Latest news with #JulyUprising
United News of India
12 hours ago
- Business
- United News of India
Bangladesh interim government to convert PM House into a museum
Dhaka, July 15 (UNI) The Bangladesh interim government today decided to convert the Prime Minister's official residence - the Gonobhabhan – built by 'Bangabandhu' Sheikh Mujibur Rahman into a museum dedicated to the July Uprising, a top adviser said. Titled the 'July Uprising Memorial Museum', the memorial is built at a price of $9.2 million, reports Business Standard BD. Two proposals for completing the project by August 5 through direct procurement were approved during the day at a meeting of the Economic Affairs Advisory Committee, chaired by Financial Advisor Salehuddin Ahmed. Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat following the meeting, the finance advisor confirmed that the museum will feature both electro-mechanical (E/M) and civil development components. The E/M segment includes electrical wiring, switches, and related systems, while the civil portion covers the remainder of the structural work. The decision to turn the residence into a museum was approved in a previous session of the advisory council last year, though it was not enacted for a while. The museum will open on August 5, to mark the victory of the July Uprising, which saw the resignation and departure of ex-PM Sheikh Hasina last year. UNI ANV SSP
United News of India
5 days ago
- Business
- United News of India
BNP leader voices concern over 35 pc US tariff, says it could destroy key export sector
Dhaka, July 11 (UNI) Voicing concern over the 35% tariff rate by the US, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said that such an exorbitant tax could potentially destroy Bangladesh's key export sector, which is already facing a decline, reports Business Standard BD. "I don't know how much attention the interim government has paid to this. They should have worked more seriously with the US, involving capable individuals. That said, it's not too late yet. There is still time to act. The government must ensure that our industries survive and employment is protected," he said yesterday at a discussion. Speaking at a discussion based on role of journalists in the July Uprising last year, the BNP leader said "Our main export is ready-made garments. If a 35% duty is imposed on this sector, the garment industry will collapse." "The RMG industry will not be able to recover from such devastation. Backbone of our economy will break," he added. Hoping that the Election Commission will complete all its preparations to hold national polls by the given time, the BNP leader said that his party wants the EC to work in such a way that it can present the nation with a free, fair, neutral and acceptable election. Expressing strong optimism, Alamgir dismissed concerns raised by some quarters about whether the election will be held on time. "Why wouldn't the election be held? The people of this country want the election. They have sacrificed their lives for the election. They want a parliament with elected representatives," he said. He noted that attempts have been made by a certain quarter to label BNP as a party that opposes reforms, but in reality, it is the BNP that has introduced all major reforms in Bangladesh. "Reform is in our blood and DNA. We were born through reforms. So, it is unfair to say that BNP is against reforms. Nothing could be a greater distortion of the truth than claiming BNP is obstructing reforms," he said. UNI ANV GNK 1939
United News of India
07-07-2025
- Politics
- United News of India
New survey in Bangladesh reveals strong political disillusionment in youth
Dhaka, July 7 (UNI) Amid the ongoing socio-political flux in Bangladesh, a recently conducted national survey has revealed a strong debilitating interest among youth regarding any participation in the national polls, owing to great frustration and political disillusionment, reports Daily Star. The youth demographic, which is likely to play a decisive role in the polls, found out that over 76.78% of eligible young voters had expressed an intent to cast their ballot in the upcoming polls. However, the report also drew attention to widespread political disillusionment prevailing throughout the country. Despite high voter intent, 82.7% of respondents said they had no interest in engaging in politics, citing fears of political violence and a perceived lack of ethics among political actors. The call for change is driven by frustration with the status quo. The survey found that young people are most concerned about ending corruption and nepotism, improving the education system, and expanding job opportunities, areas they believe the political establishment has neglected. Another area of youth's focus has been on the economy, infrastructure development, end of religious radicalism, and a systemic reform of institutions, as the optimism which once came about last year following the July Uprising has only soured the mood further now, with many believing that even a democratically elected government is unlikely to bring any concrete change, owing to the nation's fragile environment. UNI ANV SSP
United News of India
02-07-2025
- Politics
- United News of India
Hasina sentenced to 6 months jail by International Crimes Tribunal for contempt of court
