Advertisement In December 2013, Bangladesh’s Awami League (AL) government faced a crisis of legitimacy ahead of the general election. The largest opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), and its ally, the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (JIB), announced a boycott of the election, following the government’s rejection of their demand to hold elections under a neutral caretaker … Read more
Advertisement It has been an unusually hot summer even for Kolkata, the capital of the eastern Indian state of West Bengal. Usually, the month of June is when the oppressive heat of the summer makes way for the first monsoon showers, and the city heaves a sigh of relief from the relentless heat and humidity … Read more
Advertisement While Bangladesh is internationally lauded for its economic growth and development under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, international human rights organizations are slamming it for its dismal human rights record. Under Hasina, the Bangladeshi elite paramilitary force, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and other Bangladeshi law enforcement agencies are alleged to be responsible for more … Read more
Advertisement The norm of sovereignty in the international system prohibits states from intervening in the internal affairs of other states. This norm has been instrumental in maintaining peace and stability, but it has also been used by authoritarian groups to oppress their own populations without being held accountable. The ongoing Rohingya crisis is a prime … Read more
Advertisement Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has announced that the next general election in Bangladesh will take place in January 2024. This means that we should anticipate contests in all 300 parliamentary constituencies six months from now. Given the scale of the country’s polity, such a large-scale general election typically involves extensive preparations, campaigning, and resource … Read more
Advertisement On December 1, 2022, a boat carrying around 180 Rohingya refugees set out from Bangladesh, bound for Indonesia. On board were babies, pregnant women, and children fleeing surging violence in Bangladesh’s refugee camps. One week later, the boat vanished. The Associated Press has reconstructed the passengers’ journey based on dozens of interviews, audio recordings … Read more
Advertisement Reports of coercive tactics and cash incentives being employed by the Bangladeshi government to induce Rohingya refugees to return to Myanmar have stirred concern among human rights advocates and humanitarian agencies. The authorities in Bangladesh are reportedly utilizing misinformation, threats of violence, and financial incentives as part of a larger strategy aimed at facilitating … Read more
Advertisement One week has passed since the United Nations sought a flash appeal of $375 million to help millions of people affected by a storm that ravaged sections of Myanmar and Bangladesh. The U.N. said it was requesting $122 million in supplementary funding in addition to $211 million in existing funds for cyclone response in … Read more
Advertisement For around 1 million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar living in Bangladesh, sustainable solutions such as safe and voluntary return to their homeland, large-scale resettlement in third countries, or local integration in Bangladesh will remain elusive for the foreseeable future. It is essential that national policymakers, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and donors promptly work to … Read more
Advertisement “It was fantastic,” “The king is back,” and “It was so good to see Shah Rukh Khan on the big screen.” These are some of the comments from Bangladeshi Bollywood fans, who were able to watch the Hindi blockbuster film “Pathaan” in a movie theater recently. Although Hollywood films have been regularly screened in … Read more