Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said the Bangladesh people would not accept any move even taken from abroad to hamper the elections, reiterating her government’s commitment to hold next polls in a free and fair manner. "Awami League will come to power again if the countrymen voted for it. But, the people will not accept any move even taken from abroad to hinder the election," she told a press conference at Bangladesh Mission here. Prime Minister's Speechwriter Md Nazrul Islam moderated the press conference organised to brief media on PM’s visit to New York to attend the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The prime minister said her party believes in the power of the people reposed in them in accordance with article 7 of the Constitution. In case of any move to thwart elections, she said the people of Bangladesh will also impose restrictions on them who will take such initiative. About fresh visa restrictions, the premier said that she hoped the visa restrictions will be applicable including the opposition in any move to thwart the election. She said the next general elections will be hold in a proper manner if the BNP alliance doesn’t carry out any arson attack likewise 2013-14 aimed at foiling the polls. The premier expressed her hope that the country that has imposed visa restriction will consider the issue from both sides or neutrally. "I have nothing to say, if the Awami League is only targeted. But the Awami League doesn’t come to power depending on anyone's strength. I assume power through the power of the people and their votes," she said. Sheikh Hasina, also President of the AL said that they have been working for the welfare of the people. "There is nothing to fear that who will give sanction or not," she said. The prime minister said, " Khaleda Zia made repeated attempts to her. In spite, she gave Khaleda Zia, a convicted in corruption case, a scope to stay at home and get treatment from hospital suspending jail terms in line with the power bestowed upon her as the head of the government."

Chinese business community and Bangladesh-China Alumni called for Overseas Bangladeshi students to return home and contribute to their homeland’s development at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Initiative in Bangladesh Exhibition 2023 which took place on Friday morning at Bangabandhu Bangladesh–China Friendship Exhibition Centre in Purbachal, Dhaka. HighlightingChinese companies’unwavering confidence in Bangladesh market, Mr. KeChangliang, the President of CEAB, unveiled a robust localization strategy being adopted by Chinese business communityin a move to tap into global expertise to drive localized solution that cater to unique business environment of Bangladesh.  “Most Chinese companies are going through reforms in Bangladesh in the direction for setting up regional HQ and deepening localization. During this BRI in Bangladesh Exhibition, there will be a job fair for Bangladeshi returnee students from China.I hope through this job fair, both Bangladeshi returnee students can get good offers and Chinese companies can source the right people. We will set up a long-term platform for such talent matching activities, ”He said in his opening speech. Mr. Munshi Faiz Ahmad, Chairman of Association of Bangladesh-China Alumni (ABCA) and former Ambassador of Bangladesh to China, welcomed Chinese business community’s localization trend and underscored the valuable skills and experiences that Bangladeshi returnee students could bring to their homeland as assets that align seamlessly with Bangladesh’s vision for growth and innovation. Executive Chairman of BIDA of Prime Minister’s OfficeMr. Lokman Hossain Miah, Minister Counsellor, Charge d’affaires of Chinese Embassy in BangladeshH.E. Mr. Yan Hualong,Vice Chairman of EPBMr. A.H.M Ahsan,Additonal Secretary and Wing Chief of ERD,Ministry of FinanceMr. Md. Anwar Hossain, and President of BCCCIMr. Gazi Golam Murtoza also addressed at the Seminar. The Belt and Road Initiative in Bangladesh Exhibition 2023, hosted by Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh in association with Chinese Enterprises Association in Bangladesh (CEAB)and  Bangladesh China Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCCI), brought together a total of 400 government officials, diplomats and business professionals to network and explore strategies for facilitating cooperation between Bangladeshi and Chinese business communities.  The Exhibition took place from 8-10 September 2023, aiming to review the fruitful results of the proposed Belt and Road Initiative in Bangladesh during its 10 years track and propose approaches to strengthen bilateral cooperation so as to  drive ever-lasting socio-economic growth of Bangladesh.

