China committed to work with Hasina

Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen has congratulated Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for successfully holding of the 12th general election and Awami League’s victory.

Ambassador Yao conveyed warm congratulations and best wishes from Chinese leaders to Hasina.

The Chinese ambassador called on Hasina at Ganabhaban and reaffirmed that Chinese leaders are committed to working with her to carry forward the long-established friendship, enhance mutual trust, and deepen practical cooperation – thereby uplift the China-Bangladesh strategic partnership of cooperation to a new height.

Ambassador Yao noted that both China and Bangladesh are at a critical stage of development and revitalization, and China would always be the most trustworthy partner and the most reliable friend of Bangladesh on the way to modernization.

Under the guidance of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, China and Bangladesh have set a model of mutual respect and win-win cooperation, said the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka.

China will firmly support Bangladesh in safeguarding national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and in opposing external interference, it said.

China will also support Bangladesh in maintaining unity and stability, and in playing a more active role in international and regional affairs, said the embassy.

China is committed to assisting Bangladesh in realizing the ‘Vision 2041’ and the dream of ‘Sonar Bangla,’ it said.

Ambassador Yao said that China is prepared to strengthen all-round cooperation with Bangladesh, and take due actions to facilitate and expand trade and investment with Bangladesh, promote high-quality China-Bangladesh Belt and Road cooperation, and make its own contribution to realizing ‘Smart Bangladesh’.

United States most unhappy over Hasina victory

It was not surprising to read a Reuters report this morning, quoting the US State Department that the weekend's elections in Bangladesh were not free and fair, adding Washington was concerned by reports of vote irregularities and condemned violence that took place.

According to the same report, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina swept to a fourth straight term in power, with her party winning almost 75% of the seats in Sunday's general election.

Please allow me to say that United States is the unhappiest country on the victory of Sheikh Hasina. It tested its muscles but emerged unsuccessful.

One may wonder why the United States is against Hasina. First and the most important, the US just does not like those rulers who enjoy support of its people. The other reason was stable economy of Bangladesh. It may be said without mincing words that the US wanted to topple Hasina was to destabilize Bangladesh.

To the utter disappointment of United States, Hasina continue to enjoy support of India, China and Russia.

It is worth laughing to read, "The United States remains concerned by the arrests of thousands of political opposition members and by reports of irregularities on elections day," a US State Department spokesperson said on Monday.

It is the same United States which has multiple times used its veto power to derail ceasefire efforts in Gaza.

It is worth noting that the United States has been extending all sort of support to Israel which has killed more than 22,000 people mostly women and children in Gaza.

 

Bangladesh: Sheikh Hasina secures fourth straight term

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina swept to a fourth straight term in power, the poll body said on Monday, with her party winning almost 75% of the seats in a general election that was boycotted by the main opposition and drew a low turnout.

The main opposition, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which participated in the 2018 vote but kept away in 2014, boycotted the polls after Hasina refused their demands to resign and allow a neutral authority to run the general election.

The daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, founding father of Bangladesh who was killed in an army coup in 1975 along with most members of the family, Hasina, 76, first became prime minister in 1996. This will be her fifth term overall.

In her past 15 years in power she has been credited with turning around the economy and the massive garments industry, while winning international praise for sheltering Rohingya Muslims fleeing persecution in neighbouring Myanmar.

According to Reuters, Bangladeshis largely stayed away from Sunday's election, which was marred by violence. Turnout was about 40% when polls closed, said chief election commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal, compared with over 80% in the last election in 2018.

The ruling Awami League party won 223 seats out of 298, according to unofficial results released by the Election Commission on Monday.

Polls were held for 299 directly elected parliamentary seats with close to 120 million voters eligible to choose from nearly 2,000 contestants. The result of one seat was withheld due to irregularities while election to another seat will be held at a later date.

Hasina herself bagged 249,962 votes from her constituency Gopalganj, about 165 kilometres (103 miles) south of the capital Dhaka, while her nearest rival secured just 469 votes.

Among the ruling party winners were actor Ferdous Ahmed and former Bangladesh cricket captains Shakib Al Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza.

Rights groups warned of a virtual one-party rule by Hasina's Awami League in the South Asian country of 170 million people while the United States and Western nations, key customers of Bangladesh's garment industry, had called for a free and fair election, the 12th since 1971.

"I am trying my best to ensure that democracy should continue in this country," Hasina said on Sunday after casting her vote, adding that her only accountability was to citizens of Bangladesh.

She has instructed party leaders and supporters not to bring out any victory processions or indulge in celebrations, said Awami League's general secretary Obaidul Quader.

