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The death of democracy in Bangladesh

Despite everything, voters turnout in Bangladesh election today is below 40%. The free & fair election under a neutral caretaker government had been held last time in Bangladesh in 2008 - Voters turnout was 87.13%. So, majority of Bangladeshi voters has boycotted the election.
 
Bangladesh election: PM Sheikh Hasina wins fourth term in controversial vote

Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has secured her fourth straight term in a controversial election.

Ms Hasina will serve another five years in office after her party the Awami League and its allies won at least 152 of 300 parliamentary seats contested.

With the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party boycotting the poll, Ms Hasina's party and allies are expected to win the remaining seats as well.

The BNP alleged the poll was a sham.

Sunday's result comes after mass arrests of BNP leaders and supporters.

Official figures suggested a low voter turnout of about 40%, though critics say even those numbers may be inflated.

Independents, almost all of them from the Awami League itself, won 45 seats and the Jatiya Party won eight seats. Results are expected to be announced officially later on Monday.

It is the fifth term in total for Ms Hasina, who first became prime minister in 1996 and was re-elected in 2009, remaining in power since.

"I am trying my best to ensure that democracy should continue in this country," she told reporters as she cast her vote.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) estimates that nearly 10,000 activists were arrested after an opposition rally on 28 October turned violent, resulting in the deaths of at least 16 people and injuring more than 5,500. It accused the government of "filling prisons with the ruling Awami League's political opponents".

The Awami League has denied these accusations.


 

Sheikh Hasina wins fifth term in Bangladesh amid turnout controversy​


Instead of any political party, independent candidates secured a total of 63 seats, the second highest after Hasina’s Awami League (AL), which won 222, creating a problem of finding a parliamentary opposition.

The current opposition, the Jatiya Party, managed to secure just 11 of the 300 parliamentary seats, according to the Election Commission.

Almost all the winning independent contenders were people who had been rejected by the AL but were asked by the party leadership to stand as “dummy candidates” to give the election a competitive veneer in front of the world.

“This is a bizarre outcome of a bizarre election,” Shahidul Alam, a renowned Bangladeshi rights activist and photographer, told Al Jazeera. “Dummy candidates in a dummy election will now lead to a dummy parliament.”

Shunned by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) – the AL’s main political opponent – which wanted the balloting held under a neutral entity instead of Hasina’s administration, Sunday’s “one-sided election” was just a “mere formality” to put Hasina back in power again, analysts say.

The only suspense, they added, was voter turnout, after Western governments put pressure on Hasina’s government to ensure a free, fair and participatory poll.

After polling closed at 4pm (10:00 GMT on Sunday), the Election Commission (EC) said turnout was 40 percent.

But many were doubtful it was even that high.

Source: Al Jazeera
 
UN urges Bangladesh to change course after controversial vote

The UN rights chief on Monday condemned the violence and repression during controversial elections in Bangladesh that were boycotted by the opposition, urging the country to strengthen democracy.

Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina secured her fifth term in power following Sunday’s vote, after the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) called a general strike and, along with dozens of others, refused to participate.

“I implore the government to take the necessary steps to ensure that the human rights of all Bangladeshis are fully taken into account, and to strengthen the underpinnings of a truly inclusive democracy,” Volker Turk said in a statement.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights pointed out that “thousands of opposition supporters have been detained arbitrarily or subjected to intimidation”.

“Such tactics are not conducive to a truly genuine process,” he warned.

Hasina has presided over breakneck economic growth in a country once beset by grinding poverty, but her government has been accused of rampant human rights abuses and a ruthless crackdown on dissent.

Turk said that mass arrests, threats, enforced disappearances, blackmailing and surveillance were all methods reportedly used by law enforcement officials in the months leading up to the vote.

He also lamented reported acts of political violence, including arson attacks allegedly committed by opposition groups.

“Around 25,000 opposition supporters have been arrested, including key party leaders, since October 28,” the statement said, adding that at least 10 of them had reportedly died or been killed in custody.

This, it cautioned, raises “serious concerns about possible torture or harsh conditions of detention”.

Many rights defenders had meanwhile been forced to go into hiding and even flee the country, while dozens of people had reportedly been victims of enforced disappearances.

“These incidents must be independently investigated, and those responsible must be brought to justice in fair and transparent trials,” Turk said.

“Violations and irregularities during the campaign and on election day itself should also be thoroughly and effectively investigated.”

The UN rights chief highlighted that “democracy was hard won in Bangladesh and must not become cosmetic”.

“The future of all Bangladeshis is at stake.”



