Bangladesh has announced plans to release its maiden artificial intelligence (AI) policy in February at the opening day of the 5th General Assembly of the Digital Cooperation Organisation (DCO) in Kuwait.

“We are working on the AI policy, and hopefully this will be in place within the month of February,” said Shish Haider Chowdhury, secretary of the Information and Communication Technology Division, on Wednesday.

He noted Bangladesh’s progress in AI, saying the country began its digital transformation journey 15 years ago and has already prepared an AI strategy. The two‑day assembly, hosted by Kuwait, brought together representatives from 16 member states across the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia, alongside guest countries. Participants called for responsible and inclusive adoption of AI to mitigate risks and ensure equal access to benefits.

Discussions covered billion‑dollar investments, regulatory frameworks, AI universities, data centres and ethical concerns. The participants said AI technology is already shaping economies, societies, and potentially the perceptions of the next generation. They also highlighted AI’s potential use in social engineering, threatening social and political stability if the technology is not embraced ethically. Omar Saud Al-Omar, Kuwait’s minister of state for communication affairs, chaired the discussion.

“Digital transformation makes governments responsible for delivering seamless services to citizens, businesses, and companies,” he said.

AI technology will gradually engulf the world, the participating countries noted, calling for mature use of the technology, drawing on experiences of others who employed it in education, agriculture, science, public service, and even government purchases. DCO Secretary‑General Deemah Al Yahya stressed the need for cross‑border cooperation to counter “real‑time misinformation and disinformation”, warning that failure to act could widen the digital divide.

“The opportunity is clear, but so are the risks. If we fail to act with urgency and coordination, the digital divide will widen,” she added.

The International Digital Cooperation Forum (IDCF), the DCO’s multi-stakeholder platform, also hosted plenary dialogues and side events on artificial intelligence, digital skills mobility, tech safety, and inclusive growth. Speakers stressed that AI risks transcend borders and that the technology is advancing faster than governments’ collective capacity to regulate it.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, addressing the assembly in a brief recorded video message, said at a time of rising geopolitical fragmentation, evidence-based digital cooperation is more important than ever.

Speakers, however, pointed out that national AI regulatory frameworks, often relying on voluntary commitments, are far from being enough to deal with the issues at hand. They warned that AI-driven social engineering could undermine democratic institutions and public trust.

Jordan showcased its national AI ecosystem, noting that over 90 percent of startups in the country specialise in AI, with 27 universities offering AI degrees and more than 11,000 students enrolled by 2025. The country has established a National Council for Future Technologies, chaired by the prime minister and adopted a national AI code of ethics.

“Trust is at the heart of AI adoption,” said a delegate from Pakistan, which is due to take on the DCO presidency next year. Saudi Arabia called for frameworks to govern cross-border data flows, while Bahrain and several other member states urged an inclusive international AI treaty. Azerbaijan highlighted its paperless government system. Initiatives taken by the country have produced more than 1,000 AI engineers and product managers.

Speakers also stressed human-centred AI governance, with pilot projects underway in health, education, and public services. Morocco boasted a 50 MW data centre, opening a window of tests and trials of AI. Delegates also highlighted AI’s potential role in climate resilience, calling for international support to deploy AI in environmental monitoring and adaptation.

The assembly concluded with the agreement that while AI is no longer a future technology, governance, trust, and inclusion must advance at the same pace as innovation if the digital economy is to benefit all. The Palestinian representative reminded the participating countries that their digital infrastructure had faced total destruction in many places, particularly in Gaza and the West Bank.

He said the Palestinians face the “worst-case scenario” of digital disconnection. He called for the protection of digital infrastructure as a “global humanitarian need” so that no nation is left in the “digital blind spot”.

“Let us not let AI erase our narrative,” he said.

Founded in 2020, the DCO is headquartered in Saudi Arabia and represents 16 member states with a combined population of nearly 800 million and GDP of $3.5 trillion. The theme of this year’s assembly was “Inclusive prosperity in the age of AI”.

Bangladesh’s latest attempt to move its T20 World Cup games from India to Sri Lanka has failed at the ICC Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC), the Press Trust of India reports. On Jan 21, Bangladesh lost by a 14–2 margin in a vote at the ICC, leaving them with no option but to travel to India to play in next month’s showcase event. PTI said Bangladesh then approached the DRC to overturn that decision.

