<p>Bangladesh&nbsp;police&nbsp;declared Thursday that rampant piracy in the Sundarbans was a thing of the past, crediting a gun buyback scheme for reducing crime and tiger poaching in the vast mangrove forest.</p>

<p>Police&nbsp;said more than 130 pirates operating in the forested delta region had surrendered their weapons and ammunition in exchange for cash, legal aid and mobile phones since the programme began just over a year ago.</p>

<p>The scheme had virtually eradicated the lawlessness once rife in the world&#39;s largest mangrove forest, a natural habitat for endangered Bengal tigers, said a spokesman for the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)&nbsp;police&nbsp;unit.</p>

<p>&quot;Most of the areas in Sundarbans are now pirate-free,&quot; Mizanur Rahman Bhuiyan told AFP.</p>

<p>&quot;So far 132 pirates-turned-poachers from 12 groups have surrendered. They abducted fishermen and were engaged in wildlife poaching in the Sundarbans.&quot;</p>

<p>The battalion had spent more than a decade cracking down on criminality in the dense mangrove forest, with 117 pirates killed and nearly 400 arrested in sweeps since 2004.</p>

<p>But the buyback scheme, introduced in May 2016, has proved more effective in tackling crime in the UNESCO world heritage site.</p>

<p>Nearly 250 guns and 12,500 rounds of ammunition had been handed over in exchange for legal assistance, cash, mobile phones, winter clothing and gifts to mark the Islamic festival of Eid, Bhuiyan said.</p>

<p>The pirates are not granted amnesty for their offences but are viewed favourably for turning themselves in.</p>

<p>Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan awarded each of the surrendered pirates $2,000 at a ceremony in the coastal town of Bagerhat on Wednesday, the RAB said.</p>

<p>Conservationists said the surrender of so many pirates represented a small victory for Bengal tigers, prize targets for poachers.</p>

<p>&quot;They kill tigers and deer indiscriminately. They poach tigers and sell their meat and body parts to people connected with the illegal wildlife trade,&quot; Anwarul Islam, a zoology professor at Dhaka University, told AFP.</p>

<p>The Sundarbans, which also straddle parts of eastern India, are home to rare wildlife including Irrawaddy dolphins and Bengal tigers -- both of which are endangered species due to poaching and habitat encroachment.</p>

<p>The big cat population in the 10,000 square-kilometre (3,861 sq mile) forest dropped to just over 100 in 2015 from an estimated 440 a decade earlier.</p>

<p>A UN agency last year urged&nbsp;Bangladesh&#39;s government to halt construction of a huge power plant at the edge of the forest, warning the controversial project could &quot;irreversibly damage&quot; the Sundarbans.</p>

<p>.</p>


Police said more than 130 pirates operating in the forested delta region had surrendered their weapons and ammunition in exchange for cash, legal aid and mobile phones

Bangladesh police declared Thursday that rampant piracy in the Sundarbans was a thing of the past, crediting a gun buyback scheme for reducing crime and tiger poaching in the vast mangrove forest. Police said more than 130 pirates operating in the forested delta region had surrendered their weapons and ammunition in exchange for cash, legal aid and mobile phones since the programme began just over a year ago. The scheme had virtually eradicated the lawlessness once rife in the world's largest mangrove forest, a natural habitat for endangered Bengal tigers, said a spokesman for the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) police unit. "Most of the areas in Sundarbans are now pirate-free," Mizanur Rahman Bhuiyan told AFP. "So far 132 pirates-turned-poachers from 12 groups have surrendered. They abducted fishermen and were engaged in wildlife poaching in the Sundarbans." The battalion had spent more than a decade cracking down on criminality in the dense mangrove forest, with 117 pirates killed and nearly 400 arrested in sweeps since 2004. But the buyback scheme, introduced in May 2016, has proved more effective in tackling crime in the UNESCO world heritage site. Nearly 250 guns and 12,500 rounds of ammunition had been handed over in exchange for legal assistance, cash, mobile phones, winter clothing and gifts to mark the Islamic festival of Eid, Bhuiyan said. The pirates are not granted amnesty for their offences but are viewed favourably for turning themselves in. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan awarded each of the surrendered pirates $2,000 at a ceremony in the coastal town of Bagerhat on Wednesday, the RAB said. Conservationists said the surrender of so many pirates represented a small victory for Bengal tigers, prize targets for poachers. "They kill tigers and deer indiscriminately. They poach tigers and sell their meat and body parts to people connected with the illegal wildlife trade," Anwarul Islam, a zoology professor at Dhaka University, told AFP. The Sundarbans, which also straddle parts of eastern India, are home to rare wildlife including Irrawaddy dolphins and Bengal tigers -- both of which are endangered species due to poaching and habitat encroachment. The big cat population in the 10,000 square-kilometre (3,861 sq mile) forest dropped to just over 100 in 2015 from an estimated 440 a decade earlier. A UN agency last year urged Bangladesh's government to halt construction of a huge power plant at the edge of the forest, warning the controversial project could "irreversibly damage" the Sundarbans. .

Sundarbans, world heritage forest, declared pirate-free by Bangladesh

<p>Geographical Indication (GI) generally means a mark on a product to denote that it is of a specific geographic origin and possess qualities attached to that origin. There is a bit of a history to the creation of GI signs on such products which go back more than hundred years, especially in Europe and the United States. The primary purposes of GI registration are two folds. One is to preserve the originality of unique geographic products of agricultural, handicraft, traditional nature from the producer&#39;s point of view. And&nbsp;the other is to protect consumers from being deceived by copied or similar other products.</p>

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<h5>GI products can also be from a specific place of a country rather than the entire country.</h5>
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<p>But, the concept is not as simple as it appears. For example, in Europe, such naming or marking is related to the specific place where the product has traditionally been produced. In the U.S., on the contrary, it is more of a copyright issue of the name or sign. If one firm registers a geographic name, no other firm of the same place can use the same name and even the first registering firm can produce the product in their expanded factories at places outside the original place of origin. GI products can also be from a specific place of a country rather than the entire country.</p>

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<h5>The World Trade Organization (WTO) in the mid-1990s initiated an Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) to which there is more than 150 country signatory already.</h5>
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<p>There were several international agreements which, by and large, addressed the issue of GI. The World Trade Organization (WTO) in the mid-1990s initiated an Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) to which there is more than 150 country signatory already. Three of its clauses deals with GI issues and WTO encouraged the government to allow or push GI products to be registered and their name and reputation protected. Now, the practice stands as such that - where there is a case for a GI product, respective department/ministry of the government forward the case with deliberate logics and proof to a central product registration body of the country and that body, if convinced,&nbsp;in turn make an international announcement through forums like International Journal of Patent etc. If no objection is received within certain months from any national or international entity than the national GI registration body announces the awarding of GI to that product.</p>

<p>Recently, the ministry of small and cottage industry and ministry of fisheries and livestock of Bangladesh have registered Zamdani Saree and Hilsha fish as Bangladesh&rsquo;s GI product. Hilsha or Ilish is one of the favorite ethnic food of Bangladeshi people. It has traditionally been fished in the estuary and immediately upstream of&nbsp;the estuary of Padma-Bramhaputra in southern and central Bangladesh. About 70 per cent of Hilsha caught globally comes from Bangladesh, about 10 per cent from Myanmar, 15 per cent from various states of India and rest in the Gulf region.</p>

<p>The case seems a solid one for Bangladeshi Jamdani too, another GI product of Bangladesh. Traditionally originating from central Bangladesh, Jamdani is made of famous Dhakai Moslin fabric.</p>

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<h5>India quietly registered Nakshi Katha a type of embroidered quilt which is very much a Bangladeshi thing primarily and, perhaps, Indian secondarily.</h5>
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<p>However, this whole GI issue isn&rsquo;t entirely beyond controversy. India quietly registered Nakshi Katha, a type of embroidered quilt, which is very much a Bangladeshi thing primarily and, perhaps, Indian secondarily. Also, agricultural products like Fazli and Himshagor( Khirshapat) Mango are the product of Murshidabad (India), Malda (India) and greater Rajshahi (Bangladesh). These places, in spite of being in two separate neighbouring countries, are part of the same ecological continuity. But India has already registered these as GI. India also tried to register Jamdani as its GI but it resulted in objection from Bangladesh, including a street protest by the weavers. Hilsha and Jamdani are two Bangladeshi products registered to under GI against India&rsquo;s close to three hundred.</p>

<p>It&rsquo;s not clear though whether there is any significant economic benefit of GI registration of products. Different producers can &quot;copy&quot; or &quot;copy, modify and produce&quot; the same or similar products and give it a different name. And if the quality of the product, even with a different name&nbsp;is good, then the buyers might be tempted to buy it eventually. However, there still seems to be some relevance of GI registration. Countries and concerned parties should make their cases openly and honestly with good neighbourhood spirit. For example, Baluchari Saree, an Indian GI product is a type&nbsp;of saree which is&nbsp;also produced in Bangladesh. Bangladesh, however, didn&rsquo;t attempt to snatch the GI right from West Bengal (India), nor it protested. Bangladesh is rather a late entrant in this claim game.</p>

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<h5>GI of a unique geographical product belonging to a historical place or region which has fallen into two or more post colonial countries should collectively belong to all these countries or constituent sub regions.</h5>
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<p>Certain unclear aspects of GI warrants provide further clarification through concerned international forums and organisations. GI of a unique geographical product belonging to a historical place or region which has fallen into two or more post colonial countries should collectively belong to all these countries or constituent sub regions.</p>

<p>GI is an interesting and, perhaps, rightful concept of a product with unique geographical origins. In this age of branding, the GI issue is likely to receive an enhanced importance in the days and years to come. It will be even better if agreements are expanded to&nbsp;include all probable scenarios and help to avoid trade and copy right faceoff among neighbours.&nbsp;</p>


GI status of a unique commodity, which is produced in two or more post colonial countries, should collectively belong to all these countries.

Geographical Indication (GI) generally means a mark on a product to denote that it is of a specific geographic origin and possess qualities attached to that origin. There is a bit of a history to the creation of GI signs on such products which go back more than hundred years, especially in Europe and the United States. The primary purposes of GI registration are two folds. One is to preserve the originality of unique geographic products of agricultural, handicraft, traditional nature from the producer's point of view. And the other is to protect consumers from being deceived by copied or similar other products. GI products can also be from a specific place of a country rather than the entire country. × But, the concept is not as simple as it appears. For example, in Europe, such naming or marking is related to the specific place where the product has traditionally been produced. In the U.S., on the contrary, it is more of a copyright issue of the name or sign. If one firm registers a geographic name, no other firm of the same place can use the same name and even the first registering firm can produce the product in their expanded factories at places outside the original place of origin. GI products can also be from a specific place of a country rather than the entire country. The World Trade Organization (WTO) in the mid-1990s initiated an Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) to which there is more than 150 country signatory already. × There were several international agreements which, by and large, addressed the issue of GI. The World Trade Organization (WTO) in the mid-1990s initiated an Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) to which there is more than 150 country signatory already. Three of its clauses deals with GI issues and WTO encouraged the government to allow or push GI products to be registered and their name and reputation protected. Now, the practice stands as such that - where there is a case for a GI product, respective department/ministry of the government forward the case with deliberate logics and proof to a central product registration body of the country and that body, if convinced, in turn make an international announcement through forums like International Journal of Patent etc. If no objection is received within certain months from any national or international entity than the national GI registration body announces the awarding of GI to that product. Recently, the ministry of small and cottage industry and ministry of fisheries and livestock of Bangladesh have registered Zamdani Saree and Hilsha fish as Bangladesh’s GI product. Hilsha or Ilish is one of the favorite ethnic food of Bangladeshi people. It has traditionally been fished in the estuary and immediately upstream of the estuary of Padma-Bramhaputra in southern and central Bangladesh. About 70 per cent of Hilsha caught globally comes from Bangladesh, about 10 per cent from Myanmar, 15 per cent from various states of India and rest in the Gulf region. The case seems a solid one for Bangladeshi Jamdani too, another GI product of Bangladesh. Traditionally originating from central Bangladesh, Jamdani is made of famous Dhakai Moslin fabric. India quietly registered Nakshi Katha a type of embroidered quilt which is very much a Bangladeshi thing primarily and, perhaps, Indian secondarily. × However, this whole GI issue isn’t entirely beyond controversy. India quietly registered Nakshi Katha, a type of embroidered quilt, which is very much a Bangladeshi thing primarily and, perhaps, Indian secondarily. Also, agricultural products like Fazli and Himshagor( Khirshapat) Mango are the product of Murshidabad (India), Malda (India) and greater Rajshahi (Bangladesh). These places, in spite of being in two separate neighbouring countries, are part of the same ecological continuity. But India has already registered these as GI. India also tried to register Jamdani as its GI but it resulted in objection from Bangladesh, including a street protest by the weavers. Hilsha and Jamdani are two Bangladeshi products registered to under GI against India’s close to three hundred. It’s not clear though whether there is any significant economic benefit of GI registration of products. Different producers can "copy" or "copy, modify and produce" the same or similar products and give it a different name. And if the quality of the product, even with a different name is good, then the buyers might be tempted to buy it eventually. However, there still seems to be some relevance of GI registration. Countries and concerned parties should make their cases openly and honestly with good neighbourhood spirit. For example, Baluchari Saree, an Indian GI product is a type of saree which is also produced in Bangladesh. Bangladesh, however, didn’t attempt to snatch the GI right from West Bengal (India), nor it protested. Bangladesh is rather a late entrant in this claim game. GI of a unique geographical product belonging to a historical place or region which has fallen into two or more post colonial countries should collectively belong to all these countries or constituent sub regions. × Certain unclear aspects of GI warrants provide further clarification through concerned international forums and organisations. GI of a unique geographical product belonging to a historical place or region which has fallen into two or more post colonial countries should collectively belong to all these countries or constituent sub regions. GI is an interesting and, perhaps, rightful concept of a product with unique geographical origins. In this age of branding, the GI issue is likely to receive an enhanced importance in the days and years to come. It will be even better if agreements are expanded to include all probable scenarios and help to avoid trade and copy right faceoff among neighbours.

The war over Hilsa: Bangladesh and India enter a claim game over GI status of common products

<p>Hundreds of Rohingya Muslims have crossed into Bangladesh in recent days following a fresh military build-up in Myanmar&#39;s Rakhine state, community leaders said Wednesday.</p>

<p>They said at least 500 Rohingya had made the difficult journey into Bangladesh, some claiming they had been abused by soldiers in Myanmar.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/rohingya-refugees-hide-run-pay-and-stay-alive-891">Also read:&nbsp;Rohingya refugees--Hide, run, pay and stay alive</a></p>

<p>The latest influx follows a months-long bloody military crackdown on the mainly Muslim minority in Myanmar last year that led tens of thousands to flee across the border. The United Nations has said the violence may amount to ethnic cleansing.</p>

<p>Abu Toyyob said he escaped with his seven-member family as the army vandalised Rohingya houses and detained young men.</p>

<p>&quot;They arrested my younger brother from home and injured my two-year-old son by kicking him with boots,&quot; the 25-year-old told AFP.</p>

<p>&quot;I immediately set off with my family and crossed the Naf two nights ago,&quot; he added, referring to the river that divides the two countries.</p>

<p>Dhaka estimates that nearly 400,000 Rohingya refugees are living in squalid refugee camps and makeshift settlements in the resort district of Cox&#39;s Bazar, which borders Rakhine.</p>

<p>Their numbers swelled last October when more than 70,000 Rohingya villagers began arriving, bringing stories of systematic rape, murder and arson at the hands of Myanmar soldiers.</p>

<p>Bangladesh border guards said they had stepped up patrols after reports of a military build-up on the other side of the river.</p>

<p>Last week, the UN special rapporteur Yanghee Lee voiced alarm at reports that an army battalion had flown into Rakhine to help local authorities boost security in the region.</p>

<p>Buddhist-majority Myanmar has long faced criticism for its treatment of the more than one million Rohingya who live in Rakhine, who are seen as interlopers from Bangladesh, denied citizenship and access to basic rights.</p>

<p>But they are also increasingly unwelcome in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, where police often blame them for crimes such as drug trafficking.</p>

<p>Dhaka has floated the idea of relocating tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees to a remote, flood-prone island off its coast, despite opposition from rights groups.</p>

<p>An official with the UN International Organisation for Migration (IOM), which looks after settlements for unregistered Rohingya refugees, said the organisation was aware of new arrivals.</p>

<p>The numbers were &quot;not as alarming as the October influx,&quot; the official said.</p>


Dhaka estimates that nearly 400,000 Rohingya refugees are living in squalid refugee camps and makeshift settlements in the resort district of Cox's Bazar, which borders Rakhine

Hundreds of Rohingya Muslims have crossed into Bangladesh in recent days following a fresh military build-up in Myanmar's Rakhine state, community leaders said Wednesday. They said at least 500 Rohingya had made the difficult journey into Bangladesh, some claiming they had been abused by soldiers in Myanmar. Also read: Rohingya refugees--Hide, run, pay and stay alive The latest influx follows a months-long bloody military crackdown on the mainly Muslim minority in Myanmar last year that led tens of thousands to flee across the border. The United Nations has said the violence may amount to ethnic cleansing. Abu Toyyob said he escaped with his seven-member family as the army vandalised Rohingya houses and detained young men. "They arrested my younger brother from home and injured my two-year-old son by kicking him with boots," the 25-year-old told AFP. "I immediately set off with my family and crossed the Naf two nights ago," he added, referring to the river that divides the two countries. Dhaka estimates that nearly 400,000 Rohingya refugees are living in squalid refugee camps and makeshift settlements in the resort district of Cox's Bazar, which borders Rakhine. Their numbers swelled last October when more than 70,000 Rohingya villagers began arriving, bringing stories of systematic rape, murder and arson at the hands of Myanmar soldiers. Bangladesh border guards said they had stepped up patrols after reports of a military build-up on the other side of the river. Last week, the UN special rapporteur Yanghee Lee voiced alarm at reports that an army battalion had flown into Rakhine to help local authorities boost security in the region. Buddhist-majority Myanmar has long faced criticism for its treatment of the more than one million Rohingya who live in Rakhine, who are seen as interlopers from Bangladesh, denied citizenship and access to basic rights. But they are also increasingly unwelcome in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, where police often blame them for crimes such as drug trafficking. Dhaka has floated the idea of relocating tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees to a remote, flood-prone island off its coast, despite opposition from rights groups. An official with the UN International Organisation for Migration (IOM), which looks after settlements for unregistered Rohingya refugees, said the organisation was aware of new arrivals. The numbers were "not as alarming as the October influx," the official said.

Bangladesh witnesses fresh influx of Rohingyas from Myanmar

<p>Several areas in Bihar including <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/at-least-221-dead-in-india-bangladesh-nepal-floods-19016">Motihari, Bettiah, Khagaria &amp; Gopalganj have been</a> hit by massive floods, according to agencies.</p>

<p>At least 56 people have died as a result of heavy floods which have inundated 13 districts in the state. An embankment was breached in Gopalganj district with water entering &nbsp;Barauli town, an NDRF commandant told ANI.</p>

<p>Twenty-three national disaster response force(NDRF) teams are operating in flood-hit areas with four more to be stationed, according to reports.</p>

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<p>Villagers make their way through flood waters near submerged homes in Kishanganj village. (AFP)</p>
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<p>&quot;We have evacuated 14,500 people so far and 13 pregnant ladies, an NDRF commandant told ANI.</p>

<p>A railway track was damaged due to floods in Katihar&#39;s Mania. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar had made an ariel survey of Darbhanga and other areas a few days ago and had expressed concern over the &quot;grim flood situation&quot; during his Independence Day speech.</p>

<p>Bihar has been hit by floods due to incessant rains in <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/nepal-floods-at-least-200-indians-stranded-in-chitwan-valley-india-offers-help-18947">Nepal which have inundated several areas</a> in the state.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Homes have been submerged by flood waters in Kishanganj village in Bihar. (AFP)</p>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BiharFloods?src=hash">#BiharFloods</a>: One Army Column and One Engineer Task Force each deployed in 6 districts, 270 rescued, 3090 food packets distributed (16/8) <a href="https://t.co/KtcTlk2fu9">pic.twitter.com/KtcTlk2fu9</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/898016655627894784">August 17, 2017</a></blockquote>
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At least 56 people have died as a result of heavy floods which have inundated 13 districts in the state

Several areas in Bihar including Motihari, Bettiah, Khagaria & Gopalganj have been hit by massive floods, according to agencies. At least 56 people have died as a result of heavy floods which have inundated 13 districts in the state. An embankment was breached in Gopalganj district with water entering Barauli town, an NDRF commandant told ANI. Twenty-three national disaster response force(NDRF) teams are operating in flood-hit areas with four more to be stationed, according to reports. Villagers make their way through flood waters near submerged homes in Kishanganj village. (AFP) × "We have evacuated 14,500 people so far and 13 pregnant ladies, an NDRF commandant told ANI. A railway track was damaged due to floods in Katihar's Mania. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar had made an ariel survey of Darbhanga and other areas a few days ago and had expressed concern over the "grim flood situation" during his Independence Day speech. Bihar has been hit by floods due to incessant rains in Nepal which have inundated several areas in the state. Homes have been submerged by flood waters in Kishanganj village in Bihar. (AFP) × #BiharFloods: One Army Column and One Engineer Task Force each deployed in 6 districts, 270 rescued, 3090 food packets distributed (16/8) pic.twitter.com/KtcTlk2fu9 — ANI (@ANI) August 17, 2017 ×

Heavy floods in Bihar, 14,000 people evacuated

<p>At least 221 people have died and more than 1.5 million been displaced by monsoon flooding across India, Nepal and Bangladesh, officials said&nbsp;Tuesday, as rescuers scoured submerged villages for the missing.</p>

<p>In Nepal, severe flooding has left tens of thousands of homes totally underwater in the populous southern lowlands, with nearly 20 per cent of the population affected.</p>

<p>&quot;As per the data we have received so far, 111 have been killed, 35 are still missing and a search operation is underway,&quot; Home Minister Janardan Sharma told parliament&nbsp;Tuesday.</p>

<p>A third of neighbouring Bangladesh is flooded, with at least 29 dead as relentless monsoon rains pound the densely-populated riverine country.</p>

<p>&quot;Another 1.5 million people have been marooned,&quot; Reaz Ahmed, head of Bangladesh&#39;s disaster management department told <em>AFP</em>.</p>

<p>Almost 1,200 shelters have been erected across Bangladesh, while the army has been deployed to reinforce weakened river embankments and to assist with search and rescue operations.</p>

<p>In the border district of Lalmonirhat, roughly 600 Indian nationals took shelter in Bangladeshi villages along with their stricken livestock, the district&#39;s government administrator Shafiul Atif told<em> AFP.</em></p>

<p>India has also suffered from torrential downpours and flash flooding, worsening a monsoon that has already claimed lives.</p>

<p>At least 81 people have died in the eastern states of Bihar and West Bengal, and northeastern Assam state, over the last few days, a government official told <em>AFP</em>&nbsp;on Tuesday.</p>

<p>Train services have been cut entirely to the northeast, and at least 200,000 people are living in emergency camps in Assam, a remote state that suffers frequent flooding during the annual rains.</p>

<p>In Nepal, residents in hard-hit Saptari district blamed the government for failing to solve the seasonal floods and quickly send aid to those in need.</p>

<p>&quot;Many have lost their homes. Families don&#39;t have food or shelter. We are just helping each other,&quot; said local resident Pankaj Mishra.</p>

<p>&quot;What we need is for the government to solve this problem. We have been suffering for decades every year. The river troubles us every year.&quot;</p>

<p>Kathmandu has been criticised for enacting a &quot;one-door&quot; policy requiring all aid for flood victims to flow through a government-run central disaster agency.</p>

<p>The diktat threatens to delay the delivery of relief supplies say volunteers and aid agencies, which have warned Nepal faces a humanitarian crisis if food and water do not reach the worst-affected areas.</p>

<p>&quot;Unless there is an effective model of rescue and relief operation, a one-door policy will only kill or aggravate the situation,&quot; said local volunteer Arpan Shrestha.</p>


India suffers from torrential downpours and flash flooding, worsening a monsoon that has already claimed lives

At least 221 people have died and more than 1.5 million been displaced by monsoon flooding across India, Nepal and Bangladesh, officials said Tuesday, as rescuers scoured submerged villages for the missing. In Nepal, severe flooding has left tens of thousands of homes totally underwater in the populous southern lowlands, with nearly 20 per cent of the population affected. "As per the data we have received so far, 111 have been killed, 35 are still missing and a search operation is underway," Home Minister Janardan Sharma told parliament Tuesday. A third of neighbouring Bangladesh is flooded, with at least 29 dead as relentless monsoon rains pound the densely-populated riverine country. "Another 1.5 million people have been marooned," Reaz Ahmed, head of Bangladesh's disaster management department told AFP. Almost 1,200 shelters have been erected across Bangladesh, while the army has been deployed to reinforce weakened river embankments and to assist with search and rescue operations. In the border district of Lalmonirhat, roughly 600 Indian nationals took shelter in Bangladeshi villages along with their stricken livestock, the district's government administrator Shafiul Atif told AFP. India has also suffered from torrential downpours and flash flooding, worsening a monsoon that has already claimed lives. At least 81 people have died in the eastern states of Bihar and West Bengal, and northeastern Assam state, over the last few days, a government official told AFP on Tuesday. Train services have been cut entirely to the northeast, and at least 200,000 people are living in emergency camps in Assam, a remote state that suffers frequent flooding during the annual rains. In Nepal, residents in hard-hit Saptari district blamed the government for failing to solve the seasonal floods and quickly send aid to those in need. "Many have lost their homes. Families don't have food or shelter. We are just helping each other," said local resident Pankaj Mishra. "What we need is for the government to solve this problem. We have been suffering for decades every year. The river troubles us every year." Kathmandu has been criticised for enacting a "one-door" policy requiring all aid for flood victims to flow through a government-run central disaster agency. The diktat threatens to delay the delivery of relief supplies say volunteers and aid agencies, which have warned Nepal faces a humanitarian crisis if food and water do not reach the worst-affected areas. "Unless there is an effective model of rescue and relief operation, a one-door policy will only kill or aggravate the situation," said local volunteer Arpan Shrestha.

