Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that whenever the people of the country are in any danger, they seek shelter from the police. The police are friends of the people. It needs to be established. The PM  today (Feb 27) asked the Police to strengthen their efforts in eradicating terrorism, drug abuse, and corruption for the betterment of the society. She said this while inaugurating the Police Week-2024 on Tuesday (February 27) in Dhaka's Rajarbagh Police Lines, as the chief guest. PM Sheikh Hasina awarded Bangladesh Police Medal (BPM) posthumously to the family members of nine Policeman who sacrificed their lives. Sheikh Hasina awarded the Bangladesh Police Medal (BPM-Bravery) to 35 officers and the President Police Medal (PPM-Bravery) to 60 officers  for their outstanding performance in their services over the past year.  

Residents launched a protest against the local administration in the Skardu district of Gilgit Baltistan over the arrest of Shabbir Mayyar, a prominent activist who was demanding the opening of Skardu-Kargil Road. The occupied region has long been grappling with severe crises such as high inflation and shortage of commodities, and people have been demanding the resumption of trade with India. The protesters blamed the security forces for misusing the Anti-Terrorism Act against the activists and the residents. The protesters said they believed that the Islamabad-backed local administration in Gilgit Baltistan is against their reasonable demand for the opening of the Skardu-Kargil road and have been arresting those who speak up in their favour. A local leader from the Awami Action Committee addressed a public gathering, demanding the immediate release of Shabbir Mayyar. "He (Shabbir Mayyar) is the voice of Gilgit-Baltistan. He should be released immediately. The only crime Shabbir Mayar committed was that he raised a slogan, 'Aar par Jod do, Kargil border khol do' (Remove barricades from the Kargil border and let the people commute). Whoever speaks of the Kargil border is threatened and punished by them," he said. The arrest of Shabbir Mayyar and many other activists has triggered widespread unrest among locals. Another local activist said, "Our community is not afraid of anyone. Rather than listening to the public, they (the administration) are arresting the poor. They think that by arresting poor people, they can scare us. No, we aren't afraid. We are here to prove them wrong. Through this platform, I announce that we are all with Shabbir Mayar. Unless they are released, we will stand by them." It is believed that the Anti-Terrorism Act, which was introduced to expeditiously bring the perpetrators of terror to justice, has gradually become a tool of extrajudicial killing and repression in Gilgit Baltistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. 

An Islamabad district and sessions court on Friday remanded journalist Muhammad Khalid Jamil in the custody of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for two days, Pakistan-based Dawn reported. The development comes after Jamil's arrest on Thursday night.  According to FIA, Khalid Jamil was detained on charges of spreading a "provocative narrative" against state institutions through his posts on social media. ABN News, the TV Channel with which Jamil is affiliated confirmed his arrest in a post shared on X. The first information report lodged by the agency said the accused was "found sharing and propagating highly intimidating content/tweets on social media/Twitter" (now X), Dawn reported. The FIR invoked Section 20 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), which states: "Whoever intentionally and publicly exhibits or displays or transmits any information through any information system, which he knows to be false, and intimidates or harms the reputation or privacy of a natural person, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years or with fine which may extend to one million rupees or with both," Dawn reported. In addition, the FIR included Section 505 (statement conducing to public mischief) of the Pakistan Penal Code. The FIR said, "The accused had knowingly misinterpreted and disseminated anti-state narrative by sharing false misleading and baseless information which are also likely to cause fear in the public and may incite anyone to commit an offence against the state or the state institution or public tranquillity." The agency further said that the "accused persons including Muhammad Khalid Jamil propagated, promoted and glorified anti-state, provocative and hatred narrative against the state institutions." The FIA did not reveal details regarding other individuals involved in the alleged crime, according to Dawn report. The agency called such intimidating content of blaming and naming through social media accounts a mischievous act of subversion to create a rift between the general public and state institutions to "harm the state of Pakistan". It further said that the accused through such intimidating content including videos "attempted to provoke the general public against the state institutions including judiciary, by trying to create a feeling of ill-will among pillars of the state." The journalist community has condemned the arrest of Khalid Jamil. They have called for an explanation for the action taken by the agency. Journalist Maria Memon expressed concern over the Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) swift action in Jamil's case. Menon spoke about the agency's inconsistency in their response to other online harassment cases. Meanwhile, journalist Nusrat Javeed in a post shared on X stated, "Just got the news that @khalidjamil had been arrested by FIA.  He had been a colleague of mine at @AajTv. Always found him extraordinarily soft and polite. Wonder how could he provoke trouble 4 him. The government surely needs a flawlessly credible story to defend his arrest."

