Post-Hasina Bangladesh and the Indian media
On August 5, 2024, a student led mass uprising ended Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League government’s decade and a half long despotic rule in Bangladesh. Hasina fled…
M Adil Khan
Hasina has fallen, and so has India’s flawed South Asiapolicy?
On August 5, 2024 an angry mob of hundreds and thousands who were protesting and venting their anger against Hasina and her Awami League government’s years of despotism, injustices and…
Remedying Corruption in Bangladesh: South Korea’s ‘Keeping the Crooks out’ model, maybe the answer
Lately, in Bangladesh, the stories of corrupt officials – high and low – and their acquisition of illicit wealth through corrupt means have been widely circulated in the media, revealing…
The 2024 India Election: A Triumph of Democracy, not Secularism
Mr. Narendra Modi has been sworn in on June 9, 2024, as the prime minister of India for a third consecutive term. The 73-year-old is only the second prime minister,…
Is India, the world’s largest democracy evolving into one of the world’s meanest, under Modi?
Gone are the days when India used to inspire the world, especially the global south, as a moral leader. Gone are also the days when Indian leaders such as Gandhi…
Is Secularism Incompatible with Islam and Vice Versa?
In recent times there have been raging debates concerning secularism and Islam and many especially the protagonists of secularism argue that Islam is an antithesis to the very idea of…
Is Israel taking its “last breath”?
Responding to Israel’s policy of continuous occupation of Palestninian land, illegal Jewish settlements on the occupied Palestinian land and brutal retaliation against Palestinian resistance and lately the audacious Hamas military…
The Nijjar Murder and Indian Government’s alleged “involvement”: Reactions and Reflections
The murdered Hardeep Singh Nijjar was an Indian-born Canadian Sikh leader who was actively involved in the Khalistan movement, a separatist Sikh movement that views India as a tormentor and…
The recent surge in insults and harassment of the Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus in Bangladesh, a sign of a nation collapsing, morally?
While the Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus has many admirers, he is no stranger to insults either, especially inside Bangladesh. Yunus has been a target of insults and harassment for…
The democracy in Bangladesh, bashed and brutalised!
The recently held July 17, 2023, by-election at Dhaka-17 vacant seat that witnessed a vicious attack on an independent candidate, Mr. Hero Alom, revealed two contrasting trends – a missed…
Paul Keating’s criticism of Australia’s AUKUS deal is damming but not “astonishing”, – in fact, timely!
On March 14, 2023 Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stood side by side with the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the US President Joe Biden at a Naval base…
Neoliberalism’s GDP Hoax and its Costly Consequences: Time for a different ‘Development’ paradigm?
It is true that economic growth – meaning rising GDP - is one of the key indicators of rising prosperity in a society though as the Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz…
Fall of Boris Johnson: Some Take-Home Lessons
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has described Boris Johnson’s political tenure as “…one of the most shameful sagas in the history of British politics …[who] presided over a government defined by…
The Ukraine War: “Beyond the fight, lies the greater fight”
The “Unwinnable War” Last week, the UN secretary-general António Guterres said that the Ukraine war is “….unwinnable” and this is true but sadly, there seems to be no letup in…
Ukraine War, US/West’s War Hypocrisies, and Quest for a Rule-based World – Can UN Help?
“World Tour of Wars” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is both illegal and immoral. While Russia’s concern that Ukraine’s decision to join NATO which also included the prospect of NATO setting…
Is Modi working overtime to reverse India’s progression into a nation from a country?
Muskan Khan, the lone Karnataka (India) Muslim student in Hijab, standing up against Hindu extremists; Source: CNN In the past, there were no countries. There were civilizations and empires and…
The Rising China – A Boon, A ‘Debt Trap’, A ‘Security Threat’?
Recently, I attended a book launch. The book is about China (I am withholding the name of the book). I did not read the book, but like most official book…
Violence against Hindus in Bangladesh and Muslims in India: a case of state failure in one and state inspired, in another?
Image of the recent destruction of Hindu Temple in Comilla, Bangladesh. Source: The Free Press Journal Image of destruction of Muslim properties during the 2020 anti-Muslim riot in Delhi, India.…
New Taliban, New Afghanistan?