However, under clause 1.3 of its own rules, the DRC has no authority to act as an appellate body against decisions taken by the ICC or any ICC-approved committee. As a result, the DRC rejected Bangladesh’s application, saying ICC regulations placed the matter outside its jurisdiction.

PTI added that an announcement on which country will get the slot instead of Bangladesh could come on Saturday.

Sheikh Hasina has launched a stinging political broadside against the interim government, accusing Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus of replacing constitutional rule with what she calls “authoritarianism dressed up as transition” by sidelining her party Awami League ahead of the Feb 12 general elections.

In a wide-ranging written interview with ThePrint, the former prime minister said the suspension of the Awami League from political activity has hollowed out the electoral process, leaving tens of millions of voters effectively “disenfranchised”.

“You cannot ban the country’s oldest and most popular political party and then claim democratic legitimacy. That is not reform; it is authoritarianism dressed up as transition,” Hasina told ThePrint.

Although Yunus has insisted the Awami League has not been banned but merely “suspended from political activities”, Hasina dismissed the distinction as hollow.

“That is a distinction without meaning,” she said, arguing that a party that “can not campaign, organise or contest elections” is, in effect, barred from political life.

Bangladesh is scheduled to vote on Feb 12, but Hasina said the exclusion of her party has already poisoned the process.

“Elections held under such conditions cannot be considered free, fair or legitimate,” she wrote to ThePrint.

“Voters must be free to elect the party of their choosing and not be excluded from participating or coerced by door-to-door activists into voting for the BNP or [Jamaat-e-Islami] under threats of violence or destruction,” ThePrint quoted her as adding. She accused the interim government of deliberately clearing the field because it feared defeat.

“The interim government knows that if we were allowed to contest these elections, we would command overwhelming support. That is why we have been banned,” Hasina said.

“Let us not forget that Yunus himself has never received a single vote from the people of Bangladesh, and yet he has rewritten our country’s legal framework to legitimise his unlawful actions,” she was quoted in the report. The Awami League governed Bangladesh from 2009 until Hasina’s removal in August 2024, shaping nearly a decade and a half of the country’s political life. Now, as the February vote approaches, Bangladesh is heading into an election without the party that led the 1971 independence struggle and dominated post-independence politics.

Violence engulfed Bangladesh in mid-2024, when student-led protests over public sector job quotas spiralled into a nationwide revolt against her government. According to the interim authorities, roughly 1,400 people were killed as unrest spread across the country. Hasina told ThePrint she “regrets” every life lost but rejected claims that her government had provoked the bloodshed.

“We welcomed the legitimate protests led by the students and allowed them to proceed peacefully. We listened to their demands, and we addressed these, overturning the public sector job quotas that were the source of their frustration,” she wrote. She claimed the turning point came when the demonstrations were overtaken by forces working to bring her down.

“What we could not have foreseen was the turning point when extremist elements hijacked the protests. This was no longer a spontaneous and peaceful student movement, but a violent mob organised and directed by Yunus that sought violence, attacked police stations and destroyed state infrastructure,” Hasina told ThePrint.

“Like any legitimate government, our actions were guided by the instinct to protect our country’s institutions and prevent any loss of life,” she added.

On Aug 5, 2024, as violence intensified in Dhaka, Hasina fled her official residence, Ganabhaban, ending her 15 years in power. She has remained in India since then, a fact that has become a sensitive fault line in India-Bangladesh relations.

ThePrint reported that one of Hasina’s sharpest accusations against Yunus centres on the judicial inquiry she had set up to investigate the deaths during the protests — and which was scrapped almost immediately after the interim government took power.

“My principal frustration is that Yunus dissolved that inquiry immediately upon taking power, no doubt because he knew that it would expose the meticulous plan he orchestrated,” she wrote to ThePrint.

“That decision alone raises serious questions as to the motivations behind the protests and his seizure of power, including the matter of foreign involvement. Those questions deserve impartial investigation.”

Since her removal, the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has sentenced Hasina and her home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death for crimes against humanity, citing her government’s attempts to suppress the 2024 unrest. Under Yunus, the Awami League’s organisational backbone has also been dismantled. Its student wing, Bangladesh Chhatra League, was banned under anti-terrorism legislation — a law originally enacted under Hasina’s government in 2009 and amended in 2025 before being used against her party.

Hasina told ThePrint that Bangladesh is now sliding into chaos under an unelected administration that lacks the authority or will to control violence.

