In a significant gesture of international diplomacy, US President Joe Biden has extended a letter of commitment to work in unison with Bangladesh across various sectors, including the economy. This announcement has sparked a pointed query from Obaidul Quader, general secretary of Awami League and the Minister of Road Transport and Bridges, directed towards the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP): “What will BNP say now?” Committed to supporting Bangladesh's economic goals, Biden writes to PM Hasina During a press interaction at the Awami League President’s office in Dhanmondi, Dhaka, earlier today (February 05), Quader criticized the BNP leadership for their absence and evasion, questioning the source of their confidence in regaining power. He remarked, “The people have already distanced themselves from you. Your international allies have also turned their backs. The US has now pledged to work alongside Sheikh Hasina’s government. What hope does the BNP have for returning to power?” Quader also expressed concern over the recent conflicts near the Myanmar border, where violence has forced citizens from several Bangladeshi villages to flee. The ongoing internal conflict in Myanmar, resulting in gunfire and mortar shells landing within Bangladeshi territory, has prompted communication between the foreign ministries of Bangladesh and Myanmar. “The conflict is Myanmar’s internal issue, but its resolution should ensure that the panic does not spill over to neighboring countries,” Quader added, mentioning the potential role of the United Nations in mediating a solution. Programmes on streets without permission won’t be allowed: Quader Addressing the issue of the Rohingya refugees amid Myanmar’s continued unrest, the minister firmly stated that Bangladesh would not show leniency in accepting more refugees: “We cannot bear this burden anymore.” In response to a question about negative activities within the student wing of the ruling party at Jahangirnagar University, Quader emphasized Awami League’s zero tolerance for misconduct. “Not everyone in a party can be virtuous, but we do not condone wrongdoing. Any criminal activity should be dealt with according to the law. No one has been spared for committing crimes while we are in power,” he asserted. Can the new Parliament perform its role perfectly, wonders GM Quader The meeting was also attended by Awami League’s Organizational Secretary BM Mozammel Haque, SM Kamal Hossain, and other central and metropolitan leaders.

Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexander Mantytsky has categorically dismissed the allegations made by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), affirming on Wednesday (January 31, 2024) that the government under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was democratically elected by the citizens of Bangladesh. This statement came in response to a journalist’s inquiry about the BNP Standing Committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy’s claim. Gayeshwar had controversially stated that the current government was not chosen by the Bangladeshi people but was instead “installed by foreign powers,” specifically naming India, China, and Russia. The Russian Ambassador emphasized that a significant 41 percent of the electorate participated in the last national election. He further asserted that Russia maintains a policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of other nations. Russian Ambassador hopes Dhaka-Moscow relations will continue to thrive The ambassador’s remarks followed his meeting with Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud, where they discussed various bilateral issues of mutual interest. On Sunday, the Foreign Minister said the current government is a “people’s government elected by their votes.” “It is a government elected by the people of Bangladesh,” he said when a reporter drew his attention to BNP’s remarks regarding the government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The Foreign Minister also highlighted Bangladesh’s foreign policy ethos of “friendship to all, malice towards none,” underscoring the nation’s strong diplomatic ties globally, excluding Israel. “We maintain excellent relationships with major world powers including India, China, Russia, the US, UK, and the European Union, and enjoy good relations with all countries,” he added, further reinforcing the government’s international standing. Only shameless persons can sit in 12th parliament: Gayeshwar

Ruling Awami League and main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have been given permission by police to hold their rallies in the capital’s Baitul Mukarram’s South Gate and Nayapaltan respectively on 20 conditions on Saturday (October 28, 2023). Dhaka Metropolitan Police Headquarters issued separate letters to these parties in this regard tonight.  According to the letters, the Awami League got permission at the south gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque while the BNP in front of their party office at Nayapaltan. Read: Panic grips capital city as AL and BNP flex muscles ahead of Saturday’s rallies The conditions state that DMP would only allow people to gather at the venues after 12:00pm, the rallies cannot go outside the allocated spaces, parties have to conclude the rallies within allotted time, no provocative or anti-state speeches should be given from the rallies, activists won't be allowed to carry sticks or rods in the name of carrying banners or festoons, organisers would be responsible if any untoward incident happen or law-enforcement situation deteriorated. Earlier, AL and BNP submitted applications to the DMP for the permission of the rallies on October 20 and 21, respectively.

Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, Swechchasebak Dal, and Chhatra Dal under the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have jointly announced a road march programme on September 16 and 17. The protest aims to realise a one-point demand --removal of the current government and appointment of an election-time government, said Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal President Sultan Salahuddin Tuku during a press conference held at the BNP central office in Nayapaltan on Wednesday (September 13, 2023). German Embassy’s Chargé d'Affaires meets Mirza Fakhrul "Our primary objective is to assert our right to vote by challenging the current government. We are also committed to restoring democracy, a fundamental pillar of Bangladesh's independence,” he said. Tuku said they would organise the road march on September 16 in Rangpur to Dinajpur, and on September 17 from Bogura to Rajshahi. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will inaugurate the protest march as the chief guest while senior BNP leaders are also expected to join. BNP spreading lies about the country’s diplomatic achievements: Quader "Similar to previous demonstrations, we encourage everyone, including motorcycle riders, to join our road march programme,” Tuku said. “We hold great hope that the youths of our nation will come forward--peacefully and democratically--to take part in this movement. Our objective is to mobilise popular support and bring about a change in government leadership,” he said.  Govt is procuring 10 Airbus aircraft to get commission, alleges Fakhrul

