Opinion The need for mindfulness in Bangladeshi politics In Bangladesh, political and social discourses often dwell on divisive historical events, sidelining urgent issues like rising living costs and unfair tax policies. Prioritising present challenges and mobilising pro-people movements can foster meaningful change over futile debates. Anupam Debashis Roy January 17th 2025
Opinion Jamaat-e-Islami’s game of thrones Jamaat-e-Islami’s resurgence, amid clamour for Islamist unity, could reshape Bangladesh’s politics—a twist enabled by those who once vilified it. Nafis Hasan January 10th 2025
Opinion I was robbed of my father in the BDR carnage: Here is why we refuse to stay silent Facing indifference and inaction from the interim government, we opted for the last resort of an ICT complaint. Now that the government has belatedly established a commission, our minimum expectation is a proper investigation. Saquib Rahman January 2nd 2025
Opinion How Google Search erases Bangladeshi journalism in favour of Indian media A Western tech giant cast aside local, original journalism on a story rooted in Bangladesh in favour of an avalanche of divisive coverage from neighbouring India. Sabhanaz Rashid Diya December 29th 2024
Opinion The SAARC mechanism: Seeking an amicable divorce through multilateralism A revived SAARC can be the basis for inclusive and egalitarian multilateral co-operation, if restructured to be a bulwark against hegemony. Zain Ali December 24th 2024
Opinion A call to preserve the fragile unity of democracy Bangladesh, post-uprising, stands at a crossroads. By addressing systemic inequities, combating authoritarian residues, and fostering cohesive leadership, the nation can reclaim democracy and chart a path toward peace and prosperity. Bobby Hajjaj December 23rd 2024
Opinion Do you want to stand up to Delhi? Choose the correct countervailing power to stand with you. Prepare a proactive medium-term strategy. Don’t get mad. Get even. Farid Erkizia Bakht December 7th 2024
Opinion No Room for Cynicism in Political Activism A uniquely Bangladeshi perspective of politics can turn the grim past of a system built on political patronage, towards an idealistic future built on meaningful political activism. Bobby Hajjaj November 23rd 2024
Opinion Beyond the optics Symbolic majoritarian gestures is a public relations win, but neither deters nor resolves communalism. Interfaith dynamics in post-uprising Bangladesh needs to be better. Siddhartha Dhar November 15th 2024
Opinion A Trump presidency and Modi’s Hindutva dream The US president-elect’s fondness for Modi must not be an obstacle to Bangladesh finding ways to work with the US as it rebuilds and reforms. Sharbari Z. Ahmed November 12th 2024
Opinion GM Quader should apologise to the nation Jatiyo Party remains the third or fourth largest national party in Bangladesh. In the absence of accountability, it has lost all legitimacy to operate as one. Saquib Rahman November 8th 2024
Opinion Are we already thinking about the end? The interim government looks short on innovative ideas, let alone revolutionary ones. A rudderless policy course is rendering it a lame duck before a robust plan for what comes next has emerged. Farid Erkizia Bakht November 1st 2024
Opinion The Utopian impulse: Contextualising student protests in Bangladesh The economic circumstances that led to the protests in Bangladesh need to be understood, to reset priorities and construct a new direction in national politics that can benefit all Bangladeshis. Athira Unni October 24th 2024
Opinion Critiquing Hasina to shape a better future If Bangladesh is to avoid mistakes of the past and deliver on the utopian promises of the protests, correctly identifying Hasina as an autocrat rather than a fascist is an important first step. Ibtisam Ahmed October 19th 2024
Opinion Go West: Who asked Bangladesh to go all-in? Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia has a lot to teach a delirious Dhaka elite about the real direction of Rising Asia. Instead, Dhaka is nostalgic for the fading glory of a Clintonesque world. Farid Erkizia Bakht October 11th 2024
Opinion Masculinity at Centre Stage Did the post-fascist Bangladesh forget the rest of us? Barnali Saha October 5th 2024
Opinion Moral policing, vigilante justice, and the persistence of patriarchy The reinforcement of patriarchy via the politics of respectability after the end of the Awami League regime, is an obstacle to true reform of Bangladesh’s socio-political status quo. Shrobona Shafique Dipti September 30th 2024
Opinion From Tahrir to Dhaka: Lessons from Egypt’s Uprising for Bangladesh’s Freedom Movement If Bangladesh can learn the lessons of how the Arab Spring uprising in Egypt was failed in the aftermath, Bangladesh’s revolution can succeed and give new hope to despairing Egyptians. Islam Aly September 26th 2024
