United News of Bangladesh

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday paid rich tributes to former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who passed away last week. Prof Yunus visited the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, where he placed floral wreaths before a portrait of the late Indian leader. He also wrote a message of condolence in the book opened at the High Commission. Manmohan Singh will be remembered for his contributions to India's economic transformation: Chief Adviser Yunus  Indian High Commissioner Pranay Kumar Verma welcomed the Chief Adviser at the High Commission in Baridhara at 11:30 am. During a brief conversation with the High Commissioner, Prof Yunus fondly remembered his long-time friend. "How simple he was! How wise he was!" he said. He also noted that Singh had played a pivotal role in transforming India into a global economic powerhouse.

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma has said he remains optimistic about Dhaka-Delhi relations despite changes happening around, noting that the two countries can really offer to each other something which they do not need to go elsewhere to find. "This is how we look at the relationship. We have so many things to offer each other with our growing capabilities and rising ambitions to grow and develop," he said, reiterating that they strongly support "democratic, stable, peaceful and progressive and inclusive" Bangladesh. He made the remarks during an interaction with diplomatic correspondents at the High Commission on Monday evening, following their participation in a two-phase training programme in New Delhi. Bangladesh had to accept huge Rohingyas under certain circumstances: Touhid Hossain Verma said they are looking at the relationship from a long term perspective much beyond a short-term outlook.  "We need to look at our relationship with mutual sensitivity - sensitivity to each other's interests, each other’s concerns and aspirations," said the High Commissioner.  High Commissioner Verma said they have a strong stake in each other’s progress and prosperity. He said they are really willing to have a "positive, stable and constructive" relationship with Bangladesh with a forward-looking approach which is mutually beneficial.  "It has to be a mutually beneficial relationship. We also believe that people are the key stakeholders in this relationship. We strongly believe that our cooperation benefits the common people on both sides," said High Commissioner Verma.  He said any notion that things are slowed down is not correct and they are working to take forward the relations.  The High Commissioner referred to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's message to Chief Adviser Prof Yunus, later their telephone conversation, and Modi's invitation to Prof Yunus to join the third Voice of Global South Summit hosted virtually by New Delhi on August 17. Bangladesh must address pressing challenges, seize opportunities: Foreign Adviser He also referred to the meeting between External Affairs Adviser Dr S Jaishankar and his Bangladesh counterpart Md Touhid Hossain on the sidelines of the UNGA and recently held Foreign Office Consultations at the foreign secretary-level to give a sense that things are not slowed down.  Verma said there is significant robustness in the relations and essential commodities are coming to Bangladesh from India.  He said there are still more visas than "probably all other embassies put together" in Bangladesh.  The High Commissioner laid emphasis on transforming geographical proximity to new economic opportunities.  Verma said he sincerely believes that the fundamentals of the relationship is strong enough to take them forward despite changes around that they see. He said they are doing everything they need to do to take forward the mutually beneficial relationship between the two countries.  Phone Call: Sullivan lauds Prof Yunus for initiating vital political, election reforms The High Commission of India organized the weeklong training programme in India for the members of Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) and other journalists in two phases this year.  President of Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) Nurul Islam Hasib and General Secretary Ashiqur Rahman Apu were present.  Former DCAB President and Daily Sun Editor Rezaul Karim Lotus, Views Bangladesh Editor Md Mehedi Hasan Rashed and New Age Chief of Correspondents Mustafizur Rahman shared their experiences during the interactions. 