After 20 years of US/NATO/Afghan Puppet Army’s brutal and illegal occupation of Afghanistan, Kabul, the capital city finally fell on August 15, 2021, at the hands of the reclusive but…
China 101
Regardless of whether it is in democracies or otherwise, decisions on foreign policies including those that concern wars against other countries are almost always made exclusively by governments, with limited…
The 47th G 7 Meeting and reflections: the dirt is on the face and not on the mirror
47th G7 meeting was held at Cornwall, UK in May this year. The May G7 meeting was significant for many reasons but most importantly that this was also Jo Biden’s…
Israel’s land-grab and its unquenchable lust for more, Palestinian resistance and the familiar cycle of violence: when would it end?
Palestinian casualties of Israeli bombs that according to Mr. Netanyahu, targeted the “terrorists” in Gaza Like most Israeli/Palestinian clashes of the past, recent clash was also triggered and fomented by…
Al Jazeera’s Tele-documentary, the Bandit Brothers and Bangladesh’s Dossier of Abuse
On February 1, 2021 the Qatar based TV outlet, Al Jazeera aired a tele documentary, “All the Prime Minister’s Men.” The tele documentary that included several sting operations involving convicted…
Biden in the White House: Is US on the mend?
Biden is in and Trump is out. Despite all the drama, America’s flawed democracy has managed to make the will of its people prevail. Americans have got their President, Mr.…
2020: 10 Good News, Bad News
GOOD NEWS 1)Trump will not be the President of USA in the new year and beyond 2) Vaccine for COVID 19 is in the market and more on the way…
Conversation around controversies: a quest for objectivity and maturity in Bangladesh
Top Left: Sheikh Mujibur Rahman giving his penultimate speech on 7th of March 1971 at Racecourse Maidan, Dhaka, (then East Pakistan) Bangladesh); Top Right. Major (then) Ziaur Rahan announcing independence…
Australia’s Afghanistan War Crimes: A Case of Old Habits Die Hard?
Every time you start to believe that West is your model of morality, you get a jolt. Recent revelations of horrific war crimes committed by the Australian soldiers in Afghanistan…
Biden Victory: A Mere Sigh of Relief or a Sign of Salvation?
Last four years of Trump presidency has been the most chaotic if not the most problematic that the US and the world at large have experienced, ever. Mr. Trump’s…
The Begumganj (Bangladesh) Gang-rape and the Big Picture
I don’t know who drew this this rape-map of Bangladesh, but this is a telling geography of rape epidemic which as can be see here, has spread widely and reached…
Democracy Is Important But Is It Working?
If you think that democracy is about 'government of the people by the people and for the people', you are dead wrong, not these days. The way democracy has evolved…
India/China Clash and South Asia: Discordant Mindsets, Changing Dynamics and the Way Forward
“It was a time when the unthinkable became the thinkable and the impossible really happened” ― Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things India’s Galwan Debacle Recently, in a gun-less…
COVID 19: Australia’s Anti-China Rhetoric Risks its Economic Recovery
Mr. Scott Morrison, the Prime Minister of Australia ought to be applauded for his remarkable leadership for mobilisation of best scientific advice and pursuing coherent federal/state policies and enlisting trust…
Is religion a strong motivator of ‘giving’?
For Muslims this is the month Ramadhan, the dawn-to-dusk fasting month, a month which is not merely about fasting but also a reminder to all Muslims of a key obligation…
COVID 19: The Crisis, Leadership and the State
New Zealand Prime Minister comforting a Muslim woman in the aftermath of the mosque massacre in Auckland, New Zealand in 2019 As of April 30, 2020, there were 3 018…
COVID – 19: Changing Dynamics, Shifting World?
As of April 17, 2020COVID 19, a health hazard of unimaginable proportions has infected 2020 1.9 million and killed more than 150000 and counting. However, Australia’s Chief Medical Officer speculates…
Bangladesh’s COVID-19 Response Plan: Can the government turn a chaotic start into a good end?
Contrary to the common belief that Government of Bangladesh has been least prepared and that its responses to COVID-19 have been ad hoc and impulsive, it is important to note…
Indian Muslims: Are they ‘invaders’, ‘scumbags’ or equal citizens?
