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☆ Bangladeshis Have a Chance to Write a New Story - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-24 | by ( Tahmima Anam | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ever since our young nation was born 53 years ago in a traumatic war of liberation from Pakistan, historical amnesia and censorship have afflicted Bangladeshis like a chronic illness. When a regime is toppled, its successor moves quickly to erase the symbols and legacy of the previous one as if it had never existed. There has never been a healthy relationship between the people in power and those who oppose them. The unexpected revolution that toppled the increasingly autocratic and corrupt rule of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina this month offers Bangladesh a chance to break free of this cycle. What makes this revolution unprecedented and so meaningful is that it was a grass-roots movement led by idealistic university students, not one of the warring main political parties.

Persons: Bangladesh Nationalist Party —, Sheikh Hasina Organizations: Bangladesh —, Awami League, Bangladesh Nationalist Party Locations: Bangladesh, Pakistan

☆ Former Bangladesh leader calls for inquiry into killings during unrest that led to her ouster
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-14 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Ap-Live-Blog-Byline-Image.Png | The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Some of the violence pitted student activists against pro-government student and youth groups and police, and many of those who died were among the student activists. However, Hasina’s statement underlined that police officers, members of her Awami League political party, bystanders and others also were victims of what she described as “terrorist aggression.” She previously has blamed opposition parties for stoking the unrest. Hasina’s statement came as the country’s interim government on Tuesday canceled a public holiday that she had declared for Thursday to mark the death of her father, Bangladesh’s independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The cancellation came at the request of at least seven political parties, including the main previous opposition group, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. An interim government is now running the country, with Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel peace laureate, sworn in as interim leader.

Persons: Bangladesh —, Sheikh Hasina, Hasina, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Hasina’s, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, S.M, Amir Hamza, Abu Sayeed, Rajesh Chowdhury, Hamza, Sayeed, Asaduzzaman Khan, Obaidul Quader, Rajib, Anisul Huq, Salman F, Rahman, Mainul Hasan, Muhammad Yunus Organizations: Awami League, Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Home, Awami League party’s, Mohammadpur, Police Locations: DHAKA, Bangladesh, India, Dhaka, Rajib Dhar, U.S

☆ Bangladesh’s ‘Gen Z revolution’ toppled PM Sheikh Hasina. Why did they hit the streets and what happens now?
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Fires burn outside the Prime Minister's House after Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country, on August 5, 2024 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Protesters shout slogans as they celebrate Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation in Dhaka. Other student protesters and those arrested on “false cases,” were also released, the president said. K M Asad/AFP/Getty ImagesWhile Hasina’s resignation was celebrated, some Bangladeshis expressed trepidation over the path ahead as the country attempts to fill a leadership vacuum. “Hasina may be gone, but there is still a long road ahead for Bangladesh,” student Faiza Chowdhury, 25, told CNN.

Persons: Sheikh Hasina, Zaman, Muhammad Yunus, Hasina, Minister's, Parvez Ahmad Rony, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina’s, Sheikh Hasina's, Mujibur Rahman –, ”, Raiyan Aftab, …, Shaheed, Shaheed Minar, Aftab, Abu Sufian, Mohammed Shahabuddin, Khaleda Zia –, –, Wolfgang Rattay, Z, Sabrina Karim, Karim, “, Mohammad Ponir Hossain, Muhammad Nahid Islam, hadn’t, Yunus, K M Asad, Faiza Chowdhury Organizations: CNN, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Yunus, Dhaka University, Awami League, “, BRAC University, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka University Campus, Getty, Reuters, curfews, Cornell University Locations: Dhaka, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Rajib Dhar, Munich, Germany, UN, Paris, ”, AFP, Bangladeshi, New York

☆ Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina flees, army says interim government to be formed
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addresses the media at a vandalized metro station in Mirpur, after the anti-quota protests. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country on Monday after hundreds of people were killed in a crackdown on demonstrations that began as protests against job quotas and swelled into a movement demanding her ouster. Hasina was "so disappointed that after all her hard work, for a minority to rise up against her," Joy said. Earlier, army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman announced Hasina's resignation in a televised address to the nation and said an interim government would be formed. "The country is going through a revolutionary period," said Zaman, 58, who had taken over as army chief only on June 23.

Persons: Sheikh Hasina, Hasina's, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Joy, General Waker, Zaman, Mohammed Shahabuddin Organizations: Bangladesh, BBC, Service, Awami League Locations: Mirpur, Dhaka

They came prepared for violence. A day after about 100 people were killed in antigovernment protests, hundreds of thousands took to the streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital, defying a curfew imposed by the government and demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. They got their wish. It remained unclear what role the military, which has seized power in the past, will play — or whether it had a hand in persuading Ms. Hasina to leave. On Monday afternoon, Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman, the Bangladesh Army chief of staff, announced her departure and said he would request the formation of an interim government.