“Law and order cannot be maintained through fear or selective enforcement,” she wrote, calling for a swift return to “constitutional governance” and elections “held with the participation of all parties”.

Her warning comes after two days of unrest in December, triggered by the killing of Sharif Osman bin Hadi, a prospective candidate for parliament who was shot in Dhaka on Dec 12 and later died on Dec 18 while under treatment in Singapore. Protests spiralled into riots that saw the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star set ablaze.

“The violence we are witnessing is the direct result of an unelected administration that lacks any popular mandate and has allowed our politics to be usurped by extremist factions,” Hasina told ThePrint.

“Instead of delivering ‘reform’, the interim government has elevated radical groups to positions of power, established rule by mob justice, and suppressed legitimate political voices,” she was quoted as saying.

“In Bangladesh today, there is no semblance of law and order,” she added.

“The Yunus government has routinely failed to act decisively against violence. Indeed, it has actively emboldened extremists who seek to spread their hardline ideology through daily acts of brutality, repressing any trace of pluralism in our society and dismissing any diversity of thought by labelling any dissenting voice as a political enemy,” she said according to ThePrint.

The December unrest included the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu man in Mymensingh, sparking protests in India and renewed concern over the safety of Bangladesh’s minorities. Hindus account for about 8 percent of the population. India has repeatedly urged Dhaka to do more to protect minorities since Hasina’s fall.

Yunus has argued the violence is largely political or criminal rather than communal, saying only 71 of 645 incidents against minorities in 2025 had communal elements, according to ThePrint. Hasina, however, sees a deeper ideological shift.

“Bangladesh was founded on secularism, pluralism and democratic values. The rehabilitation of Jamaat-e-Islami and other extremist factions threatens the very fabric of our nation,” she wrote to ThePrint.

“When radical groups are allowed back into mainstream politics, they do not moderate the state. They seek to reshape it in their own image and remove any trace of pluralism,” she added. Jamaat has re-entered mainstream politics since Yunus lifted the ban on its activities, while its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir has won university elections across several campuses.

Hasina also accused the interim government of tolerating what she called a systematic attempt to rewrite Bangladesh’s past — including the vandalism and demolition of her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s historic home at Dhanmondi 32.

“What we are seeing today is the deliberate erosion of historical truth,” she wrote to ThePrint. “Extremist and revisionist forces have tried hard to dilute the reality of our hard-won independence from Pakistan in 1971, blurring the distinction between victim and aggressor.”

“This truth may be inconvenient to the interim government, which wishes to paint the Awami League as enemies of the state, but it is a truth nonetheless,” she added.

“A nation that forgets the price of its freedom becomes vulnerable to those who once denied it. Preserving the truth of our Liberation War is not about politics. It is about safeguarding our identity and sovereignty.”

As Bangladesh moves towards its most uncertain election in decades, February now looms as a reckoning — not only over who governs, but over what kind of state the country is becoming.

Sheikh Hasina has delivered her first public address in India since her overthrow, calling Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus a “murderous fascist” and accusing his interim government of plunging the country into “terror and lawlessness”. The ousted prime minister spoke via an audio message to a packed hall at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in New Delhi.

The event titled “Save Democracy in Bangladesh” was attended by former ministers from her Awami League government and members of the diaspora, as per NDTV. Hasina, who was sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal over allegations that she ordered the killing of 1,400 people to suppress protests in Bangladesh, is described by her opponents as a “corrupt, fascist, autocrat”.

She is also accused of trying to perpetrate power by manipulating three general elections and overseeing extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and holding political opponents in secret jails. She accused Yunus of running an “illegal, violent” administration and repeatedly described him as a “usurper”, “money launderer”, and “power-hungry traitor”.

“Bangladesh stands today at the edge of an abyss,” Hasina said at the outset, invoking the Liberation War and the legacy of her father, independence hero Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

She said the country had been reduced to “a vast prison, an execution ground, a valley of death”, with human rights trampled, press freedom extinguished, and violence against women and minorities rampant. The Awami League chief said her removal from office on Aug 5, 2024 was the result of a “meticulously engineered conspiracy” that had plunged the nation into what she described as an age of fear.

“From that day, democracy has gone into exile,” Hasina said, warning that life and property no longer enjoyed protection as law and order had collapsed nationwide. She painted a picture of a country gripped by “mob” violence, looting, and extortion, stretching from the capital to rural areas, and blamed extremist groups and foreign interests for what she described as the systematic destruction of the state.

