are the people of this country? She said those who were born on this soil, are the children of this soil and they have citizen rights "so, you will live accordingly". "I want you all to practise your respective religions properly," Hasina said and simultaneously called for constant vigil against any move to destroy the country's religious harmony and propaganda against its advancement. Hasina s

Bangladesh to launch 3 infra projects during PM Hasina's India visit

Three projects are namely; Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant-2, 65-kilometre-long Khulna-Mongla Port Railway Link, Akhaura (Bangladesh) and Agartala (India) Railway Link

US-China power play in Bangladesh

It appears that Bangladesh will be the new battleground for a war of influence between the US and China in the Indo-Pacific

Hasina stresses on cooperation between armies of Bangladesh, India

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said the armies of Bangladesh and India should strengthen their collaboration and suggested international peacekeeping operations as a new area for bilateral cooperation. Hasina made these remarks when visiting Indian Army chief Gen Manoj Pande who arrived here on Monday on a two-day visit to Bangladesh paid a courtesy call at her official residence here. "Cooperation and collaboration should be strengthened between the armies of the two neighbouring countries," a premier's office spokesman quoted Hasina as telling Gen. Pande. Referring to setting up the Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operation Training (BIPSOT) by her government, Hasina said that there are opportunities for the exchange of activities between the two countries for mutual welfare. The premier recalled with gratitude the support and role of the Indian government, the Indian Army and its people during Bangladesh's 1971 Liberation War while the two countries were enjoying

Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw hands over 20 BG trains to Bangladesh

Previously, the Indian government handed 10 BG diesel locomotives to Bangladesh on a grant basis in July 2020

Bangladesh won't buy anything from countries that impose sanctions: PM

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that Bangladesh will not purchase anything from countries that impose sanctions against it.

Resilient future of nations along Indian Ocean requires trust: Hasina

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday said that the resilient future of the nations along the Indian ocean coastlines require respect and mutual trust among them, stressing that her nation was committed to playing its role for peace in the region. Opening the two-day 6th Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) here in the Bangladeshi capital, Hasina said that Indian ocean held significant importance for not only Bangladesh, but for all the countries in the region due to its geographical position. "We remain committed to playing our role for peace in the region, and expect all other countries to do the same to ensure a resilient future," she said during the conference, which is being organised by Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry along with India Foundation, a think tank based out of New Delhi. Hasina said the Indian Ocean held significant importance for not only Bangladesh, but for all the countries in the region due to its geographical position that prompted Dhaka to formulate recent