After police halted their road march in Rampura, a six-member delegation from three BNP associate bodies — Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, Swechchasebak Dal, and Chhatra Dal — submitted a memorandum to the Indian High Commission on Sunday to register their protests against the recent anti-Bangladesh incidents in the neighbouring country. They went to the Indian High Commission in Baridhara, Dhaka, where they handed over the memorandum to a security official of the Indian mission around 1pm. The delegation consisted of Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal central president Monayem Munna, general secretary Nurul Islam Nayan, Jatiyatabadi Swechchasebak Dal president SM Jilani, general secretary Rajib Ahsan, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal president Rakibul Islam Rakib, and general secretary Nasir Uddin Nasir.  Earlier, police stopped the protest march arranged by three associate bodies of BNP towards the Indian mission near Rampura Bridge in the capital for the sake of maintaining law and order. When the march reached the bridge from Nayapaltan around 12:35 pm, a large number of police blocked the way with barricades and urged the leaders of the three organisations to cooperate. Later, the six-member delegation of the protesters was allowed to go to the Indian High Commission to submit a memorandum. Speaking to reporters after submitting the memorandum, leaders from the three organisations said the primary objective of their peaceful protest was to send out a message to India urging it to change its anti-Bangladesh stance. They also warned that if India remains firm in its current position, they would announce tougher programmes in the coming days. Jubo Dal President Abdul Monayem Munna said, “We have submitted the memorandum to the Indian High Commission. We do not believe in any kind of unrest.”   BNP accuses India of 'direct aggression' in supporting Hasina   He said BNP desires friendly ties with India but will not accept any superior attitude from the neighbouring country. “We have friends, not masters. We do not believe in aggression,” he added. Jubo Dal General Secretary Nurul Islam Nayan said the memorandum highlighted incidents such as the destruction of property at the Assistant High Commission of Bangladesh and the burning of flags in India. “Such acts must be stopped in the future. India should reconsider its unfriendly attitude towards Bangladesh. We will unitedly resist any conspiracy against our country.” He said they also mentioned in the memorandum that propaganda against a sovereign country is tantamount to a violation of its state sovereignty. Nayan said they hoped that the India government would take effective measures to stop the propaganda and misinformation against Bangladesh. The three BNP associate bodies began their road march to protest the attack on the Bangladesh mission in Agartala and the desecration of the country's national flag. The programme was also intended to register protests against what the party describes as an Indian plot to incite communal riots in Bangladesh. Thousands of leaders and activists from the three BNP associate bodies formally began the march from the party's Nayapaltan central office at 11:30am. Before launching the march, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, top leaders from the three organisations, also delivered brief speeches, condemning the Indian ruling party and media for attempting to disrupt religious harmony in Bangladesh through false and misleading campaigns. Rizvi alleged that what the Indian ruling party is currently doing to bring Sheikh Hasina back to Bangladesh is nothing but direct aggression. “You (Indian govt) do not like the people of Bangladesh. You do not respect the sovereignty and independence of Bangladesh,” he said in a brief speech before launching a protest march towards the Indian High Commission in Dhaka from Nayapaltan. Rizvi said Sheikh Hasina fled Bangladesh and took refuge in India in the face of a strong mass uprising. “What the ruling party of India is doing to bring Sheikh Hasina back is nothing but direct aggression in the language of political science,” he said. Rizvi equivocally said the 180 million people of Bangladesh are prepared to resist Delhi’s hegemony. "We know how to use sophisticated equipment to safeguard our country in every domain, from air to sea to land. We have capable members in our smart military,” he observed. The leaders and supporters of the BNP associate organisations were seen gathering in front of the BNP office from 9:30 am, with small processions arriving from various parts of the capital. They participated in the programme carrying national flags and festoons inscribed with slogans against Indian hegemonic attitudes. The protesters also chanted various slogans against what they termed Indian aggression in Bangladesh. The programme was supposed to conclude with the submission of a memorandum to the Indian High Commission, registering their protest against the recent anti-Bangladesh incidents and remarks made by Indian politicians and media. Earlier, on Saturday, the three BNP associate organisations made the decision to stage the protest march. BNP begins protest march towards Indian High Commission  

Three associate bodies of the BNP—Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, Swechchasebak Dal, and Chhatra Dal—began their road march towards the Indian High Commission in Dhaka on Sunday morning to protest the attack on the Bangladesh mission in Agartala and the desecration of the country's national flag. The programme is also intended to register protests against what the party describes as an Indian plot to incite communal riots in Bangladesh. Thousands of leaders and activists from the three BNP associate bodies formally began the march from the party's Nayapaltan central office at 11:30am. Before launching the march, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, along with top leaders from the three organisations, delivered brief speeches, condemning the Indian ruling party and media for attempting to disrupt religious harmony in Bangladesh through false and misleading campaigns. Read: BNP’s road march towards Indian High Commission Sunday The leaders and supporters of the BNP associate organisations were seen gathering in front of the BNP office from 9:30 am, with small processions arriving from various parts of the capital.

The Indian High Commission in Dhaka has voiced serious concern over the theft of a crown gifted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Jeshoreshwari Kali Temple in Satkhira. The high commission urged the Bangladesh government to conduct a thorough investigation, recover the stolen crown, and bring those responsible to justice.   “We have seen reports of the theft of the crown gifted by PM Modi to the Jeshoreshwari Kali Temple (Satkhira) in 2021 during his visit to Bangladesh,” said the High Commission in a formal message. Chinese Ambassador visits Grameen Bank's Jobra branch The crown, which adorned the deity at the historic Jeshoreshwari Temple in Satkhira’s Shyamnagar, was reported stolen around 2:30 pm on Thursday.  Modi personally placed the crown on the head of the goddess during his visit to the temple on March 27, 2021, as part of his official trip to Bangladesh.  