The issues related to the Habib Overseas Bank money laundering case are severely affecting the normal activities of Pakistani missions, particularly in South Africa… A special report by Kalip Anaz “It is not the first time that HOBL has been accused of terror-related activities in the US. In 2007, Habib Bank was sued by the widow of journalist Daniel Pearl for financially helping Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups.  In 2017, it had to shut down its only US branch and was penalized $225 million for illicit money transfers” Mark Kinra, Geopolitical Analyst Pakistan’s largest private sector bank with international branches faced allegations of helping global terror organization Al-Qaeda, leading to deaths and injuries to hundreds of people in Afghanistan.  Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported that a US court said terror financing by Habib Bank led to attacks that killed and injured 370 people in Afghanistan in 2021 and 2019. In a strongly worded release issued at the time, the Department of Financial Services (DFS) of New York State had harshly castigated the bank and added that “DFS will not stand by and let Habib Bank sneak out of the United States without holding it accountable for putting the integrity of the financial services industry and the safety of our nation at risk.” HBL had become the target of an enforcement action by DFS for 53 separate violations allegedly committed between 2007 and 2017.  In the end, the Bank had to pay compensation before being booted out of the US. Soon after the US revelations, “significant irregularities” in dealings with politically exposed clients and screening of some transactions, were observed according to an inspection by the South Asian nation’s central bank. The South African Reserve Bank, followed the footsteps laid under FATF (AML) and sanctioned HBZ bank (*a subsidiary of Habib Bank AG Zurich) for violating money laundering and terror financing regulations. Pakistan South African Mission in doldrums. The placing of HOBL under curatorship by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has created problems for the Pak High Commission, the staff and its diaspora.  Pakistanis maintain their personal as well as official accounts with HOBL and the restrictions imposed on the Bank have resulted in severe financial and mental stress to the staff posted in South Africa. According to reports, the staff has not been paid salaries since the month of March this year. The conditions have become so critical that even the school fees of the children of the staff have not been paid.  The Pakistan High Commission staff has also been unable to pay the rent for residencies leased out to them.  The civil staff at the High Commission have been affected worse since the military staff including the Defence Attaches and those attached with the South African military for training are being compensated by the ISI (the Pakistan military-run intelligence agency), According to reliable sources, the problems started with the arrival of a new Pakistan Ambassador, Mr Aftab Hasan Khan, who was appointed in February 2023 and is a former officer of the Pakistani Army. The Ambassador has shown no inclination to address the problems. While Pakistan as a nation is witnessing severe political and economic stress, the condition of its foreign missions is getting compounded.  To add to the woes, the Pakistan military’s treatment of its own, be it at home or abroad is all the more appalling. Source: africadailydigital.com

Anti-state propaganda works on many levels. Since independence, India has faced an unending dilemma of creative propaganda by neighbouring Pakistan. The propaganda mostly revolved around terrorism, separatism, and Muslim human rights in India, the International Forum for Rights and Security (IFFRAS) reported. Unfortunately, the very diversity that is celebrated in India is exploited by a religious monotheist Pakistan that alleges a threat to India's minorities. The latest project that has proved to be a nuisance is revamped Khalistan's demands. On March 24, this year, Amrit Pal Singh, the self-proclaimed Khalistan leader, was arrested after getting cornered by the Punjab police. Over a hundred followers of this man have already been arrested since 18th March, IFFRAS reported. Developments in the previous month would be nothing less than a shock for the makers of the Khalistani project hailing from Pakistan, Canada and the United Kingdom. What was supposed to be a massive rebellion turned out to be a damp squib. There were no massive rallies, no outpouring of public support, and even rural areas remained immune to Khalistani outcry. To understand why Khalistani protests were witnessed across Western countries but remained absent in India's Punjab, we must understand the history of Sikhs in Canada and their evolution in an alien land. The Komagata Maru incident in 1914 can be used as a reference to the beginning of Sikh immigration to Canada, IFFRAS reported. As of 2021, Canadian Sikhs make up about 2.1 per cent of the population and are concentrated significantly in provinces like Vancouver, Toronto, etc. A small but powerful section