March 5, 2026

Bangladesh Watch

US moves to counter China in Bangladesh, plans to pitch defence alternatives– www.channelnewsasia.com

pgnewser February 11, 2026

Blurb:

DHAKA: The United States is concerned about China’s expanding presence in South Asia and is planning to offer Bangladesh’s next government US and allied defence systems as alternatives to Chinese hardware, Washington’s ambassador to Dhaka told Reuters.

Bangladesh votes in a general election on Thursday (Feb 12) after a Gen Z-led uprising toppled India-allied premier Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. She has since taken refuge in New Delhi, allowing China to deepen its influence in Bangladesh as India’s presence wanes.

China recently signed a defence agreement with Bangladesh to build a drone factory near the India border, worrying foreign diplomats. Bangladesh is also in talks with Pakistan to buy JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, a multi-role combat aircraft jointly developed with China.

Hindu Journalist Shot In The Head By Men On Bike In Bangladesh– www.ndtv.com

pgnewser January 11, 2026

Blurb:

 

In yet another incident of a Hindu man being killed in Bangladesh, a 45-year-old factory owner, who was also the acting editor of a newspaper, has been shot in the head by a group of men, who also slit his throat.

Local sources alleged Rana Pratap had multiple cases filed against him.

Pratap’s killing comes close on the heels of the rape of a Hindu widow and the murders of at least three Hindu men in the country since December, prompting condemnation of the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government’s handling of violence against minorities.

Officials said Pratap was killed in the Kopalia Bazar area of Manirampur sub-district in Jashore in southwestern Bangladesh around 6 pm on Monday.

Bangladesh sets February election after year of political upheaval | Elections News– www.aljazeera.com

pgnewser December 12, 2025

Blurb:

In a televised address on Thursday, the chief election commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin confirmed the date and said a national referendum on political reforms would also be held on the same day.

The announcement comes as the interim administration struggles to steady the political landscape. The caretaker government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, has faced renewed demonstrations over delays to political and institutional reforms promised after Hasina’s removal from power.

Hasina’s party remains excluded from the ballot, and its leaders have warned that unrest could escalate as the campaign gathers pace.

Yunus framed the election schedule as a turning point, saying the country had moved closer to reclaiming democratic norms. “Bangladesh’s democratic journey has crossed an important milestone, strengthening the new path the nation has taken after the historic mass uprising,” he said.

Bangladesh Begins Trial of Ex-PM Hasina

pgnewser August 12, 2025

Bangladesh tribunal commences trial of deposed PM Hasina over crimes against humanity– economictimes.indiatimes.com
Source Link
Excerpt:

Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Sunday commenced the trial of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in absentia over crimes against humanity related to the violent suppression of the 2024 student-led protests.

The interim government-appointed Chief Prosecutor, Tajul Islam, in his opening statement, described Hasina as the “nucleus of all crimes” and called for the maximum penalty.

The prosecution also named Hasina’s two top aides — former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullaah Al Mamun — as the co-accused in the case.

The ICT commenced the proceedings against Hasina on several charges, with the major one being killings and tortures to tame last year’s Students Against Discrimination (SAD)-led violent street campaign that eventually toppled her Awami League government on August 5, 2024.

Bangladesh air force jet crashes into school campus, killing 19 people– www.foxnews.com

pgnewser July 22, 2025

Source Link
Excerpt:

At least 19 people were killed and 164 injured as a Bangladesh air force training jet crashed into a college and school campus in the capital Dhaka on Monday after experiencing a technical problem shortly after takeoff, a military spokesperson said.

The F-7 BGI jet took off at 1:06 p.m. from the Bangladesh Air Force base in Kurmitola, Dhaka, as part of a routine training mission, but encountered a mechanical failure, said the spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Sami Ud Dowla Chowdhury.

“The pilot … made a valiant attempt to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas. Despite his best efforts, the aircraft … crashed into a two-story building belonging to Milestone School and College,” he said.

The pilot was among those killed in the incident, the military said, adding that a committee had been formed to investigate its cause.

Anti-government protesters storm presidential palace in Bangladesh – video | Bangladesh–

pgnewser October 24, 2024

Anti-government protesters storm presidential palace in Bangladesh – video | Bangladesh
Source Link
Excerpt:

Hundreds of protesters stormed the presidential palace in Dhaka demanding the resignation of the president, Mohammed Shahabuddin. Demonstrators took action after an interview in which Shahabuddin expressed doubt over the resignation of the ousted prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India after large student-led protests this summer. As protesters ran towards the palace they were blocked by military barricades. They then chanted slogans calling Shahabuddin a ‘collaborator’ and demanding that he step down immediately