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The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Bangladesh's Yunus announces elections to be held in first half of April 2026
Bangladesh's national elections will be held in the first half of April 2026, the country's interim leader Muhammad Yunus, said on Friday (June 6, 2025). "The Election Commission will provide you with a detailed roadmap for the elections at an appropriate time," said Nobel peace laureate Yunus, who took over as interim head of the South Asian nation of 173 million last August after a student-led uprising forced then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to India. The announcement also comes in light of the recent reported tensions between Mr. Yunus and the country's Army Chief Waker Uz Zaman. The Army Chief had reportedly expressed unhappiness over the functioning of the interim government and said, 'Elections must be held by December and that only an elected government should determine the nation's course and not an unelected administration'. Mr. Yunus, however, in an unscheduled meeting of the Council of Advisers of the interim administration had said that under the present circumstances only a 'controlled election' can be held and that fully transparent election is not possible by December this year.
Hindustan Times
28-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Eid-ul-Adha 2025: Bangladesh Railway opens advance ticket sales for Bakrid travel
As Eid-ul-Adha approaches, the festive rush has officially begun and so has the scramble to secure a train ticket home. To make travel smoother this year, Bangladesh Railway kicked off advance ticket sales on May 25 morning for journeys scheduled on June 04, 2025, marking the start of the pre-Eid travel season. In a move aimed at reducing long queues and improving convenience, the railway authorities have gone fully digital this year: 100% of regular intercity train tickets are now available online, with no sales at station counters for these services. Ticket sales for passengers traveling to the Western region began promptly at 8 am while sales for the Eastern region went live at 2 pm. To meet the massive demand during the holiday season, ten special Eid trains will be in operation across five routes, running in two phases — from June 04 to June 06 and again from June 09 to June 14, 2025. Some of these services will even run on Eid-ul-Adha day itself. Unlike regular trains, however, tickets for special Eid trains will only be available at station counters so travellers eyeing these routes will need to plan an in-person visit. This Eid-ul-Adha season, a total of 43 intercity trains will be running across the country, offering around 33,315 seats. Additionally, 25% of each train's capacity will be reserved for standing tickets, which will be sold only at station counters. For added flexibility, each passenger is allowed to purchase up to four tickets per transaction but do take note: tickets bought in advance are non-refundable. So if you are planning your Eid-ul-Adha getaway by rail, now is the time to grab your tickets and lock in your seat. On May 06, 2025, the Council of Advisers greenlit a 10-day public holiday for Eid-ul-Adha, beginning on June 05. With ample time off and a robust travel schedule in place, it is shaping up to be one of the smoothest Eid-ul-Adha journeys in recent memory. Whether you are heading home to reunite with family or planning a peaceful escape, Bangladesh Railway is helping make your Eid-ul-Adha journey a little easier this year — one online ticket at a time.
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Army Chief General Zaman vs Chief Adviser Prof Yunus: Power struggle in Bangladesh over timing of election
Two months after announcing election, the interim government of Bangladesh is indicating that it may not be in a position to hold election by December 2025. This apprehension was part of a discussion at the council of advisers that Chief Adviser Prof Mohammed Yunus held late Thursday (May 22, 2025) night after Army Chief Waker Uz Zaman held a closed door meeting with Commanding Officers on Wednesday (May 21, 2025) where he expressed unhappiness over the functioning of the interim government and said, 'Elections must be held by December and that only an elected government should determine the nation's course and not an unelected administration'. Addressing the Commanding Officers in Wednesday's meeting, Army Chief General Waker Uz Zaman said certain policies of the interim government were not part of the understanding on which the interim government was configured after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government last August. It was learned that General Waker Uz Zaman expressed serious concern over 'key decisions' of the interim government and claimed that the Armed Forces of Bangladesh were not briefed before taking those decisions. The stock taking meeting of the army chief came in the backdrop of fast paced decisions that the Yunus administration has taken reportedly to open a 'humanitarian corridor' to the Rakhine province of Myanmar. At a certain point during the meeting, it was mentioned that the officer corps stands united in support of General Zaman and that they are ready to 'act upon command'. The military meet also took note of the interim government's decision to introduce a school pledge that removed mention of the Liberation War prompting a Commanding Officer (CO) to say that the 'Liberation war legacy and national prestige are non-negotiable.' Responding to the criticism in the military meet, Prof Yunus called for an unscheduled meeting of the Council