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.
Women's equal rights vs women's sense of duty
My strongest opinion regarding the establishment of women's equal rights is that to enjoy rights, one must fulfill duties. This is the rule. If a woman's status or the family's attitude towards her is not equal and respectful in society, the desire in women to fulfill their duties will not arise. If a woman is not regarded equal within the family, she will not develop self-confidence. The most urgent need for a woman is to acquire the ability and courage to make her own decisions. Without that, equal rights to property will only become a source of suffering for her.
Possibility of a future war between India and Pakistan
For four days from May 7 to May 10, fear and panic prevailed for four days not only in the subcontinent, but also among people all over the world. During these four days, the missile, drone, and airstrikes exchanged between India and Pakistan brought the two nuclear-armed nations to the brink of a full-scale war. Despite the global panic, no mediator was seen between the two sides during the first three days after the war began. At that time, neither India nor Pakistan showed any sign of compromise in their body language. Amidst the war cry, a statement by US Vice President JD Vance further alarmed peace-loving people worldwide where he said, “The India-Pakistan war is not our business.”
In the upcoming budget, education must receive higher allocation
Globally, it is recommended that national budgets allocate at least 20% or 6–8% of GDP to the education sector. However, in Bangladesh, education consistently receives less than what is necessary. Crafting a national budget for a densely populated country like ours, amid global economic uncertainty, is undoubtedly a complex task. It cannot be strictly guided by conventional economic rules. Education remains one of the most crucial sectors for the social, economic, moral, and intellectual development of a nation. It is directly tied to the awakening of citizens’ intellect, thought processes, strength, and sense of purpose. Unfortunately, the state continues to fall short in taking the necessary measures for the development of this vital sector.
Politics in troubled water: A portrait of turbulent times
The ambiguity, uncertainty, and tension building up in politics are not just a series of events—they form the portrait of the times. They reflect the deep-seated weaknesses, contradictions, and instability in our system of governance. Almost a year has passed since the change of government, yet we have failed to formulate a clear outline, timeline, or a responsible political narrative. Instead, a complex picture of uncertainty, irresponsibility, and opaque practices is becoming clear. Observing the sequence of events, many are saying that this is part of an invisible plan, the purpose of which is to muddy the waters and achieve personal interests. The reality is that some force is either trying to turn this muddy water into their playground or is a participant in this plan—is there any doubt about that? The government which was considered the most acceptable and powerful is now, even before completing 10 months, clearly showing signs of weakness. The lack of policy clarity, confusion in decision-making, and absence of political goodwill have raised public questions—is this government even aware of where it is heading?
“Education system of Bangladesh is responsible for my death”
The suicide of Dhrubajit Karmakar from Mymensingh Engineering College is not just the tragic news of a death, it reveals the cruel, dark mirror of our education system.
Why citizens still worried during interim govt period
We, the common citizens, have for the first time supported an interim government without a referendum - which may be somewhat controversial according to the constitution; but in terms of reality, we have had to accept it as necessary. Because, despite 54 years of independence, Bangladesh has never been able to build a complete, effective and sustainable democratic system. Instead, lust for power, corruption, enforced disappearances and murders, rape, extortion, and administrative failures of the country's political parties for a long time have pushed the nation into a deep pit of distrust.
Is distance between govt and BNP centring election only
BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman, standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed, and Mirza Abbas have recently made some comments that make it seem as though BNP is the main opposition party to the interim government. Although BNP also played a major role in the process of forming the interim government led by Dr Yunus after the fall of the Awami League in the face of an uprising in August last. From the beginning, BNP has been saying that the interim government is their government; but, just a few months after this government assumed office on August 8 of last year, a distance or tension began to emerge between the government and BNP. This raises the question: is this distance between the government and BNP only about the election issue, or are there any more reasons behind it?
Agriculture sector needs to be prioritised in upcoming budget
The new budget is knocking at the door. The budget for the 2025–26 fiscal year may be presented on June 2. The preaparing the budget is currently underway. It has already been reported that the size of the upcoming budget may be Tk 7.9 trillion. Compared to this year’s original budget, it will be Tk 70 billion less. For the first time since independence, the budget size is decreasing in monetary terms. Undoubtedly, this will be a contractionary budget. Due to ongoing high inflation, slow revenue collection, and lack of capacity in budget implementation, a tight budget is indeed desirable for us.
Doubtful whether Rohingya repatriation will happen at all
In the international arena, Dr Yunus's reputation is sky-high. At his call, UN Secretary-General António Guterres rushed to Bangladesh, wore traditional pajama-panjabi during Ramadan, and even had iftar with the Rohingyas. Dr Yunus announced that they would work jointly with the UN so that the Rohingyas can celebrate Eid next year in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. On the other hand, Dr Khalilur Rahman, the high representative of the chief adviser, said that arrangements could be made to repatriate 180,000 Rohingyas selected by the Myanmar government during the Awami League government. But after this announcement, it was heard that in the last year alone, another 118,000 Rohingyas have newly entered Bangladesh. Yet, seeing the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and the interim government, we hoped that something would finally happen. Something did happen—Chief Advisor Dr Muhammad Yunus, delivering a speech in the Chattogram regional dialect at a Rohingya gathering, reminded the world of the emotional bond between the people of Chattogram and the Rohingya.
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