The final approval to the draft of Cyber Security Act, 2023 which will replace the existing Digital Security Act.  The approval came from the Cabinet meeting held on Monday at Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in the city chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.  Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain said in a press briefing that, "In the draft law, the offenses under four sections - 17, 19, 27 and 33, have been made non-bailable." He said the trial procedure of the ongoing cases filed under the Digital Security Act (DSA) will be run following the same law.

The government has decided to change Digital Security Act (DSA) 2018. The law will be replaced by Cyber Safety Act 2023. The Decision has came after a meeting of Cabinet Division chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday morning. Law Minister Anisul Huq confirmed the matter. The minister further said that after the amendment, there will no longer be any provision for jail term; only the provision of fines will be kept. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government is working for the people, he said, adding, "We have taken measures to stop the misuse and abuse of DSA through some amendments." The DSA was enacted on October 8, 2018 with the aim of preventing the spread of sectarianism, extremism, terrorist propaganda, and hatred against religious or ethnic minorities through social media, print media or any other electronic media. Earlier, Law Minister said that DSA will not be repealed, the act is undergoing a refinement process to prevent its misuse and will be amended by September during the tenure of this government.

A human chain organized by journalists at Karwan bazar roundabout on Friday in protest of a Digital Security Act (DSA) case filed against RTV journalist Yeasmein Akter Adhora for her report on "misdeed of a syndicate of Pirs". On May 13, One Shakerul Kabir filed the case in Chattogram court against the RTV reporter and another one. The incident revealed after Rafiqul Islam, the investigating officer of the case informed RTV On July 10. In that protest, the journalist leaders demanded the withdrawal of the case against Adhora. They also demanded the repeal of the Digital Security Act (DSA). The law is being used to harass journalists and suppress freedom of expression. They also urged to take action against the "pir syndicate" instead of harassing journalists for unearthing crimes. Leaders of Bangladesh Crime Reporters Association including Dhaka Journalists Union, Dhaka Reporters Unity, ACC Beat journalists' organization RACK participated in the hour-long protest. Sohel Haider Chowdhury, president of the Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) expressed frustration and dissatisfaction over filing the case against journalists under DSA. He said, "We hope Yeasmein Akter Adhora's case will be withdrawn, or the home ministry will issue a statement declaring it null and void," he demanded. Akter Hossain, General Secretary of DUJ and News Editor of RTV, said, "After the case, now they are giving various threats and even death threats. Just as the young journalist tries to unmask the land grabbers, the Rajarbagh land grabbers come after him with a case against him." Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) President Morsalin Nomani, DRU former general secretary Syed Shukur Ali Shuvo, Nurul Islam Hasib, Former Joint General Secretary Shahnaz Sharmin, Jamiul Ahsan Sipu, Reporters Against Corruption (RAC) General Secretary Jameson Mahbub, Former Executive Member of Dhaka Journalist Union Golam Mujtaba Dhrubo, Former President of Sub-Editors Council Nasima Akhter Soma, Publicity Secretary of Bangladesh Crime Reporters Association SM Faiz, former women affairs editor of Dhaka Reporter Unity Taapsee Rabeya Ankhi, former executive member Hasan Jabed, RTV assistant news editor Saikhul Islam Ujjal and others spoke in the programme. Journalist communities have long been demanding repeal of the law, saying it has been curbing the freedom of press and freedom of expression.

A Gazipur court on Saturday sent actress Mahiya Mahi to jail, hours after she was arrested from Dhaka airport in connection with a case filed under the Digital Security Act (DSA). Gazipur Metropolitan Magistrate Iqbal Hossain passed the order when police produced her before the court seeking a seven-day remand prayer in the case. The court also rejected the remand petition. Mahi was arrested from the airport after her arrival from Saudi Arabia but husband Rakib Sarker, also an accused in the case, did not return home with her. Briefing reporters, Gazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Molla Nazrul Islam said, “A case was filed against Mahi and her husband under the DSA Act on Friday night for ‘tarnishing the image of Police Commissioner and Police Department’. Police arrested her from Dhaka airport soon after she arrived at the airport from Saudi Arabia this noon.” Mohammad Ibrahim, deputy commissioner of DB of Gazipur Metropolitan Police, said a team of Gazipur police arrested Mahi and took her to Bason Police Station. Rokon Mia, sub-inspector of Bason Police Station, filed a case under Digital Security Act against Mahi and her husband Rakib on Friday night on charge of “defaming police” after going live on Facebook. Meanwhile, Ismail Hossain, a businessman, filed another case with Bason Police Station against 28 people including the couple on charges of assault, vandalism and land grabbing. Abu Torab Mohammad Shamsuddin, deputy commissioner of Gazipur Metropolitan Police, said police filed the case against the couple for “tarnishing the image of police, including Gazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Molla Nazrul Islam,” after going live on Facebook. According to the case statement, Mahi, from her Facebook page, went live early Friday — making allegations against police. During the live session, she said Ismail Hossain and Mamun Sarkar, through their people, carried out an attack on a car showroom, Sony Raj Car Palace, owned by Mahi, on Dhaka-Tangail highway near Bhawal Badre Alam Government College. The actress and her husband also alleged that the Gazipur Metropolitan Police commissioner “supported the attackers” after taking bribe. She also said she feared getting arrested after returning to the country from Mecca. During the Facebook live, Mahiya’s husband Rakib alleged that police arrested security guards of the car showroom. Meanwhile, Ismail Hossain, owner of Rod Binding Factory in Itahata area of Gazipur city and plaintiff of a case, in his complaint said, he has been running a factory in the area for the past 10 years after purchasing land there. On Friday, some people on behalf of Rakib and Mahiya attacked and vandalized the factory, he said. They also beat up 5 people at the factory, leaving them injured, while trying to occupy the land, according to the complaint. Contacted, Molla Nazrul, Commissioner of Gazipur Metropolitan Police, said, “Actress Mahiya brought allegations against police on Facebook and tried to draw sympathy through lies.” So far, police arrested nine people in connection with the case filed by businessperson Ismail. Mahi and her husband were the principal accused (hukumer ashami) in the case, said commissioner Nazrul.