of these Sikhs supports the Khalistan project that was conveniently propped up by the Inter-Services Intelligence or ISI around the 1970s. The word Khalistan was only coined in the 1940s and remained buried till 13th October 1971, when Jagjit Singh Chohan published an ad for an independent Sikh state in the New York Times. Before this event, Chohan was in contact with the Pakistani diplomatic mission and in 1971, he visited Pakistan where he met military dictator Yahya Khan, IFFRAS reported. This Khalistan issue was propped in the West around the same time when East Pakistan had rebelled against Islamabad. For the greater part of that decade, ISI sewed a sinister separatist plot with multiple groups based in India's Punjab and Pak-friendly Western countries. In May 1980, Chohan announced the formation of Khalistan in London and remained in contact with Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who instigated Sikhs in Punjab. Chohan also facilitated the assassination of former Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi by the LTTE, IFFRAS reported. The rise of ethnic-Sikh gangs in Canada beginning in the 1970s brought certain Sikh families wealth and fame. The involvement of multiple ethnic Punjabi gangs in Canada with illegal narcotic drug makers and crimes including murders have been recorded. The rise of influence of this gun culture also had a direct impact on their respective villages in Punjab which received indirect benefits. The much-recent rap gun culture prevalent in Punjab is a result of this influence, IFFRAS reported. The handiwork of ISI in promoting the Khalistani agenda among certain powerful elements in Canada is evident as it adopted a similar tactic. Ranjeet Singh Neeta, based in Pakistan heads the banned Khalistan Zindabad Force. In 2009, KZF took responsibility for killing the religious leader of Dera Sachkhand Ballan in Vienna. Originally from Jammu, ISI has cultivated him for peddling drugs across the border in both Kashmir and Punjab. Apart from this, he also engineers the namesake solidarity between Kashmiri Terror organizations and Khalistani extremists, IFFRAS reported. Similarly, the banned international terrorist group Babbar Khalsa International organized a wave of rallies in Canada and Europe during the 1980s and committed a series of murders during the Punjab insurgency years. Talwinder Singh Parmar, founder and leader of Babbar Khalsa was also the leader of the Air India flight bombing over Canada in 1985. The group was tacitly supported by ISI which lent arms to its members. Even today, dozen-odd groups have been kept alive by ISI who peddle drugs, conduct assassinations, and instigate Sikhs through propaganda. Another level of propaganda that ISI continues to peddle is the Muslim-Sikh Brotherhood. These brotherhood meetings can be found in places like Canada, the USA, the UK and certain places in Europe. A host of little-known figures in these countries make up the bulk of the Khalistanis and Muslim brotherhood activities, IFFRAS reported. But these activities contradict themselves. The bombing of the Gurudwara in Kabul, the attack on the holy Nankana Sahib by Muslims in Pakistan and atrocities against the dwindling Sikh minority in the Sunni state of Pakistan are self-explanatory. The Muslim Brotherhood propped by the Pakistani state conveniently blames India for certain issues in the state of Punjab. But, as the Amrit Pal Singh episode reveals, there is little support for separatism among the people of Punjab. Apart from some foreign/Pakistani-run social media channels and little-known Khalistani groups in the West; there is little ground support for anything called "Khalistan." With Western intelligence cracking down on the Pakistan-run threat, the ground is slipping for Khalistan.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today laid emphasis on exploring overseas employment opportunities in new countries and sending skilled workforce there, urging expatriate Bangladeshis to send remittance to the country through legal channels. "We have to find new employment areas and new countries (for sending workforce). We will arrange befitting training (for the workers) that a country needs," she said. The Premier said this while delivering the introductory speech at the second meeting of the national steering committee on expatriates' welfare and overseas employment at her official residence Ganabhaban. Mentioning that the government has already started sending workers to a few new countries, she said "We have to send skilled workforce and that is why we've arranged multipurpose training facilities for our workers." "If we can send skilled workforce through proper training, we have a big opportunity to attain economic solvency," she added. She also asked the officials concerned to look into the matters so that Bangladeshi expatriate workers stay well and encourage them to send remittance using legal channels. The Prime Minister said if remittance is sent through "hundi", the money might go to someone else (it may be family members) and they may spend it, resulting in no saving here for the sender. She added that sometimes the remitted money also gets