United News of Bangladesh

The divisional rally of the 11-party alliance led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami will be held at the historic Madrasa Maidan in Rajshahi on Saturday (May 16), demanding implementation of the referendum verdict, alleviation of public suffering and a fair share of the Padma River water. The rally will begin at 2pm, according to a statement issued on Thursday. Ameer-e-Jamaat Dr Shafiqur Rahman will address the rally as the chief guest. Leaders of the 11-party alliance, along with opposition members of parliament, are also expected to speak. The organisers said preparations have been made to ensure a large turnout, with participation expected from several lakh leaders, activists and supporters from different districts of the northern region, including Rajshahi. Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General and Rajshahi regional director Maulana Rafiqul Islam Khan has called upon people from all walks of life in the northern region to join the rally and make it a success in support of the stated demands.  

BNP Standing Committee Member Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan on Wednesday said the current Parliament could become a milestone in Bangladesh’s democratic history if democratic institutions are established on strong foundations. “If we can strengthen our democratic institutions on solid foundations for the future of democracy in Bangladesh, this Parliament will certainly remain a milestone in the country’s democratic history,” he said while addressing a round-table discussion titled “The Current National Parliament: A New Milestone in Democratic Politics” at a city hotel. Former Dhaka University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Anwarullah Chowdhury chaired the event arranged by Citizen’s Forum, Bangladesh. “Our key responsibility now is institutional building,” Moyeen Khan said. Drawing comparisons with the United States, he said democratic institutions built over centuries help sustain democratic governance even during periods of political uncertainty. “In Bangladesh, after more than 50 years, we must ask ourselves what democratic institutions we have truly built,” he said. The BNP leader said the present Parliament bears an additional responsibility to establish durable democratic institutions capable of protecting democracy in the future. He said it was still too early to conclusively determine whether the current Parliament will ultimately emerge as a milestone, but stressed that the discussion itself reflected the country’s renewed democratic aspirations. “Time will say whether this Parliament becomes a new milestone. But I believe the sacrifices made by people during the movement against authoritarianism created an opportunity to move Bangladesh forward through democratic institutions,” Moyeen Khan, who had experience serving in five parliaments, said. Referring to the responsibilities of lawmakers, he said the primary duty of MPs was lawmaking, but in developing countries like Bangladesh parliamentarians are also expected to address various public demands at the grassroots level. “In our context, MPs have to do everything from lawmaking to solving people’s immediate social problems,” he said. The BNP leader questioned how effectively lawmakers were able to fulfil their legislative responsibilities given the large volume of laws and ordinances processed by Parliament. He referred to discussions over 133 ordinances promulgated during the interim administration in the maiden session of 13th Parliament and said lawmakers had to review and pass a substantial number of laws within a limited timeframe.  

Prime Minister’s wife Dr Zubaida Rahman has extended support to six-month-old Nur Nahar, who has been battling measles and pneumonia amid severe financial hardship, after media reports highlighted the infant’s critical condition and her mother’s desperate struggle to continue treatment. The matter came to the attention of Zubaida Rahman, Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Ziaur Rahman Foundation and one of the organisers of internationally recognised voluntary organisation Suravi, after a report titled “Six-month-old battling measles in critical condition; mother has no money and does not know what to do” was published in a daily. Zubaida Rahman stresses women’s empowerment for social progress After learning about the infant’s condition, she instructed that immediate medical support be arranged for Nur Nahar.