 
The US and UK say Bangladesh's elections extending Hasina's rule were not credible

The United States and the United Kingdom said the elections that extended Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s rule were not credible, free and fair.

Both countries, which have trade and development ties with Bangladesh, also condemned political violence that preceded Sunday's election in which Hasina’s party won more than two-thirds of the parliamentary seats while turnout was low and the main opposition party boycotted.

“The United States remains concerned by the arrests of thousands of political opposition members and by reports of irregularities on elections day. The United States shares the view with other observers that these elections were not free or fair and we regret that not all parties participated,” State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller said from Washington.

He urged Bangladesh's government to credibly investigate reports of violence and hold those responsible accountable.

The U.K. said the democratic standards were not met consistently in the lead-up to the election.

“Democratic elections depend on credible, open, and fair competition. Respect for human rights, rule of law and due process are essential elements of the democratic process. These standards were not consistently met during the election period. We are concerned at the significant number of arrests of opposition party members before polling day,” the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in the statement.

The U.S. statement said it remains “committed to partnering with Bangladesh to advance our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific, to supporting human rights and civil society in Bangladesh, and to deepening our people-to-people and economic ties.”

Bangladesh is an important partner of the U.S. interest in the Indo-Pacific region along with neighboring India amid growing influence of China.

China, Russia, India and some other countries congratulated Hasina for the victory and pledged to continue to partner with the South Asian nation.

The statements came after Hasina said at a news conference Monday that the elections were free and fair.

Her ruling Awami League won 222 seats of 299 contested. Independent candidates took 62, while the Jatiya Party, the third largest, took 11 seats and three smaller parties got 3 seats. The result in one seat remained undeclared. The election of one seat was postponed because a candidate died.

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and its allies boycotted the election, and voter turnout was a low 41.8%. While election day was relatively calm, a wave of violence preceded the vote.

Zia's party said more than 20,000 supporters had been arrested since Oct. 28 when an anti-government rally turned violent in Dhaka. The government disputed the figures and said arrests were for specific charges such as arson and vandalism.

Bangladesh has a history of political violence, military coups and assassinations. Hasina and Zia governed the country alternately for many years, cementing a feud that has since polarized Bangladesh’s politics and fueled violence around elections. This year’s vote raised questions over its credibility when there are no major challengers to take on the incumbent.


Source: AP News
 

Sheikh Hasina wins fifth term in Bangladesh amid turnout controversy​


Instead of any political party, independent candidates secured a total of 63 seats, the second highest after Hasina’s Awami League (AL), which won 222, creating a problem of finding a parliamentary opposition.

The current opposition, the Jatiya Party, managed to secure just 11 of the 300 parliamentary seats, according to the Election Commission.

Almost all the winning independent contenders were people who had been rejected by the AL but were asked by the party leadership to stand as “dummy candidates” to give the election a competitive veneer in front of the world.

“This is a bizarre outcome of a bizarre election,” Shahidul Alam, a renowned Bangladeshi rights activist and photographer, told Al Jazeera. “Dummy candidates in a dummy election will now lead to a dummy parliament.”

Shunned by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) – the AL’s main political opponent – which wanted the balloting held under a neutral entity instead of Hasina’s administration, Sunday’s “one-sided election” was just a “mere formality” to put Hasina back in power again, analysts say.

The only suspense, they added, was voter turnout, after Western governments put pressure on Hasina’s government to ensure a free, fair and participatory poll.

After polling closed at 4pm (10:00 GMT on Sunday), the Election Commission (EC) said turnout was 40 percent.

But many were doubtful it was even that high.

Source: Al Jazeera


Amid allegations of Indian interference in national elections, there’s a call to boycott Indian goods in Bangladesh.

Last week, a supplier for the Indian consumer goods giant Marico faced a chilly reception in Dhaka’s Panthapath area. Grocery shops, usually eager to stock their shelves with its hair oil, cooking oil, body lotion and other products, refused to take new deliveries.

"Sales of Parachute oil, a Marico bestseller, have plummeted to almost zero in recent weeks,” local shopkeeper Aman Ullah said. “Indian products just aren’t moving. We’re stuck with unsold stock and won’t be restocking.”

Another shop owner who requested anonymity revealed a deeper reason: “I don’t want to sell Indian products any more.” He cited YouTube videos advocating a boycott of Indian goods, which he wholeheartedly supported.

Simmering anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh has boiled over in the past decade, culminating in public displays such as celebrations in Dhaka last year after India’s loss in the Cricket World Cup final.