Independent candidates, many of them Awami League party members of various ranks, won 61 seats, meaning the parliament will largely be without any credible opposition for the next five years.

The BNP, whose alliance won seven seats in the 2018 election, has accused the ruling party of propping up 'dummy' independent candidates to try to make the election look credible, a claim the Awami League has denied.

Critics accuse Hasina of authoritarianism, human rights violations, crackdowns on free speech and suppression of dissent.

The economy has also slowed sharply since the Russia-Ukraine war pushed up prices of fuel and food imports, forcing Bangladesh to turn last year to the International Monetary Fund for a $4.7 billion bailout. Inflation was 9.5% in November.

"The government must curb the crazy inflation. And I request them to lower tax and provide subsidies to poor people. We don't want anything else," said Abdul Halim, a plastic toy seller in Dhaka, while reading a newspaper pasted on a wall.

The BNP called a two-day strike nationwide through Sunday, asking people to shun the election, and said the low turnout was a success for their boycott call.

Hasina has accused the opposition of instigating anti-government protests that have rocked Dhaka since late October and killed at least 14 people.

At least four people were killed on Friday in a passenger train fire that the government called arson. Several polling booths, schools and a Buddhist monastery were also set ablaze days before the poll.

Shakil Ahmed, an assistant professor at Jahangirnagar University in Dhaka, said the latest polls would do little to ease the political upheaval in Bangladesh and warned that violence could continue post election.

"I think the immediate challenge for the prime minister is to stabilise the consumer market for common people. This election is not the answer to the debacle of politics in Bangladesh," he said.

 

Bangladesh: Hasina accuses US of seeking regime change

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has accused the United States of seeking a regime change in the country. “They are trying to eliminate democracy and introduce a government that will not have a democratic existence,” Hasina said in Parliament. “It’ll be an undemocratic action.”

Hasina’s criticism of the United States comes at a time when Washington has pulled up her party – the Awami League – on issues related to human rights.

In December 2022, several former and current leaders of the Rapid Action Battalion were sanctioned by the United States. The RAB, an elite Bangladesh paramilitary unit, is alleged to have carried out enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings on behalf of the government.

In the same month, American Ambassador Peter Haas had met families of victims of alleged enforced disappearance under Hasina’s rule. This included the family of Sajedul Islam Sumon, a leader from the Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

In February this year, Derek Chollet, the US State Department counselor, had expressed concern about the decline of democracy in Bangladesh. He had warned that this would limit American cooperation with Dhaka and urged Hasina to ensure free and fair elections.

 

Bangladesh: PM Hasina slams United States

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday called the country’s leading national daily an enemy of the people and claimed Washington was working to bring an undemocratic party to power in Bangladesh in the upcoming election.

The unusually strong remarks to Bangladesh’s parliament came on the same day US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was hosting Dhaka’s top diplomat, A. K. Abdul Momen, at the Department of State in Washington.

While speaking in parliament, Hasina, leader of the Awami League party, did not name which so-called undemocratic party she believed the United States wanted in power.

“America can change power in any country it wants. [They] want to bring such a government here which will not have any democratic existence,” she said.

Hasina also accused Washington of supporting corrupt people in Bangladesh.

“[The US] is speaking against corruption. Now it can be seen that it is advocating on behalf of those convicted in corruption case[s],” she said.

Again, Hasina did not name which people, although the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairwoman Khaleda Zia has been convicted in two graft cases. An ailing Khaleda’s prison term has been suspended since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The US has in recent months urged Bangladesh to ensure free and fair elections, amid reports of the government muzzling critics and the opposition. The election is scheduled for December 2023 or January 2024.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement congratulating Bangladesh on its Independence Day also urged a commitment to democratic norms and human rights. Some observers said this was unusual for a communiqué of this kind.

On Monday, the top US top diplomat again referenced the Bangladesh elections.

He told his Bangladesh counterpart Momen that Washington was committed to continuing to work together, to find ways to strengthen and deepen the relationship, to address as well economic development and human rights.

“And of course, we’re looking – the world is looking – to Bangladesh for its next elections, to make sure that they set a strong example for free and fair elections for the region and for the world,” Blinken said, according to a State Department statement on remarks exchanged by the two diplomats before their meeting in Washington.

For his part, Momen said that Bangladesh had sacrificed millions of lives for independence, for upholding democracy, human rights, justice, and human dignity.

Former Bangladesh diplomat M. Humayun Kabir, who has served as envoy to the United States, told BenarNews that Hasina’s comments show there could be a communication gap between the two countries.

