DOCSLIB.ORG

India-Bangladesh Relations India Was the First Country to Recognize

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
India-Bangladesh Relations India Was the First Country to Recognize India-Bangladesh Relations India was the first country to recognize Bangladesh as a separate and independent state and established diplomatic relations with the country immediately after its independence in December 1971. India's links with Bangladesh are civilizational, cultural, social and economic. There is much that unites the two countries – a shared history and common heritage, linguistic and cultural ties, passion for music, literature and the arts. This commonality is reflected in our multi-dimensional and expanding relations. India and Bangladesh’s geographical locations complement each other and present an opportunity for both to further develop their connectivity links and economies. In the last more than four decades, the two countries have continued to consolidate their political, economic, trade and cultural relations and have built a comprehensive institutional framework to promote bilateral cooperation. India and Bangladesh share a 4096.7 km. of border, which is the largest land border that India shares with any of its neighbouring countries, out of which 1116.2 km is riverine. The settlement of the maritime boundary arbitration between Bangladesh and India, as per UNCLOS award on July 7, 2014, paves the way for the economic development of this part of the Bay of Bengal, which will be beneficial to both countries. Both countries share 54 rivers, out of which, a treaty is already in existence for sharing of the Ganges water and both sides are working for early finalisation of agreements for sharing of water of other common rivers. Both countries are also cooperating in the conservation of the entire Sunderbans ecosystem, which is a common biodiversity heritage. High-level exchanges, visits and meetings take place regularly between the two countries. After the general elections in India in May 2014 and formation of the new government, Speaker of Jatiya Sangsad, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, on behalf of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, participated in the oath taking ceremony of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in New Delhi on May 26, 2014. Following this, Smt. Sushma Swaraj made her first stand-alone visit to Bangladesh as the External Affairs Minister in the last week of June 2014 and provided further momentum to the close and friendly relationship between India and Bangladesh. President of Bangladesh Mr. Md. Abdul Hamid visited India from December 18-23, 2014, which was the first visit by Bangladesh’s ceremonial Head of State after a gap of 42 years. The landmark visits of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in January 2010, the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Bangladesh in September 2011 and President Pranab Mukherjee to Bangladesh in March 2013, which was his first trip abroad since assuming this post, further strengthened and expanded the close bilateral relations between our two countries. Bangladesh currently is India’s largest trading partner among SAARC countries. India exports to Bangladesh rose sharply from $ 4.7 billion in 2012-13 to $ 6.03 billion in 2013-14, an increase of 26.35% over the previous year. Similarly, Bangladesh’s exports to India in Q1 (July-September 2014) have increased to US $ 143.954 million from US $ 91.750 million in the corresponding period of last fiscal year. Two border haats are already operational with the third one at Srinagar (Tripura, India)-Purba Madhugram (District Feni, Bangladesh) to be inaugurated on January 13, 2015. Construction of the fourth Border Haat at Kamlasagar (Tripura)-Tarapur Kashba (Brahmanbaria District) is in progress. Investment by Indian companies (Airtel, CEAT, Marico etc.) in Bangladesh continues to grow with the signing of bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection agreement. For the first time in their post-independence history, India and Bangladesh established inter-grid connectivity for the flow of bulk power of 500 MW between the western electrical grid of Bangladesh (Bheramara in Bangladesh) and the eastern electrical grid of India (Baharampur in India) to facilitate flow of electricity from India to Bangladesh. Prime Ministers of both the countries inaugurated the Bharat-Bangladesh Vidyut Sanchalan Kendra (BBVSK) at Bheramara on October 5, 2013 through video- conferencing. India has always stood by Bangladesh in its hour of need with aid and economic assistance to help it cope with natural disasters and floods. India has also extended a line of credit of US $ 800 million and US $ 200 million grant to Bangladesh for a range of projects, including railway infrastructure, supply of Broad Gauge microprocessor- based locomotives and passenger coaches, procurement of buses, and dredging projects. US $ 175 million out of the US $ 200 million grant has already been released to Bangladesh in four installments for utilization in projects of priority to Bangladesh. India and Bangladesh had signed a MoU for implementation of Small Developmental Projects in Bangladesh on April 11, 2013. Rs. 45.44 crores had been sanctioned for FY 2014-15 for implementation of Small Development Projects. India and Bangladesh are well connected by all possible modes of travel and are exploring newer avenues for increasing the connectivity. Major cities of India (New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai & Chennai) and Bangladesh (Dhaka & Chittagong) are connected by air through several non-stop flights, by both the state owned carriers (Air India and Biman Bangladesh Airlines) and private carriers. On account of shared history of India and Bangladesh, the rail network of both the countries is well linked. At present there are 3 operational inter-country railway links viz., Petrapol (India)-Benapol (Bangladesh), Gede-Darsana and Singhabad-Rohanpur. Three more between Radhikapur-Birol, Karimganj/Mahisasan-Shahbazpur and Haldibari-Chilhati are proposed to be reopened. One new rail link between Akhaura and Agartala is proposed to be built, which is being financed by grant-aid from India. The MoU for construction of this new rail link was signed on February 16, 2013 in Dhaka. The frequency of the