Persons: Sheikh Hasina, Hasina, Ms Organizations: Awami League, Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Bangladesh Army Locations: Dhaka

☆ Live Updates: Bangladesh Protesters Call for Mass March After Deadly Crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Mujib Mashal | Saif Hasnat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

Here’s what to know about why the quota system has become such a point of contention. An old quota system, reinstated recently by the Supreme Court, reserves more than half of those jobs for various groups. The quota system was introduced in 1972 by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led his country’s fight for independence from Pakistan in 1971. Student protests accompanied the appeal, although they were not as violent as this time. She abolished the quota system in 2018 amid calls for its overhaul.

Persons: Sheikh Hasina, Anisul Huq, Zahed Ur Rahman, Rahman, Mohammad Ponir Hossain, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina, ”, Asif Nazrul, Atul Loke, Ms, ‘, ’, ” Mr Organizations: University of Dhaka, Awami League, ., Supreme, Bank, United, Rolls Press, Getty, “, The New York Times, Bangladesh Nationalist Party Locations: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Dhaka, United Nations

☆ At least 27 killed in Bangladesh clashes, government declares curfew
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-04 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

At least 27 people were killed and scores injured in clashes in Bangladesh on Sunday, as police fired tear gas and lobbed stun grenades to disperse tens of thousands of protesters calling for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign. “They were brought dead to the hospital with bullet wounds,” said Abu Hena Mohammad Jamal, the superintendent of the district hospital. In the northeastern district of Pabna, at least three people were killed and 50 injured during a clash between protesters and activists of Hasina’s ruling Awami League, witnesses said. Munir Uz Zaman / AFP - Getty ImagesTwo more were killed in violence in the northern district of Bogura, and 20 were killed in nine other districts, hospital officials said. Last month, at least 150 people were killed, thousands injured and about 10,000 arrested in violence touched off by demonstrations led by student groups protesting against quotas for government jobs.

Persons: Sheikh Hasina, Hasina, ” Hasina, “, ”, Abu Hena Mohammad Jamal, Hasina’s, Munir Uz Zaman, Samanta Lal Sen Organizations: Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Critics, Police, Awami League, AFP, Getty, Facebook Locations: Bangladesh, Munsiganj, Pabna, Dhaka, Bogura

☆ At least 27 killed in Bangladesh as protesters, police and pro-government activists clash
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-04 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Dhaka, Bangladesh Reuters —At least 27 people were killed and scores injured in clashes in Bangladesh on Sunday, as police fired tear gas and lobbed stun grenades to disperse tens of thousands of protesters calling for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign. Mohammad Ponir Hossain/ReutersTwo construction workers were killed on their way to work and 30 injured in the central district of Munsiganj, during a three-way clash of protesters, police and ruling party activists, witnesses said. “They were brought dead to the hospital with bullet wounds,” said Abu Hena Mohammad Jamal, the superintendent of the district hospital. In the northeastern district of Pabna, at least three people were killed and 50 injured during a clash between protesters and activists of Hasina’s ruling Awami League, witnesses said. Two more were killed in violence in the northern district of Bogura, and five were killed in four other districts, hospital officials said.

Persons: Sheikh Hasina, Hasina, ” Hasina, “, Abdul Goni, Mohammad Ponir Hossain, ”, Abu Hena Mohammad Jamal, Hasina’s, Samanta Lal Sen Organizations: Bangladesh Reuters —, Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Critics, ”, Getty, Police, Awami League, Facebook Locations: Dhaka, Bangladesh, AFP, Munsiganj, Pabna, Bogura

The authorities in Bangladesh ordered a nationwide curfew and deployed the army as clashes between student-led protesters and the police and paramilitary forces killed dozens of people and brought Dhaka, the nation’s capital, to a halt. Officials said the army was needed to help curb vandalism and restore order. Across the country, university students have been agitating for weeks about a quota system for government jobs that they say limits their opportunities by benefiting only certain groups, including the families of those who fought for independence from Pakistan. Officials of the Awami League, the political party led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, have said they want to negotiate with the students. But student leaders have held their ground, refusing to hold talks until the quota system is permanently removed.

