New Delhi, Feb 12 (IANS) Ahead of the elections in Bangladesh, the first since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina regime, Intelligence agencies had warned of widespread violence. On expected lines, a wave of violence has been reported as polling began in the country today. Officials closely watching the developments say there is every chance this will end on a bitter note. Early Thursday morning, a leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) was stabbed, following which there were clashes. The B…
Latest Sheikh Hasina News & Updates
Dhaka, Feb 12 (IANS) Bangladesh is set to hold its crucial parliamentary elections on Thursday, nearly 18 months after the collapse of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule following massive nationwide protests. The country has since been governed by an interim administration, during which Bangladesh witnessed continued protests, the rise of hardline Islamic groups, and incidents of violence against minorities.The political landscape is now expected to undergo a significant shift …
Dhaka, Feb 11 (IANS) Mohammad Harun Al Rashid, a seasoned Bangladeshi diplomat (now exiled), in an exclusive interview with a leading think tank, described Bangladesh’s national election slated for Thursday as one of the “ugliest” in the country’s history. He warned that the interim government’s Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, who has long survived by repackaging the grotesque as virtue, cannot evade accountability.In an interview with Sri Lanka-based think tank Trinco Centre for Strategic Studies…
New Delhi, Feb 10 (IANS) The campaign for the February 12 Bangladesh elections is set to end today. The country, post the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, has descended into chaos, and the minority Hindus have borne the brunt of the radical Islamists who have been given a free hand by the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government. Interestingly, the Hindu votes are very crucial in these elections. Both the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have been reaching out to the Hindus. The e…
New Delhi, Feb 9 (IANS) Bangladesh is poised barely two days away from one of the most consequential elections since its independence in 1971, with its 13th national election to be held on Thursday, February 12, to select its next government and a Prime Minister. A ban on the Awami League, ousted in August 2024 in a student-led protest, pits the contest primarily between two major groups, one led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the other by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. For years, Aw…
Dhaka/New Delhi, Feb 9 (IANS) Having recalibrated its approach by adopting a functional yet pragmatic strategy since the interim government in Bangladesh led by Muhammad Yunus took over in Dhaka, India must now remain open to all scenarios as the neighbouring country goes to the polls later this week. “As the Bangladesh elections approach, India must be prepared for all options and ensure it can foster strategic trust and counter adverse influence in Dhaka, with the broader strategic aim of maki…
New Delhi, Feb 8 (IANS) Bangladesh, despite its laggardness on social, economic and other multiple fronts, had one distinct character for many years — two women leaders remained the key pivot of its political landscape. As the South Asian nation heads towards elections, the first after the bloody and violent uprising of 2024, a strange vacuum occupies its political sphere as both the women stalwarts, rather former Prime Ministers are missing from action — Khaleda Zia is no more and Sheikh Hasi…
Dhaka, Feb 7 (IANS) A transnational campaign led by two Bangladeshi online activists based in the United States and France sparked violent attacks on major media houses and cultural institutions in Bangladesh recently, exposing the dangers of online incitement across borders. Journalists and observers warn that this marks one of the first instances where social media platforms from across borders were used to orchestrate mass violence in Bangladesh, raising concerns over platform accountability …
Tel Aviv, Feb 7 (IANS) As Bangladesh heads to elections next week, the outcome will determine whether the country moves toward stability, faces prolonged uncertainty, or shifts towards a new ideological direction. The future trajectory will depend on how the next government governs, its inclusiveness, and whether it learns from past failures, a report has highlighted. According to a report in ‘Times of Israel’, with the ban on Awami League, the upcoming election has largely turned into a contest…
New Delhi, Feb 6 (IANS) Amid mounting attacks on minorities, media reports quoted a top Bangladesh politician as declaring that secularism is not Dhaka’s goal since the word is not “very congenial” for the country’s politics, thus strengthening renewed calls for dropping the word secular from the Constitution.Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, in a recent interview to news channel Al Jazeera, defended the 1977 removal of the word “seculari…