Ameer-e-Jamaat Dr Shafiqur Rahman on Tuesday congratulated the Bangladesh national cricket team for defeating Pakistan in a Test match on home soil. In a congratulatory post on Facebook, he wrote, “Well done Bangladesh cricket team”. Earlier, the Tigers secured a 104-run victory over Pakistan in the first Test of the two-match series at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on Tuesday. Bangladesh had earlier won their previous two Tests against Pakistan in Pakistan. Shanto, Rana shatter records in Bangladesh’s historic victory The latest victory marked their first Test win over Pakistan on home soil. It was also the Tigers’ third consecutive Test victory against Pakistan. Bangladesh set a target of 268 runs in the Mirpur Test and, on the fifth day, bowled Pakistan out for 163. Rana became the first pace bowler in Bangladesh’s 26-year Test history to claim five wickets in the fourth innings of a match. His devastating spell of 5-40 not only dismantled Pakistan’s chase but also ended a 16-year drought for Bangladeshi seamers on home soil.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has released the full text of its verdict overturning a High Court ruling that had declared the registration of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami as a political party illegal. The four-member Appellate Division bench, led by the then Chief Justice, delivered the judgment on June 1 last year. The full copy of the verdict was published on Monday. The Election Commission granted Jamaat registration as a political party in November 2008. In 2009, Syed Rezaul Haque Chandpuri and 25 others filed a writ petition challenging the legality of the registration. After a final hearing, a three-member bench of the High Court declared Jamaat’s registration illegal by majority opinion on August 1, 2013. The court also granted a certificate for appeal against the verdict, which was later converted into an appeal. Jamaat also filed a regular leave-to-appeal petition that year. Following the High Court verdict, Jamaat sought a stay order, but the then Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division, Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury, rejected the plea on August 5, 2013. Subsequently, on December 7, 2018, the Election Commission officially cancelled Jamaat’s registration through a gazette notification. On November 19, 2023, the Appellate Division dismissed Jamaat’s appeal and leave-to-appeal petitions against the High Court verdict after no lawyer appeared on behalf of the party. Jamaat filed separate petitions following the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024, seeking restoration of the appeal and leave-to-appeal by condoning delays. After hearing the matter, the Appellate Division restored the petitions. The appeal and leave-to-appeal were later included in the Appellate Division’s hearing schedule, and hearings began on December 3, 2024. Jamaat also filed an application regarding the allocation of its electoral symbol. The court subsequently tagged the application with the appeal and leave-to-appeal for hearing. After concluding hearings, the Appellate Division delivered its verdict on June 1 last year. During the previous Awami League government, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notification on August 1, 2024, banning Jamaat and its student wing – Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir. Following the formation of an interim government on August 8, 2024 after the fall of the AL government, the ban on Jamaat and Shibir was withdrawn.

Prime Minister’s wife Dr Zubaida Rahman on Monday underscored the importance of women’s empowerment, saying women can play a vital role in family welfare, healthcare and rural development. “If everyone contributes from their respective positions toward building the desired society, it would certainly be possible to achieve that goal,” she said while addressing the annual gathering and fair organised by Bangladesh Police Women Welfare Association (PUNAK) as the chief guest. Female workers face widespread discrimination: Jamaat women’s wing secretary She also stressed the importance of ensuring the safety and development of girl children. “Every girl should be able to pursue the future she dreams of and the state system should support that path instead of creating obstacles,” she said.

A three-day national workshop at Holiday Inn, Dhaka, under the Climate Smart Education Systems Initiative (CSESI) wss held to assess existing capacities and strengthen climate risk analysis for the education sector. To support evidence-based policy planning and build institutional readiness, the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education (MoPME), with UNESCO, the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (UNESCO-IIEP), Save the Children, and support from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), launched the workshop. Running from 10 to 12 May 2026, the workshop brings together over 30 officials, technical experts and education planners from national and sub-national levels. Inaugurating the workshop, the Chief Guest, Mr. Abdul Khaleque, Secretary, Secondary and Higher Education Division, Ministry of Education, said, “This workshop is particularly significant because it focuses on examining the capacities we already have within our system and identifying where further strengthening is needed Speaking at the event as the Guest of Honour, Dr. Susan Vize, Head of Office and UNESCO Representative to Bangladesh, said, “This workshop moves beyond identifying risks and focuses on understanding the existing capacities, systems, and institutional mechanisms required to address those risks effectively. Strengthening evidence-based planning, improving coordination and enhancing preparedness at both national and sub-national levels are essential to ensure learning continuity and protect the wellbeing and future of children and young people.” Special Guest Bodrun Nahar, Additional Secretary (Development), MoE also addressed the opening with special focus on climate data and climate financing for education. Participants represent SHED, DSHE, BANBEIS, NCTB, DPE, BMD, University of Dhaka, district and upazila Education officers among others. UNESCO-IIEP specialist Ms. Yi Shi is leading the technical facilitation alongside the UNESCO Dhaka Office and Save the Children International. Bangladesh remains one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in South Asia. According to the 2025 Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index, Bangladesh ranks 178th out of 187 countries, while national education data show that nearly 16,000 educational institutions were affected by climate-related disasters in 2023. Rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, floods, cyclones, and salinity intrusion continue to affect school attendance, infrastructure, and children’s learning outcomes. UNESCO-IIEP’s climate risk analysis also shows that while Bangladesh has strong policy foundations on climate resilience, climate adaptation is not yet systematically integrated across education planning, teacher development, risk assessments, and infrastructure planning. The workshop is part of a broader national process under the Climate Smart Education Systems Initiative, which began in Bangladesh in 2024 with a joint scoping mission and country work planning process. In October 2025, Bangladesh held its first national workshop to identify and analyse climate hazards, vulnerabilities and risks facing the education sector. 