The sharpest criticism was directed at Nobel laureate Yunus personally. The Grameen Bank founder assumed office on Aug 8, 2024 to lead the interim government, shortly after the July Uprising forced the fall of the Awami League administration. Hasina accused him of bleeding the country dry and pushing Bangladesh towards a wider regional conflict by allegedly handing over national resources and strategic interests to foreign powers.

“By betraying the nation, the murderous fascist Yunus is pushing our beloved motherland towards disaster,” she said. Calling the address both a warning and a rallying call, Hasina urged “all democratic, progressive and non-communal forces of the pro-Liberation camp” to unite in restoring the constitution, which she said had been written “in the blood of martyrs”.

She also portrayed the Awami League as the “only legitimate guardian” of Bangladesh’s democratic and pluralist traditions, describing it as the country’s oldest political party and one deeply embedded in its political and cultural foundations. Hasina outlined five demands she said were essential to restoring stability. The first was the removal of what she called the “illegal Yunus administration” to create conditions for free and fair elections. “Bangladesh will never see a credible election while this clique remains in power,” she said.

Her second demand focused on ending daily violence and restoring public order, arguing that economic recovery and basic civic services depended on stability. The third called for firm guarantees to protect religious minorities, women, and vulnerable groups from targeted attacks.

Fourth, she demanded an end to what she described as politically motivated legal action against journalists, Awami League leaders, and opposition figures, calling for the judiciary to be restored as an impartial institution.

Her final demand urged the United Nations to conduct “a fresh and impartial investigation” into events over the past year.

“The international community stands with you,” Hasina told supporters, adding that the interim authorities had failed to listen to the will of the people.

Earlier, in an interview with NDTV, Hasina said Bangladesh was sliding towards authoritarian rule and extremist influence.

Speaking from India, she recounted the events surrounding her ouster, the destruction of her family’s historic residence, and what she described as state-backed attacks on minorities and democratic institutions. She urged Bangladeshis not to lose hope, calling on them to join what she described as a struggle to reclaim democracy and restore constitutional rule.

Law and order and the control of corruption are the two priorities BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman wants to put at the centre of his political “plan”. He outlined this on Saturday afternoon while speaking with the winners of the “Amar Bhabnay Bangladesh”, a national reel-making competition. Tarique said the first thing that must be ensured is law and order, so that what people say and what leaders say can be done in an environment where everyone feels safe on the streets.

Ensuring public safety, he said, was essential. He added that corruption had to be tackled in one way or another. “There are different kinds of corruption at different levels, and we have to try to deal with them all,” he said.

“If we can address these two things properly, many of the other problems will largely get resolved. That is my plan.”

The discussion was held at Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed Park in Gulshan, where Tarique was accompanied by his daughter Zaima Rahman. The competition winners raised different questions, and he responded to them openly. They asked who would receive family cards and whether widowed women would be included.

In reply, Tarique said single mothers and women facing hardship, including those abandoned by their husbands, would be covered. He said Bangladesh currently had 138 social safety projects under the government, but they were not working properly.

“Resources are being wasted. One person gets three forms of support while another gets none,” he said.

“We want to organise this through a family card system and make it universal.”

By way of example, he said the wives of farmers, van pullers and office workers would all be entitled to receive the card.

A total of 891 candidates contesting the upcoming 13th national election have movable and immovable assets worth crores of taka, according to Transparency International Bangladesh. The findings, found through TIB’s analysis of the profiles of valid candidates based on their election affidavits, were presented at a press conference at TIB office in Dhaka on Thursday.

More than 28 per cent of candidates reported an annual income of up to Tk 3.75 lakh while 124 candidates declared annual incomes of Tk 1 crore or more. The analysis shows that 58.84 per cent of candidates have declared assets worth less than Tk 1 crore, while 27 candidates declared assets exceeding Tk 100 crore. Regarding citizenship and overseas links, 21 candidates previously held dual citizenship but have since renounced it.

A total of 31 candidates reported income from foreign sources, while 17 candidates declared owning assets abroad, according to their affidavits. TIB analysis showed Islamic parties have fielded the highest number of candidates in terms of party affiliation this time. Of the total, 4.02 per cent are women, while 95.98 per cent are men. Among female candidates, six are from the Jamaat alliance and 24 from the BNP alliance.

