Page 2 - Muhammad Yunus

B'desh lodges protest with India over Hasina's activities during her stay

Bangladesh on Thursday lodged a protest with India over the "false and fabricated statements" made by deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina during her stay in India, the foreign ministry here said. The development comes a day after Hasina delivered a speech via social media on Wednesday night in which she called upon the countrymen to organise a resistance against the current regime. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it lodged a "strong protest with the Government of India over the false fabricated comments and statements continuously being made in different platforms including social media, by the former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, instigating instability in Bangladesh". The protest note, handed over to the Acting High Commissioner of India in Dhaka, conveys the "deep concern, disappointment and serious reservation" of Bangladesh, as such statements are "hurting the sentiments" of the people in the country, the statement said. The ministry also emphasised that

Protesters set fire to Bangladesh founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's home

A large group of protesters on Wednesday vandalised and set on fire Bangladesh founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's residence in Dhaka during a live online address of his daughter and deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Witnesses said several thousand people rallied in front of the house at the capital's Dhanmondi area, which was earlier turned into a memorial museum, since early evening following a social media call for Bulldozer Procession as Hasina was supposed to make her address at 9 pm (BST). Hasina delivered her address organised by the Awami League's now disbanded student wing Chhatra League and called upon the countrymen to organise a resistance against the current regime. They are yet to have the strength to destroy the national flag, the constitution and the independence that we earned at the cost of lives of millions of martyrs with a bulldozer, Hasina said in an apparent reference to Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus's incumbent regime, installed by the Anti-Discrimination ...

Making all efforts to bring back Hasina from India: Bangladesh home adviser

Bangladesh's interim government is making all efforts to bring back ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and others from India under the extradition treaty, Home Adviser Lt Gen (retd.) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said on Wednesday. Hasina, 77, has been living in India since August 5 last year when she fled Bangladesh following a massive student-led protest that toppled her Awami League's 16-year regime. Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has issued arrest warrants for Hasina and several former Cabinet ministers, advisers, and military and civil officials for "crimes against humanity and genocide". "We are trying to bring back those who are under trial on charges of crimes against humanity at the ICT," Chowdhury was quoted as saying by state-run BSS news agency. He made the remarks while replying to a question on steps taken by the government to arrest over 100 accused against whom the ICT has issued arrest warrant. Last year, Dhaka sent a diplomatic note to New Delhi .

Protect religious minorities: Bangladesh's Yunus asks security chiefs

Noting that Bangladesh's country's global image "will be badly damaged" if it fails to protect its religious minorities, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Monday ordered security chiefs to take special measures to prevent attacks on them and safeguard the rights of every citizen. Yunus gave the instructions while reviewing the law and order situation at a high-level meeting with security chiefs here, The Daily Star newspaper reported. He directed police and law enforcement agencies to set up a command centre to intensively monitor the law and order situation in the country. "We have to set up a command centre or a command headquarters, which will coordinate among all police and security agencies," the Chief Adviser told senior security officials. He said the security agencies must ensure maximum use of the latest communication tools to make sure they can quickly intervene in any situation. "Our global image will be badly damaged if we can't protect our religious minorities. We must

Bangladesh belongs to all, home of communal harmony: Chief Advisor Yunus

Bangladesh belongs to all of its citizens and is a safe place for all people regardless of religion or caste, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has said, as he greeted members of the Hindu community on Saraswati Puja. Hindus in Bangladesh celebrated Saraswati Puja on Monday amid traditional enthusiasm, festivity and religious fervour. In a message on Sunday, Yunus said Bangladesh is an abode of communal harmony. For thousands of years, people of all religions have been living together in this country irrespective of caste, colour and religion," he said. "The country belongs to all of us and is a safe place for all people regardless of religion or caste," he added. Yunus took over as the country's interim leader after a student-led uprising last year forced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to India on August 5, ending her 15-year rule. The interim government "has been relentlessly working to improve the fate of all irrespective of race, religion, and caste and ensure their e

Will seek to scrap 'uneven agreements' with India: Bangladesh home adviser

Bangladesh's interim government on Wednesday said that it would seek to scrap some "uneven agreements" on borders with India during the meeting of the directors general of the border guards of the two countries next month. "Discussions will be held over all sorts of border-related agreements with India, Home Adviser Lt Gen (retd.) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said. He said the Bangladeshi side would seek to cancel some uneven agreements related to border management alongside and discuss other related issues. He said that northeastern Kulaura Railway Station is an inter-country railway station which is situated three kilometres inside Bangladesh while Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) intends not to allow free entry of Indians there and instead proposes the installation of an immigration checkpoint with a customs facility on the border. BGB chief Maj Gen Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui is set to hold the meeting with Border Security Force (BSF) counterpart Daljit Singh Chaudhary in Delhi