At least 221 dead in India, Bangladesh, Nepal floods

<p>India is in talks with Bangladesh and Myanmar about its plan to deport around 40,000 Rohingya Muslims it says are living in the country illegally, a government spokesman said on Friday, with state governments told to form task forces for the purpose.</p>

<p>Tens of thousands of Rohingya have fled persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar to neighbouring Bangladesh since the early 1990s, with some of them then crossing over a porous border into Hindu-majority India.</p>

<p>New Delhi says only around 14,000 of the Rohingya living in India are registered with the UN refugee agency, making the rest illegal and liable to be sent back. India is not a signatory to UN conventions on refugees and no national law covers it.</p>

<p>&quot;These things are being discussed at diplomatic level with both Bangladesh and Myanmar,&quot; Interior Ministry spokesman K.S. Dhatwalia said.</p>

<p>&quot;More clarity will emerge at an appropriate time.&quot;</p>

<p>Junior Interior Minister Kiren Rijiju told parliament on Wednesday the federal government had directed state governments to &quot;constitute task forces at district levels to identify and deport the illegally staying foreign nationals&quot;.</p>

<p>Rijiju was in Myanmar recently to attend an event, although it was not clear if he discussed the Rohingya issue.</p>

<p>Officials in Myanmar could not be contacted immediately for comment.</p>

<p>Amnesty International has said deporting and abandoning the Rohingya would be &quot;unconscionable&quot;.</p>

<p>The Indian office of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said it was &quot;trying to find the facts&quot; about New Delhi&#39;s plans to deport them.</p>

<p>Rohingya are generally reviled in India, where its 1.3 billion people are fighting for resources and job opportunities. Nationalist, anti-Islamic sentiments have also fuelled hatred towards them.</p>

<p>More than 75,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since Oct. 9 after an insurgent group called Harakah al-Yaqin attacked Myanmar border police posts, prompting a huge security crackdown in which troops have been accused of murder and rape of Rohingya civilians.</p>

<p>A senior government official in Bangladesh, which has complained of being burdened by the heavy flow of refugees, said New Delhi was helping it solve the crisis.</p>

<p>The Rohingya in India live mainly in Jammu, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi in the north, Hyderabad in the south, and Rajasthan in the west.</p>

<p>The Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India&#39;s only Muslim-majority state, drew widespread condemnation in April when it threatened to launch an &quot;identify and kill movement&quot; if the government did not deport Rohingya settlers there.</p>


Tens of thousands of Rohingya have fled persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar to neighbouring Bangladesh since the early 1990s, with some of them then crossing over a porous border into Hindu-majority India

India is in talks with Bangladesh and Myanmar about its plan to deport around 40,000 Rohingya Muslims it says are living in the country illegally, a government spokesman said on Friday, with state governments told to form task forces for the purpose. Tens of thousands of Rohingya have fled persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar to neighbouring Bangladesh since the early 1990s, with some of them then crossing over a porous border into Hindu-majority India. New Delhi says only around 14,000 of the Rohingya living in India are registered with the UN refugee agency, making the rest illegal and liable to be sent back. India is not a signatory to UN conventions on refugees and no national law covers it. "These things are being discussed at diplomatic level with both Bangladesh and Myanmar," Interior Ministry spokesman K.S. Dhatwalia said. "More clarity will emerge at an appropriate time." Junior Interior Minister Kiren Rijiju told parliament on Wednesday the federal government had directed state governments to "constitute task forces at district levels to identify and deport the illegally staying foreign nationals". Rijiju was in Myanmar recently to attend an event, although it was not clear if he discussed the Rohingya issue. Officials in Myanmar could not be contacted immediately for comment. Amnesty International has said deporting and abandoning the Rohingya would be "unconscionable". The Indian office of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said it was "trying to find the facts" about New Delhi's plans to deport them. Rohingya are generally reviled in India, where its 1.3 billion people are fighting for resources and job opportunities. Nationalist, anti-Islamic sentiments have also fuelled hatred towards them. More than 75,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since Oct. 9 after an insurgent group called Harakah al-Yaqin attacked Myanmar border police posts, prompting a huge security crackdown in which troops have been accused of murder and rape of Rohingya civilians. A senior government official in Bangladesh, which has complained of being burdened by the heavy flow of refugees, said New Delhi was helping it solve the crisis. The Rohingya in India live mainly in Jammu, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi in the north, Hyderabad in the south, and Rajasthan in the west. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India's only Muslim-majority state, drew widespread condemnation in April when it threatened to launch an "identify and kill movement" if the government did not deport Rohingya settlers there.

India in talks with Myanmar, Bangladesh to deport 40,000 Rohingya

<p>With high economic growth and increasing military capabilities of some of the Asian countries in the recent years, many are predicting that the Asian Century will come earlier than previously predicted. The discussion is a hot topic of discussion in many Asian countries.&nbsp;Especially, people of China and India are already preparing to lead the world. In Bangladesh, the economic and military growth of China and India are popular topics even in the remote rural areas. America&rsquo;s reluctance to address global matters, such as climate change issues has made the Asian people more optimistic about a possible Asian Century. The other day, a tea stall owner was telling me that he thinks the global leadership will soon be shifted to China. He told me that he has got the idea after reading some reports on the newspapers.</p>

<p>The idea of an Asian Century is the first thought to come in the mid to late 1980s.<strong> </strong>It is believed that the phrase is attributed to a 1988 meeting between People&#39;s Republic of China (PRC) leader Deng Xiaoping and Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. In the meeting, Deng, reportedly, said &quot;In recent years people have been saying that the next century will be the century of Asia and the Pacific, as if that were sure to be the case. I disagree with this view. If we exclude the United States, the only countries in the Asia-Pacific region that are relatively developed are Japan, the &lsquo;four little dragons&rsquo;, Australia and New Zealand, with a total population of at most 200 million. &quot;&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>With high economic growth and increasing military capabilities of some of the Asian countries in the recent years, many are predicting that the Asian Century will come earlier than previously predicted.</h5>
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<p>But Deng&#39;s reading of the economic might of Asian powers will prove to be wrong over the years. The economic growth of some of the Asian countries is indeed impressive. In May this year, the International Monetary Fund in the Regional Economic Outlook for Asia and the Pacific estimated growth for the region to increase in 2017 to 5.5 per cent from 5.3 per cent in 2016. It also said that growth will remain strong at 5.4 per cent in 2018, as the region continues to be the leader of global growth.</p>

<p>Despite this high economic growth and other potentials, many fear that an Asian war might come first. The recent face off of China and India might be an indication that this notion is not baseless. It seems that things will get worse as both the countries took a hard line over the border disputes.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The situation in the Kashmir front where India and Pakistan have long been engaged in a face-off has also been tense&nbsp;in the recent months. Often we read the news of exchanging fire between the border forces and there are casualties. Many fear that the two countries might go into a war over Kashmir issues in the coming years.&nbsp;</p>

<p>There are fears that the South China Sea can turn into a battleground among major regional players in the coming years. Last month, when a US warship sailed near a disputed island in the South China Sea, Beijing protested of &ldquo;serious political and military provocation&rdquo;.&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>If an Asian war comes before the Asian Century, the Asian Century will never come.</h5>
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<p>And, we have an increasingly rogue state- North Korea. On Friday, July 28, North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile that appears to have the range to hit major US cities. It seems that North Korea will not stop testing missile without any military intervention by the US.&nbsp;</p>

<p>There many other small regional disputes in other Asian countries which can transform into a full-scale war. If there is a large scale war between China and India, this might affect the whole region. Small neighboring countries of these two nations like Bangladesh will be seriously affected. Most importantly, a large scale and prolonged war will certainly slow down the economic growth to a great extent. The worst sufferer will be the world&rsquo;s half of the poor people whose home is Asia. It will take many years to recover from the effects of any possible large-scale and prolonged war in Asia.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While Asia has potentials to lead the world in the recent future there are also fears of a possible big war in Asia. If an Asian war comes before the Asian Century, the Asian Century will never come. Asian leaders have a very important role to play. People want sensible and pragmatic leadership from the Asian leaders. &nbsp;</p>


While Asia has potentials to lead the world in the recent future there are also fears of a possible big war in Asia.

With high economic growth and increasing military capabilities of some of the Asian countries in the recent years, many are predicting that the Asian Century will come earlier than previously predicted. The discussion is a hot topic of discussion in many Asian countries. Especially, people of China and India are already preparing to lead the world. In Bangladesh, the economic and military growth of China and India are popular topics even in the remote rural areas. America’s reluctance to address global matters, such as climate change issues has made the Asian people more optimistic about a possible Asian Century. The other day, a tea stall owner was telling me that he thinks the global leadership will soon be shifted to China. He told me that he has got the idea after reading some reports on the newspapers. The idea of an Asian Century is the first thought to come in the mid to late 1980s. It is believed that the phrase is attributed to a 1988 meeting between People's Republic of China (PRC) leader Deng Xiaoping and Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. In the meeting, Deng, reportedly, said "In recent years people have been saying that the next century will be the century of Asia and the Pacific, as if that were sure to be the case. I disagree with this view. If we exclude the United States, the only countries in the Asia-Pacific region that are relatively developed are Japan, the ‘four little dragons’, Australia and New Zealand, with a total population of at most 200 million. " With high economic growth and increasing military capabilities of some of the Asian countries in the recent years, many are predicting that the Asian Century will come earlier than previously predicted. × But Deng's reading of the economic might of Asian powers will prove to be wrong over the years. The economic growth of some of the Asian countries is indeed impressive. In May this year, the International Monetary Fund in the Regional Economic Outlook for Asia and the Pacific estimated growth for the region to increase in 2017 to 5.5 per cent from 5.3 per cent in 2016. It also said that growth will remain strong at 5.4 per cent in 2018, as the region continues to be the leader of global growth. Despite this high economic growth and other potentials, many fear that an Asian war might come first. The recent face off of China and India might be an indication that this notion is not baseless. It seems that things will get worse as both the countries took a hard line over the border disputes. The situation in the Kashmir front where India and Pakistan have long been engaged in a face-off has also been tense in the recent months. Often we read the news of exchanging fire between the border forces and there are casualties. Many fear that the two countries might go into a war over Kashmir issues in the coming years. There are fears that the South China Sea can turn into a battleground among major regional players in the coming years. Last month, when a US warship sailed near a disputed island in the South China Sea, Beijing protested of “serious political and military provocation”. If an Asian war comes before the Asian Century, the Asian Century will never come. × And, we have an increasingly rogue state- North Korea. On Friday, July 28, North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile that appears to have the range to hit major US cities. It seems that North Korea will not stop testing missile without any military intervention by the US. There many other small regional disputes in other Asian countries which can transform into a full-scale war. If there is a large scale war between China and India, this might affect the whole region. Small neighboring countries of these two nations like Bangladesh will be seriously affected. Most importantly, a large scale and prolonged war will certainly slow down the economic growth to a great extent. The worst sufferer will be the world’s half of the poor people whose home is Asia. It will take many years to recover from the effects of any possible large-scale and prolonged war in Asia. While Asia has potentials to lead the world in the recent future there are also fears of a possible big war in Asia. If an Asian war comes before the Asian Century, the Asian Century will never come. Asian leaders have a very important role to play. People want sensible and pragmatic leadership from the Asian leaders.

Are we heading towards an Asian Century or an Asian war?

<p>If not anything else, escalation of India-China standoff in the Doklam plateau at the Bhutan-China border will put Bangladesh in a precarious situation. Another Indo-China war will make it worse. Had this been in the seventies, especially in the years right after Bangladesh&rsquo;s birth, the country wouldn&rsquo;t have worried much about China and put its weight behind India.</p>

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<h5>China, the new global economic super power, is the largest trading partner of Bangladesh, over taking India a few years back</h5>
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<p>But, since those years,&nbsp;a lot of water has passed under the bridges over the Ganges, Padma and Yangtze and miraculous changes have taken place. China, the new global economic super power, is the largest trading partner of Bangladesh, overtaking India a few years back. China is also the biggest potential investor in capital-crunched Bangladesh.</p>

<p>Alongside trade and investment, military cooperation between China and Bangladesh has steadily increased for two reasons. One, China has no border with Bangladesh and&nbsp;there is hardly any possibility of military conflict between the two nations. Two, Chinese armaments are affordable and come with some reasonable standard. For similar reasons, many other small to medium size developing countries resort to Chinese weapons and equipment. However, when the Chinese ambassador to Dhaka bragged about Beijing-Dhaka cosiness on military cooperation, it&nbsp;doesn&rsquo;t make too much sense; for example, it is fundamentally different from China-Pakistan military cooperation.</p>

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<h5>As far as defence is concerned, at least, the current government of Bangladesh don&rsquo;t consider India as any imminent threat.</h5>
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<p>Some Indian politicians,&nbsp;strategists and media fail to grasp Bangladesh&rsquo;s subtle stand on Dhaka-Beijing dynamics as well as Bangladesh&rsquo;s defence concerns and defence architecture. They unwisely get worried and raise alarms. In the current geo-economic reality, Bangladesh can&rsquo;t shut its door on China and be deprived of what China is generously offering and which no other countries can match up to. &nbsp;China is giving to Bangladesh massive and much needed FDI in infrastructure and manufacturing which will also bring export earnings, jobs for the ever increasing work force, better public service and pave the way for more domestic and external investment. The Chinese are also economically benefitting from&nbsp;such ventures.</p>

<p>As far as defence is concerned, at least, the current government of Bangladesh doesn&#39;t consider India as an&nbsp;imminent threat. They are quite pragmatic and understand India&rsquo;s general approach towards national security matters. The present government in Bangladesh would have been more comfortable to work with a secular Indian government rather the right wing one. Having said that, good will and trust building endeavour from both the sides are significant.</p>

<p>There are certain facts and widely accepted defence strategies from which Bangladesh can&rsquo;t really escape. When one is surrounded by a highly militarised zone, e.g. the Indian north-east, and a semi-hostile neighbour i.e. Myanmar, which is constantly pushing the Rohingyas into Bangladesh, then it needs some degree of military preparations, just in case it gets into any worst case scenario. Bangladesh, after all, is a sizable country of 160 million people and it&#39;s already world&rsquo;s 33rd&nbsp;largest economy with an impressive growth rate of more than 6 per cent.</p>

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<h5>The worst thing for Bangladesh would be if the Chinese and Indians start fighting each other in a big way and Bangladesh is forced to take a side.</h5>
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<p>The first post-independence Awami League government didn&rsquo;t have a good relation with China as the latter supported Pakistan in 1971. The disconnect between Awami League and China lingered for years. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina undertook an initiative to break the ice when she was a leader of the Opposition quite a few years back and made a trip to the Land of the Dragon. The Chinese remembered her diplomatic effort and rather than supporting BNP, its perceived friend in Bangladesh and Hasina&#39;s political opponent, China stayed away from the tumults of Bangladesh&rsquo;s recent domestic politics.</p>

<p>However, the worst thing for Bangladesh would be if the Chinese and Indians start fighting each other in a big way and Bangladesh is forced to take a side.</p>

<p>So far, Bangladesh has&nbsp;been careful about Indian sensitivities and honoured it even by accepting losses, the same can&#39;t be said about India though. Only China made a viable offer to construct the much needed deep seaport while India decided to put it on the back burner as it considered such a port as one of the dots in the so called Strings of Pearls. In the recent Belt and Road summit in Beijing, Bangladesh sent a low profile official though many expected Sheikh Hasina to join.</p>

<p>But Bangladesh is a relatively weaker country in a reasonably volatile region and, therefore, can&rsquo;t afford to be too isolated and put all the eggs in one dubious basket. It&rsquo;s not clear how long India&rsquo;s Nehruvian defense philosophy would last, especially, amidst the ongoing right wing drumming. Under pressure, Prime Minister Modi is already trying to be aggressive. Domestically, the BJP often say anti-Bangladeshi things, especially in the east and north-eastern India. Such news pour&nbsp;into Bangladesh quite easily in this age of information super connectivity. Deep inside, Bangladesh worries that it could become a victim of future saffron aggression.</p>

<p>With an imploding Islamic world and a disinterested U.S, only China offers crucial geostrategic support to Bangladesh. No high officials of the Bangladeshi diplomatic corps or top policy-making forums will, however, utter this openly, but they know it far too well. And there is hardly anything irrational in that. For a long-lasting and genuinely close Bangladesh-India relation,&nbsp;it&rsquo;s better that there is no divergence between what the government says at the bilateral level and what the political forces say&nbsp;domestically. At the end of the day, India and Bangladesh share&nbsp;a very special relationship and no matter what the current political and economic exigencies are, the relationship needs to be protected to ensure stability and peace in the region.</p>


Bangladesh needs investment and military equipment from China but it can't offend India either.

If not anything else, escalation of India-China standoff in the Doklam plateau at the Bhutan-China border will put Bangladesh in a precarious situation. Another Indo-China war will make it worse. Had this been in the seventies, especially in the years right after Bangladesh’s birth, the country wouldn’t have worried much about China and put its weight behind India. China, the new global economic super power, is the largest trading partner of Bangladesh, over taking India a few years back × But, since those years, a lot of water has passed under the bridges over the Ganges, Padma and Yangtze and miraculous changes have taken place. China, the new global economic super power, is the largest trading partner of Bangladesh, overtaking India a few years back. China is also the biggest potential investor in capital-crunched Bangladesh. Alongside trade and investment, military cooperation between China and Bangladesh has steadily increased for two reasons. One, China has no border with Bangladesh and there is hardly any possibility of military conflict between the two nations. Two, Chinese armaments are affordable and come with some reasonable standard. For similar reasons, many other small to medium size developing countries resort to Chinese weapons and equipment. However, when the Chinese ambassador to Dhaka bragged about Beijing-Dhaka cosiness on military cooperation, it doesn’t make too much sense; for example, it is fundamentally different from China-Pakistan military cooperation. As far as defence is concerned, at least, the current government of Bangladesh don’t consider India as any imminent threat. × Some Indian politicians, strategists and media fail to grasp Bangladesh’s subtle stand on Dhaka-Beijing dynamics as well as Bangladesh’s defence concerns and defence architecture. They unwisely get worried and raise alarms. In the current geo-economic reality, Bangladesh can’t shut its door on China and be deprived of what China is generously offering and which no other countries can match up to. China is giving to Bangladesh massive and much needed FDI in infrastructure and manufacturing which will also bring export earnings, jobs for the ever increasing work force, better public service and pave the way for more domestic and external investment. The Chinese are also economically benefitting from such ventures. As far as defence is concerned, at least, the current government of Bangladesh doesn't consider India as an imminent threat. They are quite pragmatic and understand India’s general approach towards national security matters. The present government in Bangladesh would have been more comfortable to work with a secular Indian government rather the right wing one. Having said that, good will and trust building endeavour from both the sides are significant. There are certain facts and widely accepted defence strategies from which Bangladesh can’t really escape. When one is surrounded by a highly militarised zone, e.g. the Indian north-east, and a semi-hostile neighbour i.e. Myanmar, which is constantly pushing the Rohingyas into Bangladesh, then it needs some degree of military preparations, just in case it gets into any worst case scenario. Bangladesh, after all, is a sizable country of 160 million people and it's already world’s 33rd largest economy with an impressive growth rate of more than 6 per cent. The worst thing for Bangladesh would be if the Chinese and Indians start fighting each other in a big way and Bangladesh is forced to take a side. × The first post-independence Awami League government didn’t have a good relation with China as the latter supported Pakistan in 1971. The disconnect between Awami League and China lingered for years. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina undertook an initiative to break the ice when she was a leader of the Opposition quite a few years back and made a trip to the Land of the Dragon. The Chinese remembered her diplomatic effort and rather than supporting BNP, its perceived friend in Bangladesh and Hasina's political opponent, China stayed away from the tumults of Bangladesh’s recent domestic politics. However, the worst thing for Bangladesh would be if the Chinese and Indians start fighting each other in a big way and Bangladesh is forced to take a side. So far, Bangladesh has been careful about Indian sensitivities and honoured it even by accepting losses, the same can't be said about India though. Only China made a viable offer to construct the much needed deep seaport while India decided to put it on the back burner as it considered such a port as one of the dots in the so called Strings of Pearls. In the recent Belt and Road summit in Beijing, Bangladesh sent a low profile official though many expected Sheikh Hasina to join. But Bangladesh is a relatively weaker country in a reasonably volatile region and, therefore, can’t afford to be too isolated and put all the eggs in one dubious basket. It’s not clear how long India’s Nehruvian defense philosophy would last, especially, amidst the ongoing right wing drumming. Under pressure, Prime Minister Modi is already trying to be aggressive. Domestically, the BJP often say anti-Bangladeshi things, especially in the east and north-eastern India. Such news pour into Bangladesh quite easily in this age of information super connectivity. Deep inside, Bangladesh worries that it could become a victim of future saffron aggression. With an imploding Islamic world and a disinterested U.S, only China offers crucial geostrategic support to Bangladesh. No high officials of the Bangladeshi diplomatic corps or top policy-making forums will, however, utter this openly, but they know it far too well. And there is hardly anything irrational in that. For a long-lasting and genuinely close Bangladesh-India relation, it’s better that there is no divergence between what the government says at the bilateral level and what the political forces say domestically. At the end of the day, India and Bangladesh share a very special relationship and no matter what the current political and economic exigencies are, the relationship needs to be protected to ensure stability and peace in the region.