Out of total candidates, 48.48 per cent candidates showed their profession as business, 12.61 per cent lawyer, 11.56 per cent teaching and only 1.56 per cent as politics. This election will see 1,696 first-time candidates contesting for parliamentary seats.

In terms of education, about 76.42 per cent of candidates hold undergraduate or postgraduate degrees, marking the highest proportion of such candidates in any election to date, according to TIB analysis. In addition, 68.05 per cent of candidates reported having bank loans.

The TIB analysis also found that BNP candidates are the most indebted among all parties. According to the data, 59.41 per cent of BNP candidates have bank loans. In terms of legal cases, 530 candidates currently face criminal cases, while 740 candidates had cases against them in the past. Candidates declared a total election expenditure of Tk 463.7 crore for the upcoming polls, with the average spending per candidate standing at Tk 22.5 lakh.

The analysis further shows that 259 candidates declared expenditures below the average amount. Around 2000 candidates are contesting in the upcoming election scheduled for February 12.

Sajeeb Wazed Joy, the son of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, says his mother had intended to retire from politics after serving out her term before she was overthrown by the July Uprising. He made the remarks to Al Jazeera English in a video interview published on Thursday. Asked if Hasina had planned to retire from politics or if she meant to re-enter politics if she had the chance to return to Bangladesh, Joy said:

“No, she is old. My mother’s elderly. This was going to be her last term anyway. She wanted to retire.”

The interviewer then asked if this spelled the end of the Hasina era.

Joy answered, “Possibly, yes…”

However, he added that the Awami League still intended to go on.

“Awami League is a political party,” he said. “It’s the oldest party. It’s been around for 70 years. It’s, it will continue with or without her. She… No one lives forever.”

Asked about the Awami League’s brutal response to nationwide protests in July 2024, Joy said:

“If you’ve listened to my statements online, I have said again and again the Awami League mishandled the protests. Our government mishandled the protests.”

When the interviewer pushed back, stating that the word “mishandle” was downplaying the killings of hundreds of protesters by security forces, he responded:

“If my mother had been willing to kill protesters, she would still be in power. You look at what’s happening in Iran right now. Are they able to do anything? No. My mother… my mother stated… my mother’s statement again and again, and to me, our, my conversation that day was: ‘They are marching on the prime minister’s residence, our special security force and uh, the prime minister’s guards are ready to defend her, but if we, if that happens, hundreds will die. I don’t want their blood on my hands.’”

“That is what my mother said. During that time, hundreds of police officers were killed. Hundreds of our activists were killed as well.”

Following the July Uprising, reporting from Al Jazeera and the BBC analysed and verified audio recordings in which Hasina is heard to authorise the use of lethal force against protesters. In the clip, she is heard saying: “I’ve issued an open order, now they will use lethal weapons and shoot wherever they find them.”

Joy claims the clip was taken out of context.

“I have put that full clip on my Facebook page,” he said. “She says she orders the arrests of protesters and lethal force to protect property and life against militants. There were militants involved in [the protests]. There are videos online of civilians with weapons…”

The interviewer then states a search of Joy’s social media pages had not found any such clip and asked him to share it. Joy said he would.

Joy also denied that the order had authorised lethal force broadly. He said Hasina’s orders was intended “for violent protesters, armed protesters, terrorists. Not for unarmed protesters… in any country would the government… what happens if there are armed protesters shooting at people and shooting at police? What would they do?”

Asked about specific deaths, such as those of 25-year-old Abu Sayed, 12-year-old Zobaid Hossain Imon, and 25-year-old Mir Rahman Mugdho, he said:

“It was a very violent situation. There were police officers who used excessive force. Our government term, suspended many police officers during that time. We formed a judicial committee to investigate. Why weren’t those investigations continued?”

He added that Hasina had met Abu Sayed’s family after the killing as well as the families of others killed, promising them full investigations into their deaths and accountability for those responsible.

However, Joy also disputed the findings of multiple investigations and watchdogs that put the death toll of the July Uprising around 1,400. He claimed the UN report that determined the toll had blamed deaths after the fall of the Awami League government on its actions.

Asked whether Hasina and the Awami League are unwilling to take accountability for the killings and abuses of state power, he responded, “No, that is not what I’m saying at all. What I’m saying is this. We did not grant immunity to anyone. We wanted justice for everyone. Anyone who was responsible for any deaths…”

When asked if Hasina would be held accountable if she was responsible, Joy said:

“My mother did not order any killings. My mother did not want any deaths.”