“The remarks of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made it clear that there is a huge gap of understanding between Washington and Dhaka,” he said.

“But this is not a proper time to say anything about the ultimate relations between the nations; I think we need to observe it more closely.”

Hasina also slammed a leading Bangla daily news organization. “Prothom Alo is an enemy of the Awami League, Prothom Alo is an enemy of democracy and Prothom Alo is an enemy of the country’s people,” she said.

The daily was last month hit with two cases under the draconian Digital Security Act, for allegedly “undermining the country’s independence.”

A correspondent for the daily was arrested – and later released on bail – for his report which quoted a daily laborer as saying, “We need independence guaranteeing fish, meat and rice.”

The daily’s editor was also slapped with charges under the act for the report which was published on Bangladesh’s Independence Day.

Prothom Alo Executive Editor Sajjad Sharif told BenarNews that the daily had little to say about the PM’s remarks.

“[We] are doing our journalism maintaining all professional ethics. We have no favor or conflict with any political parties,” he said.

Hours after Hasina’s comment four people entered the office building of the news outlet shouting “Boycott Prothom Alo.” The building’s security guard, Mesbaul Haque, told BenarNews no police complaint was registered as Prothom Alo dismissed it as a “small incident.”

Hasina’s targets on Monday also included 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner and Grameen Bank Founder Muhammad Yunus, who is often openly vilified by her government.

He [Yunus] is a very favorite person of the US. The country never raised the question of how this person, who was the managing director of Grameen Bank … got millions of dollars,” she said.

“Did they [the US] ever want to know from where the managing director, who used to draw a salary from the government, got millions of dollars? They didn’t.”

Yunus and some of his colleagues from Grameen Telecom, a company he founded, are being investigated by Bangladesh’s anti-graft agency for alleged involvement in laundering money to the tune of US US$300 million (31.8 billion taka), and embezzling from the employees’ welfare fund.

Last month, 40 global public figures, including rock singer Bono and former US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, had urged Bangladesh to stop harassing the Nobel laureate.

In an open letter, they said Yunus had not benefited financially from his involvement in the company.

“Rather, he has devoted himself to the poverty-fighting missions of the many organizations he has established and lives modestly in Dhaka,” the letter said.

Courtesy: The Bangladesh Chronicle

 

United States starts playing regime change mantra in Bangladesh

Jamie Raskin, Member of US House of Representatives, has urged his colleagues to join him in standing with the people of Bangladesh, especially those bravest and most vulnerable. He also urged the Bangladesh government to take immediate action to respect the civil rights and safety of all the people of Bangladesh.

Democratic Party member Jamie Raskin made the call in a session of the US congress on June 07, 2022. His statement has been taken from the congressional record published in the US congress website.

Jamie Raskin is a member of Democratic Party and elected from Maryland. He is also a member of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.

Earlier, on December 10, 2021, the Human Rights Day, the US imposed sanctions on Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and its current and former seven officials on charges of violating human rights.

Before that, in August 2021, a discussion of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission expressed concerns on the situation of forced disappearances in Bangladesh.

On June 07, 2022 while speaking in a session presided over by House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi, Jamie Raskin said, “I rise today in solidarity with the people of Bangladesh. I want to voice my support for human rights defenders, members of minority groups, and civil society in Bangladesh at this moment when the Bangladeshi government is persisting in threatening the basic human rights and civil liberties of its people.”

He also said the Bangladeshi government, led by Sheikh Hasina of the Awami League, has earned widespread criticism for its deteriorating human rights record, and for its failure to protect the most vulnerable people living in Bangladesh – indigenous people, women, religious minorities, activists, and refugees.

On International Human Rights Day last year, the US Department of the Treasury announced sanctions on the Rapid Action Battalion, citing how their actions undermine the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The United Nations reported that since the sanctions against the RAB officials were announced in December, the Bangladesh government has responded by launching a retaliatory campaign of intimidation and harassment.

The homes of at least 10 relatives of people forcibly disappeared are reported to have been raided at night, and some relatives were forced to sign statements saying that their loved ones had not in fact been forcibly disappeared.

US Congress member further said Amnesty International tracks human rights abuses in Bangladesh and has noted their acceleration during the pandemic. Under the draconian Digital Security Act of 2018, Bangladeshi journalists and other human rights defenders are routinely persecuted for reporting on corruption or criticizing any of the government’s policies.

He also said Covid-19 policies against public gatherings have been used to prevent political meetings, and to quell public protests against the government. Violence against women and indigenous activists has also intensified during the pandemic.

