Bangladesh a 'new Pakistan ? ::::: Petrol bomb attack at Shakib Al Hasan's home hours after joining Sheikh Hasina's presser :::: Unidentified individuals threw bricks and stones at the house, shattering windows

Far from normalcy 

(Is Sheikh Hasina's son Sajeeb Joy right in calling Bangladesh a 'new Pakistan ?) 

Petrol bomb attack at Shakib Al Hasan's home hours after joining Hasina's presser

Unidentified individuals threw bricks and stones at the house, shattering windows before attempting to set the property ablaze. 

No injuries were reported.

Former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan's home in Magura was attacked and stones were thrown by unidentified individuals on Wednesday evening. 

The incident came hours after Shakib took part in former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina's press conference.  

India allowing ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina to interact openly with the media in Delhi was deeply hurtful to Bangladeshis and detrimental to the development of harmonious ties between Bangladesh and India, the Bangladesh government said. 

***

The house of former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan came under a petrol bomb attack in Bangladesh's Magura district on Wednesday evening, hours after he participated in a media interaction addressed virtually by ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from Delhi. 

Police said unidentified miscreants vandalised the property and attempted to set it on fire, while local reports claimed petrol bombs were also thrown during the attack.  

The incident took place around 8:45 pm (local time) at Shakib's residence. 

Residents reported hearing loud explosion-like sounds, described as firecrackers, during the attack. Local media reported that petrol bombs were also thrown at the house. However, police have not officially confirmed the use of petrol bombs.

A video posted by Hasina's party, Awami League, showed firecracker-like sounds outside the 39-year-old cricketer's residence. Shakib is a former Awami League MP from the Magura-1 constituency. 

"Several miscreants threw brick chips at the house and vandalised windows. They also tried to set the house on fire," Magura Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abdullah Al Mamun told The Daily Star.  

During the interaction, Sheikh Hasina defended her government's handling of the July-August 2024 unrest and claimed the student-led uprising that led to her ouster was a "meticulously designed" regime-change operation rather than a spontaneous protest.

The incident comes amid continuing political tensions in Bangladesh following Hasina's removal from power.

Ahead of the media interaction, leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party (NCP) publicly criticised the event and reportedly warned media organisations against carrying or broadcasting Hasina's remarks.

Awami League leaders and supporters have alleged that the attack on Shakib's residence was linked to his participation in the event. However, Bangladeshi authorities have not established any connection between the attack and the media interaction, and police have not identified those responsible.  

Widely regarded as one of Bangladesh's greatest all-round cricketers, Shakib has remained a polarising figure because of his political association with the Awami League.

He was elected as a MP from the Magura-1 constituency in the 2024 general election on an Awami League ticket, a poll that opposition parties criticised as lacking genuine competition.

Following the political upheaval in August 2024, the Awami League was barred from political activities in Bangladesh. 

In her address on Wednesday, Hasina called for the ban on her party to be lifted and reiterated her intention to return to Bangladesh despite facing multiple legal challenges.

 "Anytime, Bangladesh is in a disastrous position, India has always stood by us. They give shelter every time. Govt to Govt relationship is different," the former Bangladesh PM remarked.

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"India always has been a great friend, and I know they will remain that," - former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina : Her son Joy said - "Bangladesh has become another Pakistan .. Bangladesh is a failed state"

 "Anytime, Bangladesh is in a disastrous position, India has always stood by us. They give shelter every time. Govt to Govt relationship is different," former Bangladesh PM and Awami League Supremo said in her unprecedented virtual media interaction in Delhi. 

"Stable Bangladesh matters for South Asia": Sheikh Hasina asks international community to back 'struggle' for democracy. 

Former Bangladesh PM had said, "Ban on Awami League must be lifted. 

Political prisoners must be released. 

False charges must be dropped. Freedom of peace must be restored. Media freedom must be protected. Judicial independence must be guaranteed."

Also joining her on the occasion was her son Sajeeb Wazwd Joy, who said - 

India has been treating his mom, Sheikh Hasina, like "head of a state". 

He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government for extending what she described as the "utmost respect, services and security" during her stay.

He also said "Bangladesh is a failed state"  

"Bangladesh has become another Pakistan"   

Sheikh Hasina vowed to return to Bangladesh despite facing multiple criminal cases and even threat to her life, asserting that "fear cannot decide my duty to the people".

She defended her government's handling of the July-August 2024 unrest in her first press conference since being ousted from power. 

Hasina asserted more than once : "I want to go back to my own country... so I believe that I should go. I am going for my people. It is no the matter of any Govt," she said answering questions.  

Blogger : Mujib Museum, 2017 

About the date she said - "When time will come, I will tell" - to a question on exact timing of her proposed return journey to home. 