  High Commission of India hosted an ‘Open House’ on Tuesday for the Indian community members to address their grievances and receive suggestions on consular services. Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma joined the interactions and listened to the queries and concerns of the community members. He assured the community members that their grievances and suggestions would be taken into consideration and appropriate actions would be taken to address them. The ‘Open House’ was organized to provide a platform for the Indian community members to discuss various issues pertaining to consular services and to seek practical solutions to resolve them.

Indian High Commission in Dhaka welcomed the Bangladesh Youth Delegation members who returned home Thursday from India. The High Commission hosted a feedback reception for the Bangladesh Youth Delegation 2022 delegates. The delegates shared valuable experiences of their visit to India. The Deputy High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Binoy George and senior officials were present. On October 12, a 100-member Bangladesh youth delegation embarked on an eight-day visit to India. The High Commission of India in Dhaka organised a flag-off ceremony for the delegation members on October 11. The Bangladesh Youth Delegation this year had a mix of professionals from all walks of life and included participants from all over Bangladesh. Read: AKDN, Indian High Commission discuss collaboration in education sector in Bangladesh

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami has visited the Aga Khan Academy Dhaka, the latest addition to an integrated global network of non-profit, non-denominational, residential schools known as the Aga Khan Academies. The Aga Khan Development Network’s (AKDN) Diplomatic Resident Representative Munir M. Merali welcomed the the high commissioner on Sunday. Accompanying the High Commissioner were Shubham Yadav, Second Secretary (Projects & Acting Director, IGCC) and Rajinder Singh - Second Secretary (Education). During his meeting with the students of the middle-school, High Commissioner Doraiswami discussed the importance of a good education as a requisite to be able to participate in a globally integrated modern economy. As part of his engagement, Doraiswami encouraged students to be driven by their own imagination and pursue the best education possible – and become leaders in their careers of choice. In a meeting with the Academy’s teachers, Representative Merali introduced the High Commissioner to staff from India. He also met with the participants a part of the Academy’s Teacher Preparation Programme, which consists of local graduates who will train to become International Baccalaureate (IB) certified teachers and spend part of their programme at the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad in India, where they will be mentored by skilled IB teachers and gain hands-on knowledge inside and outside the classroom. Read: Canada's contribution to Bangladesh's development historic: GM Quader A week before, the Academy opened its doors for the first time to 575 students who began their first academic year at the new 17-acre, state-of-the-art, award-winning campus. The Academy in Dhaka follows the highly successful models established by the Academies in Mombasa, Kenya, Hyderabad, India and Maputo, Mozambique. Following the tour of the campus, Representative Merali, and High Commissioner Doraiswami discussed potential areas of collaboration to improve the quality of education and teaching in Bangladesh. Areas discussed include facilitating Bangladeshis selected to train at the Academy in Hyderabad, India and the Indian High Commission offering to provide language, arts, and cultural programmes for the students at the Academy in Dhaka. The High Commissioner also informed of a robust scholarship program sponsored by the High Commission that is available to all qualified Bangladeshi students who may wish to pursue higher education at some of the leading universities and educational institutes in India. On behalf of AKDN, Representative Merali conveyed his appreciation for the support accorded by the Indian government and the relevant local State authorities to the Network’s activities in India and thanked the High Commissioner for gifting the sanitizing machines and reading books to the Academy. The AKDN Forum Members also met and appreciated the visit of the delegation of the Indian High Commission to the Academy.

The High Commission of India in Dhaka celebrated the 8th International Day of Yoga (IDY) on Tuesday. Around 1000 people participated in doing Yoga together at the Shaheed Suhrawardy National Stadium in Dhaka, said a press release. Also read:Doraiswami hopeful of commercial screening of Indian films in Bangladesh

The Indian High Commission in Dhaka has said while restrictions have been placed on commercial exports of wheat from India, the instructions will not have any impact on shipments of wheat already contracted for export. The restrictions will not prevent the export of wheat to India's neighbours and other countries that might wish to procure Indian wheat to supplement their domestic food security policies, said the high commission. These measures have been taken to safeguard domestic food availability, mitigate food price linked inflation and support the genuine needs of India's neighbours and other countries with food security concerns, it added. Global wheat prices soared a record 6 percent Monday following India's decision to ban exports of the commodity. Friday, India said it was banning private exports to manage its food security in the face of lower production and sharply higher global prices. Also Read: India bans wheat exports The world's second-largest wheat producer Sunday said it would keep a window open to export wheat to food-deficit countries at the government level despite restrictions announced two days earlier. India's Commerce Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam told reporters the government would also allow private companies to meet previous commitments to export nearly 4.3 million tonnes of wheat until July. The country exported 1 million tonnes of wheat in April. India mainly exports wheat to neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.