The Bangladeshi government employs a joint task force composed of members of police, military, and border guards called the Rapid Action Battalion, and it has consistently failed to address the excesses of these and other security forces.

The Rapid Action Battalion and other Bangladeshi law enforcement entities are alleged to be responsible for more than 600 disappearances since 2009 and nearly 600 extrajudicial killings since 2018. These incidents reportedly target opposition party members, journalists, and human rights activists.

 

Can Pakistan and Bangladesh be Friends ever?

On 14th August 2020, Pakistan’s Independence Day, the country’s high commissioner in Dhaka, Imran Ahmed Siddiqui, lauded the role that Bengalis played in the creation of Pakistan in 1947. 

That was preceded by Pakistani foreign office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui saying that Islamabad was now actively working on mending relations with Dhaka. Before that, the two premiers, Imran Khan and Sheikh Hasina, held on 22nd July 2020 telephone conversation.

The year 2020 provided a rare opportunity to Islamabad and Dhaka to talk about their own fractured past. This was noticed by New Delhi with concern. Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh V. Shringla rushed to meet Hasina and Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen.

Pakistan’s recent advances toward Bangladesh have overlapped with growing disputes between New Delhi and Dhaka, largely centering around the growing anti-Muslim tilt of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India. In the recent past, differences over the Rohingya refugee crisis, the Citizenship Amendment Act, and the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodha have sparked a diverse array of skepticism from Dhaka.

China and Turkey are backing Islamabad’s Kashmir narrative, much of Pakistan’s recent diplomatic engagement with Bangladesh has been with regard to this fast-growing alliance. With China more interested in Kashmir because of its growing rivalry with India, and its bid to involve itself in conflicts as the global superpower, Dhaka’s interest in being a part of the China-Pakistan-Turkey nexus could also be piqued by Beijing’s investments in Bangladesh.

Under the Turkey-led Muslim bloc, both Pakistan and Bangladesh can get more prominence as compared to what they have under the Gulf states, who have not only failed to provide support for Kashmir, but have actively enhanced their defense and energy cooperation with India, and even Israel.

The UAE-Israel deal epitomizes the rapid splintering into a new cold war reality, with the Gulf states firmly in the US-Saudi camp. This opened the possibility for South Asian Muslim countries to back the potential China-Turkey bloc. Pakistan’s efforts to persuade Bangladesh, backed by China and Turkey, are rooted in global, and regional, realignments more so than any bilateral efforts to reconcile with a tumultuous past.

While Pakistan and Bangladesh might find common interests in coexisting in the same bloc, for the two to actually become friends requires an honest discussion on what transpired in 1971 – and the events leading up to it.

Where China and Turkey might be providing the opportunity for Pakistan to sit with Bangladesh again, it must do so with sincerity and self-reflection. That will not only help Islamabad formulate progressive bilateral ties, it might also ring a timely reminder to undo many of the same errors of the past.

Anti Modi demonstrations erupt in Bangladesh

Two-day tour of Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi to Bangladesh starts on Friday. Earlier, leaders from Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives have attended the festivities, which started on 17th March.

Modi’s visit is part of 10-day celebrations of the Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh independence. This also marks Birth Centenary of the nation's founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

During his visit, Modi is scheduled to visit two temples in southern rural districts, including the birthplace of a top Hindu reformer who has large number of followers in the Indian West Bengal and Bangladesh.

To display their displeasure some factions staged anti-Modi demonstration in Dhaka. The protesters accused Modi of stoking religious tensions and inciting anti-Muslim violence in the Indian state of Gujarat in 2002, which left about 1,000 people dead. Modi was Gujarat's chief minister at the time of the deadly religious riots.

On Thursday, student organizations under the banner of ‘Progressive Student Alliance’ were demonstrating against Modi’s visit.They were allegedly attacked by Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists at Dhaka University campus.

 “Some 40 protesters were injured, including 18 hospitalized with injuries from police beatings and rubber bullets,” Bin Yamin Molla, a senior official of the Student Rights Council, which organized the protest, told AFP.

Witnesses said several hundreds of BCL men with local weapons were seen at the Teachers Students Centre (TSC).

Earlier in the day, Jubo Odhikar Parishad activists clashed with police in the city’s Motijheel area while protesting against the Indian prime minister’s visit.

The Parishad, youth front of former vice president of Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) Nurul Haque Nur’s organization, blocked the roads in the Motijheel area in the afternoon.

The clashes started when the law enforcing agencies tried to stop the demonstrators.