misused. "Many of the expatriate workers after returning home find that there is no money in the country what he had sent. And many have to undergo this kind of problem," she observed. To this end, Sheikh Hasina said that her government has given incentive on the inward remittance if it is sent using the banking or legal channels. Mentioning the establishment of the Probashi Kallyan Bank by her government, she directed the bank authorities to extend the facilities, by appointing agents where there is no branch of the bank, so that the expatriates could send remittance easily staying at their place of residence. "If you (expatriates) send money through banks, you will spend as much as you need and the rest will be saved," she said, adding: "You can use this saving after returning home." The head of government said if money is sent using "hundi", it will go to another hand, but there is no such possibility in the bank. She also said that the expatriate workers after returning home can take loan from the bank along with their savings money. The Prime Minister directed the officials concerned to carry out massive awareness campaigns to this end. She also put emphasis on the necessity of building awareness so that people do not fall into cheating while going to overseas work and get proper employment. In this regard, she said her government has set up digital centres across the country and the overseas job-seekers can register themselves to the expatriates' welfare ministry by visiting the centres. "If they (overseas job-seekers) go abroad with appropriate training, they would not fall into danger," she said. About the female workers, Sheikh Hasina said those going for overseas employment with proper training following the proper way remain well but those who fall into the clutches of middlemen are facing sufferings. She urged everyone to become aware about this. Referring to the learning and earning campaign launched by the government for the freelancers, she said that now the country has started to yield the result of it. She said the freelancers are bringing foreign currency to the country staying home, which was not in calculation earlier. Sheikh Hasina said that at present there are sufficient employment opportunities in the country and people are earning more. She mentioned that a day-labourer who used to earn Taka 200-300 per day in the past, now can earn Taka 600-1000 per day depending on the nature of work. The minimum earning is Taka 500-600. Earning in the rural areas is higher than this amount, she said, adding that during the paddy harvesting season the amount is Taka 700-800 with three meals a day. "The rural economy has improved a lot. If anyone goes to rural areas it will be seen that the standard of living there has improved a lot," he said. Sometimes scarcity of labour is also seen as people are becoming solvent, she added.

Hawkers collect old and out of order electronic goods from home to home across the country including in the capital. But these old and out of order electronic materials are being sent to overseas countries as there is no facility for recycling in our country. Mentionable that these electronic goods or e-wastes consist precious metals like gold and silver and for that reason demand for these materials has risen in the overseas countries. Concerned say, in the country keeping pace with the time the demand for mobile phones, desktop computers, laptop computers and other electronic materials is on rise. If the recycling facility is available in the country then these e-wastes would not go abroad. These precious metals from the e-wastes might remain in our country if local recycling companies would come forward. e-wastes are made separate in different process. Of that equipment parts and metals are being separated. The e-waste collecting firms are exporting hundreds of tons of computers, laptops, mobile phones and RAMs to foreign countries every year. According to a research conducted by BUET, 600 grams of gold can be collected from one ton PCB and RAM. The market price of this amount of gold is 19 lakh 59 thousand taka in the country. Besides, silver, copper and other valuable metals are collected from the e-wastes. AH  

Bangladesh welcomes resettlement idea of displaced Rohingyas to a group of countries as an alternative to transfer the Myanmar origin people to Bhashan Char where Bangladesh already invested hugely to accommodate one lakh of Rakhine exiles. “If a group of countries can jointly offer to take over half a million Rohingyas in a time span of 1-2 years, we may consider examining it,” foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen said today. He said Dhaka is planning to start initial transfer of Rohingyas from crowded Cox’s Bazar camps to Bhashan Char, an island 37 miles off the mainland under the administrative jurisdiction of Hatiya upazila, after the Monsoon season. Bin Masud said Bangladesh has invested hundreds of millions of dollars on infrastructural development of the island that showed its durability and quality of the structures built during the recent severe cyclone Amphan. “Detractors should now stop their propaganda on Bhasanchar and examine