Kolkata (TIP): Bangladesh has summoned Shikder Mohammad Ashrafur Rahman, the Acting Deputy High Commissioner in Kolkata, for urgent consultations following protests over attacks on Hindu minorities.
Rahman, who is also Minister – Political Affairs, stationed in Kolkata, has returned to Dhaka.
“Ashrafur Rahman was called for urgent consultations following ongoing protests outside our mission in Kolkata. Additionally, he will be part of the delegation during the foreign secretary-level talks between the two countries slated for next week. He will be back by the middle of this month,” a senior official of the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata told PTI on condition of anonymity.
The mission in Kolkata has witnessed multiple protests over the past week by political parties and religious groups condemning the reported atrocities against Hindus minorities in Bangladesh.
In a related development, the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala, Tripura, suspended all visa and consular services on Tuesday, citing “security reasons”.
The decision followed an incident where protesters breached the mission’s premises on Monday to protest the arrest of Hindu spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das in Dhaka.
Amid rising tensions, the Bangladesh foreign ministry summoned the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka to register its protest over the vandalism at the mission in Agartala.
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is expected to visit Bangladesh next week for the foreign secretary-level meeting, marking the first high-level interaction between the two nations since the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus assumed office on August 8, following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina as prime minister.
Relations between the two neighbours have been strained since Hasina fled to India on August 5.
The recent arrest of Das has further intensified the situation, with India expressing concerns over continued attacks on minorities, particularly Hindus, in Bangladesh. (PTI)
Tag: Dhaka
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Bangladesh summons Kolkata mission head for consultations
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Pakistan should apologise for 1971 liberation war, says Bangladesh minister
NEW DELHI, Dhaka (TIP): : Pakistan should apologise to Bangladesh for its actions during the 1971 liberation war, said AKM Mozammel Haque, the country’s minister for Liberation War Affairs, during his visit to New Delhi on Octobere 26.
The Bangladeshi minister went further to state that Pakistan’s apology was the only way their relationship would improve with Bangladesh, adding that they can never forget the role India played to help them find their own country where they got back the respect that had been lost.
“Pakistan should apologise to us for 1971. They were barbaric with Bangladeshis and we are grateful that Indians came to our rescue. That is how we got liberated. To commemorate the Indian soldiers who fought for us we are making a monument in Bangladesh which will have their names engraved so that people remember their sacrifice. It would be completed by December,” said Haque.
“Pakistan supports terrorists that is why they could do well in their economy. In the name of Islam what they have done and are doing they cannot be supported. No Islam-loving nation will like Pakistan. It is not a democracy and this is why they haven’t progressed,” Haque added.
The Awami League leader also condemned Canada for giving shelter to the killers of the country’s first president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. “It is not acceptable that countries like Canada are giving asylum to killers who should be handed over to Bangladesh,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh today honoured the families of 10 Indian war veterans and also gave away scholarships to the kin of the veterans in Delhi. Bangladesh will be giving out a total of 200 scholarships of $1000 each to young students who are mostly grandchildren of Indian war veterans.
“We don’t want to forget the contribution of Indian war veterans and these scholarships would ensure that not just the families of the Indian veterans remember their sacrifice but also Bangladeshis,” Haq said.
Meanwhile, Haq visited the Army Hospital in Delhi and interacted with Bangladeshi freedom fighters (muktijodhas) who are undergoing treatment there. Three Bangladesh freedom fighters are undergoing treatment in Army Hospital Research and Referral. The Muktijodhas have been extended the facility as a special gesture by the Indian government.
A marching contingent of the Bangladesh army took part in the Republic Day parade of 2021, the third time foreign soldiers marched down Rajpath (now Kartavya Path) as part of India’s biggest ceremonial event. The contingent was invited to take part in the parade at a time when the two countries were celebrating the golden jubilee of the birth of Bangladesh. (ENS) -
‘Never seen such a prolonged heatwave in 50 years’: Bangladesh shuts schools, cuts power
DHAKA (TIP): Bangladesh has shut thousands of schools as it struggles through its lengthiest heatwave in half a century, with widespread power cuts only compounding locals’ misery.
Temperatures in the South Asian nation’s capital of Dhaka have surged to around 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), with the poor bearing the brunt of the blazing sun.
“We have never seen such a prolonged heatwave since Bangladesh’s independence in 1971,” said Bazlur Rashid, a senior official at the Bangladesh Meteorological Department.
Tens of thousands of primary schools were shut down by the government, and electricity production has been drastically cut, even as demand for air conditioners and fans has surged.
On June 6, the country was forced to suspend operations at its biggest power plant because the government was unable to afford the coal to fuel it. The Bangladeshi taka depreciated about 25 percent against the US dollar last year, driving up the cost of fuel imports and power utilities. Other plants have fallen well short of meeting demand, leading to hours-long blackouts.
‘Falling sick’
Housewife Tania Akhter said that her youngest child was resting at home with classes cancelled, but her 12-year-old daughter was still going to school.
“Those classes should also be shut down because the students are suffering a lot in this heat — they are falling sick,” Akhter said.
The heatwave began in April and ran into early May before easing, then resumed late last month, with forecasters predicting the mercury will remain high until the end of the week.
“Every summer Bangladesh witnesses heatwaves, but this year’s heatwave is unusual,” Rashid told AFP. “In the past, heatwaves would only continue for a few days or a week, but this year it has continued for two weeks and more.”
A study last month by the World Weather Attribution group found that climate change had made record-breaking deadly heatwaves in Bangladesh — as well as India, Laos and Thailand — at least 30 times more likely.
On June 3, the temperature in the northern Dinajpur district hit 41.3 degrees Celsius (106.3 degrees Fahrenheit), the highest recorded there since 1958.
“The heatwave in the past would affect only some parts of the country,” Rashid added. “This year it is very extensive and spread to almost all parts of the country.” (AFP) -
Fire destroys hundreds of homes in Rohingya refugee camp
Dhaka (TIP): A fire raced through a sprawling Rohingya refugee camp in southern Bangladesh on Thursday, destroying hundreds of homes, officials said. No casualties were reported.
The UNHCR said more than 550 homes sheltering about 3,500 people as well as 150 shops were either totally or partially destroyed in the fire.
The fire broke out early Thursday in Nayapara Camp in Cox’s Bazar district, where more than 1 million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar are staying. Nayapara is an old camp that was started decades ago.
Mohammed Shamsud Douza, a senior refugee official, said firefighters took two hours to bring the blaze under control.
No serious injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire was not immediately known.
A video showed many refugees searching through charred corrugated iron sheets for valuables.
“This is another devastating blow for the Rohingya people who have endured unspeakable hardship for years,” Save the Children’s country director in Bangladesh, Onno van Manen, said in a statement.
“Today’s devastating fire will have robbed many families of what little shelter and dignity was left to them.” About 700,000 Rohingya fled to the camps in Cox’s Bazar after August 2017, when the military in Buddhist-majority Myanmar began a harsh crackdown on the Muslim group following an attack by insurgents.
The crackdown included rapes, killings and the torching of thousands of homes, and was termed ethnic cleansing by global rights groups and the UN. — AP