She further said, "Bangladesh people suffered a lot. I cannot take it (any longer). Therefore, I have decided to go back.  December month is our victory month. So I want to go back in the month of December. 

"I know, I have to face anything. But ..Bangladesh needs reconciliation. Bangladesh needs constitutional development and constitutional position".  

Speaking on the occasion, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy said - the Yunus regime gave "blanket immunity" to those who killed police and other civilians and Awami League party workers.  

"The government in power  (BNP) has ratified this ... and this (killings) continue. That means none of the police killings in 2024 can be prosecuted.  So my question to you is this -- are killings okay, are killings (select) acceptable".  

"If you could have blanket immunity for protesters to kill police,Awami League leaders and members and other civilians; then why blame anybody (i.e - the Hasina Govt. in 2024)". 

Moreover, he charged killings in police custody "continue". "Those killings continue even today... 

"Police do not take any action and the Govt protects these killers. So political killing in Bangladesh since 2024 has been legalised.  

"This is Bangladesh today .... and if any killing is legal. Then why blame the Awami League alone". 

Joy also stated - "Bangladesh today is not a failing state. It is a failed state. There is no human right. 

"What should concern India most is that Bangladesh has become another Pakistan. You have another Pakistan on your eastern front. ... especially ISI has an open hand. Hundreds of convicted terrorists ... terrorists, our Awami League Govt arrested have been released from prison," he said adding even Al-Qaeda operatives are moving around. 

"In the future, a large number of terrorists are going to come from Bangladesh".    

"Protest of 2024 was not a peaceful student movement" :::::: Sheikh Hasina address Delhi media conference: says - "Fear has entered homes, offices and campuses. This is not Bangladesh as was envisioned in 1971"

In a virtual interaction with the media in Delhi, former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina says, 

"Political prisoners must be released" 

"India always has been a great friend and I know they will remain that"

"Govt to Govt relation is different"

"People's support is important for me"

"I will return to my people ... 

"I am not worried about my own future". 

"...I speak as someone who has spent her life with the people of Bangladesh and was forced away from my country, but I was never separated from my people...".  

"Minority community members, judges, cultural figures and even rickshaw pullers are being targeted in Bangladesh," she said.

"Everyone who stands for the Liberation War are attacked," says Hasina. "Convicted militants have been released," she says.

"For the last two years, I watched my beloved Bangladesh suffer...This is not the Bangladesh we built, this is not the Bangladesh for which 3 million people sacrificed their lives in 1971. 

Let me begin with the truth about July and August 2024. It was not a peaceful student movement. From the beginning, my government tried to resolve the issue peacefully through dialogue, legal process, and patience. 

But behind the language of reform, organised groups were working to turn students demand into violent political instrument."  

The one decision of Muhammad Yunus regime to give indemnity to killers of policemen revealed their true motive, says former PM Sheikh Hasina. 

Hasina claims she had begun a probe but that was prevented by the "illegal interim government" of Muhammad Yunus. 

"If they weren't afraid, why did they not allow the truth to come out," she asks.  

Sheikh Hasina alleged that thousands of Awami League leaders, workers and supporters, along with police personnel, journalists, lawyers, judges and members of minority communities, had faced arrests, torture and violence since her ouster. 

She also claimed the 2024 movement evolved into "a coordinated assault on the Constitution" and accused the current dispensation of suppressing dissent and targeting those associated with the Liberation War.  

Sheikh Hasina also alleged that Bangladesh's economy had deteriorated sharply since her ouster, claiming GDP growth had slowed, industrial production had contracted for the first time in decades, bank defaults had surged, poverty had increased and investment had weakened. 

"Political killings in Bangladesh since August 2024 have been legalised" ::::: Sajeeb Wazed Joy (son of Sheikh Hasina) says : "Yunus regime passed Ordinance meant to protect those who killed police and other civilians"

 Sajeeb Wazed Joy (son of Sheikh Hasina) and former advisor to PM of Bangladesh: 

"Bangladesh is a failed state"  

"Bangladesh has become another Pakistan" 

"Yunus regime passed Ordinance meant to protect those who killed police and other civilians... Are killing okay? 

If you have blanket immunity ... this is unprecedented. And why blame anybody". 

"This is against all forms of decency" . 

"Killings in police custody  continue .. Most of them who died are young. 

"Our party men are being killed.. Political killings in Bangladesh since August 2024 have been legalised"

Mark Zuckerberg sent his apologies

 Mark Zuckerberg sent his apologies for the CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material) content, deepfake content and errors in operating the platform. 

It was made clear to them that they are not covered under Intermediary definition. They select who receives the content. 