But after last month’s elections in Bangladesh, in which Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina secured a fourth term while the opposition boycotted the polls, a massive “India Out” campaign was launched, alleging Indian interference in Bangladesh politics.

The Bangladeshi diaspora and opposition groups have fuelled this anti-India movement and advocated boycotts of Indian products. This movement mirrors similar campaigns in the Maldives, where Mohamed Muizzu capitalized on anti-India sentiment to win the presidential election.

In Dhaka, the campaign was launched against the backdrop of India’s traditionally strong ties with Hasina’s government and its strained relationship with the opposition, leading many to believe India favoured the status quo.

Exiled Bangladeshi physician Pinaki Bhattacharya, who fled alleged government harassment in 2018, has emerged as the key figure in this burgeoning social media movement accusing India of interfering in Bangladesh’s recent elections to keep Hasina in power.

Through his more than two million followers across social media platforms, Bhattacharya launched the #BoycottIndia campaign in mid-January, urging them to join “this monumental endeavour”. His call, emphasizing love of homeland and determination to break free from perceived shackles, resonated with thousands.

The anti-India movement has surged online, fuelled by user-generated content. Photos of crossed-out Indian products like Amul butter and Dabur honey are circulating alongside barcode identification tips to boycott these goods. A single post highlighting the 890 prefix used in barcodes for Indian products garnered more than 1,000 shares, showcasing the movement’s online reach.

The Indian High Commission in Dhaka declined Al Jazeera’s request for a comment on this anti-India campaign.

At a Mumbai forum on January 30 with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, attendees raised concerns about India’s foreign policy amid perceived shifts in regional dynamics, particularly the growing pull of major rival China on neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and the Maldives.

Jaishankar downplayed concerns about foreign policy shortcomings but conceded the competitive reality. He pointed out that China’s geographical proximity naturally grants it influence over neighbouring countries like the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

State Minister of Information and Broadcasting and lawmaker from the ruling Awami League Mohammad A Arafat, too, dismissed the concerns saying Bangladesh had received global attention because of the unprecedented fact of a fourth term for the ruling government.

“If I have to talk about other country’s interest in our local politics, then the first name I would mention is the United States which even declared a Visa restriction policy based on Bangladesh election. On the other hand, India, from the very onset officially stated that Bangladesh’s election is its internal matter and it has no say in it,” Arafat said.

Obaidul Quader, general secretary of Awami League told Al Jazeera that the “India out” campaign is run by opposition parties who instead of taking part in the election blaming “India for their misfortune.”

“They [the opposition parties] have this trump card of bashing India if anything goes against them,” said Quader, “I don’t think common people of Bangladesh support this campaign. They know that Awami League will never work against the interest of people.”

The burgeoning anti-India campaign, meanwhile, is finding traction within Bangladesh’s domestic political landscape, raising concerns about potentially destabilising Bangladesh’s economy and impacting regional relations.

Gono Odhikar Parishad, a rising political force aligned with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led opposition, is promoting the boycott movement. Party leader Nurul Haque Nur declared at a recent rally in Dhaka that “We all have to start an ‘India Out’ campaign'” while alleging Indian interference in the recent elections.

Rumeen Farhana, international affairs secretary of the BNP, told Al Jazeera that the people of Bangladesh never liked India’s interference in Bangladesh politics. “It’s now crystal clear that India did everything possible to keep the regime in power since 2014,” she alleged.

Resentment against India reached a boiling point in Bangladesh after Hasina’s Awami League secured a resounding victory in the January 7 elections, capturing 223 seats out of 300 in parliament. Critics alleged the process lacked legitimacy due to the opposition’s boycott and the presence of numerous Awami League-backed independent candidates, raising questions about the fairness of the vote.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered swift congratulations to both Hasina and “the people of Bangladesh for the successful conduct of elections”, endorsing the outcome. In contrast, Western governments expressed reservations, highlighting the boycott and the lack of a strong opposition presence.

Farhana said anti-India public sentiment in Bangladesh goes beyond politics. “The border killing, unresolved water sharing of 53 rivers including Teesta, trade deficit all play roles to that,” she said.

Around 1,276 Bangladeshis have been killed and 1,183 injured by India’s border forces since 2010, according to human rights organisation Odhikar. Then there are the decades-old unresolved water-sharing agreements for 53 transboundary rivers in addition to Bangladesh’s massive trade deficit with India, all of which have raised concerns about Bangladesh’s sovereignty and economic independence.