Awami League calls for protest seeking resignation of Yunus-led govt in Feb

Ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League has announced a series of protests demanding the resignation of Professor Muhammad Yunus-led interim government for its "oppression" of the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh. This comes as the first major demonstration by the Awami League, whose most of the leaders have either been arrested or underground since the fall of the Hasina-led government on August 5 last year following a students-led anti-discrimination movement. According to a statement posted on Awami League's verified Facebook page, the party will take to the streets starting February 1 to press for the resignation of the interim government and implement the strike and blockade programmes. The statement said the party would distribute leaflets and campaign for their demands from Saturday to Wednesday. Protest marches and rallies will be held nationwide on February 6, followed by demonstrations and rallies on February 10. It said a nationwide blockade has

Awami League won't be allowed to contest Bangladesh polls: Yunus' adviser

Bangladesh's deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League would not be allowed to participate in elections, a key adviser of Muhammad Yunus's interim government said on Saturday. "The elections will be contested among pro-Bangladesh groups only, said Mahfuz Alam, a top leader of the Anti-Discrimination Movement, which spearheaded the mass uprising that toppled Hasina's Awami League regime and forced her to flee the country on August 5 last year. Addressing a street rally at central Chandpur district, Alam said only former prime minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jamaat-e-Islam and other pro-Bangladesh groups would carry on their politics in the country. He added that either of these will establish future governance through a fair electoral process. "But Awami League's rehabilitation will not be allowed in this country, said Alam, a de facto minister without portfolio in Chief Adviser Yunus's administration. Alam stated that no election would take pla

B'desh high growth under ousted PM Hasina was 'fake': Interim head Yunus

Hasina has been credited with turning around the economy and the country's massive garments industry during her 15 years in power, although critics have accused her of human rights violations

Bangladesh eyes deeper ties with China as relations with India suffer

In an effort to build closer ties with Beijing, Bangladesh's Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain is on a state visit to China this week

'44 vandalism incidents against shrines reported in B'desh since August 4'

The incidents include vandalism and attacks on shrines and devotees, looting of shrine properties, and setting fire, the statement released by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus' Press Wing stated

Bangladesh moves to drop secularism from Constitution: What we know so far

The existing principles-nationalism, socialism, democracy, and secularism-were established in the 1972 constitution, drafted after Bangladesh's independence during the 1971 India-Pakistan War

B'desh Constitution reform panel wants to drop 'secularism', 'socialism'

The Constitution Reform Commission on Wednesday submitted its report to interim government chief Muhammad Yunus, proposing the replacement of the state principles of secularism, socialism and nationalism. The commission set up by the Yunus administration, after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina as prime minister following a mass agitation led by students, also proposed a bicameral parliament for the country and a two-term limit on a premier's tenure. The three principles are among the four enshrined as fundamental principles of state policy in the country's constitution. Under the new proposals, only one -- democracy, remains unchanged. We are proposing five state principles -- equality, human dignity, social justice, pluralism, and democracy -- for reflection of the great ideals of the 1971 Liberation War and the people's aspiration during the 2024 mass upsurge, commission chairman Ali Riaz said in a video statement. The report kept democracy alone in the constitution's preamble alongsi

Bangladeshi court sentences ex-Army chief, 18 others to 12-yr imprisonment

A Bangladeshi court on Wednesday sentenced former army chief Harunur Rashid and 18 others to 12 years of imprisonment and also slapped fines worth more than Tk 4,500 crore for embezzlement and money laundering. The Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 sentenced former army chief Lieutenant General (Retd) Rashid and Rafiqul Amin, managing director of Destiny Multipurpose Co-Operative Society Limited to 12-year imprisonment each in a case lodged over embezzlement and money laundering. A court official said Judge Md Rabiul Alam simultaneously fined them Tk 4,515.57 crore (USD 1=Tk 120.93), an amount double to what they were accused of misappropriation involving the MLM company or network business firm. MLM companies sell products to family and friends and recruit other people to do the same. Rashid was recruited by the firm as a director years after his retirement from the army while he was granted bail as the hearing was underway since the trial began in 2016. The Destiny group chairman, Ras

UK PM urged to fire Hasina's niece Tulip Siddiq as Yunus calls for probe

Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus urged the UK government to launch a thorough investigation into properties linked to Tulip Siddiq, UK's anti-corruption minister

Bangladesh's SC upholds HC verdict scrapping cases against Muhammad Yunus

Bangladesh's Supreme Court on Saturday said that its judgement of upholding a High Court ruling which scrapped five labour law cases against Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus had no legal weakness or interference, according to a media report. A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam passed the order last month, dismissing a leave to appeal petition filed against the High Court judgment, state-run BSS news agency reported on Saturday. The full text of the judgment was published recently where the Supreme Court said there was no legal weakness or interference in the High Court judgment, the report said. Five cases were filed with the Labour Court in Dhaka against Yunus in 2019 when he was the chairman of Grameen Telecommunications. The cases were filed after the termination of employees under a proposed trade union act. In 2020, the Nobel laureate appealed to the High Court to quash the cases, after which the Court issued a ruling. Later, on October 24 l

An open letter to Prof Mohd Yunus: From revenge to responsibility

Hasina took away your bank, you've now served revenge. Here's the test: Now that you have public office, it implies public trust. Can you have it and do nothing? And if you would, what would it be?

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'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