Broadly speaking most Indian Hindus seem to entertain three perceptions vis-à-vis the Indian Muslims - that Muslims are: (i) ‘invaders’ and thus have no place in Hindu India; (ii) ‘scumbags’,…
Revocation of Kashmir’s Article 370 and a Prognosis
On Monday August 5, 2019, Modi government abrogated Article 370 of the Indian Constitution that gave special autonomy status to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and bifurcated the state into…
My Recent Visit To Uzbekistan – Some Take-Home Lessons Of Their Public Policies
Uzbekistan always fascinated me. I always wanted to visit this country for several reasons. This is the country from where Timur Lung, the ‘Emperor of three Continents’, the ancestor (great,…
Bangladesh’s rape epidemic: Are these a case of deviant sexual behaviour or ‘System’s failure’?
In Bangladesh incidents of loot, plunder, enforced disappearances, breakdown of rule of law, extra-judicial killings, deaths and injuries in road accidents through reckless driving have become parts of daily news.…
‘Pulwama’, ‘Balakot’, Modi, Imran Khan, Wing Commander Avinandan, War Cry, Peace Appeal etc. etc: What do we make of all these?
Whole thing started with Pulwama in Kashmir in Indian Kashmir where a suicide bomber attacked an Indian army convoy and killed 40 soldiers. The incident has happened in the wake…
‘Muktijuddher Chetona’ – The Spirit of Liberation War: From Slogan to the Substantive
“Equality, Human dignity and Social justice” – the visionof independent Bangladesh, stipulated at the Proclamation of Independence by the Bangladesh Government-in-Exile on 17th April, 1971 in Mujibnagar In recent times,…
2018 Bangladesh General Election: An invitation to furthering volatility?
The 2018 Bangladesh General Election scheduled on December 30, 2018 marks the end of two consecutive terms of the ruling Awami League (AL), first ever by any political party since…
The challenges of evaluating popular leaders objectively, especially posthumously
Almost all leaders especially popular do good things to gain the status of a popular leader. But they also make mistakes. However, people often seem to get fiercely divided in…
Bangladesh General Elections and India: From Blatant Engineering to Colonial Control?
Until 2008, Bangladesh elections did not attract much attention in Indiaand at the same, within Bangladesh, India never figured as an important factor in any of its election discussions, neither.This…
Bangladesh’s World Cup Frenzy Dribbling Beyond the Obvious
2018 Football World Cup frenzy in Bangladesh has left everyone astounded. Entire nation seems to have gone crazy over this year’s championship tournament. Supporters have divided themselves among their…
The Wind Of Bad Breath
Wind has no smell The aroma it spreads is from the Master’s garden. Nor has it any sound Music you hear in the wind is from the singing birds. Alas!…
Mr. Xi Jinping, Take A Look At This Photo
I urge you, Mr. Xi Jinping, President of Peoples’ Republic of China to take a good look at this photo. Do you see what I see? I see the agony.…
Remedying Rohynga Genocide
George Orwell, the author of the ‘Burmese Days’ once said that, “Every saint is a sinner until proven innocent”. Aung San Su Kyi, a Nobel Peace Laureate who is currently…
Rohyinga Villages Burning Again
Authorities in Myanmar say close to 100 people have been killed since Friday when armed men, reportedly from the ArakanRohynga Salvation Army (ARSA), launched a pre-dawn raid on police outposts…
Disappearing Role Models, Crisis of Nations and the Urgency of ‘Socially ConsciousLeadership’
This would have been early eighties,then as a public servant in Bangladesh I visited a district called Kushtiato inspect progress of implementation of development projects. At that time I was…
Bangladesh’s Governance Decay: A Case Of Leadership Betrayal?
The sad thing about democracy is that every time you vote, a politician wins and for Bangladesh its tryst with ‘democracy’ its politicians have been anything but happy. Most…
The Rohingya Open Letter And Search For A Permanent Solution
2016 did not end completely hopelessly. In late December,15 Nobel Laureates including Professor Mohammed Yunus and 12 global leaders wrote an Open Letter to the President of the United Nations…
Rohingya Tragedy And Aung San Suu Kyi’s ‘Buddy’ Solution
Persecution of Rohingyas in Myanmar is continuing with impunityand without a break. Dieng and Yanghee Lee, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, have confirmed these atrocities and “requested…
No Action On Ongoing Repression Of Myanmar’s Muslims
In one of its recent reporting the Guardian reports that at the entrance to Thaungtan village in Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Delta a brand-new signasserts, “No Muslims allowed to stay overnight. No…
The Looming India/Pakistan Crisis – Who To Blame?
The short answer to the above question is, both! Recent bout started with Uri, the Indian border post at the Kashmir front. 18 Indian soldiers were killed by across-the-border assailants.…
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