how to relieve pressure off from the highly congested Cox’s Bazar area where locals are outnumbered at a ratio of 2:1,” he added. He was addressing a webinar titled ‘The Rohingya Crisis: Western, Asian and Bilateral Perspectives’, organised by the North South University in the capital marking third year completion of the latest influx of Rohingyas of Myanmar to Bangladesh. Mentioning that 306 Rohingyas those were rescued in the Bay of Bengal recently and took shelter in Bashan char are doing well, Bin Masud said Dhaka will soon facilitate a ‘go-and-see’ visit for relatives of sheltered Rohingyas and other representatives to the island. “If they (Rohingyas) find the place better than the cramped camps in Cox’s bazar, we expect to commence initial transfer of Rohingyas there after the Monsoon season,” he said. He said the number of local populations in Cox’s Bazar, Ukhia and Tekhnaf is about 570,000 whereas the temporary sheltered Rohingya is the double of host communities while Bangladesh has sacrificed over 6,800 acre of forest land to host the displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar. Bin Masud said Bangladesh is ready to arrange visit for the UN team, human rights workers and media people to the island to see the compliance and facilities those were made available for the displaced Rohingyas there. Since 25 August 2017, Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million forcefully displaced Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar district and most of them arrived there after a military crackdown by Myanmar, which the UN called a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing” and other rights groups dubbed as “genocide”. In the last three years, not a single Rohingya went back home yet although Myanmar agreed to take them back. Bin Masud said Rohingyas have taken refuge in Bangladesh to flee atrocities while Dhaka has opened her door so that their lives are safe temporarily, “But, they (Rohingyas) must go back to their country of origin,” he added. Bin Masud said Bangladesh tried repatriation twice but failed as Rohingyas do not feel comfortable in the prevailing condition, which do not make returnees convinced of the sincerity of the Myanmar authorities and also of the majority community- Buddhists of Rakhine. He said currently Bangladesh is being involved in bilateral, regional and multilateral diplomacies along with accountability and justice front for resolving the crisis through safe, dignified and volunteer repatriation of the displaced Rohingyas to Myanmar. He said Bangladesh would certainly not prefer investments which will directly or indirectly prolong the refugee situation and create greater and newer pull factors for remaining Rohingyas inside Rakhine. “Bangladesh government rejects any notion of local integration,” he said. The foreign secretary said Dhaka expects international partners to come forward to convince Myanmar to change course and to play their roles as agreed with Myanmar as per the signed Framework Arrangement. “We would expect interested partners to talk to Myanmar government and make such long-term investments on health, education, livelihood, connectivity for Rohingyas in northern Rakhine. So far, we discern no such efforts for remaining Rohingyas inside Rakhine,” he said. Rohingyas are the victims of a culture of persecution from Myanmar, the country that maintained a culture of atrocities against them, to destroy them as a community. “Solution to the crisis must be found in Rakhine and in Myanmar …. this is Myanmar’s internal problem. The solution must therefore be sought inside Myanmar,” he said. The foreign secretary said the international community should make sincere and greater efforts to secure conditions for Rohingyas to return to Myanmar and reintegrate into Myanmar society, with a clear pathway to citizenship. “As we mark three years of forcible displacement of majority of Rohingya from their places of origin, these should be our pledge to the community that was subjected to well-planned machinations to destroy their identity,” he said. Former foreign minister of Malaysia Dr. Syed Hamid Albar, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R. Miller, High Commissioner of Canada to Bangladesh Benoit Pre´fontaine and Senior Fellow of South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance (SIPG), NSU Md Shahidul Haque also spoke at the event. Albar said ASEAN, in which Myanmar is also a member, has not taken any meaningful step as there is a high level of tolerance and unwillingness to discuss the Rohingya crisis. Miller said his country would continue to press Burma, now Myanmar, to stop institutional persecution against minority communities. Préfontaine stressed the need for ensuring accountability in Myanmar for crimes committed against Rohingya people as well strengthening accountability efforts by the international community with, among others, sending UN Security Council referral to the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice. Source: BSS AH