Opinion What the Commission on Disappearances should do Bangladesh’s newly-formed commission of inquiry on disappearance should take a series of steps to avoid a failure. David Bergman August 31st 2024
Opinion Shaping Bangladesh’s second liberation with students Student politics requires urgent reform, not banishment. Here is a simple prescription that ensures healthy practices and positive outcomes from Bangladesh’s student politics in the new Bangladesh. Aaqib Md Shatil August 30th 2024
Opinion Where do we go from here? A progressive agenda for moving Bangladesh forward after the student revolt. Farid Erkizia Bakht August 21st 2024
Opinion An ambassador’s legacy Whoever replaces him has very big shoes to fill, and it is hard to imagine that people will soon forget the legacy of work the ambassador left behind. Zillur Rahman August 9th 2024
Opinion Has anyone in charge got a plan? With zero visibility ahead, people need answers. Quick. Farid Erkizia Bakht August 6th 2024
Opinion The monsoon tempest rocking Awami League’s boat By waging war against its people, the current government has reverted to a state of war where tyranny reigns supreme. As citizens, it has thus become incumbent upon us to resist. Siddhartha Dhar August 2nd 2024
Opinion Bangladesh has broken free from its nationalist mythology Bangladeshis kept being told that our land was the greenest and our leaders were the best, but it was a great nationalist lie. Ibtisam Ahmed August 2nd 2024
Opinion Bangladesh’s new rebel heroes Student protesters in Bangladesh’s public imagination often assume heroic roles that can mobilise political transformation. Nazia Hussein July 29th 2024
Opinion I’m a spokesperson for Bangladesh’s student protesters. Here’s our message to the world. From a secret hideout, one of the coordinators of the student protest movement spoke to Netra News to send out an appeal to the world. Abdul Hannan Masud July 28th 2024
Opinion The centre cannot hold The moment a state represses a people’s movement against its corrupt practices, it has lost the fight. Nadeem Zaman July 27th 2024
Opinion Journalists’ chests, too, riddled with police bullets Journalists’ chests, too, riddled with police bullets Ehasan Mahmud July 26th 2024
Opinion Bangladeshi diaspora have duty to fight back Bangladeshis of the diaspora have the privilege of existing outside the oppressive laws of the current Bangladeshi government, as well as a duty to fight back, spread awareness, and amplify the voices of dissent. Musarrat Rahman July 25th 2024
Opinion Let a future Bangladesh be free of Chhatra League Outlawing the militia known as the Chhatra League is essential for the establishment of a democratic Bangladesh Suraiya Sultana July 24th 2024
Opinion Lies, damn lies, and Bangladesh’s Washington embassy’s statement Debunking the statements by Bangladesh’s foreign affairs and information. Aaqib Md Shatil July 23rd 2024
Opinion Death everywhere Decades later, your story will be one of many, told in the form of songs remembering the dark day when the government murdered Bangladeshis. Arafat Kazi July 23rd 2024
Opinion Will the real razakars please stand up? Sheikh Hasina and her lackeys are the traitors of today’s Bangladesh. Ikhtisad Ahmed July 17th 2024
Opinion Why immigrants seek asylum in Europe from Keir Starmer’s “safe” Bangladesh Growing number of asylum seekers from Bangladesh in Europe is closely linked to the absence of democracy. Aaqib Md Shatil July 4th 2024
Opinion In Bangladesh, a judiciary under the government’s shadow In January, a Bangladesh High Court bench rejected the bail application of Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the secretary-general of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Alamgir later obtained bail from a lower court in February and was released soon, but the High Court’s initial refusal appeared so nakedly partisan Ehteshamul Haque March 20th 2024
Opinion Neutral election time government: A constitutional solution The constitution does not preclude a neutral election time government for conducting a free and fair election. Tasneem Khalil June 13th 2023
Opinion Only gangsters do this! Shahidul Alam tells the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission about the government’s responsibility for enforced disappearances in Bangladesh. Shahidul Alam September 2nd 2021
Opinion Bose’s further reckoning Sarmila Bose looks back at the publication of her book Dead Reckoning on the 1971 war which sparked significant controversy in Bangladesh. Sarmila Bose June 3rd 2021
