Syed Badrul Ahsan

Foreign forces besiege Hasina’s Bangladesh ahead of elections

Bangladesh, and not just its government, is under siege from overseas forces. Its forthcoming general election has clearly begun to…

1 year ago

In Bangladesh, has Sheikh Hasina done enough to counter a desperate opposition in January elections?

Politics in Bangladesh is going through an interesting phase, though not exactly a defining one. One can expect, though, quite…

1 year ago

Have Nobel Laureates underestimated Bangladesh’s self- esteem by writing offensive letter to Hasina?

Let us begin with some of the contents of the open letter which 177 high-profile global personalities recently sent to…

1 year ago

Did Lord Mountbatten have blood on his hands by preponing Partition?

‘What have I done?’ The words escaped Mohammad Ali Jinnah only days into the partition of India in August 1947.…

1 year ago

Why Mujib’s assassination needs closure as Bangladesh approaches inflexion point

On 15 August 1975, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, founding father of Bangladesh, was assassinated along with most members of his family…

1 year ago

Remembering Tajuddin Ahmad, Bangladesh’s wartime leader and first Prime Minister

Had he lived  long Tajuddin Ahmad would have turned ninety-eight on Sunday. Bangladesh’s first Prime Minister, its wartime leader, was…

1 year ago

Why the world must learn to accept Bangladesh’s imperfect democracy

Politics is heating up in Bangladesh. With a general election expected to take place in December this year or January…

1 year ago

Why Bangladesh and US are unable to shed their historical baggage and reconcile differences

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has let it be known that one does not have to travel across the Atlantic…

1 year ago

Will Naheed Ezaher Khan’s wait for justice finally come to an end in Bangladesh?

Naheed Ezaher Khan was a child in November 1975. So was Mehjabeen Khaled. Today Khan is a member of parliament…

2 years ago

Kissinger at 100 and genocide in Bangladesh war

Towards the end of this month, Henry Kissinger will become a centenarian. That he will be a hundred years old…

2 years ago

This May Day, Bangladesh must reaffirm its “people’s republic” pledge

On May Day, the essence is one of a recapitulation of the sacrifices made by some brave men in Chicago…

2 years ago

Why Bangladesh’s secular credentials must be cast in stone amid new challenges

A week before Pahela Baishakh, the first day of the Bengali New Year, a lawyer in Dhaka served notice before…

2 years ago

How Pakistan tried to subvert Bangladesh after 1971, but failed

On 17 April 1971, the very first Bengali government in the very first armed struggle of the Bengali nation for…

2 years ago

March 1971: Why Bangladesh will never forget the genocide and its cover up

The people and government of Bangladesh observed Genocide Remembrance Day on 25 March. The adoption of a resolution on March…

2 years ago

Friendship pipeline reaffirms golden run of India-Bangladesh ties since 1971

The inauguration of the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday was…

2 years ago

Bigoted Jamaat in Bangladesh must feel the pain after systematic persecution of Ahmadiyya sect

The Ahmadiyya Muslim community came under attack last week yet once again from religious bigots in Panchagarh, a town in…

2 years ago

Why it is imperative to restore secularism in Bangladesh

On March 7, 1971 the people of Bangladesh crossed the Rubicon. When Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman rose to address a…

2 years ago

Ukraine war echoes in Dhaka, strains Russia-Bangladesh ties

The Ukraine crisis is finally pushing Bangladesh into distinctly uncomfortable territory. In recent days, the Russian authorities have summoned Dhaka’s…

2 years ago

1971: The Apology question and Pakistan’s army museum

Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.K. Momen, on the sidelines of the recent celebrations of Sri Lanka’s 75th anniversary of independence, met…

2 years ago

Why Sheikh Hasina must win Bangladesh’s next elections

In the ten months or so , Bangladesh will choose its next government at elections that could be held in…

2 years ago

Farman Ali to Yahya Khan — men behind the Bangladesh genocide

I recall that on my very first visit to Pakistan in December 1995 (nearly twenty-five years after I had left…

2 years ago