of Advisers of the interim administration on Thursday (May 22, 2025). According to sources in Dhaka, during the meeting, Prof Yunus expressed frustration about the evolving situation and discussed with his colleagues whether there is a need for him to continue as the Chief Adviser to the interim government. He said that under the present circumstances only a 'controlled election' can be held and that fully transparent election is not possible by December this year. At one point, reportedly a draft speech for the nation was prepared with Prof Yunus indicating that he would resign. However, the advisers prevailed in this discussion and said, leaving the responsibility of governance at this stage would land Bangladesh in a more volatile situation and the responsibility of this chaos would fall on Yunus himself. A major point of contention between Prof Yunus-led advisers and the powerful military establishment is the initiative to establish a so called 'humanitarian corridor' connecting Chittagong with Myanmar's Rakhine province. The argument of the Yunus administration is that the 'humanitarian corridor' will provide medicines and other necessary items for the conflict-torn Rakhine which is known as the centre of the Rohingya crisis. It has also been suggested that the corridor will turn into a security threat as it is difficult to ensure proper management of such an initiative as most of Rakhine known for drugs and weapons smuggling has been taken over by the insurgent group Arakan Army which is fighting both the military forces of Myanmar as well as the Rohingya militants. The Hindu has learnt that the idea of the corridor was 'unequivocally' rejected by General Waker Uz Zaman in Wednesday's meeting who described it as 'completely unacceptable' because of the security risks involved.
Indian Express
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Awami League rejects its ban by Bangladesh interim govt, vows to continue operations
Bangladesh's deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League on Sunday rejected 'with disgust' the interim government's decision to ban the party and vowed to continue its operations despite the restriction. The Muhammad Yunus-led interim government's Council of Advisers or the Cabinet on Saturday night slapped a ban on 'all activities of Awami League', including in cyberspace, under an anti-terrorism law. Reacting to the move, in a strongly worded statement posted on X, the Awami League said, 'We are rejecting and protesting the fascist autocrat Yunus government's decision with disgust…Awami League will carry on its activities in an appropriate course, defying the decision of the fascist Yunus government.' The party regretted that 'today's independent Bangladesh' had to witness the ban on Awami League activities by an 'undemocratic fascist' government that now runs the country 'without people's mandate', while the country 'earned independence and sovereignty under its (Awami League's) leadership'. Formed in 1949, the Awami League led the movement for the autonomy of Bengalis in the then East Pakistan for decades and eventually led the Liberation War in 1971. The statement said the ban is meant to 'exile the spirit, ideals, and core values of the Liberation War and to empower the vulgar resurgence of anti-independence elements' and 'only an anti-state and anti-independence evil force alone'. 'We strongly believe that the people of Bangladesh will deliver a resounding response to this reckless decision by the fascist Yunus regime. We call upon all leaders and activists of Awami League to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people and build a total resistance against this incoherent and anti-people decision,' it said. Awami League also called upon all democratic states, institutions, and leaders around the world to denounce the decision taken by the Yunus government. Earlier in the day, Yunus's press secretary Shafiqul Alam in a media briefing said the democratic world was unlikely to oppose the interim government's decision to ban 'this shameless, killer, anti-democracy, and corrupt party'. He said there are instances of the Western world banning political parties for their activities against the national interest and for committing crimes against humanity, like the Nazi and Fascist parties of Germany and Italy. 'So we don't expect any negative international reaction over the ban on Awami League activities,' Alam said. The Election Commission (EC) has said it is awaiting a formal government notification to decide on scrapping the registration of the Awami League. According to Bangladesh law, if the Awami League's registration with the EC is cancelled, it will be disqualified from contesting the general election, which could be held between December 2025 and June 2026. 'We will have to decide going with the spirit of the present Bangladesh,' Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin told reporters here. Hasina's 16-year-long Awami League regime was toppled on August 5 last year in a student-led violent mass uprising, prompting the 77-year-old former prime minister to flee to India. Three days after her ouster, Yunus took charge as the chief adviser of the interim government. Hasina and many of her party leaders have been facing hundreds of cases, including those of mass murder and corruption, since then. Most of her party leaders and ministers in her government have either been arrested or fled abroad. The announcement to ban Hasina's Awami League came after the student-led newly-floated National Citizen Party (NCP) activists rallied since Thursday and carried out blockades across Dhaka demanding the ban.