Why a war between India and China is bad for Bangladesh

<p>People in Bangladesh are now eating 30 per cent more fish than they did 20 years ago, but they are getting a smaller amount of important nutrients from it, <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0175098">a new study shows</a>.</p>

<p>Fish is widely known as a healthy food, rich in protein and other nutrients, so how can this be? Well, it comes down to the types of fish available for people to eat.</p>

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<h5>A combination of overfishing, pollution, and environmental damage has led to significant losses in both quantities of fish (biomass) and the number of fish species (biodiversity) available.</h5>
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<p>In Bangladesh as in many regions in the world, naturally harvested fish, which is known as capture fisheries, <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306919213001632">are faltering</a>. A combination of overfishing, pollution, and environmental damage has led to significant losses in both quantities of fish (biomass) and the number of fish species (biodiversity) available.</p>

<p>The result is that consumption of fish from capture fisheries in Bangladesh <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0175098">declined by 33 per cent between 1991 and 2010</a>.</p>

<p>This trend is also seen globally. Production from global capture fisheries <a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms10244">peaked in the 1990s and has since been declining</a> as unsustainable fishing practices continue to worsen. Globally, <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5555e.pdf">89 per cent of marine fish stocks are&nbsp;either overfished or at maximum capacity</a>.</p>

<p>At the same time, aquaculture or fish farming (known as the &ldquo;<a href="http://www.economist.com/node/1974103">blue revolution</a>&rdquo;) has been rapidly expanding. In fact, it is the fastest growing food production sector globally, with <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/a-i3844e.pdf">average annual growth of 8</a>&nbsp;per cent, and now <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5555e.pdf">accounts for half of all fish</a> consumed by people around the world.</p>

<p>Since aquaculture was introduced in Bangladesh in the 1980s, the industry has grown rapidly. And the country is now the <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5555e.pdf">world&rsquo;s sixth largest producer</a> of aquaculture products.</p>

<p>Growth in this sector has more than compensated for declines in the quantity of fish available from capture fisheries, and this is evident in large increases in consumption over time.</p>

<figure class="align-center "><img alt="" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/163785/width754/image-20170404-21976-11ttjp1.JPG" />
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<p><span class="caption">Capture fisheries in Bangladesh are dominated by &lsquo;small indigenous fish&rsquo; that are often consumed whole.</span></p>

<p>But what is not widely known is that the nutritional value of different fish species varies greatly. It turns out that, in Bangladesh, local species from capture fisheries are generally <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889157515000976">much more nutritious</a> than the species being farmed.</p>
</figcaption>
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<p>Capture fisheries in the country are <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286851461_The_diversity_of_cypriniforms_throughout_Bangladesh_Present_status_and_conservation_challenges">dominated by nearly 300 species of &ldquo;small indigenous fish&rdquo;</a>, which are often consumed whole, including head and bones.</p>

<p>Nutrition powerhouses, these small fish are rich sources of important micronutrients including iron, zinc, calcium and vitamin A, as well as high-quality protein.</p>

<p>Aquaculture, on the other hand, is dominated by a <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6XjGVIRbmt0OFVpc3gtTTdTTUk/view">handful of large fish species</a>, both indigenous and exotic. Only the flesh of large fish is normally eaten, which is a rich source of high-quality protein, but generally, has lower micronutrient content.</p>

<p>As diets have shifted towards more farmed fish, nutrient intakes from fish have declined. And this has serious implications for <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0175098#pone.0175098.ref005">a country suffering widespread malnutrition</a>.</p>

<p>Indeed, Bangladesh has among the worst malnutrition rates in the world. More than one in three children under five years of age <a href="http://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR311/FR311.pdf">are stunted</a> &ndash; an indicator of chronic malnutrition. And <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/56424f6ce4b0552eb7fdc4e8/t/57490d3159827e39bd4d2314/1464405328062/Bangladesh_NMS_final_report_2011-12.pdf">millions live with various micronutrient deficiencies.</a></p>

<p>This has been estimated to cost the country <a href="https://www.fantaproject.org/sites/default/files/resources/Bangladesh-PROFILES-Costing-June2012.pdf">US$1 billion each year in foregone economic productivity</a>. And that doesn&rsquo;t take into account the cost to the health-care system for treating malnutrition or other social costs.</p>

<p>Malnutrition in its various forms affects nearly every country in the world. Combined with poor diet, it&rsquo;s the <a href="http://ebrary.ifpri.org/utils/getfile/collection/p15738coll2/id/130354/filename/130565.pdf">number one cause of the global burden of disease</a>.</p>

<figure class="align-right "><img alt="" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/164783/width237/image-20170411-31886-1v5hpwv.jpg" />
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<p><span class="caption">While large fish may be rich in protein, they are lacking important micronutrients.</span>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Fish is a nutrient-rich food that can play a more significant role in addressing this global challenge, not only in Bangladesh but in many regions.</p>
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<p>If the <a href="https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg2">United Nations&rsquo; Sustainable Development Goal of ending malnutrition</a> is to be achieved, the goals of food production systems, including aquaculture, must be realigned to focus on nutrition. And this means diverse food systems that prioritise nutrient-rich foods.</p>

<p>A novel example of such an approach also comes from Bangladesh. Nutrient-rich small fish are produced in aquaculture systems alongside large fish in a <a href="http://pubs.iclarm.net/resource_centre/AAS-2014-06.pdf">practice known as polyculture</a> so that several species are raised in the same pond.</p>

<p>The large fish can be sold for income, while small fish are harvested regularly for household consumption or&nbsp;when in excess, for sale. Farmers are able to increase total yields while also improving the nutritional quality of their production systems.</p>

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<p>One small fish, known as mola (Amblypharyngodon mola), is an exceptional source of vitamin A, and including it in polyculture systems <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0044848615302325">has been shown</a> to be a cost-effective strategy for alleviating vitamin A deficiency. Despite the evidence, this approach is yet to be widely adopted.</p>

<p>Research confirms that simply producing more food is not the only global challenge. The focus of food production systems, including aquaculture, must move beyond maximising yields to also consider nutritional quality. Otherwise, the world will continue to confront situations like the one in Bangladesh, where malnutrition remains in spite of plenty.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-bangladesh-people-are-eating-more-fish-but-getting-less-nutrition-from-it-75458">original article</a>.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The focus of food production systems, including aquaculture, must move beyond maximising yields to consider nutritional quality too

People in Bangladesh are now eating 30 per cent more fish than they did 20 years ago, but they are getting a smaller amount of important nutrients from it, a new study shows. Fish is widely known as a healthy food, rich in protein and other nutrients, so how can this be? Well, it comes down to the types of fish available for people to eat. A combination of overfishing, pollution, and environmental damage has led to significant losses in both quantities of fish (biomass) and the number of fish species (biodiversity) available. × In Bangladesh as in many regions in the world, naturally harvested fish, which is known as capture fisheries, are faltering. A combination of overfishing, pollution, and environmental damage has led to significant losses in both quantities of fish (biomass) and the number of fish species (biodiversity) available. The result is that consumption of fish from capture fisheries in Bangladesh declined by 33 per cent between 1991 and 2010. This trend is also seen globally. Production from global capture fisheries peaked in the 1990s and has since been declining as unsustainable fishing practices continue to worsen. Globally, 89 per cent of marine fish stocks are either overfished or at maximum capacity. At the same time, aquaculture or fish farming (known as the “blue revolution”) has been rapidly expanding. In fact, it is the fastest growing food production sector globally, with average annual growth of 8 per cent, and now accounts for half of all fish consumed by people around the world. Since aquaculture was introduced in Bangladesh in the 1980s, the industry has grown rapidly. And the country is now the world’s sixth largest producer of aquaculture products. Growth in this sector has more than compensated for declines in the quantity of fish available from capture fisheries, and this is evident in large increases in consumption over time. Capture fisheries in Bangladesh are dominated by ‘small indigenous fish’ that are often consumed whole. But what is not widely known is that the nutritional value of different fish species varies greatly. It turns out that, in Bangladesh, local species from capture fisheries are generally much more nutritious than the species being farmed. Capture fisheries in the country are dominated by nearly 300 species of “small indigenous fish”, which are often consumed whole, including head and bones. Nutrition powerhouses, these small fish are rich sources of important micronutrients including iron, zinc, calcium and vitamin A, as well as high-quality protein. Aquaculture, on the other hand, is dominated by a handful of large fish species, both indigenous and exotic. Only the flesh of large fish is normally eaten, which is a rich source of high-quality protein, but generally, has lower micronutrient content. As diets have shifted towards more farmed fish, nutrient intakes from fish have declined. And this has serious implications for a country suffering widespread malnutrition. Indeed, Bangladesh has among the worst malnutrition rates in the world. More than one in three children under five years of age are stunted – an indicator of chronic malnutrition. And millions live with various micronutrient deficiencies. This has been estimated to cost the country US$1 billion each year in foregone economic productivity. And that doesn’t take into account the cost to the health-care system for treating malnutrition or other social costs. Malnutrition in its various forms affects nearly every country in the world. Combined with poor diet, it’s the number one cause of the global burden of disease. While large fish may be rich in protein, they are lacking important micronutrients. Fish is a nutrient-rich food that can play a more significant role in addressing this global challenge, not only in Bangladesh but in many regions. If the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal of ending malnutrition is to be achieved, the goals of food production systems, including aquaculture, must be realigned to focus on nutrition. And this means diverse food systems that prioritise nutrient-rich foods. A novel example of such an approach also comes from Bangladesh. Nutrient-rich small fish are produced in aquaculture systems alongside large fish in a practice known as polyculture so that several species are raised in the same pond. The large fish can be sold for income, while small fish are harvested regularly for household consumption or when in excess, for sale. Farmers are able to increase total yields while also improving the nutritional quality of their production systems. One small fish, known as mola (Amblypharyngodon mola), is an exceptional source of vitamin A, and including it in polyculture systems has been shown to be a cost-effective strategy for alleviating vitamin A deficiency. × One small fish, known as mola (Amblypharyngodon mola), is an exceptional source of vitamin A, and including it in polyculture systems has been shown to be a cost-effective strategy for alleviating vitamin A deficiency. Despite the evidence, this approach is yet to be widely adopted. Research confirms that simply producing more food is not the only global challenge. The focus of food production systems, including aquaculture, must move beyond maximising yields to also consider nutritional quality. Otherwise, the world will continue to confront situations like the one in Bangladesh, where malnutrition remains in spite of plenty. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

In Bangladesh, people are eating more fish but getting less nutrition from it

<p>&ldquo;My life is very different from your life&rdquo;, says Aishwarya, a <em>hijra</em> who survives on money collected by intimidating people at traffic lights and in public parks. Aishwarya is easily distinguishable from the swarm of beggars who wait eagerly at the signals every day. Clad in shades of reds and pinks, with a large bindi on her forehead and kohl smeared eyes, she stands out (not always in a positive way though).</p>

<p>She explains, &ldquo;I know they (public) mock me, most of them shrug me off but it&rsquo;s okay. It&rsquo;s not so easy to sleep on an empty stomach in the night.&rdquo;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Aishwarya lives in Palam in northwest Delhi, a cold locality that looks like a cobweb of <em>gullies</em>, uninhabitable to a stranger&rsquo;s eye but is home to many like her. She (as she likes to be identified as a woman) is one among many others from the <em>hijra </em>community that mostly feels at odd with the society. Living under the constant scrutiny of the public eye, they feel vulnerable in their own skin.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>The term &lsquo;<em>hijra</em>&rsquo; is widely used in South Asia and refers to the transsexual and transgender community. It is derived from Semitic Arabic hjr meaning &lsquo;leaving one&rsquo;s tribe&rsquo; (understood literally as deflecting from the society&rsquo;s conventions of the body, sex and sexuality). Most members of the community identify themselves as men born with souls of women and owing to their openness about their sexual orientation face marginalisation in every aspect of life.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Guided with an ambition to tell stories of the <em>hijra</em> community, Shahria Sharmin, a photographer from Bangladesh is capturing their emotions and vulnerabilities for the world to see. In an exclusive conversation with Shahria, where she opens up about developing a strong bond with the <em>hijra</em> community, breaking prejudices and the time-consuming process of taking artistically challenging photographs. &nbsp;</p>

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<p>They feel vulnerable in their own skin but are proud of their own bodies, not ashamed like most of us think (Credit: Shahria Sharmin) (Others)</p>
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<p>Shahria narrates her first encounter with the subjects of the photo series titled Call Me Heena: &ldquo;I have never really physically experienced how it feels to be a part of an actual minority group. I grew up in Bangladesh, as a woman. Sure there are limitations and restrictions which I had abided by but what real struggle can be, when the question of identity and emotions come into the picture, is something I had wondered about and working with the <em>hijra</em> community came from that general curiosity.</p>

<p>&quot;When I started working with the community, after hearing hundreds of stories, similar or otherwise, it became apparent, this is the community which I wanted to focus on and learn about. I also hoped to photograph in a way which represents them as an individual without the obvious superficial biases. That hope and curiosity helped me pursue my project.&rdquo;</p>

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<h5>Taking a photograph of an intimate and natural expression is always a slow and time-consuming process and knowing that, I never rushed. Interestingly hijras are good cooks and I spent hours with them while cooking and sharing thoughts without taking any photos.</h5>
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<p>Belonging from Bangladesh, Shahria, did not always want&nbsp;to be a photographer. She pursued an education in Public Administration from the University of Dhaka and while studying, in several instances she recognised the art of photography. She felt that the medium &ldquo;enables to tell stories and explore humanity&rdquo;.</p>

<p>She thus knew that she &ldquo;had found her path&rdquo;.</p>

<p>She then graduated in photography from Pathshala South Asian Media Academy, Bangladesh.&nbsp;</p>

<p>During the early years of her life, she had seen her father taking family photographs. It became a thing in the family for her to take photographs keeping her &quot;two daughters in focal points&rdquo;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Shahria says, &ldquo;Years later I found myself fascinated with movies. The frames of the films that I studied intrigued me and I wanted to go deeper into the dynamics of frames. Slowly I found that as I move my lens towards a new face, I discover an astonishing new world and that is when I fell in love with photography more deeply and got into the journey of discovering new worlds.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Fascinated with the world of photographs and narrator&rsquo;s story behind each photo, she did a three years photography course at Pathshala South Asian Media Institute. While studying she had to choose a photography project where she chose to work with Bangladesh&rsquo;s famed garments factory workers. This changed her life in a way.&nbsp;</p>

<p><b>The stigma of expressing one&#39;s sexuality</b></p>

<p>Shahria remembers that while approaching her project honestly, she stumbled upon the <em>hijra</em> community of Bangladesh.</p>

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<h5>One day I was taking a walk with her and she mentioned how she desired a handsome husband and her wish to be his bride. Possessing a male body with a female psyche drew many questions and curiosity inside me.</h5>
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<p>She says, &ldquo;It was the personality of an individual (named) &lsquo;Nayan&rsquo;, a transgender garment worker who I accidentally discovered while working. One day I was taking a walk with her and in the course of our conversation, she mentioned how she desired a handsome husband and her wish to be his bride. Possessing a male body with a female psyche drew many questions and curiosity inside me and I started to dig deep into the <em>hijra</em> community, forming deeper connections and solid friendships with them.&rdquo;</p>

<p>While embarking upon a task to document the lives of a misunderstood community, she witnessed how &ldquo;they are poorly labeled, with a lower status in the social structure of Bangladesh&rdquo;.</p>

<p>&ldquo;They are put in a box marked for invalids. I want to show the person behind that label, the lives and dreams behind those superficial assumptions. Maybe these stories will give them their real identity and some voice, as humans like you and me and not just as the still widely unaccepted third gender&rdquo;, she adds.</p>

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<p>Shumi (left) and Priya&rsquo;s new life is subject to the rules of a guru &ndash; in exchange for a new home (Credit: Shahria Sharmin) (Others)</p>
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<p>Individual governments of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh identify them as the &lsquo;third gender&rsquo; or the &lsquo;other gender&rsquo; as they are neither fully male nor fully female. But this has happened just recently. Ostracised by the society for a long time, <em>hijras</em>, however, enjoyed a time of reckoning thousands of years ago when they were a part of the close-knit societal structure of Southeast Asian countries.</p>

<p>In ancient Hindu texts such as Mahabharata and Kama Sutra, they are celebrated as third sex. During the rule of Mughal empire, they served as protectors and guards of the women of the royals called &ldquo;<em>kwaja</em><em> sera</em>&rdquo;, meaning guards of the harem. But their status took a hit when during the British rule in India, <em>hijras</em> were deemed as criminals. Due to years of discrimination, most hijras face a low social standing in South Asia. They find claims of equal access to education, healthcare, and employment a sham.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The modern-day India opened its doors for <em>hijras</em> but with a sceptical eye considering their presence auspicious on several occasions like marriages and birth of children. However, with Indian society&#39;s evolution and an upscale movement towards urbanisation, <em>hijras</em> find themselves less invited than before.</p>

<p>Kajal and gang are a group of four <em>hijras</em> who stay together at all times. They come in groups asking for money at a popular hangout place in Hauz Khas. She says, &ldquo;My sisters and I come here every day. Young couples come to this fort to spend some time together and end up giving us money. I don&rsquo;t harass, no. It&rsquo;s easy to be preachy but difficult to step in my shoes. Don&rsquo;t say that I sell my body or use it to make money. What alternative do I have? My sisters have tried getting employment, nobody hires us but.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

<p>But it&rsquo;s not just so in the Indian context.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Shahria who took the time to live the life of an average <em>hijra</em>, reiterates, &ldquo;There is definitely a strong negative connotation to the word <em>hijra</em> in the Bangladeshi community but I wouldn&rsquo;t call it utter discrimination. They are now officially considered as the third gender. However, they are yet to be given due rights. They are still subjected to strong prejudice and stereotyping.</p>

<p>&quot;Bangladesh is generally considered a friendly and hospitable country where all religions are welcomed. I would say our problem with discrimination and negligence is as prominent as the next country. There isn&rsquo;t a specific formula that would make this discrimination go away but the first step towards it would be to facilitate their rights from the state, including, but not limited to voting rights, a social ID, medical facilities, education and public safety. This would be the first step towards treating them the same way as the next person.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Heena (51): &ldquo;I feel like a mermaid. My body tells me I am a man and my soul tells me I am a woman&rdquo; (Credit: Shahria Sharmin) (Others)</p>
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As a photographer, Shahria feels that &ldquo;meeting new people, approaching the unknown and their responses varying between rejections and acceptances&rdquo; is the most challenging aspect of her profession. Like every other work, she made a point to get familiar with her subjects before capturing them in her camera.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Shahria explains, &ldquo;Taking a photograph of an intimate and natural expression is always a slow and time-consuming process and knowing that, I never rushed. Normally I spend a considerable time with a particular subject and most of the times I don&rsquo;t even shoot. I hang around with them for the whole day, have meals with them. Interestingly h<em>ijras</em> are good cooks and I spent hours with them while cooking and sharing thoughts without taking any photos. Trust level evolved when we argued and justified different social issues. I tried to identify with their values. Slowly, I tried to figure out what expressions they wanted to share with others and in what form.<br />
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&ldquo;Normally I would discuss with them about the photograph I wanted to take and the way I would like to represent (them) to others. In most of the cases, they gave me some ideas or guidelines as to how they would like to be represented. I never noticed much anxiety among them for the way of their representation, rather I found them quite confident on what they are looking for. I did not deviate from their intentions. I had proven (myself) as a trustworthy person among their community.&rdquo;</p>

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<p>Tina (21): &ldquo;I am giving an exam. I don&rsquo;t know what the result will be&hellip;&rdquo; (Credit: Shahria Sharmin) (Others)</p>
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<p>Shahria says, &ldquo;Amidst all hate and rejection from the society, <em>hijras</em> have happened to make a fruitful life out of what little they have and to me, this is what makes them unique. Perhaps media perceives them through a different lens because of this very reason. It doesn&rsquo;t necessarily have to be a bad thing. They are unique in their own way and that what makes them so beautiful, inside and out. This is what I try to portray through my photos. &nbsp;</p>

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<h5>&ldquo;It is not fair to assume that all are seeking empathy. Why are they expected to act normal when it is so difficult to earn a living because society simply won&rsquo;t accept them? What exactly is &lsquo;normal&rsquo;? Perhaps they are just reaching out.</h5>
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<p>On my question of why all photos of hijras are centred around the body and are always seeking empathy from the public eye, Shahria speaks with a hint of defence, &ldquo;It is not fair to assume that all are seeking empathy from the audience. They like to think they can live a self-sufficient life just like anyone else. Because they didn&rsquo;t exactly fit into the very specific gender expectation, they are most often subjected to strong stereotyping. Why are they expected to act normal when they don&rsquo;t receive the same rights? Medical facilities? Safety? Why are they expected to act normal when it is so difficult to earn a living because society simply won&rsquo;t accept them? What exactly is &lsquo;normal&rsquo;? When we are photographing them, perhaps their act of reaching out is often mistaken for them seeking empathy.&rdquo;</p>

<p>On another note, she mentions that she is the narrator of the story. She says, &ldquo;I never had them click themselves. Perhaps it would have been a completely different perspective. However, I never clicked the pictures without a reason or a story. I spent a day or two with them without my camera, getting to know them, feel them and once I thought I had done so, I presented them in a way that they I thought they would embody themselves through the pictures. It was a mutual understanding.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Breaking myths, Shahria says, &ldquo;It might appear they hide their body because society expected them to be and act a particular way. They don&rsquo;t exactly fit into the strict formula that society has created for each gender. I would say they wish not to hide but celebrate their body. They are forced to act like something they are not simply to be recognised worthy or capable by the society.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>Hijras</em> typically dress like women, but no physical transition or change is required to be inducted into the community. In fact, many identify as neither men nor women, but rather as a &ldquo;third gender,&rdquo; a status that has received legal recognition in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.</p>

<p>Shahria does not expect things to change overnight but is hopeful that people would start responding to her photograph and the subsequently the community in due time. She adds, &ldquo;I believe we know what we have to know about them but we simply choose to ignore it, because of our convenience. We are too selfish to step outside our box and celebrate changes.&rdquo;&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


The Magnum Award winner photographer Shahria Sharmin explore the life of oppression and sources of strength that mark hijra communities in India and Bangladesh