‘IF YOU BACK SOMEONE INTO A CORNER, WHAT WILL THEY DO?’

As the upcoming general election looms closer, the Awami League have come out in opposition to the polls and to their ban from contesting them.

Some of Joy’s own words on the matter have been described as incendiary. In a previous interview, he said: “We will not allow elections without the Awami League to go ahead. We will do whatever it takes. If the governments crack down on our protests, then it’s going to lead to violence.”

Asked about this aggressive stance, Joy said: “When you push someone into a corner, what else… what’s going to happen? We don’t want violence. We’re not even being allowed to protest. So what violence is the Awami League committing right now? … What I’m saying is if you back someone into a corner, you do not leave them any options; what are they going to do?”

The interviewer then asked whether this rhetoric and its violent implications were not the very justification the interim government was using to ban the Awami League as a violent threat.

Joy said, “I did not threaten violence. I said that if you suppress the protests with violence, of course there will be violence. I did not ask my protesters to attack.”

“Look, if we had the ability to conduct killings in Bangladesh right now, do you think this regime would still be standing? No. Right now the Awami League… we do not have the violent, uh, personnel, if you will, that perhaps some other organisations have…”

He also disputed allegations that the Awami League was involved in the killing of Inqilab Moncho convener Sharif Osman Hadi.

“I don’t know who the shooter is,” he said. “There have been many names that have been floated.”

“Again, do you see the Awami League out on the streets in Bangladesh? That’s not even happening. We have tens of thousands behind bars. Every time we’ve tried to protest, they’ve just arrested everybody. So, the Awami League is not involved in any violence whatsoever. Our campaign now is asking people not to vote in these rigged elections. That’s what we’re doing.”

BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman has bashed Jamaat-e-Islami and the party’ recent activities during the launch of the election campaign at a rally at the Alia Madrasa ground in Sylhet. He called a member of the audience to the stage and said, “You have been to the Kaaba Sharif. Who owns the Kaaba Sharif?” The man responded, “Allah.”

Tarique then said, “We are all Muslims. Who is the owner of this world that we see in this day and age?” The man again responded, “Allah.”

“Who is the owner of the sun and the stars that we see?” Tarique asked, and the answer came “Allah.”

The BNP Chairman asked, “Who is the owner of heaven?”

“Allah.”

“Who is the owner of hell?”

“Allah,” the man said, as the crowd chanted in unison, “Allah, Allah.”

Then Tarique said: “You all bore witness that the owner of hell is Allah; the owner of heaven is Allah; the owner of this world is Allah; the owner of the Kaaba is Allah. Brother, does anyone else have the power to give away what is owned by Allah? No. So, before the election, if a party says, ‘We will give you this, we will give you that,’ doesn’t that mean ‘I will sell you tickets?’”

“If they speak of things that are not owned by humans – isn’t that ‘Shirk’? If they speak of something that is owned by Allah, which only Allah has control over? Only Allah has rights over everything – Allah has rights above all.

“That is why they are cheating you already. Then think how they will cheat you after the election.”

The BNP chairman said, “They are not only deceiving the people, they are making those who are Muslims commit ‘Shirk’. We seek refuge in Allah.”

“Dear brothers and sisters, this country, this country, this beloved motherland, was liberated at the cost of the lives of millions of people during the war in 1971. We saw what roles people played during the liberation of this motherland. We saw who played a role in hundreds and thousands of our brothers being martyred. The honour of hundreds of thousands of the mothers and sisters of this country was defiled. The people of Bangladesh already know them.”

Tarique said, “We have to unite against this apostacy, this rashness, this lie. We have to take back Bangladesh.

“We have freed the country from tyranny, now we have to establish human rights. Just establishing the right to vote and speak is not enough; we have to make arrangements to empower people and raise them onto their own feet. We have to make arrangements so that every person in Bangladesh can eat properly and live well. We have to make arrangements so that every person can walk safely on the streets. That is what it means to take back Bangladesh.”

India, China and Brazil are expected to come under scrutiny under the proposed legislation, echoing Trump’s earlier warnings to BRICS nations over their economic ties with Russia. US President Donald Trump has “greenlit” a sweeping bipartisan sanctions bill targeting Russia and its trade partners, including India, as part of renewed efforts to end the Ukraine war through intensified economic pressure on Moscow.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said Trump has approved the proposed legislation, which would significantly expand sanctions not only on Russia but also on countries continuing trade with Moscow, particularly those purchasing Russian oil.

