Pakistan Dispatch
Geo-Political Analysis: Minister Wang Yi is in South Africa for the the 13th Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisers and High Representatives on National Security in Johannesburg from July 24 to 25. The most interesting snippets from the official readouts so far are “Wang said the BRICS mechanism is the most important platform for representatives of emerging markets and major developing countries to strengthen dialogue and cooperation, as well as the most important channel for strategic communication in the Global South” and, in his meeting with the Russian representative, “”We should work together to oppose hegemonic and high-handed acts, enrich the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era, and inject new impetus into a multi-polar world and democratization of international relations”. Full speed ahead under Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy. This will be an interesting development in Pakistan and Chinese relationship seen in the light of recent financial developments.
Politics: No politician in Pakistan’s 75-year history has ever defied the military and succeeded. Ousted last year, former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan seeks to tap unrivaled popularity in looming confrontation with generals. He has asked Pakistan’s military to stay out of politics in the upcoming general elections in an interview to Nikkei Asia.
Politics: Perhaps in reaction to Imran Khan’s statements, Pakistan’s Senate on Thursday approved amendments to the Army Act 1952, enhancing punishment for those involved in spreading hate and defaming Pakistan Army. The amendment bill was tabled by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, and it was approved by the upper house of the parliament amid opposition by the rival parties and PPP leader Raza Rabbani, who said that he could not support any such laws.
Politics: The marathon consultations being held in Dubai between the top leaders of two major political parties of Pakistan, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, and Pakistan People’s Party, could not lead to the name of the caretaker prime minister. More rounds of dialogue are likely to be held.
(Sibte Arif, the News International)
Foreign Policy: Amid diplomatic efforts being made to revive Ukraine grain deal, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday spoke to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and discussed the grain deal among other issues with him. FM Bilawal has already spoken to the Turkish foreign minister, the US secretary of state and the EU high representative on the revival of the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI) that allowed Ukraine to export grain despite the conflict.
(Staff Report, Pakistan Today)
Economy: Pakistan’s Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has got caught in couple of problems. An astounding tax fraud amounting to over Rs53 billion has been uncovered in the FBR with nearly 8,000 taxpayers illicitly availing tax adjustments against cotton ginning, despite not being textile manufacturers or traders of the commodity. Then in a drastic move FBR had to freeze Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) bank accounts over non-payment of taxes on Wednesday. According to sources, PIA owed about Rs2.8 billion to the FBR in taxes. However, the airline claims its dues amount to around Rs1.3bn.
(Shahbaz Rana, The Express Tribune; Mohammad Asgar, Dawn😉
Infographic
Opinion
In his article Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, an expert on climate change and development explains how the climate disasters in Pakistan are linked to each other and each Extreme Weather Event has cascaded or triggered a chain reaction defining new thresholds for Pakistan’s climate vulnerability.
Ignoring Climate Thresholds: Dawn
Bangladesh Dispatch
In today’s Dispatch, we look at the political situation in the country, with the BNP and AL both planning to hold rallies on Friday. The tense situation has only been exacerbated by the sudden arrests of several opposition members. Elon Musk is also showing continued interest across South-Asian region with SpaceX expressing its intention to launch a satellite internet service in Bangladesh and the government approving a new model production-sharing contract for oil and gas exploration. The rising number of dengue cases in Bangladesh may quickly become problematic for the entire South-Asian region as a number of dengue infections have been reported in West Bengal, India.
