United News of Bangladesh

Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Apurba Jahangir has said they are navigating through the swamp of deliberate misrepresentation, stressing that to aim that word - 'extremist'- at Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus is not only inaccurate but laughable. The word 'extremist' should sting when spoken, Apurba said, adding that it should be precise, because it holds weight.  "It carries the suggestion of violence, of blind faith, of destruction. To aim that word at Professor Yunus is not only inaccurate, but also an act of narrative vandalism," he said in a Facebook post from his verified account on Saturday.  "Let’s get one thing out of the way, cause it will make everyone’s life easier," Apurba said, noting that "slapping the label “Muslim extremist” or “ Far Right sympathiser” or here’s a good one; “ Shadhinota Birodhi (anti-Liberation)” on Professor Muhammad Yunus is not just lazy, it’s laughable." Dr Yunus leaves for Qatar Monday to attend Earthna Summit CA's DPS Apurba thinks it is like calling a sushi chef a war criminal because he wields a sharp knife. "Yes, It’s as dumb as the example above." Apurba said he has watched this man (Dr Yunus) - calm, composed, eternally pragmatic — holds down rooms full of volatile egos, foreign dignitaries, and the occasional overzealous politician without so much as raising his voice.  And now, the DPS said, watching the Indian media reduce him to a caricature of their own geopolitical anxieties feels like watching a Michelin-starred meal reduced to a greasy takeout box, left to rot under fluorescent lights. "Let me be blunt: Professor Yunus is about as far from extremism — Islamic or otherwise — as a man can be without becoming a monk. The guy won the Nobel Peace Prize for creating microfinance — a tool that gave rural women the dignity of self-reliance," said the DPS. Dr Yunus urges quick implementation of Women Affairs Commission’s recommendations Dr Yunus has been praised by presidents, Popes, and, yes, prime ministers (including India’s), Apurba said. "He (Dr Yunus) spends his hours preaching peace and economic empowerment." "Yet here we are, navigating through this swamp of deliberate misrepresentation, this fever dream masquerading as journalism. Why? Because it’s easier to project fear than to engage with nuance," he said. Apurba said he sat in interviews and briefings where Professor Yunus stressed neutrality, civility and interfaith harmony like a broken record — not for optics, but because he believes in it.  "I watched him for the last thirty or more years refusing to bite back when baited, even when political hacks and paranoid pundits tried to drag him into ideological street fights. That’s not extremism — that’s restraint. That’s class. And frankly, that’s rare," Apurba said.

Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Apurba Jahangir has said Bangladesh, for over a decade, lived under the shadow of a regime that turned "elections into farces, dissent into treason, and the press into a pliant karaoke machine".  He said deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government was not content with just running the country; it wanted to own it, complete with a monopoly on truth.  "And yet, many Indian media outlets covered her like she was the reincarnation of Florence Nightingale with a hint of Indira Gandhi—a benevolent savior wrapped in a saree," Apurba said in Facebook post shared from his verified account.  The DPS said the headlines painted Hasina as the "custodian of regional stability, the queen of economic growth, the counterterrorism champion." "All the while, you conveniently ignored the cracks in her carefully curated narrative: the enforced disappearances, the muzzled media, and the rigged elections that would make even the most seasoned dictator blush. But hey, why bother with facts when you’ve got a heroine to glorify, right?," Apurba said. The DPS claimed that India’s political elite has long seen Bangladesh as the "pliant younger sibling —a nation to scold, co-opt, and control".  European countries: CA's press wing shares progress on visa issues He said Hasina fit neatly into that box. "She gave you border deals, connectivity agreements, and a steady hand against your own domestic insurgencies. In return, you turned a blind eye to her despotic tendencies, spinning her reign as one long, glorious Durga Puja of democracy." And now, Apurba said, as the Interim Government of Bangladesh charts a new path—one rooted in accountability, transparency, and genuine public service—"you’ve shifted gears".  "Suddenly, we’re painted as a ‘threat to stability,’ a rogue element disrupting the cozy status quo, the next villain of “Pathan”. Never mind that our goal is to restore the democratic rights that Hasina trampled on. Never mind that our mandate is to fix what she broke," Apurba mentioned in his Facebook post. But here is a little secret, said the DPS, adding that Bangladesh "isn’t your pawn, and it never was. We’re not here to play second fiddle in your geopolitical symphony, and we’re certainly not here to rubber-stamp your propaganda." Trade most import vehicle for economic dev: Adviser Salehuddin He said they a nation with their own dreams. "Our own struggles, and yes, our own flavors—bold, unapologetic, and unforgettable." Reffing to their friends in the Indian media, Apurba said, "Here’s a piece of advice: go easy on the favoritism. Don’t mistake loyalty to a leader for loyalty to a nation." "As for us? We’ll keep cooking up something better—a future where democracy isn’t a garnish, but the main course," said the CA's DPS.

Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary Apurba Jahangir on Sunday said there has been no date from Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus regarding the national election yet, stressing that Education and Planning Adviser Prof Wahiduddin Mahmud’s comment is entirely his personal. “It is fully his (Adviser Wahiduddin) personal opinion,” he said, clarifying from the CA’s press wing during a media briefing at Foreign Service Academy. Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud on Saturday said he would like to see a politically elected government next year. Diplomats from EU member states to meet CA Dr Yunus Monday "I think we'll see a politically elected government next year. This is my opinion, but I'm not sure what will happen," he told a conference organised by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS). Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Sunday said reform was the key word of the July-August student-led mass uprising and his government is committed to carrying out major reforms before holding a "free and fair" election. He said the interim government would act as a facilitator of the reform process and has set up 15 reform commissions so far to fix key institutions left broken by the dictatorship of Sheikh Hasina. Prof Yunus made the remarks when Lord Mark Malloch-Brown, an adviser to the IMF and World Bank and a former head of UNDP, met him at the State Guest House Jamuna.

Expressing Dhaka’s willingness to strengthen ties with Delhi, Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam on Sunday said Bangladesh certainly wants to see its relations with India at a better place focusing on “fairness, equity and dignity.” “We will surely want the relations with India to be in a better position so that peoples from both sides get benefitted. At the same time, we want the relations based on fairness, equity and dignity. That is our focus,” he said. The Press Secretary was briefing reporters at the Foreign Service Academy on Sunday evening. CA’s Deputy Press Secretaries Apurba Jahangir and Abul Kalam Azad Majumder were also present. Alam highlighted the long-standing historical, cultural and linguistic ties between the two neighbouring nations. Amid strained ties and growing criticisms from both sides on post-August 5 issues, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is scheduled to arrive here on Monday to hold several meetings apart from attending the foreign secretary-level talks to address mutual concerns. CA Dr Yunus reiterates key reforms to hold free polls CA’ Deputy Press Secretary Apurba said the Indian Foreign Secretary is likely to meet Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus. This is going to be the first visit to be made by a senior Indian government official to Bangladesh since the interim government, led by Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus, came to power on August 8. Foreign Secretary Misri and his Bangladesh counterpart, Md Jashim Uddin, will lead their respective delegation at the Bangladesh-India Foreign Office Consultations (FOC). Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday that the FOC led by the Foreign Secretaries is a structured engagement between Bangladesh-India. "We look forward to this meeting," he said. Spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) Mohammad Rafiqul Alam said there are always efforts to keep all the elements of the bilateral relations on agenda. He, however, said there are some broad areas - trade, border management, connectivity and water issues - and these will be discussed.

Portraying the undiscovered night life of Dhaka from a young filmmaker's perspective, Apurba Jahangir directed short-film Dhaka An Opera is scheduled to have it's virtual premiere on Saturday evening at Lagvelki.com, the first pay per movie OTT platform in Bangladesh.