North Korea launched a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan on Tuesday, authorities in Tokyo and Seoul said. Although the launch was likely just a test, officials in the Japanese regions of Hokkaido and Aomori urged residents to take cover early on Tuesday morning. "North Korea appears to have launched a missile," the Japanese government said in a rare activation of its J-Alert system. "Please evacuate into buildings or underground." South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol condemned Pyongyang's "reckless provocations" while Japan's prime minister, Fumio Kishida, called the missile launch "barbaric." No damage or injuries were reported. Later on Tuesday, the South Korean Ministry of Unification said Pyongyang was unresponsive on the inter-Korea hotline used for negotiations between the two countries. Missile launch 'threatened security of Japan' The missile flew over Japan and landed in the Pacific Ocean some 3,000 kilometers (1900 miles) away from the archipelago, Japan's chief cabinet secretary, Hirokazu Matsuno, said. Japanese and South Korean authorities said the missile traveled around 4,500 kilometers in total, and reached a speed of Mach 17. "North Korea's series of actions, including its repeated ballistic missile launches, threatens the peace and security of Japan, the region, and the international community, and poses a serious challenge to the entire international community, including Japan," Matsuno added. Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada speculated that the missile could have been a Hwasong-12 rocket similar to the ones Pyongyang has tested in the past. United States reaffirms 'ironclad' defense commitments The White House called North Korea's missile launch "dangerous and reckless." The test was also condemned by the top US diplomat in East Asia and the US Indo-Pacific Command. National security adviser Jake Sullivan consulted with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts on a "robust" international response, a spokesperson added. Sullivan reaffirmed Washington's "ironclad commitment" to the defense of both Asian countries. Tensions rising in the region UN resolutions prohibit North Korea from testing any kind of ballistic missile. However, Tuesday's missile launch was the fifth such test in 10 days. But unlike the other recent launches, Tuesday's test was the first time North Korea fired a missile over Japan since 2017 — a move that represents "a significant escalation over its recent provocations" according to Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. In August, the United States and South Korea kicked off large-scale joint military drills. North Korea views these exercises as an invasion rehearsal, however Seoul and Washington maintain they are defensive in nature. Ankit Panda, an Asia-Pacific security expert with the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said that firing over Japan allows North Korean scientists to test missiles under more realistic conditions. "Compared to the usual highly lofted trajectory, this allows them to expose a long-range reentry vehicle to thermal loads and atmospheric reentry stresses that are more representative of the conditions they'd endure in real-world use," he said. "Politically, it's complicated: the missile largely flies outside of the atmosphere when it's over Japan, but it's obviously distressing to the Japanese public to receive warnings of a possible incoming North Korean missile." 