Politics
Foreign Relations
The State Department believes that free and fair elections are a shared priority, and that many officials of the Bangladesh government, including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, have said that this is their goal too. The State Department has also made it clear that there is no place for political violence in a democracy and that the United States does not support any political party. (News Desk, Shomoyer Alo)
Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has decided to request the Indian government to set up blood testing centres at all immigration points on the India-Bangladesh border and airports to check the spread of dengue.The move is aimed at identifying patients and carriers of dengue entering West Bengal from Bangladesh. The decision comes after incidents of dengue infection and deaths have been reported in Kolkata and surrounding areas. (News Desk, The Business Standard)
National
The BNP and AL have both decided to hold their rallies on Friday after failing to secure permission from the security forces to hold the events on Thursday. The BNP will hold its rally in front of its party office at Nayapaltan, while the AL will hold its rally at the old trade fair ground in Agargaon. The two rallies are expected to draw hundreds of thousands of people, and there are concerns that they could lead to violence. (News Desk, Pratidin Sangbad)
The police have arrested more than 500 BNP leaders and activists who came to attend the party’s general meeting in Dhaka. The arrests were made from different places in the capital, including the Midway Hotel and Victoria Hotel near the BNP central office. The BNP has condemned the arrests and demanded the immediate release of the activists. (News Desk, The Daily Sangram)
Economy
SpaceX has expressed its intention to launch a satellite internet service called Starlink in Bangladesh. They met with officials from the BSCL and the ICT Division to discuss the possibility. The government is considering whether to allow Starlink to operate in Bangladesh, and if so, how it would be regulated. Experts say that satellite internet could be beneficial for the country, especially in remote areas where mobile internet is not available. (Mahmudul Hasan, The Daily Star)
The Bangladesh government has approved a new model production-sharing contract (PSC) that will offer lucrative terms to international oil companies (IOCs) to explore for oil and gas in the Bay of Bengal. The approval of the new PSC and the completion of the multi-client survey are seen as major steps forward in Bangladesh’s efforts to attract IOCs to explore for oil and gas in the Bay of Bengal. (News Desk, The Financial Express)
Two leading life insurance companies in Bangladesh, Green Delta Insurance and MetLife, have committed irregularities in their tax returns for FY20, depriving the government of Tk 36.98 crore in revenue. The Bangladesh government missed out on Tk 126.33 crore in FY20 due to 19 counts of irregularities found within the Large Taxpayers Unit (LTU-Tax wing). (Shakhawat Hossain Sumon, The Business Post)
MJL Bangladesh has signed a $75 million deal with South Korea’s DH Shipbuilding to acquire a third-generation oil tanker. The new tanker will be LNG-ready and have a capacity of 115,000 deadweight tonnes (DWT), making it the largest ship to carry the Bangladesh flag. The deal is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2026. (News Desk, The Business Standard)
Infographic
Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical industry has diversified its export market to 131 countries, with the US being the third-largest market. The top 15 importers after Myanmar and Sri Lanka are the USA, the Philippines, Afghanistan, Kenya, Cambodia, Vietnam, Pakistan, Nepal, Jamaica, Nigeria, Denmark, Somalia, and Australia. The volume of pharmaceutical exports has declined by 7.08% in the last fiscal year, but the industry is still optimistic about expanding its market to Latin America and other regions. (FHM Humayan Kabir, The Financial Express)
Society
Bangladesh’s youth are increasingly vocal in their support for climate action, protesting coal and deforestation. The Youthnet for Climate Justice movement has been influential in campaigning against coal-fired power plants and seeking international support for a renewable energy transition. Workers’ organisations have traditionally focused on traditional labour concerns, but some organisations are beginning to raise awareness about the effects of climate change on workers’ health and livelihoods. Efforts are being made to bridge the gap between the environmental and labour movements in order to create a more equitable society. (Md Tahmid Zami, BDnews24)
Opinion: The goal is to take Bangladesh to a trillion-dollar economy
Golam Murshed, the managing director of Walton Hitech Industries PLC, is running for a director position in the upcoming FBCCI elections. In an interview with journalist Mr. Masood, he outlined how he wants make Bangladesh a trillion-dollar economy and expand the country’s flagship products in the world. He also detailed how he hopes to accelerate the development of the electronics industry and work for the benefit of all 4.5 crore traders in Bangladesh. (MM Masood, Daily Manab Zamin)
