Latest news with #FazlurRahman
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First Post
08-05-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Bangladesh's cricket tour of Pakistan in limbo; no clarity on India's tour of Bangladesh
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has denied reports that India has cancelled its tour of the country. The board is also adopting a wait-and-watch approach before making a decision on the upcoming tour of Pakistan. read more Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is keeping a close eye on the developments as the rising tensions between India and Pakistan threaten its upcoming cricket fixtures against the two countries. While the Bangladesh cricket team is scheduled to be in Pakistan for a five-match T20I series at the end of May, India are to travel to Bangladesh in August for three ODIs and three T20Is. However, the upcoming cricket assignments have been thrown into a state of limbo after India launched Operation Sindoor on Wednesday and destroyed multiple terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Bangladesh cricket team is scheduled to play two T20Is against UAE in Sharjah on 17 and 19 May before travelling to Pakistan for the series that starts on 25 May and will be played across Faisalabad and Lahore. Bangladesh tour of Pakistan in limbo Their travel to Pakistan will now depend on how things develop in the coming few days. A number of flights coming from Europe rerouted or cancelled as they tried to avoid Pakistan's airspace. BCB president Faruq Ahmed on Wednesday said that they will wait until 10 May before taking a final call on the tour of Bangladesh. A BCB source also shared the same sentiments with the Daily Star. 'It happened yesterday and we have not discussed anything related to these developments. We have not been informed that matches will not be taking place,' a BCB official told the Daily Star in Bangladesh. 'Of course many things may be suspended or face changes as this does not only affect cricket,' the official added. No clarity on India's tour of Bangladesh Indian cricket team's travel to Bangladesh may not be directly related to the India-Pakistan conflict, but the recent comments by a former Bangladesh military officer have raised doubts over the August tour. The Maj Gen (retired) ALM Fazlur Rahman recently said on Facebook that Bangladesh should 'occupy the seven states of North-East India' if India attacks Bangladesh. Since then, a report in the Times of India has stated that the BCCI may decide to boycott the Bangladesh tour. The BCB, however, said on Wednesday said India has made no communication about the tour being scrapped or suspended. A BCB official told Daily Star that all cricket boards are obligated to honour their FTP commitment and they expect India to complete the tour. 'We have understanding with the cricket boards according to FTP commitments. It is still a political matter and if a concern comes, it will be addressed,' a Bangladesh board official said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Gulf Insider
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Insider
Bangladesh's Increasing Alignment With China And Pakistan Could Imperil India's Great Power plans
Bangladeshi Major General (retired) A.L.M. Fazlur Rahman, who serves as chair of the National Independent Commission of Inquiry investigating the 2009 Bangladesh Rifles massacre, posted on Facebook that Bangladesh should occupy India's Northeastern States if India goes to war with Pakistan. He later explained that preparing for this scenario might deter India, which could in turn prevent Pakistan's possible defeat, thus averting the existential threat that India would then pose to Bangladesh. The incumbent government, which came to power after last summer's US-backed regime change, distanced itself from his post but the damage to bilateral trust was done. Rahman's words followed interim Bangladeshi leader Muhammad Yunus' scandalous comments about India's Northeastern States during a trip to China earlier this year. They were analyzed here at the time as a veiled threat to once again host Indian-designated terrorist-separatist groups if India doesn't make concessions to Bangladesh. This year's two territorial controversies thus far were preceded by Yunus' special assistant Mahfuj Alam sharing a provocative map on X in late December that made claims to surrounding Indian states, with these sequential developments altogether ringing alarm bells in Delhi about Dhaka's intentions. Although each were 'plausibly deniable' in that no official territorial claims were made, the trend is unmistakable, and it's that the new Bangladeshi authorities are weaponizing fears of this scenario. From their ultra-nationalist perspective, this is a pragmatic means to rebalance what they consider to be Bangladesh's lopsided relations with much larger India, but it risks backfiring by heightening Delhi's threat perceptions with all that entails. In the current context of India signaling that it might launch at least one surgical strike against Pakistan in retaliation for last month's Pahalgam terrorist attack, Indian military planners can't confidently rule out that Pakistan might coordinate its response with Bangladesh. To make matters worse, Rahman also wrote in his two posts that Bangladesh 'needs to start discussing a joint military system with China', which lays claim to India's Northeastern State of Arunachal Pradesh. Seeing as how there's always the possibility that another Indo-Pak war could lead to China intervening on Pakistan's side, which Indian military planners call the two-front war scenario, this latest twist could lead to a three-front war as the incumbent Bangladeshi government aligns closer with both against India. India already felt that it was becoming encircled by China over the past decade, but this might soon evolve into a siege mentality if ties with Bangladesh continue to worsen due to its officials' rhetoric. The new regional security system that's taking shape as Bangladesh de facto incorporates itself into the Sino-Pak nexus could decisively shift the balance of power against India. In response, India might intensify the military dimension of its strategic partnership with the US, albeit more on the US' terms than before. India cherishes its strategic autonomy, which is why it's thus far declined to participate in the US' multilateral containment of China, but that could change if the US informally makes more military-strategic support of India depend on this. Amidst its increasing encirclement that might soon evolve into a siege mentality as explained, India might feel that it has no choice but to concede to this so as to avoid being coerced into concessions by China, either scenario of which could imperil its Great Power plans.