The country’s people aged 18 to 50 years would be eligible for the benefit of the universal pension scheme to be introduced by the government after being of their age 60 years.      Each person of the country, on the basis of availing the scheme, would start to receive the pension after becoming 60 years old as the Cabinet today gave final approval (upon the vetting of the law ministry) of the draft of “Universal Pension Management Act, 2022”.      Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam briefed the newsmen after the meeting at Bangladesh Secretariat.       Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina chaired the meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in the capital.       Apart from the people aged between 18 to 50 years, the cabinet secretary said under special arrangements, the elderly people can also avail the benefits of this pension through participating in the scheme.       In order to come under the pension scheme, one has to pay a fixed amount of premium for at least 10 years, he said, adding that after completing 60 years, the person will get this benefit till death.      Now, after the vetting from the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Law Ministry, the act will be sent to the National Parliament, said Anwarul Islam.       He said, “All Bangladeshi nationals aged from 18 to 50 years can participate in this pension scheme. And the expatriate Bangladeshis can also take part in it. They (expatriates) can get registered and provide premium”.        The Finance Division has placed the draft of the Universal Pension Management Act, 2022 aiming to bring the growing elderly population under a sustainable social safety net for the causes of unemployment, disease, paralysis, old age or other similar conditions, or penury amid the high life expectancy rate.        Anwarul Islam said if an elderly person dies before the age of 75 years, the nominee will get the pension for the remaining time, posing an example that if anyone dies at 62, his nominee will get pension for 13 years.        Besides, if someone dies while paying the premium, but he is not yet 60 years of age, then the nominee of that person will get the deposited money with one time benefit, he said.       He added: “That person will not get any pension”.         For example, he said a person is 20 years old and is contributing to this pension. If he dies at the age of 30, then his nominee will get the deposited money with one time benefit, he added.        However, the amount of premium will be determined by a rule under the proposed law, he also said.         According to the proposed law, there will be a five-member national pension authority headed by a chairman and also a 15-member governing body with the Finance Minister as its chair, said the cabinet secretary. Besides, the Cabinet in principle approved the draft of the Press Council (Amendment) Act, 2022 aiming to improve and maintain the standard of the newspapers and news agencies as well as remove false journalism. A proposal was made in the draft law to impose monetary fine for harming or breaking the security of the State, public order and morality, but the Cabinet rejected it, said the cabinet secretary. “The Cabinet left it (the amount of fine) on discretion of the press council,” he said, adding that the council can voluntarily take offenses in cognizance. He said the draft law will come back to the Cabinet as it didn’t give the final approval yet.  The proposed law was designed to bring an amendment to the existing law of 1974, he added. In reply to a question, Anwarul Islam said the news agencies mean all print and digital media.   There will be a 17-member press council instead of the existing 14-member one as per the draft law, he said. Moreover, the Cabinet cleared a proposal for Bangladesh to sign and ratify Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published works for persons who are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled. The Marrakesh Treaty was adopted in 2013 in Marrakesh, Morocco by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to address the widespread problem known as a “book famine,” the situation where few books are published in formats that are accessible to those who are blind or visually impaired. Moreover, the Cabinet cancelled its previous decision over the formation of Sovereign Wealth Fund, which was taken in 2015. Source: BSS AH

After two years, the Government of India revoked provisions of the Disaster Management Act for COVID containment measures, as per the order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday. The order copy signed by Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla reads that after taking into consideration the overall improvement in the situation and preparedness of the Government to deal with the pandemic, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has taken a decision that there may not be any further need to invoke the provisions of the DM Act for COVID containment measures. Accordingly, after the expiry of the existing Ministry of Home Affairs orders dated February 25, 2022, no further order may be issued by the MHA. However, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) advisories on COVID containment measures, including the use of face masks and hand hygiene, will continue to guide the overall national response to the pandemic. "I would like to mention that in view of the nature of the disease, we still need to remain watchful of the situation. Wherever any surge in the number of cases is observed, the States/UTs may consider taking prompt and proactive action at the local level, as advised by MOHFW from time to time," the Home Secretary said in the order. He also advised States and UTs to discontinue the issue of orders and guidelines under the DM Act.   "I would, therefore, advise all the States/UTs to consider appropriately discontinuing issue of orders and guidelines under the DM Act, 2005 for COVID containment measures. The States/UTs may continue to follow the SoPs/advisories that have been or are being issued by the MoHFW from time to time for COVID containment measures, vaccination and other related aspects, including observing COVID Appropriate Behaviour," he said in the order. Since March 24, 2020, on the direction of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the Ministry of Home Affairs has been issuing Orders and Guidelines under the Disaster Management Act, (DM Act) 2005, for the containment of COVID-19 in the country. The Central Government, in close coordination with the State Governments and Union Territory Administrations (UTS), has taken various proactive measures to deal with the unprecedented global crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. The MHA order further reads that over the last 24 months, significant capacities have been developed for various aspects of management of the pandemic, such as diagnostics, surveillance, contact tracing, treatment and vaccination, hospital infrastructure and the general public has a much higher level of awareness on the COVID appropriate behaviour. States and UTs have also developed their own capacities and systems and implemented their detailed State/UT specific plans for managing the pandemic, over the last seven weeks or so there has been a steep decline in the number of cases, it said. The total caseload in the country stands at 23,913 only and the daily positivity rate has declined to 0.28 per cent. It is also worth mentioning that with the combined efforts, a total of 181.56 Cr vaccine doses have been administered. Source: ANI