Ali Riaz, distinguished professor of politics and government at Illinois State University, told Al Jazeera that India’s unqualified support of the Awami League and Hasina during the 2024 elections has raised questions among many citizens about “whether it has compromised the country’s sovereignty”.

However, Sreeradha Datta, a professor at the Jindal School of International Affairs in Sonepat, India, refuted the claims of India’s “unqualified support” and said the Awami League was “creative in going past the polls even if India [had] not agree[d] to recognise the election”.

“China and so many others congratulated PM Hasina right after the election, so would that make any difference if India didn’t support it?” she asked.

Analysts, meanwhile, pointed out that boycotting Indian goods could have major repercussions for the economic relationship between the two countries.

India is a major exporter to Bangladesh with annual trade historically exceeding $12bn. Additionally, Bangladesh relies heavily on India for essential commodities, and the two governments are currently in talks on an annual quota of imports of Indian farm products.

Calling the anti-India campaign a “political stunt”, Munshi Faiz Ahmed, former chairman of the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies, a state-funded think tank, told Al Jazeera that the economic fallout of boycotting Indian products will be more severe for Bangladesh.

“I don’t think any rational Bangladeshi would opt for taking part in this campaign. India is our neighbouring country, and we are heavily dependent on them for our everyday essentials like rice and onions. We are dependent because we get those products at the cheapest prices because of geographical proximity,” Ahmed said, adding that sourcing those products from somewhere else would cost much more.

Jyoti Rahman, an Australia-based economist told Al Jazeera that the “India Out” movement may be politically important to the extent that “it sends a strong message to the Indian policymakers” about growing discontent in Bangladesh but the “economic effects are less clear cut”.

Rahman pointed out that despite being India’s fourth largest export destination, Bangladesh still comprises about 3.5 percent of the Indian export market. “Even if all exports to Bangladesh stopped, it probably wouldn’t significantly affect the Indian economy as these products would find a market elsewhere,” Rahman said.

On the other hand, he said, a fifth of Bangladeshi imports are from India, including essentials such as cotton for the garment manufacturing sector, cereals and produce such as onions. “[Looking at] other sources of imports for these products could stoke inflation further,” Rahman said.

However, he highlighted the potential political effectiveness of boycotting non-essential items like tourism, cultural imports like Bollywood movies and consumer products, which he said could benefit domestic industries.

The overwhelming dependence of Bangladesh on India also means that “Indian businesses are vulnerable if such a movement gains traction and support”, Riaz said.

Even if the economic impacts are limited or not immediate, the boycotts will contribute to the public discourse on the role of India in Bangladeshi politics and highlight the unequal relationship, he said. “This is no less important.”

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

 
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A massive fire in Bangladesh that raged through a six-storey building home to restaurants where many families with children were dining has killed at least 46 people and injured dozens, the health minister said on Friday.

Fire authorities said a gas leak or a stove could have caused Thursday's blaze in the capital, which spread quickly after breaking out in a biryani restaurant, and was only reined in following two hours of effort by 13 units of firefighters.

Hospitals are treating 22 people with burn wounds, Health Minister Samanta Lal Sen told reporters.

"All 22 people ... are in critical condition," Sen, himself a well-known physician, said after a visit to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital. "We are trying our best to save their lives."

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed shock and sorrow at the incident, ordering swift treatment for the injured.

One survivor, Mohammad Altaf, recounted his narrow escape from the blaze that killed two colleagues.

"I went to the kitchen, broke a window and jumped to save myself," he told reporters, adding that a cashier and server who urged people to leave during the first moments had died later.

Firefighters used cranes to rescue people from the charred building, said fire officials, who were still working to clear debris and douse any remaining embers.

Relatives gathered at the hospital early on Friday to receive the bodies of the dead, with some mourning outside the emergency department.

"I could not save my daughter," wailed Abdul Quddus, the father of Nimu, whose relatives said she was among a group of five cousins and friends who all died in the fire.

Also killed, along with his wife, two daughters and a son, was Syed Mubarak Hossain Kauchar, whose family was celebrating plans to emigrate to Italy on March 18, after their visas came through on Thursday, a relative said.

"Finally the dream was going to be fulfilled," said his cousin, Atiqur Rahman. "To celebrate, they came to a restaurant but all died."

Doctors said most of the dead were killed by suffocation with others dying as they jumped off the building, which also houses some clothing and mobile telephone shops.

Smoke billowed from the side of the building in video images filmed by a witness on Thursday.

The fire could have originated from a gas leak or stove, said Brigadier General Main Uddin, a top fire service official.

