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Zeauddin Ahmed

  • Economist

Former Managing Director of Bangladesh Bank and Former Managing Director of The Security Printing Corporation (Bangladesh) Limited, or Takshal 

Nature of corruption in mega projects
mega projects
State and Politics

Nature of corruption in mega projects

Adviser on Women and Children Affairs Sharmin S Murshid has said that during the tenure of the previous government, corruption devoured all our progress like termites; every project during that time was marred by corruption. On the other hand, the interim government is following a ‘zero tolerance’ policy towards corruption. Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bashiruddin remarked that past governments indulged in a spending spree. Brigadier (Retd) Sakhawat Hossain, adviser to the Ministry of Shipping, refered the ministry during the Awami League’s tenure as the ‘Pacific Ocean of theft.’ During the Awami League’s rule, opposition parties, including the BNP, alleged massive corruption in mega projects. If project cost estimates are set high, it becomes easier to embezzle.

The Election Commission is now the accused
The Election Commission is now the accused
Politics and Bureaucracy

The Election Commission is now the accused

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has filed a case against 24 individuals mentioning position or name alleging of holding an “unjust and farcical” election. The election commissioners involved in holding 2014, 2018, and 2024 national elections,

Hats off salute to Iran
foreign investment
Diplomacy

Hats off salute to Iran

June 21, 2025; America launched airstrikes on three nuclear installations in Iran and destroyed them. Unless peace is restored swiftly, US President Donald Trump has threatened to strike again with precision at the remaining targets. Iran retaliated through compromise. Iran informed in advance and then attacked the American base in Qatar. After the US had evacuated everything from the base, Iran launched its missiles.

The notes finally reach the market
notes
Economics

The notes finally reach the market

The ‘new note’ of the ‘new Bangladesh’ has finally reached the market, though it has not come into the hands of the larger public. It was possible only because there was a firm resolve to release the note before the Qurbani Eid. Before the Bakri Eid, the chief adviser, the finance adviser and the governor pressed for the printing of the note. I heard that during this great endeavour, the governor and the finance adviser regularly monitored the process. Due to this created pressure, the employees concerned of Bangladesh Bank and Bangladesh Security Printing Press were on edge, not at ease for a single moment. However, some credit for printing the note in a short time also goes to the suppliers of the note’s paper and ink.

If interim govt lacks authority, country's dev will be hindered
If interim govt lacks authority, country's dev will be hindered
State and Politics

If interim govt lacks authority, country's dev will be hindered

The interim government's initiative to hand over the management of one of Chattogram Port’s nine terminals to a foreign company is drawing heavy criticism. During a recent visit to Chattogram, Chief Adviser Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus remarked that since Chattogram Port lags behind global standards, its management should be entrusted to one of the world’s top companies—and the public must be made to understand the necessity of this move. The government has already selected a foreign firm: DP World, a state-owned company from the UAE. Dr Yunus has met its CEO twice, both at home and abroad. The company’s proposed responsibilities include easing port congestion, reducing carbon emissions, and increasing efficiency at Bangladesh’s primary maritime gateway.

Take swift action to prevent domestic violence
domestic violence
State and Politics

Take swift action to prevent domestic violence

A mother and father killed their own daughter in an attempt to frame the opposing party over a land dispute in Kurigram Sadar upazila on May 10, 2025. Late at night, with the help of the brother’s wife, the parents hacked their daughter Jannati Khatun, a ninth-grade student, to death using an iron rod and a machete, then left her body in a cornfield. To divert the case, they set fire to a haystack near the house. Exactly one year earlier, on February 8, 2024, an eight-year-old girl named Mariam was killed by her own mother and uncle for the same reason, a land dispute, at Ramballav village under Betagi Sankipur union of Dashmina upazila in Patuakhali. The mother, Rina Begum, dressed her daughter in new clothes and told her they were going to visit a neighbor’s house. Instead, she took her to an abandoned homestead next to their house, tied her mouth with a scarf, and the uncle beat her to death with a stick.

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