“My life is very different from your life”, says Aishwarya, a hijra who survives on money collected by intimidating people at traffic lights and in public parks. Aishwarya is easily distinguishable from the swarm of beggars who wait eagerly at the signals every day. Clad in shades of reds and pinks, with a large bindi on her forehead and kohl smeared eyes, she stands out (not always in a positive way though). She explains, “I know they (public) mock me, most of them shrug me off but it’s okay. It’s not so easy to sleep on an empty stomach in the night.” Aishwarya lives in Palam in northwest Delhi, a cold locality that looks like a cobweb of gullies, uninhabitable to a stranger’s eye but is home to many like her. She (as she likes to be identified as a woman) is one among many others from the hijra community that mostly feels at odd with the society. Living under the constant scrutiny of the public eye, they feel vulnerable in their own skin. I know they mock me, most of them shrug me off but it’s okay. It’s not so easy to sleep on an empty stomach in the night. × The term ‘hijra’ is widely used in South Asia and refers to the transsexual and transgender community. It is derived from Semitic Arabic hjr meaning ‘leaving one’s tribe’ (understood literally as deflecting from the society’s conventions of the body, sex and sexuality). Most members of the community identify themselves as men born with souls of women and owing to their openness about their sexual orientation face marginalisation in every aspect of life. Guided with an ambition to tell stories of the hijra community, Shahria Sharmin, a photographer from Bangladesh is capturing their emotions and vulnerabilities for the world to see. In an exclusive conversation with Shahria, where she opens up about developing a strong bond with the hijra community, breaking prejudices and the time-consuming process of taking artistically challenging photographs. They feel vulnerable in their own skin but are proud of their own bodies, not ashamed like most of us think (Credit: Shahria Sharmin) (Others) × Shahria narrates her first encounter with the subjects of the photo series titled Call Me Heena: “I have never really physically experienced how it feels to be a part of an actual minority group. I grew up in Bangladesh, as a woman. Sure there are limitations and restrictions which I had abided by but what real struggle can be, when the question of identity and emotions come into the picture, is something I had wondered about and working with the hijra community came from that general curiosity. "When I started working with the community, after hearing hundreds of stories, similar or otherwise, it became apparent, this is the community which I wanted to focus on and learn about. I also hoped to photograph in a way which represents them as an individual without the obvious superficial biases. That hope and curiosity helped me pursue my project.” Taking a photograph of an intimate and natural expression is always a slow and time-consuming process and knowing that, I never rushed. Interestingly hijras are good cooks and I spent hours with them while cooking and sharing thoughts without taking any photos. × Belonging from Bangladesh, Shahria, did not always want to be a photographer. She pursued an education in Public Administration from the University of Dhaka and while studying, in several instances she recognised the art of photography. She felt that the medium “enables to tell stories and explore humanity”. She thus knew that she “had found her path”. She then graduated in photography from Pathshala South Asian Media Academy, Bangladesh. During the early years of her life, she had seen her father taking family photographs. It became a thing in the family for her to take photographs keeping her "two daughters in focal points”. Shahria says, “Years later I found myself fascinated with movies. The frames of the films that I studied intrigued me and I wanted to go deeper into the dynamics of frames. Slowly I found that as I move my lens towards a new face, I discover an astonishing new world and that is when I fell in love with photography more deeply and got into the journey of discovering new worlds.” Fascinated with the world of photographs and narrator’s story behind each photo, she did a three years photography course at Pathshala South Asian Media Institute. While studying she had to choose a photography project where she chose to work with Bangladesh’s famed garments factory workers. This changed her life in a way. The stigma of expressing one's sexuality Shahria remembers that while approaching her project honestly, she stumbled upon the hijra community of Bangladesh. One day I was taking a walk with her and she mentioned how she desired a handsome husband and her wish to be his bride. Possessing a male body with a female psyche drew many questions and curiosity inside me. × She says, “It was the personality of an individual (named) ‘Nayan’, a transgender garment worker who I accidentally discovered while working. One day I was taking a walk with her and in the course of our conversation, she mentioned how she desired a handsome husband and her wish to be his bride. Possessing a male body with a female psyche drew many questions and curiosity inside me and I started to dig deep into the hijra community, forming deeper connections and solid friendships with them.” While embarking upon a task to document the lives of a misunderstood community, she witnessed how “they are poorly labeled, with a lower status in the social structure of Bangladesh”. “They are put in a box marked for invalids. I want to show the person behind that label, the lives and dreams behind those superficial assumptions. Maybe these stories will give them their real identity and some voice, as humans like you and me and not just as the still widely unaccepted third gender”, she adds. Shumi (left) and Priya’s new life is subject to the rules of a guru – in exchange for a new home (Credit: Shahria Sharmin) (Others) × Individual governments of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh identify them as the ‘third gender’ or the ‘other gender’ as they are neither fully male nor fully female. But this has happened just recently. Ostracised by the society for a long time, hijras, however, enjoyed a time of reckoning thousands of years ago when they were a part of the close-knit societal structure of Southeast Asian countries. In ancient Hindu texts such as Mahabharata and Kama Sutra, they are celebrated as third sex. During the rule of Mughal empire, they served as protectors and guards of the women of the royals called “kwaja sera”, meaning guards of the harem. But their status took a hit when during the British rule in India, hijras were deemed as criminals. Due to years of discrimination, most hijras face a low social standing in South Asia. They find claims of equal access to education, healthcare, and employment a sham. The modern-day India opened its doors for hijras but with a sceptical eye considering their presence auspicious on several occasions like marriages and birth of children. However, with Indian society's evolution and an upscale movement towards urbanisation, hijras find themselves less invited than before. Kajal and gang are a group of four hijras who stay together at all times. They come in groups asking for money at a popular hangout place in Hauz Khas. She says, “My sisters and I come here every day. Young couples come to this fort to spend some time together and end up giving us money. I don’t harass, no. It’s easy to be preachy but difficult to step in my shoes. Don’t say that I sell my body or use it to make money. What alternative do I have? My sisters have tried getting employment, nobody hires us but.” But it’s not just so in the Indian context. Shahria who took the time to live the life of an average hijra, reiterates, “There is definitely a strong negative connotation to the word hijra in the Bangladeshi community but I wouldn’t call it utter discrimination. They are now officially considered as the third gender. However, they are yet to be given due rights. They are still subjected to strong prejudice and stereotyping. "Bangladesh is generally considered a friendly and hospitable country where all religions are welcomed. I would say our problem with discrimination and negligence is as prominent as the next country. There isn’t a specific formula that would make this discrimination go away but the first step towards it would be to facilitate their rights from the state, including, but not limited to voting rights, a social ID, medical facilities, education and public safety. This would be the first step towards treating them the same way as the next person.” Heena (51): “I feel like a mermaid. My body tells me I am a man and my soul tells me I am a woman” (Credit: Shahria Sharmin) (Others) × As a photographer, Shahria feels that “meeting new people, approaching the unknown and their responses varying between rejections and acceptances” is the most challenging aspect of her profession. Like every other work, she made a point to get familiar with her subjects before capturing them in her camera. Shahria explains, “Taking a photograph of an intimate and natural expression is always a slow and time-consuming process and knowing that, I never rushed. Normally I spend a considerable time with a particular subject and most of the times I don’t even shoot. I hang around with them for the whole day, have meals with them. Interestingly hijras are good cooks and I spent hours with them while cooking and sharing thoughts without taking any photos. Trust level evolved when we argued and justified different social issues. I tried to identify with their values. Slowly, I tried to figure out what expressions they wanted to share with others and in what form. “Normally I would discuss with them about the photograph I wanted to take and the way I would like to represent (them) to others. In most of the cases, they gave me some ideas or guidelines as to how they would like to be represented. I never noticed much anxiety among them for the way of their representation, rather I found them quite confident on what they are looking for. I did not deviate from their intentions. I had proven (myself) as a trustworthy person among their community.” Tina (21): “I am giving an exam. I don’t know what the result will be…” (Credit: Shahria Sharmin) (Others) × Shahria says, “Amidst all hate and rejection from the society, hijras have happened to make a fruitful life out of what little they have and to me, this is what makes them unique. Perhaps media perceives them through a different lens because of this very reason. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing. They are unique in their own way and that what makes them so beautiful, inside and out. This is what I try to portray through my photos. “It is not fair to assume that all are seeking empathy. Why are they expected to act normal when it is so difficult to earn a living because society simply won’t accept them? What exactly is ‘normal’? Perhaps they are just reaching out. × On my question of why all photos of hijras are centred around the body and are always seeking empathy from the public eye, Shahria speaks with a hint of defence, “It is not fair to assume that all are seeking empathy from the audience. They like to think they can live a self-sufficient life just like anyone else. Because they didn’t exactly fit into the very specific gender expectation, they are most often subjected to strong stereotyping. Why are they expected to act normal when they don’t receive the same rights? Medical facilities? Safety? Why are they expected to act normal when it is so difficult to earn a living because society simply won’t accept them? What exactly is ‘normal’? When we are photographing them, perhaps their act of reaching out is often mistaken for them seeking empathy.” On another note, she mentions that she is the narrator of the story. She says, “I never had them click themselves. Perhaps it would have been a completely different perspective. However, I never clicked the pictures without a reason or a story. I spent a day or two with them without my camera, getting to know them, feel them and once I thought I had done so, I presented them in a way that they I thought they would embody themselves through the pictures. It was a mutual understanding.” Breaking myths, Shahria says, “It might appear they hide their body because society expected them to be and act a particular way. They don’t exactly fit into the strict formula that society has created for each gender. I would say they wish not to hide but celebrate their body. They are forced to act like something they are not simply to be recognised worthy or capable by the society. Hijras typically dress like women, but no physical transition or change is required to be inducted into the community. In fact, many identify as neither men nor women, but rather as a “third gender,” a status that has received legal recognition in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Shahria does not expect things to change overnight but is hopeful that people would start responding to her photograph and the subsequently the community in due time. She adds, “I believe we know what we have to know about them but we simply choose to ignore it, because of our convenience. We are too selfish to step outside our box and celebrate changes.” (WION)

What it means to be a hijra in Bangladesh

<p>45-year-old Mosammat Jasmine from Bangladesh has worked hard to gain her community&#39;s&nbsp;respect. She is the only female rickshaw puller in the Muslim dominated country and is often addressed as the &quot;Crazy Auntie&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>What made her become a&nbsp;rickshaw puller, a job that in so many ways arouses&nbsp;her society&#39;s ire?</p>

<p>Five years ago, her husband ran away with another woman and she was left to fend&nbsp;for her family. A mother of three, she did not care for the gender stereotypes predominant in the society and started with a couple of jobs that didn&rsquo;t suit her.&nbsp;</p>

<p>She worked as a maid but according to her, &quot;it&rsquo;s good if you only have to worry about yourself but not if you&rsquo;ve got children&quot;. She also tried her hand&nbsp;working at a&nbsp;factory, but in her words, &quot;work at the factory is back-breaking and the pay is really poor&quot;. She eventually started pulling rickshaws on the streets of Chittagong to make a living.&nbsp;</p>

<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="430" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jE1h79y9a1Y" width="970"></iframe></p>

<p>In an&nbsp;interview with&nbsp;The Hindu, she said, &ldquo;I do it to make sure my sons don&rsquo;t go hungry and they get a decent education at a good school. Allah has given me a pair of hands and legs to work with. I don&rsquo;t beg--instead I earn a living by using his gifts.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Mosammat, struggling&nbsp;to survive and pay for her kid&rsquo;s education,&nbsp;then rented out her&nbsp;neighbour&rsquo;s rickshaw. Initially she faced severe criticism for doing what is traditionally considered to be&nbsp;a man&rsquo;s job. She found it hard to find customers, and if this wasn&rsquo;t enough&nbsp;she also faced the physical challenge&nbsp;of pulling a rickshaw in the bylanes of the subtropical country.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Many even taunted her and refused to board her rickshaw citing&nbsp;Islam--claiming&nbsp;that it doesn&rsquo;t permit women to roam around like this. Meanwhile, those&nbsp;who did board&nbsp;didn&rsquo;t pay the same fare&nbsp;they would pay a&nbsp;male driver. &ldquo;I stuck to my guns as who else pays my bills, who is else is going to cover the cost of educating my sons?&rdquo; as per The Hindu.</p>

<p>From then to now, &quot;Crazy Auntie&quot;&nbsp;has come a long way-- earning a lot of respect in the community and helping her family.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


Struggling to make ends meet, Mosammat Jasmine ignored strong social pressures and began working in what is traditionally a man's job

45-year-old Mosammat Jasmine from Bangladesh has worked hard to gain her community's respect. She is the only female rickshaw puller in the Muslim dominated country and is often addressed as the "Crazy Auntie". What made her become a rickshaw puller, a job that in so many ways arouses her society's ire? Five years ago, her husband ran away with another woman and she was left to fend for her family. A mother of three, she did not care for the gender stereotypes predominant in the society and started with a couple of jobs that didn’t suit her. She worked as a maid but according to her, "it’s good if you only have to worry about yourself but not if you’ve got children". She also tried her hand working at a factory, but in her words, "work at the factory is back-breaking and the pay is really poor". She eventually started pulling rickshaws on the streets of Chittagong to make a living. In an interview with The Hindu, she said, “I do it to make sure my sons don’t go hungry and they get a decent education at a good school. Allah has given me a pair of hands and legs to work with. I don’t beg--instead I earn a living by using his gifts.” Mosammat, struggling to survive and pay for her kid’s education, then rented out her neighbour’s rickshaw. Initially she faced severe criticism for doing what is traditionally considered to be a man’s job. She found it hard to find customers, and if this wasn’t enough she also faced the physical challenge of pulling a rickshaw in the bylanes of the subtropical country. Many even taunted her and refused to board her rickshaw citing Islam--claiming that it doesn’t permit women to roam around like this. Meanwhile, those who did board didn’t pay the same fare they would pay a male driver. “I stuck to my guns as who else pays my bills, who is else is going to cover the cost of educating my sons?” as per The Hindu. From then to now, "Crazy Auntie" has come a long way-- earning a lot of respect in the community and helping her family. (WION)

#BeTheChange: Meet Bangladesh's only female rickshaw puller

<p>A few years back The World Bank coined the phrase &lsquo;Bangladesh Paradox&rsquo; with regards to Bangladesh&rsquo;s steady&nbsp;economic growth despite the absence of good governance. And a lack of credible electoral democracy has been added to it since 2013.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Political economists were baffled by the average 6-7 per cent&nbsp;annual growth of Bangladesh&#39;s economy in the past few years. Even in last two decades, the growth rate average of Bangladesh was around 6 and never went below 5 which is quite good considering the faltering of south-east Asia in the turn of the century and the economic slump of 2008-09 in the west. The growth rate is one of the highest few in the world.</p>

<p>The saturated economies of the developed countries have very low growth. Also, the growth rate in the middle-income countries has slowed down for various reasons. China has maintained a spectacular double-digit growth rate for the last couple of decades and became the driver of the world&rsquo;s economic growth. But, it has come down to 6-7 per cent&nbsp;now, which is similar to India. Also, the economic situation in Latin America is poor. In Africa, the rates are low barring few countries with natural resources where foreigners, especially the Chinese have recently invested. &nbsp;Scholars of political economy invoked theories about nature of political settlements in Bangladesh and open deal and close deal legacy to explain the economic growth.</p>

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<h5>Export-oriented industries like readymade garments, leather products, processed food, ship building etc alongside the public spending in power, infrastructure and services have been the drivers of the growth in Bangladesh</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

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<p>Export-oriented industries like readymade garments, leather products, processed food, ship building etc alongside the public spending in power, infrastructure and services have been the drivers of the growth in Bangladesh. &nbsp;In addition to the impressive economic growth rate, inflation has been under control and the country maintained a healthy forex reserve, thanks to the earnings of foreign exchange through exports and remittance inflow for the sizable worldwide Bangladeshi diaspora.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
However, in the&nbsp;key area of domestic private investment, Bangladesh is lagging considerably which is also indicative of the quality of governance. The domestic capital formation seems good due to the expanding middle-class and the banks now have surplus liquidity. But, the number of takers are few despite the fact that borrowing rates have come down considerably. Native investors appear reluctant to borrow and invest. Hence, the growth potential is not being fulfilled.</p>

<p>Ideally, Bangladesh, with massive cheap labour, &nbsp;should have been in a double-digit growth situation as China of two decades back. The difference is, in China&rsquo;s case, the native investors were in action after the initial boost by Special Economic Zones. However, despite the reasonable success of similar Exclusive Economic Zone, the next stage involving native investors isn&#39;t happening in Bangladesh. Hence, the further growth potential is being wasted, and the high numbers of 15-20 million addition to the labour force every year, due to high population growth, can&rsquo;t be absorbed properly in the employment market as it should have been.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The prime reasons for the lack of domestic investment are largely related to the bad state of governance in many areas and corruption. About 2000 new factories in Bangladesh are awaiting proper power connection to start or go for full capacity production. Unpredictability about the supply of required gas and electricity is deterring many other potential native investors to build industries. &nbsp;Leverage offered by cheap labour is being negated by structural deficiency.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The Awami League government demonstrated some success in the power sector during&nbsp;its first term. But the momentum seems lost in the second. The other side of bad governance is bureaucratic red tape. Despite the matter being highlighted by the business community, ordinary citizens, media and the civil society nothing much has been done. Public servants continue to cause public sufferings. Coupled by the power crisis, the practices&nbsp;of bribing officials and rent seeking by politically affiliated lobbies (either as pure nuisance or getting a permission or sanction done) have increased the investment cost of domestic investors so much that they are unsure of the recovery of their money. The investors are not even sure&nbsp;whether&nbsp;they will be able to pay the loans back to the lending bank. Many of the foreign investors are less affected by the situation as they get some priorities in the EPZs with regards to power connections and other infrastructural facilities.</p>

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<h5>The condition in Bangladesh now isn&rsquo;t ideal for freedom of expression or even universal features of civil liberty due to complex causal relations in its recent socio-political history.</h5>
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<p>Another related issue is a broader one; which is of accountability. The condition in Bangladesh now isn&rsquo;t ideal for freedom of expression or even universal features of civil liberty. Due to complex causal relations in its recent socio-political history, Bangladesh has ended up in such state. The main political opposition in Bangladesh is also quite controversial and now being suppressed by the government&nbsp;and the ruling party machinery. The last general election was a one-sided story as the main opposition boycotted it. No one knows what will happen to the next election in 2019. The political office bearers and bureaucracy don&rsquo;t look to be sufficiently answerable to the people or the civil society.</p>

<p>The leaders from all camps of Bangladesh badly need to reach some workable understanding and find a way out of this quagmire created by untenable governance and lack of accountability. Only then the full economic potential of the country will come to fruition.</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


Coupled by the power crisis, the practices?of bribing have increased the investment cost of domestic investors. They are unsure of the recovery of their money.

A few years back The World Bank coined the phrase ‘Bangladesh Paradox’ with regards to Bangladesh’s steady economic growth despite the absence of good governance. And a lack of credible electoral democracy has been added to it since 2013. Political economists were baffled by the average 6-7 per cent annual growth of Bangladesh's economy in the past few years. Even in last two decades, the growth rate average of Bangladesh was around 6 and never went below 5 which is quite good considering the faltering of south-east Asia in the turn of the century and the economic slump of 2008-09 in the west. The growth rate is one of the highest few in the world. The saturated economies of the developed countries have very low growth. Also, the growth rate in the middle-income countries has slowed down for various reasons. China has maintained a spectacular double-digit growth rate for the last couple of decades and became the driver of the world’s economic growth. But, it has come down to 6-7 per cent now, which is similar to India. Also, the economic situation in Latin America is poor. In Africa, the rates are low barring few countries with natural resources where foreigners, especially the Chinese have recently invested. Scholars of political economy invoked theories about nature of political settlements in Bangladesh and open deal and close deal legacy to explain the economic growth. Export-oriented industries like readymade garments, leather products, processed food, ship building etc alongside the public spending in power, infrastructure and services have been the drivers of the growth in Bangladesh × Export-oriented industries like readymade garments, leather products, processed food, ship building etc alongside the public spending in power, infrastructure and services have been the drivers of the growth in Bangladesh. In addition to the impressive economic growth rate, inflation has been under control and the country maintained a healthy forex reserve, thanks to the earnings of foreign exchange through exports and remittance inflow for the sizable worldwide Bangladeshi diaspora. However, in the key area of domestic private investment, Bangladesh is lagging considerably which is also indicative of the quality of governance. The domestic capital formation seems good due to the expanding middle-class and the banks now have surplus liquidity. But, the number of takers are few despite the fact that borrowing rates have come down considerably. Native investors appear reluctant to borrow and invest. Hence, the growth potential is not being fulfilled. Ideally, Bangladesh, with massive cheap labour, should have been in a double-digit growth situation as China of two decades back. The difference is, in China’s case, the native investors were in action after the initial boost by Special Economic Zones. However, despite the reasonable success of similar Exclusive Economic Zone, the next stage involving native investors isn't happening in Bangladesh. Hence, the further growth potential is being wasted, and the high numbers of 15-20 million addition to the labour force every year, due to high population growth, can’t be absorbed properly in the employment market as it should have been. The prime reasons for the lack of domestic investment are largely related to the bad state of governance in many areas and corruption. About 2000 new factories in Bangladesh are awaiting proper power connection to start or go for full capacity production. Unpredictability about the supply of required gas and electricity is deterring many other potential native investors to build industries. Leverage offered by cheap labour is being negated by structural deficiency. The Awami League government demonstrated some success in the power sector during its first term. But the momentum seems lost in the second. The other side of bad governance is bureaucratic red tape. Despite the matter being highlighted by the business community, ordinary citizens, media and the civil society nothing much has been done. Public servants continue to cause public sufferings. Coupled by the power crisis, the practices of bribing officials and rent seeking by politically affiliated lobbies (either as pure nuisance or getting a permission or sanction done) have increased the investment cost of domestic investors so much that they are unsure of the recovery of their money. The investors are not even sure whether they will be able to pay the loans back to the lending bank. Many of the foreign investors are less affected by the situation as they get some priorities in the EPZs with regards to power connections and other infrastructural facilities. The condition in Bangladesh now isn’t ideal for freedom of expression or even universal features of civil liberty due to complex causal relations in its recent socio-political history. × Another related issue is a broader one; which is of accountability. The condition in Bangladesh now isn’t ideal for freedom of expression or even universal features of civil liberty. Due to complex causal relations in its recent socio-political history, Bangladesh has ended up in such state. The main political opposition in Bangladesh is also quite controversial and now being suppressed by the government and the ruling party machinery. The last general election was a one-sided story as the main opposition boycotted it. No one knows what will happen to the next election in 2019. The political office bearers and bureaucracy don’t look to be sufficiently answerable to the people or the civil society. The leaders from all camps of Bangladesh badly need to reach some workable understanding and find a way out of this quagmire created by untenable governance and lack of accountability. Only then the full economic potential of the country will come to fruition. (WION)

Absence of good governance is discouraging investment in Bangladesh

<p>The barring of foreigners from a popular Dhaka restaurant this week has caused frustration among some visitors, and reminded them of the security crisis in the Bangladeshi capital.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&ldquo;Due to Holey Artisan incident and after receiving a notice from our landlord; we are not allowing any foreigners in our restaurant. We are ashamed and pitiful from our soul for this message. Please accept our apologies and wait till further notice,&rdquo; reads the notice hanging from the gate outside the Lake Terrace restaurant in Dhaka.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
A German tourist, who was refused entry into the restaurant, told WION, &ldquo;I was never thinking about the incident in 2016 but this message reminded me and now I am a little bit more tensed.&rdquo;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Many restaurant owners here in Dhaka said they are still recovering from the loss they suffered in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attack on Dhaka&rsquo;s Holey Artisan Bakery that killed 20 diners, 17 of them foreigners, in July 2016.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Some Dhaka restaurants have seen a drop in visitors of more than 20 per cent.&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>I do not want foreigners in my restaurant if that makes my business a target for terrorists,&#39; said one restaurant owner who asked not to be named</h5>
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<p>&ldquo;It was slow during the first couple of months (after the terrorist attack). People were scared. But after two months, people got rid of their fear. They started coming again,&rdquo; said Arif Shafique, one of the owners of Tokyo Express, a popular Japanese restaurant.<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
Some restaurateurs told WION they are apprehensive of a second attack, and that they do not know when or how it will take place.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;I do not want foreigners in my restaurant if that makes my business a target for terrorists,&rdquo; said one restaurant owner who asked not to be named.</p>

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<p>A year after the audacious terrorist attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka, Bangladeshis ask two questions: Are we safer today than we were a year before? And where do we go from here? (WION)</p>
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<p>Dhaka&#39;s restaurants have beefed up their security and screening systems so that their patrons feel safer.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&ldquo;If you are inviting somebody to a space where you are responsible then you have to do as much as possible to ensure that people are safe and secure, not exclude or discriminate,&rdquo; said Ali Arsalan, one of the owners of the Holey Artisan Bakery.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Other foreigners WION spoke to said they do not feel unsafe.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;I have gone out to a few restaurants and I really enjoyed them. I live in the Gulshan area and there is a lot of security,&rdquo; said Mariko, a US tourist in Dhaka.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&ldquo;I feel rather secured. I can walk freely and I don&rsquo;t feel any problem,&rdquo; said Wim, a Dutch expatriate in Dhaka.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
They say security is a global crisis and not the concern of any one country.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&ldquo;I think discouraging a German national (from visiting the Lake Terrace restaurant) is an overreaction. One solitary German being refused should not determine the safety of a city or that terror still looms large,&rdquo; said Shantanu Mukherji, a security analyst in New Delhi, India.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
To think Bangladesh will have a zero-terror future would be a mistaken perception when western countries with very sophisticated intelligence and security systems are struggling to contain terror, he told WION.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&ldquo;We should be mentally prepared to see one or two attacks because the sleeper cells or the terror outfits like Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh are waiting in the wings to strike,&rdquo; he added.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Bangladesh&rsquo;s export revenues as of April 2017 were $6 billion short of the financial year 2015-16 which saw an earning of $34.4 billion.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Many foreign investors cancelled trips to and moved orders out of the country in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&ldquo;Overall visitors have gone down. Numbers are down by may be about 20 per cent plus based on sales and revenue. I have heard from friends in foreign companies that if 10 expats have left, only six of them have been replaced. So you can assume that there is a drop there,&rdquo; Arsalan told WION.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Businessmen in Dhaka say it is a matter of time before confidence is rekindled in visitors, locals and foreigners alike, and much depends on how they and the government take steps to ensure their security and comfort.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Some restaurants have seen a drop in visitors of more than 20 per cent

The barring of foreigners from a popular Dhaka restaurant this week has caused frustration among some visitors, and reminded them of the security crisis in the Bangladeshi capital. “Due to Holey Artisan incident and after receiving a notice from our landlord; we are not allowing any foreigners in our restaurant. We are ashamed and pitiful from our soul for this message. Please accept our apologies and wait till further notice,” reads the notice hanging from the gate outside the Lake Terrace restaurant in Dhaka. A German tourist, who was refused entry into the restaurant, told WION, “I was never thinking about the incident in 2016 but this message reminded me and now I am a little bit more tensed.” Many restaurant owners here in Dhaka said they are still recovering from the loss they suffered in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attack on Dhaka’s Holey Artisan Bakery that killed 20 diners, 17 of them foreigners, in July 2016. Some Dhaka restaurants have seen a drop in visitors of more than 20 per cent. I do not want foreigners in my restaurant if that makes my business a target for terrorists,' said one restaurant owner who asked not to be named × “It was slow during the first couple of months (after the terrorist attack). People were scared. But after two months, people got rid of their fear. They started coming again,” said Arif Shafique, one of the owners of Tokyo Express, a popular Japanese restaurant. Some restaurateurs told WION they are apprehensive of a second attack, and that they do not know when or how it will take place. “I do not want foreigners in my restaurant if that makes my business a target for terrorists,” said one restaurant owner who asked not to be named. A year after the audacious terrorist attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka, Bangladeshis ask two questions: Are we safer today than we were a year before? And where do we go from here? (WION) × Dhaka's restaurants have beefed up their security and screening systems so that their patrons feel safer. “If you are inviting somebody to a space where you are responsible then you have to do as much as possible to ensure that people are safe and secure, not exclude or discriminate,” said Ali Arsalan, one of the owners of the Holey Artisan Bakery. Other foreigners WION spoke to said they do not feel unsafe. “I have gone out to a few restaurants and I really enjoyed them. I live in the Gulshan area and there is a lot of security,” said Mariko, a US tourist in Dhaka. “I feel rather secured. I can walk freely and I don’t feel any problem,” said Wim, a Dutch expatriate in Dhaka. They say security is a global crisis and not the concern of any one country. “I think discouraging a German national (from visiting the Lake Terrace restaurant) is an overreaction. One solitary German being refused should not determine the safety of a city or that terror still looms large,” said Shantanu Mukherji, a security analyst in New Delhi, India. To think Bangladesh will have a zero-terror future would be a mistaken perception when western countries with very sophisticated intelligence and security systems are struggling to contain terror, he told WION. “We should be mentally prepared to see one or two attacks because the sleeper cells or the terror outfits like Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh are waiting in the wings to strike,” he added. Bangladesh’s export revenues as of April 2017 were $6 billion short of the financial year 2015-16 which saw an earning of $34.4 billion. Many foreign investors cancelled trips to and moved orders out of the country in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery. “Overall visitors have gone down. Numbers are down by may be about 20 per cent plus based on sales and revenue. I have heard from friends in foreign companies that if 10 expats have left, only six of them have been replaced. So you can assume that there is a drop there,” Arsalan told WION. Businessmen in Dhaka say it is a matter of time before confidence is rekindled in visitors, locals and foreigners alike, and much depends on how they and the government take steps to ensure their security and comfort.