Opinion When Gowher Rizvi criticised Sheikh Hasina In an article written 30 years ago, Rizvi criticised Sheikh Hasina for her role in losing the 1991 elections — and praised Khaleda Zia. AKM Wahiduzzaman March 11th 2021
Opinion What am I? A British-Bengali writer on her own “passing” to live a life in Britain. Lipika Pelham February 25th 2021
Opinion What am I? A British-Bengali writer on her own “passing” to live a life in Britain. Lipika Pelham February 25th 2021
Opinion I am Sami. And this is my story The whistle-blower at the heart of Al Jazeera’s documentary on corruption in Bangladesh explains his decision to go public. Sami (Pseudonym) February 7th 2021
Opinion Bangladesh’s vaccination transparency challenge Successful Covid vaccination roll out in Bangladesh requires transparency in distribution and selection criteria. Sajeda Amin January 28th 2021
Opinion Biden-Bangladesh: Back to square one With little leverage to impede Bangladesh’s authoritarianism, US policy towards the country will continue to be primarily transactional. William B Milam January 21st 2021
Opinion Is the Awami League putting Mujib’s legacy at risk? The independence leader is central to many stories told about Bangladesh, but there are dangers in the government not allowing any space for debate about him. Jacco Visser December 18th 2020
Opinion Guns of November On the anniversary of the 1975 mutiny, why political change in Bangladesh is now less likely to come from the barrel of a gun. Jyoti Rahman November 7th 2020
Opinion Digital vigilantes The criminalisation of online speech has enabled the creation of digital vigilantes — the already “powerful”, the sycophants and the attention seekers. Mark Lacy and Nayanika Mookherjee November 5th 2020
Opinion Exceptional strength? What Bangladesh garment workers face in the new Covid-19 world. Adiba Afros November 2nd 2020
Opinion China vs. India: Battleground Bangladesh? Will China’s “economic” benefits outweigh India’s “blood ties” as the two countries seek greater influence over Bangladesh? Susannah Savage October 8th 2020
Opinion Bangladeshi women play crucial role in fight against Covid-19 With limited health sector capacities, Covid-19 will be fought in Bangladesh’s homes where women play an outsized role. Sajeda Amin April 10th 2020
Opinion Unadulterated cruelty How both garment factory owners and the government have treated workers little better than slaves in Covid-19 infected Bangladesh. Syed Badrul Ahsan April 9th 2020
Opinion Covid-19: Time to stop foreign debt repayments Bangladesh must use its scarce foreign exchange reserves to save its people and economy. Farid Erkizia Bakht April 2nd 2020
Opinion The myth of the freedom fighter and the spirit of 1971 When fighters for freedom turn into traitors to the idea of freedom. সুরাইয়া সুলতানা (বীথি) March 26th 2020
Opinion Mujib-100 over Covid-19? Covid-19 is exposing the glaring deficiencies of Bangladesh’s capitalistic, classist society as well as its authoritarian government. সুরাইয়া সুলতানা (বীথি) March 19th 2020
Opinion Perverted by language Sixty-eight years after the Language Movement of 1952, Bangla is now the language of Bangladeshi majoritarianism. সুরাইয়া সুলতানা (বীথি) March 1st 2020
Opinion Joining the middle-income club Challenges ahead for Bangladesh, as the country moves out of LDC status towards membership of the middle-income club. Halima Begum February 27th 2020
Opinion A new relationship prioritising human rights The Labour Campaign for Human Rights argues that human rights should be at the forefront of the United Kingdom’s relationship with Bangladesh. Stephen Delahunty February 14th 2020
Opinion Of citizens and neighbours The implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in India will have geo-political ramifications involving Bangladesh. Joseph Allchin January 23rd 2020
Opinion The manuscript of a forbidden history Bangladesh government’s Year of Mujib begins this Friday (January 10th). The authorities will do all they can to stop the publication of history critical of the country’s independence leader. Pinaki Bhattacharya January 9th 2020
Opinion Leaving democracy behind The West is helping to perpetuate a corrupt and unaccountable system of government in Bangladesh. Ali Riaz January 7th 2020
Opinion Stolen at midnight: The 2018 elections After a second consecutive stolen election, the Awami League government remains unchallenged in power in Bangladesh. Kamal Ahmed December 30th 2019
Opinion A death squad comes to the hills RAB deployment in the Chittagong Hill Tracts will further militarise the restive hills and violate the peace accord of 1997. Hana Shams Ahmed December 26th 2019
Opinion Putting her own house in order Can Sheikh Hasina carry out her promises on corruption? Iftekharuzzaman December 26th 2019