In the wake of several recent violent incidents in different districts, Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman on Sunday urged the government to ensure public safety before undertaking development initiatives. "No programme undertaken by the government, ignoring the security of the people, is likely to be successful. The security of the people must be ensured first and then steps must be taken for transparent development," he said in a facebook post. Referring to recent incidents, Shafiqur Rahman said four people were recently killed in Naogaon, three in Chattogram and five in Gazipur. He cited that three people suspected of cattle theft were beaten to death in Bagchala village under Kaliakair upazila of Gazipur early Sunday. Questioning the causes behind the incidents, the Jamaat chief asked whether these were merely signs of social disorder or outcome of public anger stemming from the lack of proper enforcement of laws. “No extrajudicial killing can be supported in any way,” he said. Shafiqur Rahman said establishing the rule of law in the country would remain impossible unless the Home Ministry, the Law Ministry and the judiciary become acceptable to the people. “At the root of everything is the government's goodwill. Only goodwill and appropriate initiatives can bring effective solutions to this social problem,” said the Jamaat chief.

The National Citizen Party (NCP) on Sunday announced its first batch of 100 candidates for upcoming local government elections, covering upazila and municipalities across the country. The names were unveiled by NCP Chief Organiser (Northern Region) Sarjis Alam at a press conference held at the party's temporary office at Banglamotor. Sarjis said over 1,000 applications had been submitted to the party for local government seats, from which the initial 100 were selected. "We will announce another 100 candidates in the second phase on May 20. This nomination process will continue.” He said candidates will be drawn not only from party ranks but also from other political parties, provided they meet certain criteria. “Applicants must be hardworking, acceptable to people, free from any history of oppression, having no direct involvement with the previous fascist government or crimes associated with it.” “We will do a thorough vetting process, and if anyone from another political party wishes to join, we will make every effort to give them the opportunity,” Sarjis said. He added that the candidate selection process has been designed to ensure broad social representation, with students, workers, women and members of the Hindu community all given the opportunity to contest under the NCP banner.

Prime Minister’s Political Adviser and BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Sunday said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has been working relentlessly since assuming office to implement the commitments made before the election in a bid to build a self-reliant Bangladesh. “In the past, promises were made to provide rice at Tk 10 per kg, jobs for every household and free fertiliser, but those turned out to be hollow, false and deceptive commitments. We have not seen a repetition of that in Tarique Rahman’s activities,” he said. Rizvi made the remarks while addressing the inaugural session of the 45th National Council Conference of the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB) at the IDEB conference room. He referred to the Family Card, Farmers’ Card, canal excavation programme and the waiving of agricultural loans up to Tk 10,000 as examples of the present government’s execution of promises. “These were not empty commitments,” he said. The BNP leader said the Prime Minister has been travelling from one end of the country to the other and engaging with people in different areas to ensure implementation of every promise made to the public. “Just as he is visiting different regions, he is also speaking to everyone in Dhaka and continuously stressing the implementation of the pledges. Our government – the BNP government, Tarique Rahman’s government – has an elected Prime Minister who is working tirelessly to rebuild the nation and make Bangladesh self-reliant, just as his parents did,” he said. Rizvi said those working closely with the Prime Minister as well as the people of Bangladesh are witnessing his relentless efforts from morning till late at night. “The main objective of this tireless work is to bring smiles to people’s faces so that they are not deceived or deprived again. The Prime Minister is consulting intellectuals and professionals from different sectors, listening patiently to people’s concerns and trying to implement practical solutions,” he added. The BNP leader also praised diploma engineers for their contribution to national development, saying he is fully aware of their demands. “If your demands are justified, the Prime Minister will certainly take them into consideration and play an appropriate role,” he said. He urged engineers to continue their work with patriotism despite criticism or differing ideologies. The session was presided over by Engineer Md Kabir Hossain, convener of the interim central committee of IDEB, while Engineer Kazi Sakhawat Hossain, member secretary of the interim central committee, conducted the programme. IDEB councillors and diploma engineers from across the country attended the event.