Pakistan Dispatch
At least 42 people were killed and over 150 others injured Bajaur area of Pakistan, after a powerful explosion ripped through a political gathering organized by the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) on Sunday. The Bajur district near the Afghan border was a stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban — a close ally of Afghanistan’s Taliban government — before the Pakistani army drove the militants out of the area. Security officials believed that it was a “suicide attack”, with a senior official claiming that the militant Islamic State (Islamic State in Khorasan or IS-K) group was possibly involved in the attack. Jamiat Ulema Islam generally supports regional Islamists. In 2021, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had extended political support to the Taliban after it came to power in Afghanistan. It is believed that many current Talibani leaders have received education in seminaries affiliated with the JUI-F. The recent suicide attack is not surprising as the region is destabilizing. Last week, a suicide blast at a historic Ali Masjid (mosque) in northwest Pakistan killed a police officer in the tribal Jamrud tehsil bordering Peshawar.
(The Associated Press, NPR; Umer Farooq | Anwarullah Khan, Dawn, Kalbe Ali, Dawn; PTI, The Hindu)
Chinese Vice Prime Minister (PM) He Lifeng has arrived in Pakistan on a three-day visit as part of high-level engagements and dialogues between Pakistan and China and to celebrate the 10th anniversary of China Pakistan Economic Corridor. Fresh trade agreements were signed between Pakistan and China on Monday as the start of the “second phase” of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Security has been tightened across Islamabad.
Since the beginning of Pakistan’s diplomatic relations with Russia in 1948, for the first time a Russian truck crossed into Pakistan through Torkham border under the Road Transport Agreement between Russia and Pakistan, establishing a trade route through roads. The Road Transport Agreement was signed last year in Moscow. The transport of goods will be carried out under TIR Carnet under which road transport permits are issued in order to simplify procedures at customs borders.
Pakistan’s Senate on Sunday ‘dropped’ a bill aimed at curbing violent and extremist organizations in the political arena after fierce opposition from the opposition members and surprisingly ruling coalition members. The bill said those calling on others to show or use force, propagating and publishing extremist material, using all kinds of media for radicalization or manipulating people’s beliefs, or provoking sectarian strife would be guilty of violent extremism. The bill had 33 articles and 100 sub-clauses, adding that these were applicable to all, including politicians and the common man.
Pakistan’s Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has taken steps to discourage foreign exchange reserve outflows. The FBR increased the withholding tax (WHT) on payments made to non-resident individuals through debit and credit cards by a significant 400%. According to the FBR, payments to non-resident entities have been contributing significantly to the outflow of foreign exchange from the country, affecting the overall foreign exchange reserves.
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Situation Report: Pakistan, the world’s fifth most populous country, has been ranked 99th out of 129 nations in a Global Hunger Index (GHI) report which described its level of hunger as “serious”. The fourth edition of the report, prepared in collaboration between German non-profit Welthungerhilfe and its Irish counterpart Concern Worldwide, is a peer-reviewed publication and was launched in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad last week.
Bangladesh Dispatch
Over the weekend, opposition activists clashed with security forces as they attempted to organize a large rally to put pressure on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government. The opposition, led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, is demanding that Hasina hand over power to a neutral caretaker administration in order to ensure a fair election in early January, following claims of cheating in previous elections. As the elections approach, the situation becomes increasingly alarming. The government will take solace in the knowledge that an election monitoring team dispatched by the United States, Japan, and China has determined that the incumbent administration is capable of conducting the elections.
Politics
Foreign Relations
A foreign poll observer team from the United States, Japan, and China visited Bangladesh and expressed their confidence in the Election Commission’s (EC) ability to conduct a fair and credible election. The team also negated the demand for a polls time caretaker government, stating that it would be “unconstitutional” and “illegal” under the current situation. (News Desk, Samakal)
Bangladesh and Sweden discussed the recent desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden. Bangladesh strongly condemned the acts and called for an end to such provocations. Sweden said that it condemns Islamophobic acts and that the Swedish Police Authority does not grant permission to burn the Holy Quran. The Swedish minister for justice has initiated an analysis of the Public Order Act in light of the recent events. Bangladesh requested Sweden to send election observers to the upcoming general election. (News Desk, The Daily Observer)
National
Awami League candidate Mohiuddin Bachchu has won the Chittagong-10 by-election with 52,923 votes. His nearest rival, Jatiya Party candidate Md Shamsul Alam, received 1,572 votes. The voter turnout was 11.7%. (News Desk, The Daily Asian Age)
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has inaugurated 50 more model mosques and Islamic cultural centres in 34 districts across the country. She warned people against repeating the arson attacks of 2013-14, which were carried out by BNP. She said that her government is building the model mosques to spread the true message of Islam and to counter extremism and terrorism. She also asked people to plant trees and to not leave a single inch of land uncultivated to ensure food security. (News Desk, New Age)
The home minister said that the BNP can hold peaceful demonstrations, but legal action will be taken if they create public disruptions. He said that the police commissioner will decide whether to grant permission for the BNP’s large rally. (News Desk, Prothom Alo)
The Home Minister said that nearly 700 people have been detained over the BNP’s violence on Saturday. He said that law enforcement agencies are ready to face any kind of situation and atmosphere centring the elections. He also said that the Election Commission will play the main role in the elections and that all security forces and administrations will remain under the EC. (News Desk, Rising BD)
Economy
The Bangladesh Railway is facing a major crisis due to a lack of funds and poor project management. This is leading to delays in the completion of projects, which is in turn impacting the quality of railway services. (Jahidul Islam, The Business Standard)
Nepal and Bangladesh are in the process of finalising an agreement to export up to 40MW of electricity from Nepal to Bangladesh. The tariff for the electricity has not yet been agreed upon, but Nepal is planning to offer a good tariff as a goodwill gesture. The transmission charges and service fees to be paid to the Indian authorities have also been finalised. (News Desk, The Business Standard)
The government of Bangladesh offered tax exemptions worth Tk 564.66 billion in July-May period of FY2022-23. This is an increase of 20.35% from the previous year. However, these tax exemptions have not had a significant impact on investment or industrial expansion. Economists have called for a more targeted approach to tax exemptions, in order to ensure that they are actually effective in achieving their desired goals. (Doulot Akter Mala, The Financial Express)
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LC settlements in Bangladesh fell by 16% in FY23 due to austerity measures implemented by the government and Bangladesh Bank to save forex reserves. (Mehedi Hasan, The Business Post)
Society
Al-Qaeda is expanding its operations in Bangladesh, India, and Myanmar. The group is also trying to collaborate with the Islamic State’s regional wing, ISIL-K. The UN Security Council report also assessed that ISIL-K is the most serious terrorist threat in Afghanistan and the wider region. (News Desk, bdnews24)
Opinion: Education for most Indians is still a ‘bust.’ What about Bangladesh?
The article discusses the state of education in India and Bangladesh. It argues that while school infrastructure and enrolment have improved in recent years, learning has not kept pace. The authors propose a number of ideas to improve school outcomes in Bangladesh, including changing the system of remunerating government schoolteachers, setting up private schools that serve children who never enrol in schools, and sponsoring NGO-run school programmes. (John Richards & Shahidul Islam, The Daily Star)