WION in Dhaka: Slow turnover at restaurants one year after cafe attack

<p>Several South Asian migrants employed as domestic workers and farmers are stranded in Saudi Arabia after their Qatari employers were asked to leave the kingdom.</p>

<p>The head of Qatar&#39;s National Human Rights Committee Ali bin Smaikh Al-Marri told the media on Wednesday that the workers, who are from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, have been left behind without accommodation and money and are living &quot;illegally&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Many of those affected were farmers who drive livestock between the two countries, Marri said, AFP reported.</p>

<p>&quot;Usually the workers travel with Qataris -- many Qataris employ farmers and travel with their domestic workers and drivers,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain suspended ties with Qatar on June 5 over allegations that the emirate supports extremists. Doha denies the claim.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;The workers were not allowed to travel into&nbsp;Qatar&nbsp;and now they are living illegally in Saudi Arabia and do not have basic needs,&quot; Marri said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;They have no shelter and cannot access money.&quot;</p>

<p>In Qatar, there is a sponsorship system that ties workers to their employers.</p>

<p>There is no word on the exact number of migrants stranded.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Most of the migrants are from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal

Several South Asian migrants employed as domestic workers and farmers are stranded in Saudi Arabia after their Qatari employers were asked to leave the kingdom. The head of Qatar's National Human Rights Committee Ali bin Smaikh Al-Marri told the media on Wednesday that the workers, who are from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, have been left behind without accommodation and money and are living "illegally". Many of those affected were farmers who drive livestock between the two countries, Marri said, AFP reported. "Usually the workers travel with Qataris -- many Qataris employ farmers and travel with their domestic workers and drivers," he said. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain suspended ties with Qatar on June 5 over allegations that the emirate supports extremists. Doha denies the claim. "The workers were not allowed to travel into Qatar and now they are living illegally in Saudi Arabia and do not have basic needs," Marri said. "They have no shelter and cannot access money." In Qatar, there is a sponsorship system that ties workers to their employers. There is no word on the exact number of migrants stranded.

South Asian migrants stranded in Saudi Arabia after Qatari bosses ordered to leave

<p>Heavy monsoon rains and landslides have killed at least 156 people in southeast Bangladesh and India, burying many in their homes as they slept, authorities said Tuesday.</p>

<p>Three young children from the same family were among those killed in the disaster, which comes just weeks after a cyclone battered the region and destroyed camps housing thousands of Rohingya refugees.</p>

<p>Police warned the death toll would likely rise as emergency workers reached remote parts of the Chittagong Hills, where telephone and transport links had been cut.</p>

<p>Manzurul Mannan, the government administrator of the worst-hit Rangamati district, said at least 98 people were killed in the hilly region alone.</p>

<p>&quot;The death toll might rise,&quot; Mannan told AFP.&nbsp;</p>

<p>At least 30 people were killed in neighbouring Chittagong and another six in Bandarban, officials told AFP, adding about 15 people were missing, feared buried under chunks of mud.</p>

<p>Many of the victims were from poor tribal communities in the remote hill district of Rangamati, close to the Indian border, where mudslides buried hundreds of homes.&nbsp;</p>

<p>One woman described the ground sliding from beneath their family home in the dead of night, sending them fleeing to a house next door.</p>

<p>&quot;A few other families also took shelter there, but just after dawn a section of hill fell on the house. Six people are still missing,&quot; Khatiza Begum told local news website Bangla Tribune at Rangamati hospital.</p>

<p>District police chief Sayed Tariqul Hasan said most of the landslides happened before dawn Tuesday. &nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Some of them were sleeping in their houses on hillsides when the landslides occurred,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Police and local authorities ordered the evacuation of thousands of people living in slums at the base of hills in the neighbouring district of Chittagong, where 30 people have been confirmed dead.</p>

<p>At least 126 people were killed in that district when a massive landslide buried a village a decade ago.</p>

<p>In the latest incident six people were killed in the nearby district of Bandarban, among them three children buried by a landslide as they slept in their home.</p>

<p>Authorities have opened 18 shelters in the worst-hit hill districts, where 4,500 people have been evacuated, disaster management and relief minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya told reporters.</p>

<p><strong>&#39;Constant fear&#39;</strong><br />
<br />
Head of disaster management department Reaz Ahmed said disaster response teams had been deployed but had not yet been able to reach all the affected areas. &nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Once the rains are over, we&#39;ll get a full picture of the damage and get the recovery work in full swing,&quot; he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The monsoon rains came two weeks after Cyclone Mora smashed into Bangladesh&#39;s southeast, killing at least eight people and damaging tens of thousands of homes.</p>

<p>Rohingya leader Mohammad Anam said the latest rains had further worsened conditions in camps that were badly hit by the cyclone.</p>

<p>&quot;We&#39;re living in constant fear of landslides,&quot; he told AFP.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Around 300,000 Rohingya, a mainly Muslim stateless ethnic minority, are living in camps in southeastern Bangladesh after fleeing persecution in Myanmar.</p>

<p>Heavy monsoon rains also pounded the capital Dhaka and the port city of Chittagong in the district of the same name, disrupting traffic for hours and flooding key roads and business districts.</p>

<p>A ferry sank in the River Buriganga in Dhaka on Monday evening with an estimated 100 passengers aboard, police said, adding all the passengers had managed to swim ashore.</p>

<p>Among the victims in Rangamati district were at least four soldiers who had been sent to clear roads after an earlier landslide.</p>

<p>Thousands of troops are stationed in Rangamati, where a tribal insurgency raged for two decades, and which still suffers sporadic violence.</p>

<p>&quot;The soldiers were sent to clear roads hit by landslide in Manikchhari town when they were themselves buried by a second landslide,&quot; armed forces spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Rashidul Hassan told AFP. &nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;They fell 30 feet (nine metres) from the main road,&quot; he said, adding one soldier was missing and 10 injured, five critically.<br />
<br />
(AFP)</p>


Police warned the death toll would likely rise as emergency workers reached remote parts of the Chittagong Hills

Heavy monsoon rains and landslides have killed at least 156 people in southeast Bangladesh and India, burying many in their homes as they slept, authorities said Tuesday. Three young children from the same family were among those killed in the disaster, which comes just weeks after a cyclone battered the region and destroyed camps housing thousands of Rohingya refugees. Police warned the death toll would likely rise as emergency workers reached remote parts of the Chittagong Hills, where telephone and transport links had been cut. Manzurul Mannan, the government administrator of the worst-hit Rangamati district, said at least 98 people were killed in the hilly region alone. "The death toll might rise," Mannan told AFP. At least 30 people were killed in neighbouring Chittagong and another six in Bandarban, officials told AFP, adding about 15 people were missing, feared buried under chunks of mud. Many of the victims were from poor tribal communities in the remote hill district of Rangamati, close to the Indian border, where mudslides buried hundreds of homes. One woman described the ground sliding from beneath their family home in the dead of night, sending them fleeing to a house next door. "A few other families also took shelter there, but just after dawn a section of hill fell on the house. Six people are still missing," Khatiza Begum told local news website Bangla Tribune at Rangamati hospital. District police chief Sayed Tariqul Hasan said most of the landslides happened before dawn Tuesday. "Some of them were sleeping in their houses on hillsides when the landslides occurred," he said. Police and local authorities ordered the evacuation of thousands of people living in slums at the base of hills in the neighbouring district of Chittagong, where 30 people have been confirmed dead. At least 126 people were killed in that district when a massive landslide buried a village a decade ago. In the latest incident six people were killed in the nearby district of Bandarban, among them three children buried by a landslide as they slept in their home. Authorities have opened 18 shelters in the worst-hit hill districts, where 4,500 people have been evacuated, disaster management and relief minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya told reporters. 'Constant fear' Head of disaster management department Reaz Ahmed said disaster response teams had been deployed but had not yet been able to reach all the affected areas. "Once the rains are over, we'll get a full picture of the damage and get the recovery work in full swing," he added. The monsoon rains came two weeks after Cyclone Mora smashed into Bangladesh's southeast, killing at least eight people and damaging tens of thousands of homes. Rohingya leader Mohammad Anam said the latest rains had further worsened conditions in camps that were badly hit by the cyclone. "We're living in constant fear of landslides," he told AFP. Around 300,000 Rohingya, a mainly Muslim stateless ethnic minority, are living in camps in southeastern Bangladesh after fleeing persecution in Myanmar. Heavy monsoon rains also pounded the capital Dhaka and the port city of Chittagong in the district of the same name, disrupting traffic for hours and flooding key roads and business districts. A ferry sank in the River Buriganga in Dhaka on Monday evening with an estimated 100 passengers aboard, police said, adding all the passengers had managed to swim ashore. Among the victims in Rangamati district were at least four soldiers who had been sent to clear roads after an earlier landslide. Thousands of troops are stationed in Rangamati, where a tribal insurgency raged for two decades, and which still suffers sporadic violence. "The soldiers were sent to clear roads hit by landslide in Manikchhari town when they were themselves buried by a second landslide," armed forces spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Rashidul Hassan told AFP. "They fell 30 feet (nine metres) from the main road," he said, adding one soldier was missing and 10 injured, five critically. (AFP)

Heavy rains, landslides kill at least 156 in Bangladesh & India

<p>Talking to the media in Birmingham today -- ahead of India&#39;s Champions&#39; Trophy semi-final against Bangladesh tomorrow -- India captain Virat Kohli said they would not be &quot;taking anything for granted&quot;. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;There is no guarantee in these sports. A lot of teams have surprised their oppositions in the lower stages too. We are not going according to the past results and we will go into this game the way we treated the last one,&quot; he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Bangladesh has taken huge strides in cricket, in the last few years, they themselves say that. In the world cup 2015, they were really very good. We are not taking anything for granted,&quot; he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>Watch </em><em>video</em><em> below:&nbsp;</em></p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">LIVE: Virat Kohli addresses the media at Birmingham ahead of the semi-final match against Bangladesh <a href="https://t.co/v0YkEv2gPC">https://t.co/v0YkEv2gPC</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/874960371299139584">June 14, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Things were a little &quot;lighter&quot;&nbsp;though during an earlier practice session, with some of the Indian stars breaking out into&nbsp;impromptu jigs. <em>Have a look at the video below:</em></p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash">#WATCH</a> Team India players share light moments during practice session in Birmingham <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChampionsTrophy2017?src=hash">#ChampionsTrophy2017</a> <a href="https://t.co/I2Xhl5tFLx">pic.twitter.com/I2Xhl5tFLx</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/874966705285365761">June 14, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


India play Bangladesh in the second Champions' Trophy semi-final tomorrow

Talking to the media in Birmingham today -- ahead of India's Champions' Trophy semi-final against Bangladesh tomorrow -- India captain Virat Kohli said they would not be "taking anything for granted". "There is no guarantee in these sports. A lot of teams have surprised their oppositions in the lower stages too. We are not going according to the past results and we will go into this game the way we treated the last one," he said. "Bangladesh has taken huge strides in cricket, in the last few years, they themselves say that. In the world cup 2015, they were really very good. We are not taking anything for granted," he added. Watch video below: LIVE: Virat Kohli addresses the media at Birmingham ahead of the semi-final match against Bangladesh https://t.co/v0YkEv2gPC — ANI (@ANI_news) June 14, 2017 × Things were a little "lighter" though during an earlier practice session, with some of the Indian stars breaking out into impromptu jigs. Have a look at the video below: #WATCH Team India players share light moments during practice session in Birmingham #ChampionsTrophy2017 pic.twitter.com/I2Xhl5tFLx — ANI (@ANI_news) June 14, 2017 ×

Watch: India captain Virat Kohli says 'not taking anything for granted' against Bangladesh

<p>This year I have fallen in love with Pakistani grapes. They are bigger, brighter and seem seductive than the other grapes found in the market. I follow the &lsquo;when you want something you want the best&rsquo; policy. So I forget what Bangladeshis had with Pakistan once upon a time and am loving their grapes.</p>

<p>Back in 2013, one sunny day, my US professor expressed his concern about Bangladesh. He heard the news that Bangladesh was slowly drowning because of climate change.</p>

<p>I smiled. That&rsquo;s what the image of Bangladesh is to foreigners. Nothing new. To them, our country is poor, overpopulated and prone to floods.</p>

<p>But those days are gone, gone with the wind. Now that, over the past years, Bangladesh made frequent headlines in the world media. Consecutive killings of bloggers, non-Muslim individuals, and the recent terrorist attack in Gulshan have given Bangladesh a fresh identity.</p>

<p>These days, in the eyes of western citizens, Bangladesh has earned the fame as about-to-be an Islamic fundamentalist nation.</p>

<p>On that sunny day in 2013, I did what any Bangladeshis would have done in my place. I tried to tell my professor about the positive things about Bangladesh. I told him about Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore and Muhammad Yunus, and also proudly added that Amartya Sen was born in Bangladesh.</p>

<p>Later that year I was overjoyed when I met an Australian who&rsquo;d done his PhD on Yunus&rsquo; microcredit theory. Though, I wouldn&rsquo;t reveal him that Bangladeshis have mixed feelings about Yunus. I remember one of my relatives, a devout Muslim, had whined about Yunus&rsquo; Nobel Prize. He said the Jews and non-Muslim westerners had no sense that was why they picked a usurer for this Prize.</p>

<p>In April this year, some Islamic groups in the country protested the Bengali New Year&rsquo;s festivities, terming it un-Islamic and Hindu culture. In 1965, when Bangladesh was East Pakistan, the then government banned Tagore songs from Radio and Television. Two years after, Chayanat, a cultural organisation, started to celebrate Bengali New Year in the capital&rsquo;s Ramna Park to stimulate the Bengali spirit to resist Pakistani rule. It helped. Eventually, the historic mass upsurge took place in 1969.</p>

<p>A few months back, at a park in Dhaka, a school was having its annual school sports function. I heard a Hindi song play at top volume. Chaar Bottle Vodka, which means four bottle vodkas, was the refrain in the song.</p>

<p>The invasion of Hindi movie songs in Bangladesh is overwhelming. So are Indian TV channels. A greater number of households spend their evenings watching Indian TV serials. For the Bangladeshi TV channels lack quality entertainment programs. Typically all they like to broadcast is Talk Shows and news.</p>

<p>Albeit the rising violence against the Hindus in the country, India seems to be the obvious choice for us. According to an Indian government report published recently, one in three foreign patients in India is from Bangladesh.</p>

<p>When it comes to traveling, for most Bangladeshis the taste of first foreign land is India. Last year, tourists from Bangladesh topped the Indian chart; much more Bangladeshis visited Indian than they did the US.</p>

<p>Being Bangladeshi is being surrounded by India, and that is the reality. Naming our culture Hindu culture is ridiculous. It is no less ridiculous to ignore Rabindranath Tagore just because he is a non-Muslim. Tagore, in fact, is not a mere name, he is a culture himself. To deny Tagore means denying our own Bengali culture.</p>

<p>Necessity has no religion. During my stay in Ohio, USA, the first Bengali I met was a man from Kolkata. There was a lot more of Muslim students from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and even from India. But coming across a Bengali guy made all the difference, to whom I could speak Bengali, discuss Bengali literature and culture and, of course, enjoy Bengali food.</p>

<p>That day was a revelation for me as I found the answer to a most plaguing question: Which is more important, language or religion? The answer that came naturally to me is language. Because it&rsquo;s the necessity. I share an intimacy with language which I find lacking in religion. For me language is the present, religion is the future. We live in present, not in future.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Albeit the rising violence against the Hindus in the country, India seems to be the obvious choice for Bangladeshis

This year I have fallen in love with Pakistani grapes. They are bigger, brighter and seem seductive than the other grapes found in the market. I follow the ‘when you want something you want the best’ policy. So I forget what Bangladeshis had with Pakistan once upon a time and am loving their grapes. Back in 2013, one sunny day, my US professor expressed his concern about Bangladesh. He heard the news that Bangladesh was slowly drowning because of climate change. I smiled. That’s what the image of Bangladesh is to foreigners. Nothing new. To them, our country is poor, overpopulated and prone to floods. But those days are gone, gone with the wind. Now that, over the past years, Bangladesh made frequent headlines in the world media. Consecutive killings of bloggers, non-Muslim individuals, and the recent terrorist attack in Gulshan have given Bangladesh a fresh identity. These days, in the eyes of western citizens, Bangladesh has earned the fame as about-to-be an Islamic fundamentalist nation. On that sunny day in 2013, I did what any Bangladeshis would have done in my place. I tried to tell my professor about the positive things about Bangladesh. I told him about Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore and Muhammad Yunus, and also proudly added that Amartya Sen was born in Bangladesh. Later that year I was overjoyed when I met an Australian who’d done his PhD on Yunus’ microcredit theory. Though, I wouldn’t reveal him that Bangladeshis have mixed feelings about Yunus. I remember one of my relatives, a devout Muslim, had whined about Yunus’ Nobel Prize. He said the Jews and non-Muslim westerners had no sense that was why they picked a usurer for this Prize. In April this year, some Islamic groups in the country protested the Bengali New Year’s festivities, terming it un-Islamic and Hindu culture. In 1965, when Bangladesh was East Pakistan, the then government banned Tagore songs from Radio and Television. Two years after, Chayanat, a cultural organisation, started to celebrate Bengali New Year in the capital’s Ramna Park to stimulate the Bengali spirit to resist Pakistani rule. It helped. Eventually, the historic mass upsurge took place in 1969. A few months back, at a park in Dhaka, a school was having its annual school sports function. I heard a Hindi song play at top volume. Chaar Bottle Vodka, which means four bottle vodkas, was the refrain in the song. The invasion of Hindi movie songs in Bangladesh is overwhelming. So are Indian TV channels. A greater number of households spend their evenings watching Indian TV serials. For the Bangladeshi TV channels lack quality entertainment programs. Typically all they like to broadcast is Talk Shows and news. Albeit the rising violence against the Hindus in the country, India seems to be the obvious choice for us. According to an Indian government report published recently, one in three foreign patients in India is from Bangladesh. When it comes to traveling, for most Bangladeshis the taste of first foreign land is India. Last year, tourists from Bangladesh topped the Indian chart; much more Bangladeshis visited Indian than they did the US. Being Bangladeshi is being surrounded by India, and that is the reality. Naming our culture Hindu culture is ridiculous. It is no less ridiculous to ignore Rabindranath Tagore just because he is a non-Muslim. Tagore, in fact, is not a mere name, he is a culture himself. To deny Tagore means denying our own Bengali culture. Necessity has no religion. During my stay in Ohio, USA, the first Bengali I met was a man from Kolkata. There was a lot more of Muslim students from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and even from India. But coming across a Bengali guy made all the difference, to whom I could speak Bengali, discuss Bengali literature and culture and, of course, enjoy Bengali food. That day was a revelation for me as I found the answer to a most plaguing question: Which is more important, language or religion? The answer that came naturally to me is language. Because it’s the necessity. I share an intimacy with language which I find lacking in religion. For me language is the present, religion is the future. We live in present, not in future.

My love for Bangladesh makes me a Bengali, not necessarily a Muslim

<p>In addition to English and Bengali, my three and a half-year-old son is learning a bit of Arabic in school. He is in playgroup. Once I happened to be in his sports room. What children do there is play with toys and watch rhymes. The very first rhyme they were to hear was: Bismillah Bismillah in the name of Allah.</p>

<p>Later one evening, I found my son flipping through his school book and reading to himself Arabic alphabets. My wife was impressed. Who wouldn&rsquo;t be, particularly, in a country like Bangladesh where Arabic is not a mere language, but the symbol of Islam.</p>

<p>I remember my school days. From third grade, we had mandatory Religious Studies. Islamic Studies for Muslim, Hindu Studies for Hindus. And the books were akin to moral science. The world is more advanced now. That is why, probably, children at present are taught religion a lot earlier.</p>

<p>But the scene is not same everywhere. Public schools follow a combined curriculum set by the government, where religion starts as a compulsory subject from the third grade. Private schools, especially pre-schools enjoy their own liberty. Education, like many things else, has become a mushrooming business in Bangladesh. A bit of inclusion of religion in studies, no matter how young the children are, could make all the difference. This practice is mainly to persuade parents rather than ensuring children a proper education.</p>

<p>Noble Laureate Rabindranath Tagore famously said, &lsquo;&lsquo;First know your own mother tongue, then English.&rsquo;&rsquo; He travelled widely and saw that without using its own language a nation cannot prosper. Since the birth of Bangladesh, the quality of education has suffered. Exam questions leak is a constant problem. As the rate of successfully passing an exam has gone up, the standard of education has steeply gone down.</p>

<p>The other day a cousin of mine requested me to fill up a bank account opening form for her. Why? It is written in English. But my cousin has a BA degree. What type of graduates is the country breeding that they cannot even fill up a simple form in English?</p>

<p>For the disastrous nature of the Bengali medium education system, a significant number of parents are sending their kids to English medium schools. And then, largely for the poor, there is the madrasa education system. And very recently, the government has given recognition to Dawra degree of Qwami madrasa as equivalent to the status of a masters degree. Thus, presently, in Bangladesh, there are four types of education system.</p>

<p>A few weeks ago, the ruling Awami League allegedly approved a project to build mosques and Islamic cultural centers in every district and sub-district across the country, with over $1 billion in funding from Saudi Arabia. Even though the Saudi government subsequently denied any such funding. For long the Kingdom has been known to spread Sunni extremism through these sort of donations around the globe.</p>

<p>Also, early this year, changes came in the school text books of Bangladesh to appease the Islamist groups, particularly Hefazat-e-Islam. Let us look at a piece regarding this issue published in New York Times on February 3, 2017. &lsquo;&lsquo;The Bengali letter &ldquo;o&rdquo; used to stand for &ldquo;ol,&rdquo; a yam; now it stands for &ldquo;orna,&rdquo; which is a scarf worn by women for modesty. Texts by non-Muslim writers, such as the classical poet Gyandas or the contemporary novelist Sunil Gangopadhyay&mdash;have been removed. Also gone are a small excerpt from the Ramayana, a Hindu classic that Islamists reject as foreign to the Muslim canon, and songs of the Sufi icon Lalon Shah, whose syncretic faith is anathema to Muslim conservatives.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p>

<p>That is not all. The removal of the statue of Lady Justice from the Supreme Court building shocked the secular minds of Bangladesh. Taking this as a victory, now the Islamist groups want demolition of all statues from the country.</p>

<p>Our language and culture are not out of danger in these darkest moments. The celebration of Bengali New Year did not go smooth this year. Some fundamentalist groups protested terming the festivities un-Islamic and Hindu culture.</p>

<p>So here we are. The consequences of Islamism are everywhere&mdash;in thinking, even in clothing. Over the last twenty years, there has been a remarkable increase of women wearing hijab and burqa. In the streets of Dhaka, it may also seem normal to spot a five-or six-year-old girl, fully covered, walking by.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, symptoms are everywhere that the syncretic Bengali culture of Bangladesh is suffering at the hands of Islamic extremism.</p>


Texts by non-Muslim writers, such as the classical poet Gyandas or the contemporary novelist Sunil Gangopadhyay have been removed from textbooks in Bangladesh

In addition to English and Bengali, my three and a half-year-old son is learning a bit of Arabic in school. He is in playgroup. Once I happened to be in his sports room. What children do there is play with toys and watch rhymes. The very first rhyme they were to hear was: Bismillah Bismillah in the name of Allah. Later one evening, I found my son flipping through his school book and reading to himself Arabic alphabets. My wife was impressed. Who wouldn’t be, particularly, in a country like Bangladesh where Arabic is not a mere language, but the symbol of Islam. I remember my school days. From third grade, we had mandatory Religious Studies. Islamic Studies for Muslim, Hindu Studies for Hindus. And the books were akin to moral science. The world is more advanced now. That is why, probably, children at present are taught religion a lot earlier. But the scene is not same everywhere. Public schools follow a combined curriculum set by the government, where religion starts as a compulsory subject from the third grade. Private schools, especially pre-schools enjoy their own liberty. Education, like many things else, has become a mushrooming business in Bangladesh. A bit of inclusion of religion in studies, no matter how young the children are, could make all the difference. This practice is mainly to persuade parents rather than ensuring children a proper education. Noble Laureate Rabindranath Tagore famously said, ‘‘First know your own mother tongue, then English.’’ He travelled widely and saw that without using its own language a nation cannot prosper. Since the birth of Bangladesh, the quality of education has suffered. Exam questions leak is a constant problem. As the rate of successfully passing an exam has gone up, the standard of education has steeply gone down. The other day a cousin of mine requested me to fill up a bank account opening form for her. Why? It is written in English. But my cousin has a BA degree. What type of graduates is the country breeding that they cannot even fill up a simple form in English? For the disastrous nature of the Bengali medium education system, a significant number of parents are sending their kids to English medium schools. And then, largely for the poor, there is the madrasa education system. And very recently, the government has given recognition to Dawra degree of Qwami madrasa as equivalent to the status of a masters degree. Thus, presently, in Bangladesh, there are four types of education system. A few weeks ago, the ruling Awami League allegedly approved a project to build mosques and Islamic cultural centers in every district and sub-district across the country, with over $1 billion in funding from Saudi Arabia. Even though the Saudi government subsequently denied any such funding. For long the Kingdom has been known to spread Sunni extremism through these sort of donations around the globe. Also, early this year, changes came in the school text books of Bangladesh to appease the Islamist groups, particularly Hefazat-e-Islam. Let us look at a piece regarding this issue published in New York Times on February 3, 2017. ‘‘The Bengali letter “o” used to stand for “ol,” a yam; now it stands for “orna,” which is a scarf worn by women for modesty. Texts by non-Muslim writers, such as the classical poet Gyandas or the contemporary novelist Sunil Gangopadhyay—have been removed. Also gone are a small excerpt from the Ramayana, a Hindu classic that Islamists reject as foreign to the Muslim canon, and songs of the Sufi icon Lalon Shah, whose syncretic faith is anathema to Muslim conservatives.’’ That is not all. The removal of the statue of Lady Justice from the Supreme Court building shocked the secular minds of Bangladesh. Taking this as a victory, now the Islamist groups want demolition of all statues from the country. Our language and culture are not out of danger in these darkest moments. The celebration of Bengali New Year did not go smooth this year. Some fundamentalist groups protested terming the festivities un-Islamic and Hindu culture. So here we are. The consequences of Islamism are everywhere—in thinking, even in clothing. Over the last twenty years, there has been a remarkable increase of women wearing hijab and burqa. In the streets of Dhaka, it may also seem normal to spot a five-or six-year-old girl, fully covered, walking by. Unfortunately, symptoms are everywhere that the syncretic Bengali culture of Bangladesh is suffering at the hands of Islamic extremism.