“After a very productive meeting today with President Trump on a variety of issues, he greenlit the bipartisan Russia sanctions bill,” Graham told reporters. “I look forward to a strong bipartisan vote, hopefully as early as next week.”

Graham said the bill would empower Trump to “punish countries who buy cheap Russian oil fueling Putin’s war machine.”

India, China and Brazil are expected to come under scrutiny under the proposed legislation, echoing Trump’s earlier warnings to BRICS nations over their economic ties with Russia.

What does the bill propose?
The proposed legislation, titled the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, aims to impose sanctions on individuals and countries deemed by the US president to be acting on Russia’s behalf or obstructing efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

• The bill outlines four conditions under which sanctions may be imposed:
• Refusing to negotiate a peace agreement with Ukraine
• Violating a negotiated peace agreement
• Initiating another invasion of Ukraine
• Overthrowing, dismantling or attempting to subvert the Ukrainian government
• If triggered, the bill mandates the president to impose a range of penalties, including visa restrictions and tariffs of up to 500%.

It also directs the US Treasury Department to impose property-blocking sanctions and instructs the Commerce Department to ban the export, re-export or in-country transfer of US-produced energy or energy products to or within Russia.

India is already facing elevated US tariffs. In August 2025, Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, citing New Delhi’s purchase of Russian oil as “fueling the war in Ukraine.” This came on top of an earlier 25% tariff announced during Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” trade measures, bringing the total tariff on Indian goods to 50%, placing India alongside Brazil among the countries facing the highest US tariffs.

With the start of 2026, Trump has hinted at the possibility of further tariff hikes on India due to its continued imports of Russian oil.

“Modi is a good guy. He knew I was not happy, and it was important to make me happy,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. He added that India continues to trade with Russia and that the US “can raise tariffs very quickly.”

If the proposed bill is passed, Trump would be required to raise tariffs to at least 500% on all goods and services imported into the United States from countries that knowingly engage in the trade of Russian-origin uranium and petroleum products.

The advisory committee on government purchase at a meeting on Tuesday approved a proposal to purchase fuel oils at a cost of Tk 1,462 crore from India amid tensions between Dhaka and New Delhi over a series of incidents. The latest was Dhaka’s decision to shut down the broadcasting of the Indian Premier League after Bangladesh pace bowler Mustafizur Rahman, also known as Fizz, was released by IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, following directives by the Indian Cricket Board.

Dhaka has also asked India to sift Bangladesh matches in the forthcoming T20 World Cup to Sri Lanka from India on ground of security of national cricketers. Finance adviser Salehuddin Ahmed, who presided over the meeting of the advisory committee on government purchase, called the rows over Mustafizur disappointing.

The release of the pace bowler all of a sudden was unfortunate, he said, adding that the fallout of the incident was also unexpected. There have been diplomatic rows between Bangladesh and India since New Delhi gave shelter to deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina who fled there amid a mass uprising on August 5, 2024. Salehuddin, however, said that the Mustafizur issue had not put any impact on the procurement of goods from India under the government purchase.

At Tuesday’s meeting, a Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation proposal to import 1.8 lakh tonnes of refined diesel from India’s Numaligarh Refinery Limited for the January-December period at a cost of Tk 1,462 crore was approved.

The import price of a litre of diesel from Numaligarh Refinery in Assam has been estimated at Tk 88 while the average price of a litre of diesel on the international market recently was about $1.24, equivalent to Tk 175.

Responding to questions from reporters about diesel imports from India amid the tensions, energy adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan said that the diesel import was being carried out under an agreement signed previously.

‘This is a 15-year contract signed long ago,’ he said, adding that the latest import was part of the contract. The day’s meeting also approved three more proposals on imports of fuel oils with the overall amount standing at 30.6 lakh tonnes at an estimate cost of Tk 24,150.84 crore. The imports are to meet the country’s fuel oil demand until June.

The BPC will import 15 lakh tonnes of crude oil from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia for state-run Eastern Refinery Limited at a cost Tk 11,863 crore. It will import 13.80 lakh tonnes of refined fuel oils from seven companies from six countries under government-to-government arrangements at an estimated cost of Tk 10,826 crore. The six countries are India, China, Malaysia, the UAE, Thailand and Indonesia.