A Somoy TV journalist has filed a complaint against Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) activists for “assaulting” him when he was covering the party’s rally held in Nayapaltan, Dhaka on January 16, 2023. In the complaint filed with Paltan Model Police Station, he also said “the unruly mob damaged a drone being used to record the turnout at the rally, and snatched his personal belongings.” The Somoy TV journalist, Mobarak Hossain Shuvo, claimed that Monir Chairman, president of Kamrangir Char unit of BNP; Nayem, general secretary of the same unit; and around 60 unidentified activists started verbally abusing him when he was recording the BNP rally with a drone and tried to take it away. When Shuvo resisted, they swooped on him and beat him up, the complaint says. Also read: AL leaders, activists gather on Dhaka streets as BNP holds sit-in programme Later, he was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where he received initial treatment, he says. Earlier, ahead of BNP’s divisional rally in Rajshahi on December 3, 2022, the party’s move of putting photos of Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman on press cards triggered criticism from local journalists. Some journalists posted on social media, criticizing the party for using Tarique Rahman’s photo on the press card, as he is a “convicted fugitive”.

Free and fair elections in Bangladesh “must include a level playing field” for all participants, including political parties, said the US Embassy in Dhaka on Monday on conclusion of US Deputy Assistant Secretary Afreen Akhter’s two-day visit here. The US official and US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas met with representatives of Bangladesh's three major political parties – Bangladesh Awami League, Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jatiya Party. Before leaving Dhaka, Afreen Akhter had a breakfast meeting with Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen at a city hotel on Monday. “Absolutely, there is trust and respect for each other,” she said referring to her meeting with political leaders. Read more: Working closely with civil society for fair elections: Visiting US official She highlighted the cooperation between Bangladesh and the US in a whole range of areas including health, climate and economic cooperation. Talking to reporters, Foreign Secretary Masud said they talked about a number of issues and it was “not an election-centric” discussion. "Our USAID mission is working very closely with the civil society actors across Bangladesh to support their efforts to provide free and fair elections in Bangladesh,” Akhter told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday. Read more: Govt to support Election Commission in holding fair election: Law Minister During her meeting with Secretary (Maritime Affairs Unit) Rear Admiral (Retd) Md Khurshed Alam, the US official discussed maritime security and how they can cooperate with Bangladesh and other forms of maritime cooperation in the region during the meeting. The Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA) for Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and the Maldives, as well the Office of Security and Transnational Affairs most recently served as a Senior Adviser to SCA Assistant Secretary Don Lu. Previously, Akhter was the National Security and Foreign Affairs Adviser to U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen.

While the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has recently been gearing up its anti-government movement defying all sorts of obstacles, party leaders say the government is reviving some pending cases against the leaders and activists with a motive to derail the movement. Some BNP leaders and lawyers say authorities may send some party leaders to jail to convey a message to the opposition party that they would not be spared ahead of the next general election. But the government repeatedly denied such allegations by BNP in the past, saying that authorities do not influence courts.   Read Over 20 injured after police obstruct BNP volunteers’ march in Port City; 10 detained Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, a member of BNP’s Standing Committee, told UNB that the government has become “very nervous” over the overall social, political and economic situation while there is pressure from the international community to restore democracy through an inclusive and credible election. “The government has been failing to stop people’s participation in our rallies despite carefully-orchestrated obstacles against us.  So, the government is desperate to reinforce their repressive acts to suppress us,” he said. “But it’s clear from our recent successful rallies that such a political tactic will not work,” he said. On Tuesday, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court cleared the way for a lower court to continue the trial involving graft charges against BNP Standing Committee Member Mirza Abbas. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case in 2007 on charges of amassing wealth illegally. Read Bus owners threaten strike on Nov 4, 5 in Barishal ahead of BNP’s rally The trial proceedings against Khandaker Mosharraf on charges of siphoning off Tk 90 million are also set to enter its final stage. The ACC filed the case in 2014, accusing him of making money illegally when he was the health minister from 2001-2006. The ACC has also started an investigation against nine other people, including Standing Committee members Nazrul Islam Khan and Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, for suspicious transactions before the 11th parliamentary elections. Lawyers loyal to BNP say the trials of many cases against BNP leaders and activists are going on with lower courts in Dhaka and elsewhere. BNP says around 36 lakh BNP leaders and activists are now facing over one lakh cases. They say the charges are politically motivated. Read: Thousands join as BNP’s Khulna rally starts earlier than scheduled

Obaidul Quader, general secretary of Awami League, on Thursday accused Bangladesh Nationalist Party of instigating violence in the country. Quader said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is displaying great tolerance and patience in the face of various provocations of the opposition. He described BNP’s politics as monstrous” and said the government is dealing with the situation with utmost tolerance in the face of hundreds of provocations. Also read: Quader slams BNP for anti-people conspiracy Noting that the BNP does not want stability in the country, the general secretary of ruling party said the opposition party wants to establish a reign of terror in the country. He said the BNP's politics is to destroy the resources of the people and the state in the name of movement. Also read: BNP desperate to regain power through dark ways: Quader Quader said BNP has to come to the path of election to go to power. He said his party has confidence in the people because it believes in empowerment of the people.

Popular Bangladeshi singer Baby Nazneen has been diagnosed with COVID-19 on Friday evening (US time)  at Jersey City Medical Center (JCMC) in New Jersey, United States where she was undergoing treatment  for various  complications.

BNP on Friday strongly protested a recent article written by The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam about the party’s role during the August-21 grenade attack, 2004 and branded him as a ‘kingpin’ of democracy killers' in Bangladesh.