Rise of Islamism leaves its footprints on the secular culture of Bangladesh

<p>Much like the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India, Bangladesh&#39;s Awami League&nbsp;has adopted the strategy of letting the masses guess their next move. The Indian public was surprised when BJP candidate Yogi Adityanath was declared as the&nbsp;chief minister&nbsp;of the state of Uttar Pradesh, mainly because he was denied the&nbsp;status of the&nbsp;chief ministerial&nbsp;candidate before the elections.</p>

<p>A similar approach was adopted in Bangladesh by the ruling Awami League regarding a newly-founded, yet&nbsp;influential, religious-social outfit called Hefazat-e-Islam. Bangladesh&#39;s government allowed the Islamist pressure group to hold a huge anti-blogger rally in early 2013, where the latter went way beyond just denouncing secular thinkers. Later, the party denied permission for a second rally to the outfit and clamped down on thyem with force that resulted in several fatalities. Later, the government granted land and other facilities to them for developing religious infrastructure. Such conflicting moves have left people bewildered.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In a controversial act, the party officially&nbsp;recognised&nbsp;one degree of Qawmi Madrassa, an informal education system that is closely related to the pressure group. Correspondingly, another demand by the same group was acknowledged when the government removed the&nbsp;&#39;Bengalised&#39;&nbsp;statue of Greek goddess Themis from the Supreme Court. The statue&nbsp;symbolises&nbsp;justice and fairness. The Hefazat group expressed its gratitude to the Prime Minister for the action. However, it was later discovered that the statue was only to be reinstalled in an inner and less visible spot within the premises of the same court.</p>

<p>Political enthusiasts and analysts are stumbling to make any sense out of these unfolding developments. The Awami League strategists must be grinning with glee as they keep calling the uninterrupted diversionary shots. The real issues, on the other hand, hardly make it to the headlines.</p>

<p>However, it is imprudent to ignore the supposed rise of the regressive Islamist force as it clearly aspires to fill the vacuum of an opposition party in the political space since the main erstwhile opposition - the centre-right Bangladesh Nationalist Party - has been&nbsp;sidelined.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Themis statue is the first of its kind sculpture in Bangladesh.&nbsp;It is situated beside the National Eid Gah, where Muslims congregate twice a year for the biggest Eid prayers of the country.&nbsp;Notwithstanding the sense of high drama on the matter, the Awami League appears to have acted wisely.</p>

<p>Clamour for removal of hundreds of other similar statues have emerged such as &#39;The mother and children&#39; of 1971 in Eskaton, Central Dhaka and &#39;The three Freedom Fighters&#39; that includes a woman, on the Airport Road. The group also wanted the Baul statue in front of the Airport removed. They got the statue removed, despite resistance from liberal Dhakaites.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Another notable demand made&nbsp;was for the removal of all statues from the entire country. As one rightly says, give them an inch and they will take a mile. During the 2013 anti-blogger rally, the group also made a 13-point-demand charter which would essentially turn Bangladesh into one of the most regressive theocracies in the world. They have not abandoned that position yet. In an instance of 2008, when the government attempted to draft a comprehensive women&#39;s empowerment bill, the outfit and its allies started a protest that ultimately led to&nbsp;scrapping&nbsp;of the same.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The case of the Themis statue depicts Hefazat&#39;s sense of priority in&nbsp;polity, similar to the BJP&#39;s game of putting Gau-Raksha above poverty alleviation.&nbsp;Hopeful liberals of Bangladesh still want to put their faith in the officially secular Awami League. Politicking with emotive religious issues has become an unfortunate reality in South Asia. One can only hope that the grand old party of Bangladesh will stick to its progressive credentials in the final count to uphold the true spirit of the liberation struggle of Bangladesh which has been the prime revolutionary event in the modern political history of the land.</p>


The case for the removal of the Themis statue from Bangladesh's Supreme Court is similar to the BJP's one of putting Gau-Raksha above poverty alleviation

Much like the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India, Bangladesh's Awami League has adopted the strategy of letting the masses guess their next move. The Indian public was surprised when BJP candidate Yogi Adityanath was declared as the chief minister of the state of Uttar Pradesh, mainly because he was denied the status of the chief ministerial candidate before the elections. A similar approach was adopted in Bangladesh by the ruling Awami League regarding a newly-founded, yet influential, religious-social outfit called Hefazat-e-Islam. Bangladesh's government allowed the Islamist pressure group to hold a huge anti-blogger rally in early 2013, where the latter went way beyond just denouncing secular thinkers. Later, the party denied permission for a second rally to the outfit and clamped down on thyem with force that resulted in several fatalities. Later, the government granted land and other facilities to them for developing religious infrastructure. Such conflicting moves have left people bewildered. In a controversial act, the party officially recognised one degree of Qawmi Madrassa, an informal education system that is closely related to the pressure group. Correspondingly, another demand by the same group was acknowledged when the government removed the 'Bengalised' statue of Greek goddess Themis from the Supreme Court. The statue symbolises justice and fairness. The Hefazat group expressed its gratitude to the Prime Minister for the action. However, it was later discovered that the statue was only to be reinstalled in an inner and less visible spot within the premises of the same court. Political enthusiasts and analysts are stumbling to make any sense out of these unfolding developments. The Awami League strategists must be grinning with glee as they keep calling the uninterrupted diversionary shots. The real issues, on the other hand, hardly make it to the headlines. However, it is imprudent to ignore the supposed rise of the regressive Islamist force as it clearly aspires to fill the vacuum of an opposition party in the political space since the main erstwhile opposition - the centre-right Bangladesh Nationalist Party - has been sidelined. The Themis statue is the first of its kind sculpture in Bangladesh. It is situated beside the National Eid Gah, where Muslims congregate twice a year for the biggest Eid prayers of the country. Notwithstanding the sense of high drama on the matter, the Awami League appears to have acted wisely. Clamour for removal of hundreds of other similar statues have emerged such as 'The mother and children' of 1971 in Eskaton, Central Dhaka and 'The three Freedom Fighters' that includes a woman, on the Airport Road. The group also wanted the Baul statue in front of the Airport removed. They got the statue removed, despite resistance from liberal Dhakaites. Another notable demand made was for the removal of all statues from the entire country. As one rightly says, give them an inch and they will take a mile. During the 2013 anti-blogger rally, the group also made a 13-point-demand charter which would essentially turn Bangladesh into one of the most regressive theocracies in the world. They have not abandoned that position yet. In an instance of 2008, when the government attempted to draft a comprehensive women's empowerment bill, the outfit and its allies started a protest that ultimately led to scrapping of the same. The case of the Themis statue depicts Hefazat's sense of priority in polity, similar to the BJP's game of putting Gau-Raksha above poverty alleviation. Hopeful liberals of Bangladesh still want to put their faith in the officially secular Awami League. Politicking with emotive religious issues has become an unfortunate reality in South Asia. One can only hope that the grand old party of Bangladesh will stick to its progressive credentials in the final count to uphold the true spirit of the liberation struggle of Bangladesh which has been the prime revolutionary event in the modern political history of the land.

Awami League's flirting with Hefazat is dangerous for Bangladesh

<p>In addition to English and Bengali, my three-and-a-half-year-old son is learning Arabic in school. Even he has Islam as a&nbsp;subject&nbsp;in his playgroup class.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Once, I happened to be in the school&#39;s sports room where children play with toys and listen to rhymes.&nbsp;The first rhyme they listened to was &ldquo;Bismillah Bismillah in the name of Allah&rdquo;.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Some days later, one evening, I found my son flipping through his school book and reading to himself some Arabic alphabets. My wife was impressed. Who wouldn&rsquo;t be? In a country like Bangladesh, Arabic is not just a mere language but a symbol of Islam. &nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
I remember my school days when third grade onwards, we had mandatory religious studies. Muslim students would have to follow a curriculum in consonance with their religion while Hindus did likewise. The textbooks were akin to those studied in moral science lessons. The world is more advanced now. Probably, that is why children are being taught about religion at an earlier stage.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
It&rsquo;s not the same everywhere. Public schools follow a combined curriculum set by the government where religion is a compulsory subject from the third grade. But private schools, especially pre-schools, are at liberty to introduce it at earlier levels. Education, like many other things, has become a mushrooming business in Bangladesh. Inclusion of religion in the curriculum, no matter how young the children are, can make all the difference. This is done mainly to attract students, to persuade parents to send their wards to such schools. Ensuring proper education takes a backseat. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore famously said, &lsquo;&lsquo;First, know your own mother tongue, then English.&rsquo;&rsquo; He had travelled extensively and had observed&nbsp;that no country could prosper sans its mother language</h5>
</blockquote>
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<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore famously said, ??First, know your own mother tongue, then English.?? He had travelled extensively and had observed?that no country could prosper sans its mother language" target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore famously said, &lsquo;&lsquo;First, know your own mother tongue, then English.&rsquo;&rsquo; He had travelled extensively and had observed&nbsp;that no country could prosper sans its mother language. Since the creation of Bangladesh, the quality of education has been on a downward spiral. Constant leaks of examination question papers are a big problem. As pass&nbsp;rates of students have been going&nbsp;up, the standard of education has been going&nbsp;down.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The other day, a cousin of mine requested me to fill her bank account opening form which was in English. My cousin, who has a BA degree, cannot read the language. This brings us to an important question.&nbsp;What type&nbsp;of graduates is Bangladesh producing?&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
As a result of the disastrous Bengali medium education system, a number of parents are sending their kids to English medium schools while the poor children have the madrasa education system only. The situation has come to such a head that Dhaka has given the Dawra&nbsp;degree of Qawami madrasa the same recognition that is accorded to a university master&#39;s degree. Bangladesh is one country, there is one language but&nbsp;there are four types of education systems. &nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>Our language and culture are in grave danger in these dark&nbsp;moments</h5>
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<p>Few weeks ago, the ruling Awami League Party allegedly approved a project to build mosques and Islamic cultural centres in every district and sub-district across the country, with over $1 billion in funding from Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government has subsequently denied any such funding but it is known that the&nbsp;Kingdom, for long, has been known to fan Sunni extremism through these kind of donations around the globe. &nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Also, earlier this year, school textbooks in Bangladesh were changed to appease the Islamist groups, particularly Hefazat-e-Islam. This is an excerpt published in New York Times on February 3, 2017 on the matter:&nbsp;&lsquo;&lsquo;The Bengali letter &ldquo;o&rdquo;?used to stand for &ldquo;ol,&rdquo; a yam; now it stands for &ldquo;orna,&rdquo; a scarf worn by women for modesty. Texts by non-Muslim writers&mdash;including some revered as part of Bengali heritage, like the classical poet Gyandas or the contemporary novelist Sunil Gangopadhyay&mdash;have been removed. Also gone are a small excerpt from the Ramayana, a Hindu classic that Islamists reject as foreign to the Muslim canon, and songs of the Sufi icon Lalon Shah, whose syncretic faith is anathema to Muslim conservatives.&rsquo;&rsquo; &nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
This is not all. Removal of the statue of Lady Justice from the Supreme Court building also sent shockwaves through the secular sections of Bangladesh&#39;s people. Taking cue from this, now the Islamist groups want all statues in the country destroyed.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Our language and culture are in grave danger in these dark&nbsp;moments. The celebration of the Bengali New Year did not go smoothly this year. Some fundamentalist groups protested against the celebrations, terming the festivities un-Islamic and a rub-off of Hindu culture. &nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The consequences of this rampant Arabisation are everywhere &mdash; in thinking, and even in clothing. Over the last 20 years, there has been a remarkable increase in the number of women wearing hijab and burqa. On Dhaka&rsquo;s streets, it is quite normal to spot a five or a six-year-old girl, walking on the streets, covered head to toe. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


School textbooks in Bangladesh were changed to appease Islamist groups

In addition to English and Bengali, my three-and-a-half-year-old son is learning Arabic in school. Even he has Islam as a subject in his playgroup class. Once, I happened to be in the school's sports room where children play with toys and listen to rhymes. The first rhyme they listened to was “Bismillah Bismillah in the name of Allah”. Some days later, one evening, I found my son flipping through his school book and reading to himself some Arabic alphabets. My wife was impressed. Who wouldn’t be? In a country like Bangladesh, Arabic is not just a mere language but a symbol of Islam. I remember my school days when third grade onwards, we had mandatory religious studies. Muslim students would have to follow a curriculum in consonance with their religion while Hindus did likewise. The textbooks were akin to those studied in moral science lessons. The world is more advanced now. Probably, that is why children are being taught about religion at an earlier stage. It’s not the same everywhere. Public schools follow a combined curriculum set by the government where religion is a compulsory subject from the third grade. But private schools, especially pre-schools, are at liberty to introduce it at earlier levels. Education, like many other things, has become a mushrooming business in Bangladesh. Inclusion of religion in the curriculum, no matter how young the children are, can make all the difference. This is done mainly to attract students, to persuade parents to send their wards to such schools. Ensuring proper education takes a backseat. Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore famously said, ‘‘First, know your own mother tongue, then English.’’ He had travelled extensively and had observed that no country could prosper sans its mother language × Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore famously said, ‘‘First, know your own mother tongue, then English.’’ He had travelled extensively and had observed that no country could prosper sans its mother language. Since the creation of Bangladesh, the quality of education has been on a downward spiral. Constant leaks of examination question papers are a big problem. As pass rates of students have been going up, the standard of education has been going down. The other day, a cousin of mine requested me to fill her bank account opening form which was in English. My cousin, who has a BA degree, cannot read the language. This brings us to an important question. What type of graduates is Bangladesh producing? As a result of the disastrous Bengali medium education system, a number of parents are sending their kids to English medium schools while the poor children have the madrasa education system only. The situation has come to such a head that Dhaka has given the Dawra degree of Qawami madrasa the same recognition that is accorded to a university master's degree. Bangladesh is one country, there is one language but there are four types of education systems. Our language and culture are in grave danger in these dark moments × Few weeks ago, the ruling Awami League Party allegedly approved a project to build mosques and Islamic cultural centres in every district and sub-district across the country, with over $1 billion in funding from Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government has subsequently denied any such funding but it is known that the Kingdom, for long, has been known to fan Sunni extremism through these kind of donations around the globe. Also, earlier this year, school textbooks in Bangladesh were changed to appease the Islamist groups, particularly Hefazat-e-Islam. This is an excerpt published in New York Times on February 3, 2017 on the matter: ‘‘The Bengali letter “o”?used to stand for “ol,” a yam; now it stands for “orna,” a scarf worn by women for modesty. Texts by non-Muslim writers—including some revered as part of Bengali heritage, like the classical poet Gyandas or the contemporary novelist Sunil Gangopadhyay—have been removed. Also gone are a small excerpt from the Ramayana, a Hindu classic that Islamists reject as foreign to the Muslim canon, and songs of the Sufi icon Lalon Shah, whose syncretic faith is anathema to Muslim conservatives.’’ This is not all. Removal of the statue of Lady Justice from the Supreme Court building also sent shockwaves through the secular sections of Bangladesh's people. Taking cue from this, now the Islamist groups want all statues in the country destroyed. Our language and culture are in grave danger in these dark moments. The celebration of the Bengali New Year did not go smoothly this year. Some fundamentalist groups protested against the celebrations, terming the festivities un-Islamic and a rub-off of Hindu culture. The consequences of this rampant Arabisation are everywhere — in thinking, and even in clothing. Over the last 20 years, there has been a remarkable increase in the number of women wearing hijab and burqa. On Dhaka’s streets, it is quite normal to spot a five or a six-year-old girl, walking on the streets, covered head to toe.

The rise of Islamism in Bangladesh threatens to destroy the country's Bengali way of life

<p>At least two persons were killed and 20,000 houses were damaged in Cox&#39;s Bazar in Cyclone Mora that hit the Bangladesh coast at 6:30 am today, Ali Hossain, deputy commissioner of Cox&#39;s Bazar district confirmed to&nbsp;WION.</p>

<p>Assessment of the losses and damages will continue throughout the day. Bangladesh Meteorological Department has confirmed that the cyclone has moved past the Bangladesh territory.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A windspeed of 135 kilometres per hour was recorded at Teknaf, in the southernmost part of Bangladesh, which eventually lost its strength as it moved in the northerly direction, said Shamsuddin Ahmed, chief of Bangladesh Meteorological Department. The cyclone is likely to go over to northeast India in parts of Mizoram and Meghalaya.</p>

<p>Bad weather is likely to continue in Bangladesh for the entire day with rainfall in different parts of the country. The met office hoisted a danger signal level 10, which meant the cyclone carried the highest threat level that in the past has lasting devastation during tropical cyclones Sidr and Aila in 2007 and 2009.</p>

<p>The cyclone did not have an as devastating impact as was feared, said Zillur Rahman Chowdhury, deputy commissioner of Chittagong. &quot;We are getting reports that some houses were partially affected. Some trees have been uprooted. There is no loss of life of either human beings or animals,&quot; Chowdhury told WION. Authorities are still getting details from the field administration.</p>

<p>The disaster management department had earlier reported about evacuating 300,000 people from their homes in 10 districts to cyclone shelters ahead of the landfall. Announcements were made in advance to alert people to move to safe locations since yesterday. Evacuation plans were taken in 19 districts in the coastal belt across Bangladesh.</p>

<p>&quot;People have now started returning to their homes,&quot; said Syed M Hashim, spokesperson at the disaster management department.</p>

<p>Authorities had earlier suspended flights in Chittagong and Cox&#39;s Bazar and water transports in the coastal lines to avoid casualties. Local journalists reported disruption of telecommunication networks in Teknaf and Cox&#39;s Bazar.</p>

<p>&quot;The cyclone is not stronger than Sidr, but its threat level is not negligible,&quot; Ahmed told WION earlier.</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


Bangladesh Meteorological Department has confirmed that the cyclone has moved past the Bangladesh territory

At least two persons were killed and 20,000 houses were damaged in Cox's Bazar in Cyclone Mora that hit the Bangladesh coast at 6:30 am today, Ali Hossain, deputy commissioner of Cox's Bazar district confirmed to WION. Assessment of the losses and damages will continue throughout the day. Bangladesh Meteorological Department has confirmed that the cyclone has moved past the Bangladesh territory. A windspeed of 135 kilometres per hour was recorded at Teknaf, in the southernmost part of Bangladesh, which eventually lost its strength as it moved in the northerly direction, said Shamsuddin Ahmed, chief of Bangladesh Meteorological Department. The cyclone is likely to go over to northeast India in parts of Mizoram and Meghalaya. Bad weather is likely to continue in Bangladesh for the entire day with rainfall in different parts of the country. The met office hoisted a danger signal level 10, which meant the cyclone carried the highest threat level that in the past has lasting devastation during tropical cyclones Sidr and Aila in 2007 and 2009. The cyclone did not have an as devastating impact as was feared, said Zillur Rahman Chowdhury, deputy commissioner of Chittagong. "We are getting reports that some houses were partially affected. Some trees have been uprooted. There is no loss of life of either human beings or animals," Chowdhury told WION. Authorities are still getting details from the field administration. The disaster management department had earlier reported about evacuating 300,000 people from their homes in 10 districts to cyclone shelters ahead of the landfall. Announcements were made in advance to alert people to move to safe locations since yesterday. Evacuation plans were taken in 19 districts in the coastal belt across Bangladesh. "People have now started returning to their homes," said Syed M Hashim, spokesperson at the disaster management department. Authorities had earlier suspended flights in Chittagong and Cox's Bazar and water transports in the coastal lines to avoid casualties. Local journalists reported disruption of telecommunication networks in Teknaf and Cox's Bazar. "The cyclone is not stronger than Sidr, but its threat level is not negligible," Ahmed told WION earlier. (WION)

Cyclone Mora claims two lives, damages 20,000 houses in Bangladesh

<p>I have been following anti-terrorist operations of the security forces closely, particularly since the Dhaka cafe attack in July 2016, which killed at least 20 civilians. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State overnight, before the Bangladesh government and its security agencies could confirm the identities of the terrorists inside the Holey Artisan Bakery, at the diplomatic area of Dhaka.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The police since then have intensified their counter terrorist drive across the country. In six months between December 2016 and May 2017, at least <a href="http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2017/04/01/four-children-among-seven-killed-in-moulvibazar-militant-hideout">32 suspected terrorists</a> have been killed. Five of them were children and four women.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Four of those killed are below the age of 10 including an infant.</p>

<p>Following the July cafe attack, modus operandi of the security forces have changed. Specialised units of the security forces, mostly the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crimes Unit carry out &quot;block raids&quot;, where they cordon off an area for several hours that would span a few days and subsequently result in suspected terrorists blowing only themselves up in &quot;suicide blasts&quot;.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
As someone following the global terrorist activities, I have observed that most suicide blasts by extremists target individuals they consider infidels.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Under current circumstances, the police crackdown on militancy in the country has two-pronged sentiments, 1. Fear in people&#39;s&nbsp;minds allow such police actions in the hope that this will curb militancy, and 2. Nature of these operations prompts curiosities.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Media, including myself, can report only the narrative presented by the security forces. The operational areas are off-limits to civilians and journalists because of risk they pose to lives.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Once they are killed, no knowledge about their whereabouts or family is available. In some <a href="http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/crime/2017/04/30/jhenaidah-militant-abdullah-among-deceased-operation-eagle-hunt">cases</a> even the police have not been able to identify the persons they suspected as terrorists.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Human rights organisation say that the style of the operations indicate that the security forces are pursuing a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/bangladesh-5-members-of-a-family-suspected-of-links-with-neo-jmb-killed-in-police-raid-15459">complete elimination of the suspects</a>, which prevents media from getting any more&nbsp;information beyond what is officially provided.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
In &ldquo;Operation Hit Back&rdquo; at Moulvibazar, Sylhet on March 29, the police cordoned off the &ldquo;militant den&rdquo; for three days. They said there has been exchange of fire but eventually eight suspects, including four children below the age of ten killed themselves in suicide explosions.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
One of the children was an infant.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Platoons of policemen were deployed. What efforts were made to save the lives of the children in the three days? Are we then resorting to the narrative of compromising a few lives, in other words, human rights for the &quot;greater good&quot; of the society?<br />
&nbsp;<br />
In an earlier operation in Sylhet codenamed &ldquo;Operation Twilight&rdquo; as well as in &ldquo;Operation Hit Back&rdquo;, &ldquo;militant dens&rdquo; were planted with improvised explosive devices. Security personnel said the operations were sensitive because the buildings were planted with IED. Yet, the security forces were able to <a href="http://www.thedailystar.net/country/sporadic-gunshots-mark-day-3-sylhet-militant-den-raid-1381606">fire rocket launchers</a>&nbsp;at one of the buildings and continue exchanging fires disregarding the possibility that the terrorist could blow up the building.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The nature of the anti-terrorist operations in Bangladesh since last July have been deadly and confrontational. The question is whether the confrontation could have been avoided.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Bangladesh is known for being a tolerant Muslim-majority nation, where the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina thrives on the secular principle of the state.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Although radicalisation has shown its ferocity through terror plots in the form of countrywide explosions and attacks waged at cultural programmes and political rallies in early 2000, the suicide explosions and confrontation between extremists and security forces in recent months have been unprecedented for the people of Bangladesh. It is indeed a grave concern how this group of radicals evolved in a country that has not seen such frequency of violence in the past.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances alarmed human rights organisations and civil society in Bangladesh. This has ensued for nearly a decade since the government of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia introduced paramilitary force Rapid Action Battalion.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Human right groups report that such actions have not stopped entirely but the focus has largely shifted to the area of militancy and anti-terror raids. Some even question if this is the new face of extrajudicial killing.</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