Describing training as very much essential for the overseas job-seekers, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina advised the overseas job-seekers to take proper training before going abroad. “It’s very unfortunate that the people who want to go abroad with job are less interested to get training,” she said while laying the foundation stone of Bangladesh Consulate Building in Jeddah on Thursday afternoon. Reports BSS. The premier said the untrained expatriate workers fall in danger abroad as they tend to just “manage certificates” by spending a little amount of money without going through any practical training. “It’s very regretting and attention needs to be given in this regard,” she said. The Prime Minister said the government is providing training to the people intending to go abroad with jobs. “This training is very much important for them, otherwise they become victims of torture and repression while staying abroad,” she said. The Prime Minister said many overseas job-seekers fall in danger after falling prey to the middlemen by selling their land and property. “They have to suffer in prison day after day due to their wrong decisions,” she said. In this connection, she said the expert expatriates could play an important role by providing information to them. The Prime Minister stressed the need for utilizing the Expatriates Welfare Fund for the wellbeing of the expatriates solely. “Major amount of foreign exchange comes from the remittances sent by the expatriates and our embassies and missions are run by their money. So I want the Expatriates Welfare Fund to be utilized for their welfare,” she said. Sheikh Hasina said the fund will be spent for setting up schools for the children of the expatriates and those schools will also be run through the fund as the fund has been created with the money of the expatriates. “We’ve to work keeping this in mind,” she said. Regarding the closure of the Bangladeshi school in Madinah, the Prime Minister said the school will not be shut down, it will remain operational. “For this I will give money whatever is required,” she said asking the Prime Minister’s Office secretary to take necessary measures in this regard. Highlighting her government’s steps for the welfare of the expatriates, the Prime Minister said her government has established Probashi Kallyan Bank for them. “We’ve taken steps for solving the problems of the expatriates and those who want to go abroad can take loan from the bank for the purpose,” she said. Elaborating her government’s initiatives for development of the country, the Prime Minister said her government is implementing a 10-year perspective plan side by side with five-year plan. “We’ve framed the Delta Plan-2100 keeping in mind what will be the condition of the country in the next century as well as the future of the next generation,” she said. The Prime Minister said Bangladesh now appeared as a development role model in the world keeping its move towards achieving its status as an advanced economy. Sheikh Hasina reiterated her determination to build a middle income country by 2021 and a developed and prosperous one by 2041. “We don’t want a single person to remain homeless and hungry in the country and we’re working untiringly to achieve this goal,” she said. The Prime Minister also recalled the expatriates’ contributions to the country’s socioeconomic development as well as their role in every movement and struggle. Bangladesh Ambassador to KSA Golam Moshi was present on the occasion, among others. Earlier, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of Bangladesh Consulate Building in Jeddah by unveiling its plaque. AH

The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has issued letter imposing ban on overseas travel of four more Arab Bangladesh Bank (AB Bank) officials. The officials who are asked to not leave the country are, head of corporate of the bank Mahfuz Ul Islam, head of Offshore Banking Unit (OBU) Mohammad Lokman, bank company secretary Mahadev Sarkar Suman and officer of head office MN Azim. The ban was circulated to Immigration Authority through a letter signed by ACC Director Syed Iqbal Hossain on Thursday. Earlier, a ban of barring overseas travel was imposed on 12 high officials of the bank including former chairman M Wahidul Haque and two former Managing Directors. ACC circulated the letter to Immigration Authority as primary evidences were found against the officials for laundering 20 million dollars to overseas. ACC also informed that to investigate the allegation seven Directors of the bank will be interrogated on January 7. ACC also interrogated nine high officials of AB Bank including former Chairman M Wahidul Haque, former Managing Director M Fazlar Rahman and Shamim Ahmed Chowdhury. According to the ACC sources, 20 million dollars were credited to a Dubai based company PGF. But the bank authority could not show any valid document in this regard. Rather the bank authority transferred the amount to a personal account. After sending the amount in three installments the fraud racket closed the account. Following the incident there is no information to AB Bank authority.   On December 21 the former Chairman of the bank M Wahidul Haque, Vice Chairman Selim Ahmed and Director Barrister Fahimul Haque resigned from their posts. AH