Dhaka, July 2 (UNI) Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is living in exile in India, has been sentenced to six months in jail by the International Crimes Tribunal for contempt of court. A three-member tribunal, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, passed the order today after reviewing a purported leaked phone conversation involving Hasina that circulated on social media last year, Daily Star reported. In the audio clip, Hasina is allegedly heard telling former Gobindaganj upazila chairman Shakil Akanda Bulbul, "I have had 227 cases filed against me, so I have received a licence to kill 227 people." The tribunal considered the statement contemptuous and a direct attempt to undermine the court. Shakil Akanda Bulbul, a leader of the Awami League's banned student affiliate Chhatra League from Gaibandha's Gobindaganj, has been sentenced to two months in prison for his role in the conversation. According to tribunal sources, the sentence will take effect only once the convicts surrender before the court or are arrested by law-enforcers. Once enforced, the sentence will be classified as non-rigorous imprisonment. This marks the first time Hasina has been sentenced in any case since her ouster from office on August 5 last year, in the face of a so-called student-led protest, and her fleeing to New Delhi, India, where she has been staying since then under heavy security. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had conducted a forensic analysis and confirmed the authenticity of the audio. The charges were filed against Hasina and Shakil by the ICT's Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam on April 30. The tribunal accepted the charges that day and ordered the accused to respond by May 15. When they failed to do so, the tribunal issued a summons on May 25 for them to appear in court. Although the law does not require the appointment of a state-funded lawyer in such cases, the court appointed a legal representative for Hasina 'in the interest of justice'. For the full hearing of the case, the ICT appointed AY Mashiuzzaman as amicus curiae (a friend of the court). Following the hearing, the court on Wednesday found both Hasina and Shakil guilty and delivered its verdict. The ICT was originally established by the Awami League government in 2010 to try war crimes committed in 1971. After the fall of the Awami League government on Aug 5, 2024, the interim government initiated trials against Hasina and her associates under the same tribunal. So far, three arrest warrants have been issued by the tribunal against Hasina. Among them, one warrant is based on five charges of crimes against humanity for her role in suppressing the July Uprising. The interim government has amended the law to allow for the trial of the Awami League as a political party for its role in the July–August crackdown. Until that trial is concluded, a ban has been imposed on all activities of the Awami League. UNI ANV GNK 1549
The Hindu
09-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Bangladesh's former President Hamid returns to Bangladesh month after departure sparked uproar
Bangladesh's former president Abdul Hamid, who served two terms during deposed premier Sheikh Hasina's regime, returned to the country on Monday (June 9, 2025) after receiving medical treatment abroad. The 81-year-old ex-president returned from Thailand a month after his 'secret departure' sparked protests in Bangladesh for being allowed to leave despite being accused in a murder case. 'He landed here in predawn hours on a Thai Airways flight. He left the airport on completion of required immigration formalities that took nearly an hour and a half,' an official of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) told reporters. Hamid returned like other ordinary passengers, said HSIA Executive Director Group Captain SM Ragib Samad. Private TV channels also shared footage of his car leaving the airport. He left Dhaka on May 8 through the same airport after completing the required formalities but his quiet departure sparked loud protests. Leaders and activists of the student-led National Citizen Party (NCP), which led last year's violent movement that ousted former prime minister Hasina's Awami League government, said authorities let Hamid "flee' despite being accused in a murder case. Home Affairs Adviser Retd Lt Gen Jahangir Alam Chowdhury had vowed to step down if he failed to take punitive action against the officials involved, claiming he was unaware of the departure at the time. Following the protests, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus's interim government formed two inquiry committees, one of which comprised three advisers. The authorities also suspended two police officers and withdrew another from his assignment in airport immigration on charges of 'negligence of duty'. During a routine visit to a police station in the capital on Monday, home adviser Chowdhury said that the question of Hamid's arrest upon his arrival did not arise as there was no warrant against him. He added that an investigation into the case was underway and Hamid would face legal actions if he were found guilty of committing any crime. Media reports and sources close to Hamid said he was diagnosed with cancer and was getting treated in Bangkok. "The former president went to Thailand for medical treatment. We allowed it as there is no court order against him or embargo by any agency," the Daily Star newspaper reported at that time, quoting an unnamed source. Hamid is one of the accused in a murder case in his hometown in northern Kishorganj. The case was lodged in connection with last year's violent movement, also dubbed the July Uprising, led by Students against Discrimination (SAD), a large part of which later emerged as NCP. Deposed premier Hasina, her expatriate son Sajeeb Wajed Joy and daughter Saima Wazed Putul, stationed in New Delhi as the WHO regional director for Southeast Asia, were also named in the case. The NCP and SAD called Hamid a 'cohort' of Hasina though he completed his term months ahead of the ouster of the past regime on August 5, 2024.