Bangladesh?s growing anti-terror raids raise concerns

I have been following anti-terrorist operations of the security forces closely, particularly since the Dhaka cafe attack in July 2016, which killed at least 20 civilians. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State overnight, before the Bangladesh government and its security agencies could confirm the identities of the terrorists inside the Holey Artisan Bakery, at the diplomatic area of Dhaka. The police since then have intensified their counter terrorist drive across the country. In six months between December 2016 and May 2017, at least 32 suspected terrorists have been killed. Five of them were children and four women. Four of those killed are below the age of 10 including an infant. Following the July cafe attack, modus operandi of the security forces have changed. Specialised units of the security forces, mostly the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crimes Unit carry out "block raids", where they cordon off an area for several hours that would span a few days and subsequently result in suspected terrorists blowing only themselves up in "suicide blasts". As someone following the global terrorist activities, I have observed that most suicide blasts by extremists target individuals they consider infidels. Under current circumstances, the police crackdown on militancy in the country has two-pronged sentiments, 1. Fear in people's minds allow such police actions in the hope that this will curb militancy, and 2. Nature of these operations prompts curiosities. Media, including myself, can report only the narrative presented by the security forces. The operational areas are off-limits to civilians and journalists because of risk they pose to lives. Once they are killed, no knowledge about their whereabouts or family is available. In some cases even the police have not been able to identify the persons they suspected as terrorists. Human rights organisation say that the style of the operations indicate that the security forces are pursuing a complete elimination of the suspects, which prevents media from getting any more information beyond what is officially provided. In “Operation Hit Back” at Moulvibazar, Sylhet on March 29, the police cordoned off the “militant den” for three days. They said there has been exchange of fire but eventually eight suspects, including four children below the age of ten killed themselves in suicide explosions. One of the children was an infant. Platoons of policemen were deployed. What efforts were made to save the lives of the children in the three days? Are we then resorting to the narrative of compromising a few lives, in other words, human rights for the "greater good" of the society? In an earlier operation in Sylhet codenamed “Operation Twilight” as well as in “Operation Hit Back”, “militant dens” were planted with improvised explosive devices. Security personnel said the operations were sensitive because the buildings were planted with IED. Yet, the security forces were able to fire rocket launchers at one of the buildings and continue exchanging fires disregarding the possibility that the terrorist could blow up the building. The nature of the anti-terrorist operations in Bangladesh since last July have been deadly and confrontational. The question is whether the confrontation could have been avoided. Bangladesh is known for being a tolerant Muslim-majority nation, where the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina thrives on the secular principle of the state. Although radicalisation has shown its ferocity through terror plots in the form of countrywide explosions and attacks waged at cultural programmes and political rallies in early 2000, the suicide explosions and confrontation between extremists and security forces in recent months have been unprecedented for the people of Bangladesh. It is indeed a grave concern how this group of radicals evolved in a country that has not seen such frequency of violence in the past. Extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances alarmed human rights organisations and civil society in Bangladesh. This has ensued for nearly a decade since the government of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia introduced paramilitary force Rapid Action Battalion. Human right groups report that such actions have not stopped entirely but the focus has largely shifted to the area of militancy and anti-terror raids. Some even question if this is the new face of extrajudicial killing. (WION)

Growing anti-terror raids in Bangladesh raise human right concerns

<p>Police in Bangladesh shot down five members of a family they suspect was affiliated with the Neo Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh in Rajshahi in the northern part of the country, Sumit Chowdhury, Assistant Superintendent of Rajshahi Police confirmed to WION. A firefighter was killed during the overnight raid and five members of the police were also injured.</p>

<p>Police said the five suspects belonged to the same family. They primarily suspected the son of the family Al-Amin&#39;s affiliation with neo-JMB.</p>

<p>Police and specialised units of the law enforcing agencies in Bangladesh have been carrying out countrywide anti-terrorist raids since March, which have killed several suspects of neo-JMB, a local terrorist outfit affiliated with the Islamic State.</p>

<p>A Sylhet house planted with IED led Bangladesh Army to wage a five-day operation taking out four members. The police suspected the members were part of the neo-JMB.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Human rights organisations point out that information about the counter-terrorist operations are largely one-sided with only the police providing their narratives. &quot;Whatever information we are getting are from the police,&quot; said Nur Khan, executive director of Ain O Salish Kendra, a Bangladeshi human rights organisation. There is no way to independently authenticate the information.</p>

<p>Eight suspects including four children were killed in an anti-terrorist operation in Sylhet codenamed &quot;Operation Hitback&quot; on March 30. &quot;The objective of the operations appears to be elimination even if that is at the cost of lives,&quot; Khan told WION, adding many women and children are becoming victims of these operations.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Our law enforcement agencies should be more careful, so that there are less casualties and suspects can be captured alive. That would provide an opportunity to reap benefits of de-radicalisation. When they die in the raids, acquiring further information becomes limited,&quot; Khan told WION. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Rights groups including the Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly raised concerns about enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Bangladesh previously.</p>

<p>The anti-terror drives happen following a deadly cafe attack in Dhaka, that was claimed by the Islamic State in July last year, which killed at least 20 civilians.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


Police and specialised units of the law enforcing agencies in Bangladesh have been carrying out countrywide anti-terrorist raids since March, which have killed several suspects of neo-JMB

Police in Bangladesh shot down five members of a family they suspect was affiliated with the Neo Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh in Rajshahi in the northern part of the country, Sumit Chowdhury, Assistant Superintendent of Rajshahi Police confirmed to WION. A firefighter was killed during the overnight raid and five members of the police were also injured. Police said the five suspects belonged to the same family. They primarily suspected the son of the family Al-Amin's affiliation with neo-JMB. Police and specialised units of the law enforcing agencies in Bangladesh have been carrying out countrywide anti-terrorist raids since March, which have killed several suspects of neo-JMB, a local terrorist outfit affiliated with the Islamic State. A Sylhet house planted with IED led Bangladesh Army to wage a five-day operation taking out four members. The police suspected the members were part of the neo-JMB. Human rights organisations point out that information about the counter-terrorist operations are largely one-sided with only the police providing their narratives. "Whatever information we are getting are from the police," said Nur Khan, executive director of Ain O Salish Kendra, a Bangladeshi human rights organisation. There is no way to independently authenticate the information. Eight suspects including four children were killed in an anti-terrorist operation in Sylhet codenamed "Operation Hitback" on March 30. "The objective of the operations appears to be elimination even if that is at the cost of lives," Khan told WION, adding many women and children are becoming victims of these operations. "Our law enforcement agencies should be more careful, so that there are less casualties and suspects can be captured alive. That would provide an opportunity to reap benefits of de-radicalisation. When they die in the raids, acquiring further information becomes limited," Khan told WION. Rights groups including the Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly raised concerns about enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Bangladesh previously. The anti-terror drives happen following a deadly cafe attack in Dhaka, that was claimed by the Islamic State in July last year, which killed at least 20 civilians. (WION)

Bangladesh: 5 members of a family suspected of links with Neo JMB killed in police raid

<p>Pakistan has called off their scheduled cricket tour of Bangladesh this year, the country&#39;s board chairman Shaharyar Khan has said.</p>

<p>Bangladesh last toured Pakistan in 2007-08. Pakistan has since travelled to Bangladesh in 2011 and 2015 and were scheduled to play two tests, three ODIs and a Twenty20 International in July and August in the South Asian country.</p>

<p>Khan said Bangladesh had failed to reciprocate Pakistan&#39;s visits with the Bangladesh Cricket Board turning down an invitation to play two T20 internationals in Pakistan.</p>

<p>&quot;We had spoken about the possibility of hosting them (Bangladesh in Pakistan) this year,&quot; the PCB chairman told ESPNcricinfo.</p>

<p>&quot;Pakistan have now toured Bangladesh twice without them reciprocating, and we feel we cannot tour Bangladesh for the third straight time.</p>

<p>&quot;Therefore, we have decided to postpone the tour, and will explore another window in the next year or so.&quot;</p>

<p>At least 10 gunmen fired on a bus carrying Sri Lanka&#39;s cricket team in 2009 with rifles, grenades and rockets, wounding six players and a British coach, and killing eight Pakistanis.</p>

<p>Since then, Pakistan has been forced to play most of its &quot;home&quot; games in the United Arab Emirates.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(Reuters)</p>


They were to play two tests, three ODIs, and a Twenty20 International in July and August

Pakistan has called off their scheduled cricket tour of Bangladesh this year, the country's board chairman Shaharyar Khan has said. Bangladesh last toured Pakistan in 2007-08. Pakistan has since travelled to Bangladesh in 2011 and 2015 and were scheduled to play two tests, three ODIs and a Twenty20 International in July and August in the South Asian country. Khan said Bangladesh had failed to reciprocate Pakistan's visits with the Bangladesh Cricket Board turning down an invitation to play two T20 internationals in Pakistan. "We had spoken about the possibility of hosting them (Bangladesh in Pakistan) this year," the PCB chairman told ESPNcricinfo. "Pakistan have now toured Bangladesh twice without them reciprocating, and we feel we cannot tour Bangladesh for the third straight time. "Therefore, we have decided to postpone the tour, and will explore another window in the next year or so." At least 10 gunmen fired on a bus carrying Sri Lanka's cricket team in 2009 with rifles, grenades and rockets, wounding six players and a British coach, and killing eight Pakistanis. Since then, Pakistan has been forced to play most of its "home" games in the United Arab Emirates. (Reuters)

Pakistan call off tour of Bangladesh

<p>Kasem bin Abubakar was told nobody would buy his chaste romance novels about devout young Muslims finding love within the strict moral confines of Bangladeshi society.&nbsp;</p>

<p>And yet his tales of lovers whispering sweet nothings between calls to prayer sold millions in the 1980s and proved a huge hit among young girls from Bangladesh&#39;s rural, conservative heartland.</p>

<p>Now his work is undergoing something of a renaissance as Bangladesh slides from the moderate Islam worshipped for generations to a more conservative interpretation of the scriptures.</p>

<p>&quot;Girls write me love letters with ink dipped in their own blood. Some were desperate to marry me&quot; Abubakar told AFP, recounting his surprise at young women making a traditional gesture of intense devotion to a greying author.</p>

<p>His debut novel &quot;Futonto Golap&quot; (Blossomed Rose), written more than three decades ago, has spawned an entire genre of fiction tinged with Islamic values.</p>

<p>Abubakar was inspired to take up the pen in the late 1970s, when as a bookseller he lamented that most novels obsessed with the cosmopolitan lifestyles of modern, elite Bangladeshis.</p>

<p>These secular tales were a world removed from the largely rural and pious village existence lived by the majority of Bangladesh&#39;s 160 million people, and Abubakar sensed a gap in the market ripe for his fiction.</p>

<p><strong>Mullah novels don&#39;t sell</strong></p>

<p>&quot;He tapped into a new readership that nobody thought existed before,&quot; said Bangladeshi journalist Qadaruddin Shishir.</p>

<p>&quot;In rural villages, Abubakar&#39;s novels are the best gift a young lover can give to his fiancee.&quot;</p>

<p>Abubakar wrote &quot;The Blossomed Rose&quot; -- a story about two mismatched young Muslims seeking consent for marriage from their families -- by hand in 1978, but it took almost a decade for a publisher to even look at it.</p>

<p>&quot;They told me &#39;mullah novels&#39; don&#39;t sell,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Eventually he sold the copyright to a publisher for a mere 1,000 Taka (USD$12.50), and became an overnight sensation.</p>

<p>Since his breakthrough, Abubakar has written dozens of works, most revolving around the mosque, veiled women and wayward youth abandoning so-called corrupt lifestyles after finding religion.</p>

<p>Secular activists fear creeping conservatism could unwind many of the gains made by the impoverished nation in improving school attendance and gender equality.</p>

<p>An ever-increasing number of students attend madrassas, or religious boarding schools, in Bangladesh, where Abubakar&#39;s books have found &quot;become a favourite&quot;, said fellow author Syed Mazharul Parvez.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;They can relate to these stories and are comfortable with the settings and language their protagonists speak,&quot; he said.</p>

<p><strong>Inspiring new writers</strong></p>

<p>Abubakar has inspired a new generation of Bangladeshi writers who are finding success with their own contemporary brand of Islamic fiction.</p>

<p>Popular writers like Abdus Salam Mitul, Kawser Ahmed and Abdul Alim ecohed Abubakar in their own tales of &quot;piety, conservative attitudes and decency&quot;, said Abubakar&#39;s son Mohammad Saifullah, a Dhaka-based publisher.</p>

<p>Mitul in particular shot to fame in the 2000s with his own story about a burqa-clad girl reminiscent of Abubakar&#39;s breakthrough &quot;The Blossomed Rose&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;I think a lot of people still think it was written by my father. But it was Mitul&#39;s work and it sold tens of thousands of copies,&quot; Saifullah joked.</p>

<p>Aspiring author Abdul Alim said Abubakar&#39;s works had motivated his own plotlines -- moral tales that in the end showed &quot;Islam has answers&quot; for society&#39;s ills.</p>

<p>&quot;He is such a talented story teller. He showed us the way,&quot; Alim said of Abubakar.</p>

<p>For Abubakar, his fans keep him busy even two years into retirement. At a bookstore recently the octogenarian signed autographs for his readers, many women in full-face veils clutching his titles.</p>

<p>The fan mail keeps the postman busy, too. Apart from the marriage proposals and overtures of love, Abubakar has received confessions from corrupt bureaucrats thanking him for steering them down the honest path, he said.</p>

<p>&quot;Everyday the postman would arrive with hundreds of letters. He became a permanent member of our family,&quot; Abubakar said.</p>

<p>(AFP)</p>


His tales of lovers whispering sweet nothings between calls to prayer sold millions in the 1980s and proved a huge hit among young girls from Bangladesh's rural, conservative heartland

Kasem bin Abubakar was told nobody would buy his chaste romance novels about devout young Muslims finding love within the strict moral confines of Bangladeshi society. And yet his tales of lovers whispering sweet nothings between calls to prayer sold millions in the 1980s and proved a huge hit among young girls from Bangladesh's rural, conservative heartland. Now his work is undergoing something of a renaissance as Bangladesh slides from the moderate Islam worshipped for generations to a more conservative interpretation of the scriptures. "Girls write me love letters with ink dipped in their own blood. Some were desperate to marry me" Abubakar told AFP, recounting his surprise at young women making a traditional gesture of intense devotion to a greying author. His debut novel "Futonto Golap" (Blossomed Rose), written more than three decades ago, has spawned an entire genre of fiction tinged with Islamic values. Abubakar was inspired to take up the pen in the late 1970s, when as a bookseller he lamented that most novels obsessed with the cosmopolitan lifestyles of modern, elite Bangladeshis. These secular tales were a world removed from the largely rural and pious village existence lived by the majority of Bangladesh's 160 million people, and Abubakar sensed a gap in the market ripe for his fiction. Mullah novels don't sell "He tapped into a new readership that nobody thought existed before," said Bangladeshi journalist Qadaruddin Shishir. "In rural villages, Abubakar's novels are the best gift a young lover can give to his fiancee." Abubakar wrote "The Blossomed Rose" -- a story about two mismatched young Muslims seeking consent for marriage from their families -- by hand in 1978, but it took almost a decade for a publisher to even look at it. "They told me 'mullah novels' don't sell," he said. Eventually he sold the copyright to a publisher for a mere 1,000 Taka (USD$12.50), and became an overnight sensation. Since his breakthrough, Abubakar has written dozens of works, most revolving around the mosque, veiled women and wayward youth abandoning so-called corrupt lifestyles after finding religion. Secular activists fear creeping conservatism could unwind many of the gains made by the impoverished nation in improving school attendance and gender equality. An ever-increasing number of students attend madrassas, or religious boarding schools, in Bangladesh, where Abubakar's books have found "become a favourite", said fellow author Syed Mazharul Parvez. "They can relate to these stories and are comfortable with the settings and language their protagonists speak," he said. Inspiring new writers Abubakar has inspired a new generation of Bangladeshi writers who are finding success with their own contemporary brand of Islamic fiction. Popular writers like Abdus Salam Mitul, Kawser Ahmed and Abdul Alim ecohed Abubakar in their own tales of "piety, conservative attitudes and decency", said Abubakar's son Mohammad Saifullah, a Dhaka-based publisher. Mitul in particular shot to fame in the 2000s with his own story about a burqa-clad girl reminiscent of Abubakar's breakthrough "The Blossomed Rose". "I think a lot of people still think it was written by my father. But it was Mitul's work and it sold tens of thousands of copies," Saifullah joked. Aspiring author Abdul Alim said Abubakar's works had motivated his own plotlines -- moral tales that in the end showed "Islam has answers" for society's ills. "He is such a talented story teller. He showed us the way," Alim said of Abubakar. For Abubakar, his fans keep him busy even two years into retirement. At a bookstore recently the octogenarian signed autographs for his readers, many women in full-face veils clutching his titles. The fan mail keeps the postman busy, too. Apart from the marriage proposals and overtures of love, Abubakar has received confessions from corrupt bureaucrats thanking him for steering them down the honest path, he said. "Everyday the postman would arrive with hundreds of letters. He became a permanent member of our family," Abubakar said. (AFP)

Islamic romance novels set hearts aflutter in Bangladesh

<p>Even in the testosterone-addled, maxed-out cricketing world of T20 cricket, scoring 92 runs off four deliveries seems like a distant dream.&nbsp;</p>

<p>But that is what happened in Bangladesh club cricket.</p>

<p>A club named Lalmatia Club gave away 92 runs in four legitimate deliveries, though the bowler sent down 20 balls for the opponent team to chase down 89-run target in the first over itself.</p>

<p>But several local media agencies reported that the Lalmatia Club players had an ulterior motive. Their bowler Sujon Mahmud deliberately hurled down rubbish across the 22 yards to mark their protest against biased umpiring in the second division league game.</p>

<p>The club&#39;s secretary Adnan Rahman said their captain was not allowed to see the result of the coin toss before the match and the team&#39;s batting performance was done in by a rash of poor umpiring decisions.</p>

<p>&quot;They tossed the coin and said &#39;Okay you bat&#39;. Very soon we found our team had lost five wickets for just 11 runs inside seven overs,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>So how did Lalmatia&#39;s opponents Axiom score 92 off 4 balls? The bowler sent down 13 wides and four no-balls, all of which went to the boundary costing his team 80 runs. And the four legal deliveries were dispatched by Axiom opener Mustafizur Rahman to the fence, thereby reaching 92 in 0.4 overs.</p>

<p>The Bangladesh Cricket Board, which organises club cricket in the country, has decided to launch an inquiry and take action against those responsible for reducing the match to a farcical affair.</p>

<p>&quot;We have asked match officials to submit a report in this regard. Once we&#39;ve received the report, we will launch a formal investigation,&quot; a BCB spokesperson said.</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


A Lalmatia Club bowler conceded those many runs to mark the outfit's protest against poor umpiring in a second division club cricket match

Even in the testosterone-addled, maxed-out cricketing world of T20 cricket, scoring 92 runs off four deliveries seems like a distant dream. But that is what happened in Bangladesh club cricket. A club named Lalmatia Club gave away 92 runs in four legitimate deliveries, though the bowler sent down 20 balls for the opponent team to chase down 89-run target in the first over itself. But several local media agencies reported that the Lalmatia Club players had an ulterior motive. Their bowler Sujon Mahmud deliberately hurled down rubbish across the 22 yards to mark their protest against biased umpiring in the second division league game. The club's secretary Adnan Rahman said their captain was not allowed to see the result of the coin toss before the match and the team's batting performance was done in by a rash of poor umpiring decisions. "They tossed the coin and said 'Okay you bat'. Very soon we found our team had lost five wickets for just 11 runs inside seven overs," he said. So how did Lalmatia's opponents Axiom score 92 off 4 balls? The bowler sent down 13 wides and four no-balls, all of which went to the boundary costing his team 80 runs. And the four legal deliveries were dispatched by Axiom opener Mustafizur Rahman to the fence, thereby reaching 92 in 0.4 overs. The Bangladesh Cricket Board, which organises club cricket in the country, has decided to launch an inquiry and take action against those responsible for reducing the match to a farcical affair. "We have asked match officials to submit a report in this regard. Once we've received the report, we will launch a formal investigation," a BCB spokesperson said. (WION)

Can you concede 92 runs in four balls? This Bangladesh cricket club just did

<p>Bangladesh Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, who is on a four-day visit to India, will hold bilateral talks with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meeting between the two leaders is expected to further strengthen&nbsp;and deepen the ties between the two neighbours.</p>

<p>More than 20 pacts are expected to be signed between the two countries after the delegation-level talks. Agreements in the areas of defence and civil nuclear cooperation are expected to be signed between the two countries, ANI reported.</p>

<p>India will also extend 500 million dollars to Bangladesh for defence purchases.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Train services involving West Bengal and Bangladesh and bus service connecting Kolkata and Dhaka will also be launched during the visit.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sheikh Hasina will attend &quot;Sommanona Ceremony&quot; in the evening along with her Indian counterpart to honour the Indian martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the liberation of Bangladesh.</p>

<p>Increased cooperation between India and Bangladesh has taken centrestage in the wake of spate of terrorist attacks in Bangladesh allegedly by Islamic State affiliates and fears of its spill over in India.</p>

<p>BIMSTEC has served as an important platform to coordinate anti-terror efforts between India and Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina had visited India last year to attend the BIMSTEC conference in Goa.</p>

<p>(WION with inputs from ANI)</p>


India will also extend 500 million dollars to Bangladesh for defence purchases

Bangladesh Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, who is on a four-day visit to India, will hold bilateral talks with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meeting between the two leaders is expected to further strengthen and deepen the ties between the two neighbours. More than 20 pacts are expected to be signed between the two countries after the delegation-level talks. Agreements in the areas of defence and civil nuclear cooperation are expected to be signed between the two countries, ANI reported. India will also extend 500 million dollars to Bangladesh for defence purchases. Train services involving West Bengal and Bangladesh and bus service connecting Kolkata and Dhaka will also be launched during the visit. Sheikh Hasina will attend "Sommanona Ceremony" in the evening along with her Indian counterpart to honour the Indian martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the liberation of Bangladesh. Increased cooperation between India and Bangladesh has taken centrestage in the wake of spate of terrorist attacks in Bangladesh allegedly by Islamic State affiliates and fears of its spill over in India. BIMSTEC has served as an important platform to coordinate anti-terror efforts between India and Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina had visited India last year to attend the BIMSTEC conference in Goa. (WION with inputs from ANI)

Modi-Hasina talks: More than 20 pacts to be signed, focus on defence and civil nuclear cooperation

<p>India and Bangladesh today held bilateral talks on a range of issues including civil nuclear cooperation.</p>

<p>Bangladesh&#39;s Prime Minster, Sheikh Hasina, who is on a four-day visit to India, held wide ranging talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.</p>

<p>The two leaders also discussed the issue of terrorism, with PM Modi expressing admiration for Sheikh Hasina&#39;s &quot;zero-tolerance&quot; policy to deal with terrorism.</p>

<p>&quot;We have the greatest admiration for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina&#39;s firm resolve in dealing with terrorism. Her government&#39;s &#39;zero-tolerance&#39; policy towards terrorism is an inspiration for all of us,&quot; said PM Modi at a joint media event with the Bangladesh PM.</p>

<p>The two countries also resolved to step up anti-terror cooperation. The Indian prime minister&nbsp;termed the&nbsp;spread of radicalism as a &quot;grave threat&quot;&nbsp;not only to the two countries but to the entire region.</p>

<p>&quot;While our partnership brings prosperity to our people, it also works to protect them from forces of radicalisation and extremism. Their spread poses a grave threat, not just to India and Bangladesh but to the entire region,&quot; PM Modi said.</p>

<p>Addressing a joint press conference, both the leaders expressed confidence in further strengthening ties between the two neighbours.</p>

<p>Both sides also signed 22 pacts in strategic areas of defence and civil nuclear cooperation, PTI reported.</p>

<p>India extended a 500 billion dollar line of credit to Bangladesh to buy military hardware.</p>