"It was a dangerous building with gas cylinders on every floor, even on the stairs," he told Reuters, adding that it had a single staircase, lacking ventilation, an emergency exit and other safety features.

The government has set up a five-member panel to investigate the incident.

The main opposition party blamed the government for the fire.

"Accidents and disasters keep happening as there is no rule of law," Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the secretary general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said in a statement.

"The government is not accountable to the people and that's why anarchy prevails, many accidents occur and people lose their lives."

Intense scrutiny of Bangladesh and the major global clothing retailers that manufacture there has helped prevent disasters in the garment sector since a fire in 2012 and a building collapse in 2013 together killed more than 1,200 workers.

But in other industries, mainly catering to the booming domestic economy and lacking equal emphasis on safety, hundreds of people have died in fires.

Fires are common in densely populated Dhaka, where many new buildings have sprung up, many lacking adequate safety measures. Fires and explosions have resulted from faulty gas cylinders, air conditioners and poor electrical wiring.

In July 2021, many children were among the 54 people killed at a food processing factory outside Dhaka, while at least 70 people were killed in a February 2019 fire that engulfed a centuries-old precinct.

Reuters

 
Missing Bangladesh governing party’s MP found murdered in India: Minister

A member of Bangladesh’s governing party has been found murdered in the Indian city of Kolkata, more than a week after he went missing, Bangladeshi Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said.

Anwarul Azim Anar, 56, who won his third consecutive term in a constituency in the border district of Jhenaidah from the Awami League party, went missing on May 13, a day after going to India to seek medical treatment, according to his relatives.

Khan told reporters that three Bangladeshis had been arrested over the death. “We cannot disclose all information at the moment for the sake of the investigation,” the minister said on Wednesday.

Anar’s body was found in an abandoned house in Kolkata’s New Town in the early hours of Wednesday, a deputy police commissioner in the city said.

Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud said police did not find the body in the flat where he was believed to have been killed, citing information from the Bangladesh Mission in Kolkata.

A report on the parliamentarian’s disappearance was lodged by his relatives at the Baranagar police station in North Kolkata on May 18.

According to the report, Anar visited the residence of a person named Gopal Biswas in Kolkata on May 12. The next day, he departed from Biswas’s residence to see a doctor. He informed his family that he would be back in Bangladesh in the evening.

But he remained incommunicado since then, Anar’s personal assistant Abdour Rauf told Anadolu news agency.

On May 19, his daughter Mumtarin Ferdous Doreen told reporters she had sought the assistance of the detective branch of Bangladesh police to locate her father.

For the past three days, the special unit had been working with Kolkata police, its chief Harun-or-Rashid told Anadolu.


 

Facebook Removes Accounts Linked To Bangladesh Ruling Party​


Facebook has removed scores of accounts and pages linked to Bangladesh's ruling Awami League for "coordinated inauthentic behaviour", including criticism of the opposition ahead of January elections, its owner Meta said Thursday.

The Awami League and its allies won almost every seat in the January 7 parliamentary elections, which the main opposition parties boycotted over fears it would be rigged.

Social media -- notably Facebook - was flooded with disinformation in the run-up to the election, mostly targeting the key opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

Facebook said it took down "50 accounts and 98 pages for violating our policy against coordinated inauthentic behaviour" in the first quarter of the year.

Some of the pages were followed by millions of people.

"Some used names of existing news organisations in Bangladesh," Meta said.

It said some purported to be opposition supporters while posting content critical of the opposition.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has ruled Bangladesh since 2009, was sworn in for a fourth successive term in January.

Her government has been accused of rigging elections and widespread human rights abuses -- including enforced disappearances, extrajudicial murders and a brutal crackdown on the opposition.

Meta said the accounts and sites, which were primarily in Bengali, posted reports about Bangladesh and the elections, as well as "criticism of the BNP, allegations of BNP's corruption and its role in pre-election violence", the report said.

At the same time, the sites offered "supportive commentary about the incumbent government", it said.

 
Bangladesh ex-PM Khaleda Zia makes first public appearance in 6 years

Bangladesh’s illness-stricken opposition leader Khaleda Zia made her first public appearance in six years on Thursday, months after her release from house arrest following the ouster of longtime foe Sheikh Hasina.

The ferocious rivalry between the two former premiers — born in blood and cemented in prison — has defined politics in the nation for decades.

Zia was jailed in 2018 for graft but was released in August, hours after Hasina fled to neighbouring India when a student-led national uprising brought an end to her 15 years of iron-fisted rule.

Her presence on Thursday at a reception to mark the country’s Armed Forces Day marked her first public appearance since her conviction.


 
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