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Bangladesh

Democracy in Bangladesh, a prisoner of history

It wouldn’t be wrong to say that modern democracy in Bangladesh is a prisoner of this history.
It was an election of the ruling party, by the ruling party and for the ruling party. That is how one can describe the recent general elections in Bangladesh. It was an election of the ruling party, by the ruling party and for the ruling party. That is how one can describe the recent general elections in Bangladesh. More than half of the candidates won the elections without even contesting and the remaining half, in a parliament of 300, romped home with a token fight between friendly parties. <...

Dhaka, Delhi plan joint fight against fake currency notes

A joint taskforce of Bangladesh and India will tackle the smuggling of counterfeit currency in the two countries. The decision was taken at a three-day bilateral meeting that ended in New Delhi on Friday. The DIG (Crime) of the Bangladesh Police led the Bangladeshi delegation. bd-indiaAdditional secretary (Political) of home ministry Dr Kamal Uddin Ahmed told media that the taskforce will discuss strategies to stop smuggling and circulation of fake notes. “Both t...

Bangladesh election impasse heightens amid geo-political tensions

The political crisis in Bangladesh has only intensified following the farce of the January 5 national election, which was boycotted by Bangladesh National Party (BNP)-led opposition alliance. The result was a foregone conclusion, with the ruling Awami League (AL)-led alliance securing 153 uncontested seats in the 300-seat parliament. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formed a new government on January 12, but the political impasse remains. (See: “Sham election deepens Bangladesh political crisis”) Hasina-Khaleda

India-US chasm opens over Bangladesh

The 10th parliamentary election took place in Bangladesh on January 5 amid widespread boycotts, violence, vote rigging and without much fanfare. While the ruling Awami League claimed victory, it is hard to imagine a scenario where this election - where the fate of 154 parliament seats out of 300 were decided before a single vote was cast - could bring stability to this increasingly important country. The Awami League, led by Sheikh Hasina, came to power in 2008 with a two-thirds majority. While opportunities abounded for the Awami League to start a new era of politics in Bangladesh, it willfully wasted every chance to do so. The Awami League’s fall from grace over ...

India initiates border survey to end row with Bangladesh

India and Bangladesh have initiated the process to end a five-decade row over a river island in south Tripura. Surveyors of both countries are engaged in demarcating the boundary at Muhurichar, the disputed 66-acre piece of land for which border forces on both sides have fought on numerous occasions in the past five decades. bd-indiaThe surveyors assisted by the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) are marking the border for the past couple of days. “Temporary pillars are b...

Devon MP calls for dialogue, reconciliation in Bangladesh

Tiverton and Honiton MP Neil Parish, who was an election monitor in Bangladesh for the 2008 General Election, has called for political dialogue and reconciliation following widespread election violence in Bangladesh. He was speaking during a backbench business debate on the current situation in Bangladesh held in the House of Commons. [caption id="attachment_2808" align="alignleft" width="300"]Devon MP Neil Parish, right, was an election observer in Bangladesh in 2008[/caption] Mr Parish previously acted as...