Persons: Sheikh Hasina Organizations: Awami League Locations: Bangladesh, Dhaka, Pakistan

☆ Bangladesh protests: Anger over job quotas escalates into deadly violence. Here’s what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( Helen Regan | Samra Zulfaqar | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Huge protests across Bangladesh escalated into deadly violence this week with clashes between students, pro-government supporters and armed police fueling widespread anger over civil service job quotas opponents say are discriminatory. Many Bangladeshi students are demanding an end to the government’s quota system, which reserves more than half of civil service posts for certain groups. In 2018, the quota system was scrapped following similar protests but in June the High Court reinstated it, ruling its removal was unconstitutional. Critics and protesters say the quota system creates a two-tier Bangladesh where a politically connected elite benefit by their birth. “This is not just about quota protests anymore, this is much bigger than that, in simple quota protests the government wouldn’t go around hurting and shooting students.

Persons: Sheikh Hasina, Hasina, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina’s, “, ”, Maruf Khan, Stringer, Tahmeed Hossain, –, Hossain, Munir Uz Zaman, Hassan Abdullah, Abdullah, Prothom Alo, ” Hasina, Salman, ” Hossain, Antonio Guterres, Stephane Dujarric, ” Dujarric Organizations: CNN, Bangladesh Television, Mobile, Awami League, Getty, Bank, Dhaka University, Bangladesh Chatra League, Rapid Action Battalion, Wednesday, Agence France, Press, Authorities, Student, State Department, ” UN Locations: Bangladesh, Dhaka, State, Pakistan, Australia, Sydney, “, AFP, United States, ”, New, Melbourne, Copenhagen

☆ The Protests in Bangladesh
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

For days, university students in Bangladesh have been locked in deadly clashes with the police and supporters of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s party, in which at least 17 people have been killed and more than 1,000 injured. Students have been demonstrating against a quota system for government jobs, which they consider unfair. On Thursday, protesters set fire to at least two government buildings in Dhaka, the capital, including Bangladesh’s national television station. Ms. Hasina’s government has deployed the police and paramilitary forces, including an antiterrorism unit, against the demonstrators. Students, armed mainly with sticks and bats, have fought the police and members of the student wing of the Awami League, Ms. Hasina’s party.

Persons: Sheikh Hasina’s Organizations: Bangladesh’s, Awami League Locations: Bangladesh, Dhaka

☆ A man tried to set up Pakistan's first gay club. He was put in a mental hospital.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-10 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewA man who tried to establish Pakistan's first gay club was detained in a mental hospital by local authorities, according to The Telegraph. The Telegraph reported that the application for the proposed club said it was going to be called "Lorenzo gay club," and there would be "no gay (or non-gay) sex (other than kissing"). His friends told The Telegraph that they had been barred from visiting him, and were concerned for his safety. AdvertisementBefore being detained, the applicant told the newspaper: "I talk about human rights, and I want everyone's human rights to be defended." He also told the newspaper that if authorities refused the application, he would take it to court.

Persons: —, Osama bin, Laden, Lorenzo Organizations: Service, The Telegraph, Business, Telegraph, Awami, British, Sarhad, Psychiatric Locations: Abbottabad, Pakistan, Peshawar

☆ Bangladesh opposition vows to continue protests despite 'autocratic' crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) join in a rally at Naya Paltan area in Dhaka, Bangladesh, October 28, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDHAKA, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Bangladesh’s main opposition party said on Wednesday it would continue its anti-government protests despite what a rights group called an "autocratic crackdown" ahead of a general election in January. At least four people, including a policeman, have been killed and hundreds injured in violent protests across the country in the past few weeks, police said. In order to end this misrule and lawlessness, the ongoing movement must be accelerated and the victory of the people must be ensured,” senior BNP official Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said. “Diplomatic partners should make clear that the government’s autocratic crackdown will jeopardise future economic cooperation,” the rights group said in a statement quoting Bleckner.

Persons: Mohammad Ponir Hossain, Sheikh Hasina, ” Abdul Moyeen Khan, ”, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Hasina, “, League’s, Julia Bleckner, Khaleda Zia, Ruma Paul, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Bangladesh Nationalist Party, BNP, REUTERS, Rights DHAKA, Reuters, Police, Rights Watch, Human Rights Watch, “, Thomson Locations: Naya Paltan, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Asia

[1/5] Garment workers come out of a factory during lunch hours at the Ashulia area, outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, November 8, 2023. A panel of factory owners, union leaders and officials agreed to the increase unanimously, said Siddiqur Rahman, the owners' representative. "We continue to recommend that the government of Bangladesh adopt an annual minimum wage review mechanism to keep up with changing macroeconomic factors," the letter said. In addition to the wage increase, the government has said that workers would be given a 5% annual increment. Babul Akter, president of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation, urged global brands to pay more, saying: "There could be some problems for the owners to cope with the increased salaries."

