by Selim Zahid in Prothom Alo, Nov 7, 2023 Dhaka: Twelve top leaders of BNP including the party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir have been arrested over the past six days. Such a large number of leaders have not been arraigned centering a single incident in the recent past. Having observed the situation, party leaders and activists said the attacking and foiling of the 28 October rally was pre-planned, and the on-going arrests of…
Posts published in “Bangladesh”
Report in TOLOnews Online, Nov 06, 2023 at 10:18 PMThe Afghan refugees who have been deported by Pakistan and are currently based in temporary camps in Nangarhar, complained about their conditions and asked for resettlement in warm areas as the season is getting cold. The refugees said that many of them are originally from cold areas. “We should be provided with settlement facilities in a warm area such as Nangarhar,” said Qadir Khan, a refugee.…
by Riadul Karim in Prothom Alo, Nov 6, 2023The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is persisting with actions like hartals and blockades as part of their demand for the government’s resignation. Simultaneously, law enforcement agencies are making arrest operations, apprehending top BNP leaders one after the other. Consequently, the political climate is growing increasingly confrontational. Amidst these developments, the Election Commission (EC) is moving forward with plans to announce the schedule for the upcoming national elections.…
By Mohiuddin Alamgir in The Daily Star, Nov 06, 2023The Election Commission may hold the national election any day between January 6 and 9 with many experts pointing out that the atmosphere is not yet conducive to free and fair polls. The EC is considering several possible dates, but there is a strong possibility that the 12th national election will be held in the first week of January, an official said, adding that the final…
report in Prothom Alo, Nov 6, 2023Terming the Bangladesh Nationalist Party as a ‘party of terrorists’, governing Bangladesh Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader has said no dialogue can be held with that party. “The phase of dialogue has ended. Once we told them to scrape the conditions for dialogue but that time has ended,” he said. Obaidul Quader made these remarks while replying to queries from journalists at the Awami League’s central office on…
by Mamun Abdullah in Dhaka Tribune, Nov 5, 2023The Election Commission, led by Kazi Habibul Awal, has almost completed all preparations for the 12th parliamentary elections in accordance with constitutional provisions. According to insiders at the commission, the election regulatory body is ready to conduct elections on time as per the constitution. Meanwhile, the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) and its affiliated political parties continue to arrange countrywide blockade programs. They previously announced a boycott of…
report in Daily Star, N0v 5, 2023Jatiya Party is ready for the upcoming election but it will participate only if the polls are held in a credible manner, said JP Chairman GM Quader yesterday. “If we feel the election is not being conducted properly, we will boycott the polls. We will take a decision after discussing with party leaders and workers,” he said while addressing the publication ceremony of his books–“Bangladesh Democracy Sonar Patharbati” and…
The United Nations reiterated the call for free and fair elections in Bangladesh and urged all to refrain from violence. Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary general, told reporters in New York on November 1 that the UN also spoke against harassment or arbitrary arrests during this period. “I think our viewpoint on Bangladesh and the need for a free and fair election… I think we’ve spoken out very clearly [about those],” Dujarric said…
by Mohammad Al-Masum Molla in The Daily Star, Nov 4, 2023Despite the arrests of its top leaders, the BNP is determined to continue its movement until the demand for election under a non-partisan interim government is met, say several party leaders. The party, however, plans to bring changes to its strategy because a tough programme like blockade may lose effectiveness if enforced for a long time. Besides, the BNP also risks losing “public sympathy”, which…
by Selim Zahid in Prothom Alo, Nov 4, 2023BNP’s leaders and activists are worried about the senior leaders of the party being arrested one after the other. Most of the leaders are in hiding at present, in order to avoid arrest. There is concern in the party as to what direction the movement will take in the days to come if things continue in this manner. The arrest of the important BNP presidium member Amir…
report in The Daily Star, Nov 4,2023EC sources said at the beginning of talks around 10:45am, parties including the Bangladesh Jatiya Party, Liberal Democrat Party, Kallyan Party, Communist Party Bangladesh, Muslim League BML and Bangladesh Muslim League were absent. The commission invited 22 parties for talks in the first session and 22 parties in the second session, which is set to begin at 3:00pm. The EC is holding discussions to inform parties about its election…