Indian Express
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Mock drills in all 8 Tripura districts tomorrow with civil defence volunteers, home guards, TSR jawans
Amid tensions between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, mock drills will be held on Wednesday in Tripura's all eight districts, as elsewhere in the country, following a central directive. The mock drill also comes amid a suggestion by former Border Guard Bangladesh chief ALM Fazlur Rahman, who is known to be close to Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, that Bangladesh should occupy the seven Northeast states if India attacks Pakistan. Speaking to reporters, Tripura Home Secretary Brijesh Pandey said a meeting was held with officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday regarding the mock drill to be held across 244 civil defence districts of the country to strengthen civil defence mechanisms in the event of an emergency or a hostile attack. 'Civil defence volunteers, apada mitra, home guards, Tripura State Rifles (TSR) jawans and others will participate in the mock drills. The district disaster management authorities will lead the drill… Our main objective is to test preparedness, check efficacy, ability to coordinate with different civil defence units, and other government departments,' Pandey said. 'We have trained civil defence volunteers in all eight districts. This drill will focus on the air raid siren, sirens for evacuation operations, first aid and medical aid, fire fighting and restoration of disrupted services like drinking water, power, etc… We hope people will cooperate and there is nothing to panic about,' the official said. West Tripura District Magistrate Vishal Kumar said that in Agartala, the mock drill would be conducted at the Umakanta Academy grounds from 3:30 pm to 6 pm. The air raid sirens will be sounded at 4.30 pm and at 5.30 pm, an earthquake-like scenario will be created at IGM Chowmuhani, Chowmuhani Fire Brigade, and GBP Hospital in the Bazar area. Agartala is among the Indian state capitals closest to the international border and has an integrated check post within the municipality. Veterans who witnessed the 1971 war have recalled on numerous occasions how Pakistani forces unleashed shelling on the bordering areas, including in Agartala city. Tripura is surrounded by Bangladesh on three sides along an 856-km border, parts of which are still unfenced owing to local disputes. Tripura played a crucial role in the nine-month-long Bangladesh Liberation War against the Pakistani forces, which concluded after the Mukti Bahini led by Sheikh Mujibar Rahman declared independence on March 26, 1971. A state that then had 15 lakh people, Tripura sheltered nearly 14 lakh East Pakistani refugees, ran at least eight major Muktijoddha (liberation warrior) training camps, and fed and attended to 1.5 million refugees for months with support from the central government. By the 1960s, Tripura had virtually become one of the headquarters of Bangladeshi liberation planning and activity and a haven for liberation war refugees apart from Bengal in those days, not to mention the historic Agartala conspiracy case involving Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's 1963 visit to the Tripura capital and subsequent discussions with then chief minister Sachindra Lal Singha. The visit led to the toppling of then Pakistan president Ayub Khan, added tempo to the rebel activities of the Muktibahini, and eventually played a key role in the birth of an independent Bangladesh. A Bangladesh government in exile was formed at the Agartala Circuit House on April 10, 1971. Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra was also formed in Agartala. India and Bangladesh officially share friendly relations, though people have of late been taking out border rallies protesting over various issues, especially since the fall of the New Delhi -friendly Sheikh Hasina regime in Dhaka.