Safe harbour under IT Act not applicable:   

Meta accepted the mistake that a lot of illegal content was promoted. Paid promotion carried out for specific audience. Meta will be called again: Sources

India to exchange territory with Myanmar ... :::: "only nine unresolved boundary pillars that are being addressed"

"There are certain areas on the border between the two countries (India and Myanmar) which are still to be settled and discussions on those particular sectors are going on between the two sides," MEA spokesman Randhir Jaiswal told reporters during regular briefing on Tuesday, Aug 4, in New Delhi.   

The state of Manipur alone shares a 398 km porous border with Myanmar. 

India and Myanmar share a 1,643-km-long international boundary that runs through Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram before entering Myanmar's Sagaing Region and Chin State. 

Much of the frontier is mountainous, forested and porous, cutting across ethnic communities that have historically lived on both sides.

                                                       Myanmarese young students in a specially designed school in Mizoram

The most sensitive stretches in Manipur include the Molcham sector between border pillars 64 and 68, the Moreh sector between pillars 75 and 79, and the Choro Khunou sector between pillars 88 and 95. India has consistently maintained that there is no broader border dispute with Myanmar, but only nine unresolved boundary pillars that are being addressed through bilateral mechanisms.

                         Myanmarese students cross bridge to come to Indian schools in Mizoram 

The MEA spokesman was responding to a question about reports suggesting that India was considering a land swap with Myanmar along the Manipur border. While he stopped short of confirming the reports, he acknowledged that discussions were underway to resolve unsettled stretches of the boundary. 

His remarks came weeks after US-based magazine 'The Diplomat' reported that New Delhi was actively considering such a proposal. 

In a July 17 report citing an "official document", the magazine said the Indian government was examining a "proposal" to complete the demarcation of the boundary between border pillars 65 and 68 along Manipur's border with Myanmar by exchanging around 1.4 square miles of territory. 

The distance between pillars 65 and 68 is approximately 2.8 km in length.

The proposed area for exchange lies in Manipur's Chandel district, adjoining Myanmar's Kabaw Valley in the Sagaing Region. 

According to the "official document", dated May 26, 2026, the demarcation exercise was expected to be completed within three months, meaning around August. 

Around 1,472 km of the border has been demarcated through boundary pillars, while nearly 171 km remains unresolved, mainly in Arunachal Pradesh's Lohit sector and Manipur's Kabaw Valley.

According to The Diplomat, the primary rationale behind a possible territorial exchange is to expedite the demarcation of an unresolved stretch of the India-Myanmar border, enabling New Delhi to fence the frontier to curb illegal immigration, insurgent movement and other cross-border crimes.

In Feb 2024, Home Minister Amit Shah had announced a plan to fence the entire 1,643-km-long international boundary while also scrapping the India-Myanmar border Free Movement Regime that had been in place since 2018.

The arrangements allowed tribal communities living near the border to travel up to 16 km into each other's territory without a visa using a border pass.

The current India-Myanmar boundary was defined under a 1967 bilateral agreement, but parts of it remain unsettled.

History awaits Aug 17 ??? :: Govt sets the ball rolling :::: Rijiju takes up Delimitation Bill with Rahul Gandhi ::: It's a high-stake draft law and is in main focus of the Modi Govt

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on WEdnesday, Aug 5, discussed the Delimitation Bill with the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.

Sources said, the Minister sought to understand the Congress party's position on the matter.   

It's a high-stake draft law and is in main focus of the Modi Govt. 

 

Govt may call special session for delimitation, women's quota bills on Aug 17.

Parliament may not be prorogued after the Monsoon Session ends, allowing the government to reconvene it at short notice as it works to secure the two-thirds majority required to pass the Constitutional Amendment Bill on Delimitation on Aug 17. 

The 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill on women's reservation through the delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies may be brought in again.

In April, the earlier version of the 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill was defeated in Parliament. This is a prestigious and almost 'do or die' battle for the Modi Govt. And in many quarters it is argued that the Govt went on backfoot against CJP stir vis-a-vis resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as the Education Minister because the BJP leadership did not want to spoil the chance of getting the Delimilation Bill passed.  

During is weekend visit to Chennai, Rahul Gandhi has told DMK leaders that anyone favouring the proposed Delimitation Bill will be committing an act of betrayal to the state and people of Tamil Nadu.

Delimitation Bill was one reason of Govt's compromise 

Congress MP K C Venugopal later told reporters: 

"Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju met the Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, with the government's agenda, with the Prime Minister's agenda...

We had stated earlier that we wanted a discussion on the Chanda Chori issue because the entire nation is concerned about it. 

"Therefore, there should be a proper discussion on that matter. From the very beginning, we have been demanding a statement from the Home Minister of the country, who is responsible for the daily firing and atrocities against students...

"Bihar is burning, and that is why the mindset of the people is changing completely. These people do not understand that we are only asking for a discussion and debate. 

"Parliament exists for debate and discussion. They do not want any debate or discussion. They want to bulldoze everything. They want to pass separate legislation, which we cannot agree with at all."

ends