<p>Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced 4.5 billion dollars of concessional line of credit for implementation of projects in Bangladesh, PTI reported.<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
On the crucial issue of sharing of waters of Teesta river, Prime Minister Modi said that the issue was important for India-Bangladesh ties and assured his Bangladeshi counterpart of India&#39;s commitment to it, PTI said.</p>

<p>He said an &quot;early solution can and will be found&quot; to the Teesta water sharing issue.</p>

<p>The Indian prime minister and his Bangladeshi counterpart also inaugurated two rail and a road connectivity project via video conferencing.&quot;</p>

<p>The trial run of passenger train service between Bangladesh&#39;s Khulna city and Kolkata began today with the arrival of a train at Petrapole along the Indo-Bangla border.</p>

<p>Regular service between the Kolkata station and Khulna will commence in July, Railway officials said.<br />
<br />
The two leaders also released the Hindi translation of founding leader of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman&#39;s &quot;The Unfinished Memoirs,&quot;a glimpse into the life of an inspiring leader.&nbsp;The leaders also dedicated a road in Delhi to memory of Bangabandhu.</p>

<p>PM Modi and Sheikh Hasina&nbsp;subsequently honoured Indian soldiers martyred in 1971 war for the liberation of Bangladesh at a ceremony in the capital.</p>

<p>Narendra Modi hit out at Pakistan saying it breeds, inspires and encourages terrorism.<br />
<br />
&quot;There is one thought in South Asia which breeds, inspires and encourages terrorism. The thought whose priority is not humanity, but extremism and terrorism,&quot; Modi said, without naming Pakistan.<br />
<br />
Sheikh Hasina, whose Awami League is historically seen as more sympathetic to India than the arch-rival Bangladesh Nationalist Party, said the two countries will jointly produce a documentary on the 1971 War of Liberation of Bangladesh, a move that is likely to irk Pakistan.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Hasina is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led Bangladesh to independence from Pakistan in 1971.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The government says that up to three million people died in the independence war, many killed by Bangladeshis who collaborated with Pakistani forces.<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION with inputs from PTI)</p>


The two vowed to step up anti-terror cooperation. Modi said he admired Sheikh Hasina's 'zero-tolerance' policy to deal with terrorism

India and Bangladesh today held bilateral talks on a range of issues including civil nuclear cooperation. Bangladesh's Prime Minster, Sheikh Hasina, who is on a four-day visit to India, held wide ranging talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. The two leaders also discussed the issue of terrorism, with PM Modi expressing admiration for Sheikh Hasina's "zero-tolerance" policy to deal with terrorism. "We have the greatest admiration for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's firm resolve in dealing with terrorism. Her government's 'zero-tolerance' policy towards terrorism is an inspiration for all of us," said PM Modi at a joint media event with the Bangladesh PM. The two countries also resolved to step up anti-terror cooperation. The Indian prime minister termed the spread of radicalism as a "grave threat" not only to the two countries but to the entire region. "While our partnership brings prosperity to our people, it also works to protect them from forces of radicalisation and extremism. Their spread poses a grave threat, not just to India and Bangladesh but to the entire region," PM Modi said. Addressing a joint press conference, both the leaders expressed confidence in further strengthening ties between the two neighbours. Both sides also signed 22 pacts in strategic areas of defence and civil nuclear cooperation, PTI reported. India extended a 500 billion dollar line of credit to Bangladesh to buy military hardware. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced 4.5 billion dollars of concessional line of credit for implementation of projects in Bangladesh, PTI reported. On the crucial issue of sharing of waters of Teesta river, Prime Minister Modi said that the issue was important for India-Bangladesh ties and assured his Bangladeshi counterpart of India's commitment to it, PTI said. He said an "early solution can and will be found" to the Teesta water sharing issue. The Indian prime minister and his Bangladeshi counterpart also inaugurated two rail and a road connectivity project via video conferencing." The trial run of passenger train service between Bangladesh's Khulna city and Kolkata began today with the arrival of a train at Petrapole along the Indo-Bangla border. Regular service between the Kolkata station and Khulna will commence in July, Railway officials said. The two leaders also released the Hindi translation of founding leader of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's "The Unfinished Memoirs,"a glimpse into the life of an inspiring leader. The leaders also dedicated a road in Delhi to memory of Bangabandhu. PM Modi and Sheikh Hasina subsequently honoured Indian soldiers martyred in 1971 war for the liberation of Bangladesh at a ceremony in the capital. Narendra Modi hit out at Pakistan saying it breeds, inspires and encourages terrorism. "There is one thought in South Asia which breeds, inspires and encourages terrorism. The thought whose priority is not humanity, but extremism and terrorism," Modi said, without naming Pakistan. Sheikh Hasina, whose Awami League is historically seen as more sympathetic to India than the arch-rival Bangladesh Nationalist Party, said the two countries will jointly produce a documentary on the 1971 War of Liberation of Bangladesh, a move that is likely to irk Pakistan. Hasina is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led Bangladesh to independence from Pakistan in 1971. The government says that up to three million people died in the independence war, many killed by Bangladeshis who collaborated with Pakistani forces. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Modi-Hasina talks: 22 pacts signed in key areas including defence and civil nuclear cooperation

<p>The sane people in Bangladesh do not think that Bangladesh and India are enemies although since 1975, right wing political forces have tried to paint such a picture. Even today, some fringe elements in the Bangladeshi intelligentsia keep peddling such a narrative to an audience that thrives on this.</p>

<p>However, over the past several years, the sensible quarters of the civil society and media have been able to reassert, by and large, the objective narrative of mutual trust and the benefits of Bangladesh-India cooperation and the need for strengthening it. India didn&rsquo;t do anything in the last 46 years that shows New Delhi&#39;s intent to gobble up Bangladesh. Nor it is possible. False fear mongering and small neighbour mentality are out.</p>

<p>There are big economic and political changes taking place in the region and beyond. It is an ongoing geopolitical game and all the interested parties are trying to get the most out of it through conventional non-violent means i.e. strategic posturing, economic cooperation, diplomacy, etc.</p>

<p>Unlike in the past, today, bigger domestic constituencies of leading developing countries are getting increasingly interested in their nations&#39; regional and global standings. Therefore, alongside international politics and security, other factors such as economic benefits, regional or international stature and even domestic politics have become important determinants of bilateral and multilateral relationship between countries.</p>

<p>Since the Narendra Modi-led Hindu nationalist BJP government came to power in India in 2014, riding on the development plank, India-Bangladesh relationship needed a reboot. The secular Awami League under Sheikh Hasina, with a history of good relations with the secular Indian National Congress, continued to be in power in Dhaka for a second term.</p>

<p>Both the governments realised that inter-state relations come ahead of inter-party relations across the border and thus developed a good working relationship. Moreover, Bangladesh and India have a shared history and commonalities of culture, not to mention the huge volume of bilateral trade and other interactions.</p>

<p>However, Bangladesh is an aspirational country and it is already the world&rsquo;s 31st largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity. It has a big population with a large number of young people who want jobs and a good life. Therefore, when it comes to economy, Bangladesh, like other Least Developed Countries (LDCs), needs more FDI in infrastructure, manufacturing, processing industries and other fields. As the western, Japanese and West Asian finances are drying out, China is fast stepping into that vacuum. It has overtaken India as the largest trading partner of Bangladesh. Bangladesh&#39;s military is also dependent on Chinese supply of military hardware as those are of reasonable standards and are affordable.</p>

<p>Bangladesh&rsquo;s cosiness with China seems to have puzzled India, Beijing&#39;s geopolitical competitor. It is a different matter that India is currently utilising China&rsquo;s economic rise and has replaced Pakistan as China&#39;s largest trade partner in South Asia.</p>

<p>To nullify the Bangladesh-China intimacy, India has proposed a long-term defence cooperation pact with Bangladesh which&nbsp;&nbsp;involves purchasing Indian military armaments, various military-to-military cooperation measures like training, capacity building, joint exercises, etc.</p>

<p>Much has not been disclosed but there is a sense that India would also seek a deeper military strategic alliance. This would serve the Modi government very well as the overall security and geopolitical rise of India are key promises made by Modi. If successful, this defence agreement with Bangladesh would help Modi in his 2019 re-election bid. He can then claim that he has been successful in &lsquo;isolating Pakistan in South Asia&rsquo; and &lsquo;resisting China in this part of South Asia&rsquo;.</p>

<p>What does this mean for Bangladesh and the Awami League government?</p>

<p>Bangladesh doesn&rsquo;t need Indian armaments which are not known for their quality although Dhaka may wish to reduce its dependence on Chinese armaments, owing to China&rsquo;s proximity to Myanmar. But for that, Dhaka would do better to look at Russia or Eastern Europe.</p>

<p>The Awami League government of Bangladesh, unlike the BJP in India, will be significantly embarrassed in the domestic political sphere if this agreement goes through. Its detractors have long accused it as a pro-India party.&nbsp;&nbsp;Moreover, Bangladesh still has important unresolved issues with India like water sharing of the Teesta and other rivers.</p>

<p>India also did not support Bangladesh on the humanitarian Rohingya issue, considering its own geostrategic interest in Myanmar. Most importantly, a comprehensive India-Bangladesh defence pact would inevitably raise the obvious question as to who the pact is against. It will send China, Bangladesh&rsquo;s strategic economic partner, a wrong signal. Beijing has just committed to invest a whopping $27 billion in Bangladesh while indicating that it could invest another $13 billion in the private sector. Bangladesh, therefore, will do well to keep out of the India-China geopolitical competition and engage in economic ties with both.</p>

<p>The Modi government made the lingering Land Boundary Agreement a reality and allowed more Bangladeshi products to reach the Indian markets without tariff. Bangladesh actively and consistently went after hideouts of northeast Indian insurgents along its border. Bangladesh will probably reciprocate by allowing India&rsquo;s landlocked northeast region to use its seaports for a reasonable fee.</p>

<p>Bangladesh doesn&rsquo;t consider India as an enemy but it is surrounded by the country on three sides. The adjacent northeastern region of India is a highly militarised zone and keeps Bangladesh wary at all times. It is also difficult for Bangladesh to gauge the direction of India&#39;s domestic politics in the light of anti-Bangladesh rhetoric, specially on immigrants, used in previous general elections. India&rsquo;s record of politico-military involvement in Sri Lanka also doesn&#39;t help.</p>

<p>Many Bangladeshis are worried about the state of Muslims in India as news of discrimination and persecution by Hindutva activists keep making news. On the other hand, Bangladesh&rsquo;s current relationship with Pakistan is moving from bad to worse. Currently, Bangladesh&rsquo;s relationship with the rest of the Islamic world is less cosy than in the past for obvious reasons. Even though India and Bangladesh share a warm relationship at present, Bangladesh doesn&rsquo;t want to put all its eggs in the same basket by aligning too closely with the saffron dispensation in New Delhi.</p>

<p>Therefore, neither Bangladesh wants acrimony with India nor does it need any defence cooperation. It&rsquo;s better that Bangladesh&rsquo;s defence remains independent of India. Rather, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on friendly coexistence and cooperation in countering terrorism and extremism would be a fair shot for both the countries. Hopefully, the Indian government would understand Bangladesh&rsquo;s conundrum and would settle for something sustainable for both the sides.</p>


Dhaka and New Delhi should instead agree on friendly coexistence and cooperation in countering terrorism

The sane people in Bangladesh do not think that Bangladesh and India are enemies although since 1975, right wing political forces have tried to paint such a picture. Even today, some fringe elements in the Bangladeshi intelligentsia keep peddling such a narrative to an audience that thrives on this. However, over the past several years, the sensible quarters of the civil society and media have been able to reassert, by and large, the objective narrative of mutual trust and the benefits of Bangladesh-India cooperation and the need for strengthening it. India didn’t do anything in the last 46 years that shows New Delhi's intent to gobble up Bangladesh. Nor it is possible. False fear mongering and small neighbour mentality are out. There are big economic and political changes taking place in the region and beyond. It is an ongoing geopolitical game and all the interested parties are trying to get the most out of it through conventional non-violent means i.e. strategic posturing, economic cooperation, diplomacy, etc. Unlike in the past, today, bigger domestic constituencies of leading developing countries are getting increasingly interested in their nations' regional and global standings. Therefore, alongside international politics and security, other factors such as economic benefits, regional or international stature and even domestic politics have become important determinants of bilateral and multilateral relationship between countries. Since the Narendra Modi-led Hindu nationalist BJP government came to power in India in 2014, riding on the development plank, India-Bangladesh relationship needed a reboot. The secular Awami League under Sheikh Hasina, with a history of good relations with the secular Indian National Congress, continued to be in power in Dhaka for a second term. Both the governments realised that inter-state relations come ahead of inter-party relations across the border and thus developed a good working relationship. Moreover, Bangladesh and India have a shared history and commonalities of culture, not to mention the huge volume of bilateral trade and other interactions. However, Bangladesh is an aspirational country and it is already the world’s 31st largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity. It has a big population with a large number of young people who want jobs and a good life. Therefore, when it comes to economy, Bangladesh, like other Least Developed Countries (LDCs), needs more FDI in infrastructure, manufacturing, processing industries and other fields. As the western, Japanese and West Asian finances are drying out, China is fast stepping into that vacuum. It has overtaken India as the largest trading partner of Bangladesh. Bangladesh's military is also dependent on Chinese supply of military hardware as those are of reasonable standards and are affordable. Bangladesh’s cosiness with China seems to have puzzled India, Beijing's geopolitical competitor. It is a different matter that India is currently utilising China’s economic rise and has replaced Pakistan as China's largest trade partner in South Asia. To nullify the Bangladesh-China intimacy, India has proposed a long-term defence cooperation pact with Bangladesh which involves purchasing Indian military armaments, various military-to-military cooperation measures like training, capacity building, joint exercises, etc. Much has not been disclosed but there is a sense that India would also seek a deeper military strategic alliance. This would serve the Modi government very well as the overall security and geopolitical rise of India are key promises made by Modi. If successful, this defence agreement with Bangladesh would help Modi in his 2019 re-election bid. He can then claim that he has been successful in ‘isolating Pakistan in South Asia’ and ‘resisting China in this part of South Asia’. What does this mean for Bangladesh and the Awami League government? Bangladesh doesn’t need Indian armaments which are not known for their quality although Dhaka may wish to reduce its dependence on Chinese armaments, owing to China’s proximity to Myanmar. But for that, Dhaka would do better to look at Russia or Eastern Europe. The Awami League government of Bangladesh, unlike the BJP in India, will be significantly embarrassed in the domestic political sphere if this agreement goes through. Its detractors have long accused it as a pro-India party. Moreover, Bangladesh still has important unresolved issues with India like water sharing of the Teesta and other rivers. India also did not support Bangladesh on the humanitarian Rohingya issue, considering its own geostrategic interest in Myanmar. Most importantly, a comprehensive India-Bangladesh defence pact would inevitably raise the obvious question as to who the pact is against. It will send China, Bangladesh’s strategic economic partner, a wrong signal. Beijing has just committed to invest a whopping $27 billion in Bangladesh while indicating that it could invest another $13 billion in the private sector. Bangladesh, therefore, will do well to keep out of the India-China geopolitical competition and engage in economic ties with both. The Modi government made the lingering Land Boundary Agreement a reality and allowed more Bangladeshi products to reach the Indian markets without tariff. Bangladesh actively and consistently went after hideouts of northeast Indian insurgents along its border. Bangladesh will probably reciprocate by allowing India’s landlocked northeast region to use its seaports for a reasonable fee. Bangladesh doesn’t consider India as an enemy but it is surrounded by the country on three sides. The adjacent northeastern region of India is a highly militarised zone and keeps Bangladesh wary at all times. It is also difficult for Bangladesh to gauge the direction of India's domestic politics in the light of anti-Bangladesh rhetoric, specially on immigrants, used in previous general elections. India’s record of politico-military involvement in Sri Lanka also doesn't help. Many Bangladeshis are worried about the state of Muslims in India as news of discrimination and persecution by Hindutva activists keep making news. On the other hand, Bangladesh’s current relationship with Pakistan is moving from bad to worse. Currently, Bangladesh’s relationship with the rest of the Islamic world is less cosy than in the past for obvious reasons. Even though India and Bangladesh share a warm relationship at present, Bangladesh doesn’t want to put all its eggs in the same basket by aligning too closely with the saffron dispensation in New Delhi. Therefore, neither Bangladesh wants acrimony with India nor does it need any defence cooperation. It’s better that Bangladesh’s defence remains independent of India. Rather, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on friendly coexistence and cooperation in countering terrorism and extremism would be a fair shot for both the countries. Hopefully, the Indian government would understand Bangladesh’s conundrum and would settle for something sustainable for both the sides.

Why a long-term defence pact with India is not in Bangladesh?s interest

<p>A senior army officer who headed the intelligence wing of Bangladesh&#39;s elite security force died Friday, days after he was injured in a bomb attack claimed by the Islamic State group.</p>

<p>Lieutenant Colonel Abul Kalam Azad was on life support and flown to Singapore on Sunday a day after he was critically injured in an explosion near a militant hideout.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He was flown back to Dhaka Wednesday and admitted to a military hospital after his condition remained unchanged.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;He died very early on Friday,&quot; Mizanur Rahman Bhuiyan, a spokesman of the Rapid Action Battalion told AFP.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Bangladesh prides itself on being a mainly moderate Muslim country. But that perception has been damaged by a series of gruesome killings of atheist bloggers, foreigners and religious minorities.</p>

<p>Colonel Azad, 41, was the intelligence director of the RAB, which has been at the forefront of Bangladesh&#39;s fight against Islamist militancy.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He was the highest ranked military officer to have been killed in the country&#39;s more than a decade-long fight against Islamist extremism.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On Saturday six people including two police officers were killed in twin explosions that targeted a crowd and security officers who were watching army commandos storming an Islamist hideout in the northeastern city of Sylhet.&nbsp;</p>

<p>IS took credit for the attack while the Bangladeshi government and police blamed the blast on a homegrown Islamist militant outfit.&nbsp;</p>

<p>About a dozen more police and security officers were also injured in the attack.&nbsp;Army commandos said they later shot dead four Islamist extremists including one of their top leaders after a three-day gunfight.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On Thursday police&#39;s counter-terrorism officers and SWAT raided another Islamist hideout in a village in the northeast and found bodies of up to eight people. Police believed they blew themselves up in an explosion to avoid being arrested.</p>

<p>There has been a resurgence of extremist attacks in recent weeks in the Muslim-majority nation of 160 million after a relative lull since five IS-linked gunmen killed 22 people including 18 foreign hostages at a Dhaka cafe on July 1.</p>

<p>Since the cafe attack, security forces have launched a nationwide crackdown on Islamist extremist groups, killing around 60 suspected militants.</p>

<p>(AFP)</p>


Colonel Azad was the highest ranked military officer to have been killed in the country's more than 10-year fight against Islamist militancy

A senior army officer who headed the intelligence wing of Bangladesh's elite security force died Friday, days after he was injured in a bomb attack claimed by the Islamic State group. Lieutenant Colonel Abul Kalam Azad was on life support and flown to Singapore on Sunday a day after he was critically injured in an explosion near a militant hideout. He was flown back to Dhaka Wednesday and admitted to a military hospital after his condition remained unchanged. "He died very early on Friday," Mizanur Rahman Bhuiyan, a spokesman of the Rapid Action Battalion told AFP. Bangladesh prides itself on being a mainly moderate Muslim country. But that perception has been damaged by a series of gruesome killings of atheist bloggers, foreigners and religious minorities. Colonel Azad, 41, was the intelligence director of the RAB, which has been at the forefront of Bangladesh's fight against Islamist militancy. He was the highest ranked military officer to have been killed in the country's more than a decade-long fight against Islamist extremism. On Saturday six people including two police officers were killed in twin explosions that targeted a crowd and security officers who were watching army commandos storming an Islamist hideout in the northeastern city of Sylhet. IS took credit for the attack while the Bangladeshi government and police blamed the blast on a homegrown Islamist militant outfit. About a dozen more police and security officers were also injured in the attack. Army commandos said they later shot dead four Islamist extremists including one of their top leaders after a three-day gunfight. On Thursday police's counter-terrorism officers and SWAT raided another Islamist hideout in a village in the northeast and found bodies of up to eight people. Police believed they blew themselves up in an explosion to avoid being arrested. There has been a resurgence of extremist attacks in recent weeks in the Muslim-majority nation of 160 million after a relative lull since five IS-linked gunmen killed 22 people including 18 foreign hostages at a Dhaka cafe on July 1. Since the cafe attack, security forces have launched a nationwide crackdown on Islamist extremist groups, killing around 60 suspected militants. (AFP)

Top Bangladesh army officer dies from IS-claimed blast

<p>Two terrorists have been killed in&nbsp;the counter-terror operation that is still on at Sylhet in Bangladesh as&nbsp;terrorists have been holed up for four days.</p>

<p>&quot;Terrorists are very well trained and armed. There maybe one or more terrorists still inside,&quot;&nbsp;said Brig Gen Fakhrul Ahsan of Bangladesh Army in a press briefing on Sunday.</p>

<p>Earlier, Bangladesh Army spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Rashidul Hasan said that the commando forces are maintaining caution in the conduct of the &quot;operation twilight&quot; as they apprehend the terrorists have planted improvised explosive devices in the five-storied building they have been staying. The&nbsp;casualties&nbsp;and damage that the IEDs can cause cannot be ascertained.</p>

<p>At least six persons&nbsp;have been killed and 44 persons were injured in suicide bomb blast on Saturday&nbsp;evening. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack carried out just outside the perimeter cordoned by security forces.</p>

<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="431" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xzZHyvpukns" width="798"></iframe></p>

<p>The injured have been moved to the MAG Osmani Medical College and Hospital. The hospital&#39;s deputy director Debapada Roy told WION that six persons have succumbed to their injuries and 44 persons, including civilians and security personnel have been wounded from Saturday&#39;s bomb blast.</p>

<p>Among the wounded Lieutenant Colonel Abul Kalam Azad, head of the intelligence wing of Rapid Action Battalion is still in critical condition. He&nbsp;will be taken to Singapore for better treatment.</p>

<p>On the ground platoons of commando forces stand guard and an emergency has been imposed within the vicinity.</p>

<p>The armed forces evacuated 28 families comprising of 78 members from the five-storied building before launching assault operation.</p>

<p>Military ambulances and bomb disposal units have been kept on stand by.</p>

<p>On Friday suicide bomber blew up himself at a police checkpost near the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka. The suicide blast occurred in space of a week into another suicide blast carried out at the demarcated premise for the future headquarters of the Rapid Action Battalion.</p>

<p>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is due to visit India on April 7 when major defence and security agreements are likely to be signed. Security analysts have told WION the recent attacks including the 72-hour standoff so far in Sylhet counter terrorist operation will influence the agreements that will be signed between India and Bangladesh.</p>

<p>(WION)<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Massive counter-terrorist operation underway. Gunshots exchanged and explosions heard in intervals, reports Saad Hammadi

Two terrorists have been killed in the counter-terror operation that is still on at Sylhet in Bangladesh as terrorists have been holed up for four days. "Terrorists are very well trained and armed. There maybe one or more terrorists still inside," said Brig Gen Fakhrul Ahsan of Bangladesh Army in a press briefing on Sunday. Earlier, Bangladesh Army spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Rashidul Hasan said that the commando forces are maintaining caution in the conduct of the "operation twilight" as they apprehend the terrorists have planted improvised explosive devices in the five-storied building they have been staying. The casualties and damage that the IEDs can cause cannot be ascertained. At least six persons have been killed and 44 persons were injured in suicide bomb blast on Saturday evening. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack carried out just outside the perimeter cordoned by security forces. The injured have been moved to the MAG Osmani Medical College and Hospital. The hospital's deputy director Debapada Roy told WION that six persons have succumbed to their injuries and 44 persons, including civilians and security personnel have been wounded from Saturday's bomb blast. Among the wounded Lieutenant Colonel Abul Kalam Azad, head of the intelligence wing of Rapid Action Battalion is still in critical condition. He will be taken to Singapore for better treatment. On the ground platoons of commando forces stand guard and an emergency has been imposed within the vicinity. The armed forces evacuated 28 families comprising of 78 members from the five-storied building before launching assault operation. Military ambulances and bomb disposal units have been kept on stand by. On Friday suicide bomber blew up himself at a police checkpost near the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka. The suicide blast occurred in space of a week into another suicide blast carried out at the demarcated premise for the future headquarters of the Rapid Action Battalion. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is due to visit India on April 7 when major defence and security agreements are likely to be signed. Security analysts have told WION the recent attacks including the 72-hour standoff so far in Sylhet counter terrorist operation will influence the agreements that will be signed between India and Bangladesh. (WION)

Bangladesh: Two terrorists killed as anti-terror operation in Sylhet continues for fourth day

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