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First Post
06-05-2025
- Politics
- First Post
How will Indian cricket boycott post-Pahalgam attack affect Pakistan and Bangladesh? Here's what numbers suggest
While the BCCI has been advised to completely boycott Pakistan following the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Bangladesh could be facing India's wrath as well in the coming days following a retired army officer's threat against New Delhi. Here's how an Indian boycott will affect Pakistan and Bangladesh's cricket boards. read more The cricket boards of Pakistan and Bangladesh face the prospect of a major financial loss if India decides to boycott them due to ongoing political tensions after the Pahalgam attack. Reuters/AP It's been more than a decade since India and Pakistan last met in a bilateral series, with the arch-rivals' meetings limited to ICC events and the Asia Cup. And after the deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that left 26 civilians dead, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been encouraged to completely boycott the Pakistan Cricket Board, meaning India might not be playing any form of with Pakistan including in global and continental events. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Given how diplomatic ties between the two nations have undergone a complete breakdown in the last two weeks, the boycott could be extended to women's and youth cricket as well. Bangladesh, too, could be facing BCCI's wrath in the coming days after a retired army officer's threat against New Delhi in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack. The Indian government's relations with Dhaka have nosedived ever since the Sheikh Hasina-led government was toppled in August last year following weeks of political unrest. Attacks on the Hindu minority community following the agitation further deteriorated relations between the two South Asian neighbours. And after India responded to the killings in Pahalgam with a series of non-military measures against Islamabad, whom they have blamed for the attack, Major General ALM Fazlur Rahman (retired) stirred controversy by suggesting Bangladesh should capture the north-eastern part of India if the Narendra Modi-led government attacked Pakistan. How a Indian boycott will affect cricket in Pakistan and Bangladesh Despite the Muhammad Yunus-led Bangladeshi interim government distancing itself from Fazlur Rahman's provocative comment, India certainly is viewing Bangladesh – a nation they had shared cordial relations with before Sheikh Hasina's resignation – with suspicion. And with the Asia Cup set to take place later this year in the T20 format, the BCCI might end up taking action against Bangladesh in addition to Pakistan. India are scheduled to tour Bangladesh for three ODIs and as many T20Is before the Asia Cup, which might get called off due to the current political climate in the Indian subcontinent as well as potential security concerns in Bangladesh. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It is safe to suggest both Pakistan and Bangladesh face a massive financial loss upon an Indian boycott. India after all, is a global superpower in the sport thanks to its massive growth in the last two decades, spearheaded by the unprecedented boom of the Indian Premier League. The BCCI alone accounts for 80 per cent of the ICC's total revenue – which incidentally is what boards such as PCB and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) primary rely on to keep their operations afloat. According to a report on Times Now, PCB and BCB stand to lose INR 220 crore and INR 130 crore respectively if the BCCI decides against playing these two nations in the future, starting with the upcoming tour of Bangladesh and the Asia Cup. The Bangladesh board had earned between Rs 70-80 crore when the Indian team had visited the country in December 2022, in which they had played three ODIs and two Tests. And it would be safe to assume the BCB will lose just as much, if not more, if the Men in Blue don't show up this August. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The report adds that the two nations might stand to lose approximately Rs 20-30 crore in shared broadcast revenue per cycle if BCCI asks the ICC to put Pakistan and Bangladesh in a separate group.
Time of India
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Attack India's…': Bangladesh's Army Veteran ‘Orders Northeast Assault' Amid ‘Punish' Pak Plans
A retired Bangladeshi general has stirred a major controversy with explosive remarks on India. Major General (Retd) Fazlur Rahman suggested Bangladesh should invade India's Northeast. He said this should happen if India retaliates militarily against Pakistan over the Pahalgam attack. Rahman called for a joint military arrangement with China to support such an invasion. His comments have shocked many, especially amid tense India-Bangladesh diplomatic ties.