Persons: Mohammad Ponir Hossain, Siddiqur Rahman, Rahman, Inditex, Hugo Boss, Fazlul Hoque, Hoque, Levi Strauss, Armour, Sheikh Hasina, Akter, Abdus Salam Murshedy, Murshedy, Krishna N, Ruma Paul, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Rights DHAKA, Reuters, Inc, Knitwear Manufacturers, Association, Labour, Abercrombie & Fitch, Adidas, Puma, Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation, Envoy Group, Walmart, Hasina's Awami League, Das, Thomson Locations: Dhaka, Bangladesh, DELHI, China, Zara, Ukraine, New Delhi

Bangladesh’s multiparty democracy is being methodically strangled in crowded courtrooms across this country of 170 million people. Nearly every day, thousands of leaders, members and supporters of opposition parties stand before a judge. Charges are usually vague, and evidence is shoddy, at best. But just months before a pivotal election pitting them against the ruling Awami League, the immobilizing effect is clear. About half of the five million members of the main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, are embroiled in politically motivated court cases, the group estimates.

Organizations: Awami League, Bangladesh Nationalist Party Locations: Dhaka

☆ Pakistan senator picked as caretaker PM to oversee elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KARACHI, Pakistan, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and opposition leader Raja Riaz agreed on Saturday to name Senator Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar as caretaker premier to oversee elections, the Prime Minister's office said. "The prime minister (Sharif) and leader of opposition have jointly signed the advice which will be sent to the president for approval," the statement said. Under Pakistan's constitution, a neutral caretaker government oversees national elections, which must be held within 90 days of the dissolution of the parliament's lower house - which in this instance means early November. The choice of caretaker prime minister has assumed heightened importance this time because the candidate will have extra powers to make policy decisions on economic matters, and amid fears the elections may be delayed by as much as six months. Kakar has been serving a six-year term in Pakistan's Senate since 2018.

Persons: Shehbaz Sharif, Raja Riaz, Anwaar, Haq Kakar, Arif Alvi, Kakar, Gibran Peshimam, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Mark Potter Organizations: Pakistani, Geo News, Pakistan's Senate, Senate, Balochistan Awami Party, Thomson Locations: KARACHI, Pakistan, Balochistan, Pakistan's

[1/2] A man reads a newspaper, a day after Pakistan's parliament was dissolved by the president on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's advice, at a makeshift stall in Karachi, Pakistan August 10, 2023. As it stands, former prime minister Imran Khan, the main opposition leader, cannot fight this election. There are three main contenders to lead the next government: Khan's PTI, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of Shehbaz Sharif and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Three-time premier Nawaz Sharif, the brother of the outgoing prime minister and whose PML-N was the senior partner in the outgoing coalition government, is seeking a return from exile. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, 34, the young chairman of the PPP and son of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, is another key candidate.

Persons: Shehbaz, Akhtar Soomro, Anwaar, Haq Kakar, IMRAN KHAN, Imran Khan, Khan, Nawaz Sharif, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Benazir Bhutto, Khan's jailing, Asif Shahzad, Gibran Peshimam, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Giles Elgood Organizations: REUTERS, BE, Monetary Fund, IMF, Balochistan Awami Party, WHO, PTI, Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz, Pakistan Peoples Party, Constitutional, Thomson Locations: Karachi, Pakistan, Balochistan, Shehbaz Sharif

☆ Bangladesh opposition holds protests to demand resignation of PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Ruma Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir HossainDHAKA, July 28 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of supporters of Bangladesh’s main opposition party rallied in the capital on Friday to demand Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and call for general elections to be held under a caretaker government. This can only be achieved through a free and fair election, which is not possible under the current regime," senior BNP leader Abdul Moyeen Khan told Reuters. BNP supporters joined the rally in Dhaka from different parts of the country amid allegations of obstructions by police. The opposition and rights groups have criticised the government for cracking down on anti-government protests. Concern flared after accusations of vote-rigging and the targeting of the political opposition marred national elections in 2014 and 2018.

Persons: Mohammad Ponir Hossain, Sheikh Hasina’s, Khaleda Zia, Hasina, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Sana Ullah, Mirza Abbas, Khaleda, Sheikh Hasina, Ruma Paul, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Bangladesh Nationalist Party, BNP, Bangladesh Awami League, REUTERS, Reuters, Hasina’s Awami League, Thomson Locations: Naya Palton, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Mohammad Ponir Hossain DHAKA, Chittagong, United States

New Delhi CNN —Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Dhaka on Saturday calling for the dissolution of parliament to make way for new elections, and demand the resignation of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Saturday’s protest comes amid a flurry of demonstrations in Bangladesh calling on Hasina to step down and demanding new elections. The Bangladesh Election Commission has not announced a date for the next general election, which is due by the end of 2023. Supporters of Bangladesh's opposition party protest against the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on December 10, 2022. “Concerned governments should publicly call on the prime minister to allow Bangladeshis to freely engage in peaceful political activities,” she said.

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