bi-weekly passenger train, Maitree Express, which runs between Dhaka & Kolkata is proposed to be increased from two times a week to three times a week with effect from January 4, 2015. Direct bus services are available between Dhaka-Agartala and Dhaka- Kolkata. Both the Governments are working towards starting a bus service between Guwahati-Dhaka via Shillong for which a joint route survey was held in December 2014. Trade and transit through waterways between the two countries is regulated by the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWTT). There are four routes under the PIWTT and five Ports of Call have been identified in each country to provide facilities to the vessels of the other country engaged in inter-country trade. About 1.5 million metric ton of goods are transported via the Protocol routes per annum. High Commission of India celebrated the Golden Jubilee of India's flagship international development cooperation programme, the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC) on November 2, 2014, where the President of Bangladesh was the Chief Guest. Almost 800 ITEC scholars have received training in India since 2007. The number of ITEC scholarships has been doubled from 100 every year in 2007 to 215 in 2014. In addition, about 200 scholars under the Technical Cooperation Scheme (TCS) of the Colombo Plan have gone for training since 2007. Besides, scholarships and training programmes under ITEC and TCS, Indian Government also offers scholarships under ICCR, AYUSH, Commonwealth, SAARC and IOR-ARC scholarships/ fellowship schemes. Indian Government is also offering several tailor made courses to Bangladesh Civil Servants (1500 slots), Police, Nuclear, Election Commission Services & Narcotics Personnel. Muktijoddha Scholarship Scheme extended by the Government of India to Higher Secondary-level students (200 scholarships) and Graduate-level students (478 scholarships). India and Bangladesh are also engaged in regional cooperation through multilateral forum such as SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation), BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) and IOR-ARC (Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation) etc. Both sides have also commenced implementation of sub-regional cooperation initiatives along with Nepal and Bhutan. Given the shared history and commonality of language, cultural exchanges form an important bond of friendship between the people of two countries. Special emphasis has been laid on promotion of exchanges in the fields of music, theatre, art, painting, books, etc. A bilateral Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) provides the framework for such exchanges. To promote bilateral cultural exchanges, the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) was inaugurated at Dhaka in 2010, which regularly organises cultural evenings by Bangladeshi and Indian artists. In the year 2014, 11 cultural troupes from India gave 25 performances in Bangladesh. The IGCC also imparts training to around 2800 persons in a year in Yoga, Hindustani Classical Vocal Music, Hindi, and Bharatnatyam Dance, which is conducted by trained professionals from India. Useful Resources: High Commission of India, Dhaka website: http://hcidhaka.gov.in/ High Commission of India, Dhaka Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HighCommissionofIndiaDhaka High Commission of India, Dhaka Twitter account: https://twitter.com/ihcdhaka India Global-AIR FM Gold Program featuring India and Bangladesh Relations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mli10DGyIZ0 ***** December 2014 .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Bangladesh and Bangladesh-U.S. Relations
    Bangladesh and Bangladesh-U.S. Relations Updated October 17, 2017 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R44094 Bangladesh and Bangladesh-U.S. Relations Summary Bangladesh (the former East Pakistan) is a Muslim-majority nation in South Asia, bordering India, Burma, and the Bay of Bengal. It is the world’s eighth most populous country with nearly 160 million people living in a land area about the size of Iowa. It is an economically poor nation, and it suffers from high levels of corruption. In recent years, its democratic system has faced an array of challenges, including political violence, weak governance, poverty, demographic and environmental strains, and Islamist militancy. The United States has a long-standing and supportive relationship with Bangladesh, and it views Bangladesh as a moderate voice in the Islamic world. In relations with Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital, the U.S. government, along with Members of Congress, has focused on a range of issues, especially those relating to economic development, humanitarian concerns, labor rights, human rights, good governance, and counterterrorism. The Awami League (AL) and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) dominate Bangladeshi politics. When in opposition, both parties have at times sought to regain control of the government through demonstrations, labor strikes, and transport blockades, as well as at the ballot box. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been in office since 2009, and her AL party was reelected in January 2014 with an overwhelming majority in parliament—in part because the BNP, led by Khaleda Zia, boycotted the vote. The BNP has called for new elections, and in recent years, it has organized a series of blockades and strikes.
    [Show full text]
  • Jatiya Sangsad: the Parliament of Bangladesh
    Jatiya Sangsad: The Parliament of Bangladesh By Nizam Ahmed The Jatiya Sangsad, as the Parliament is called in Bangladesh, predates the independence of the country in 1971. Its precursor, the Legislative Council of Bengal, was established during the British colonial rule in 1861 when only a few countries outside Europe and North America could claim to have established such an institution. But the Parliament did not have any steady growth until recently. Several structural, procedural and political constraints made the Parliament seriously disadvantaged vis-à-vis other sources of power, particularly the government, during the colonial days and nearly a quarter century of Pakistani neo-colonial rule (1947-71). Since independence, Bangladesh has experimented with different types of government – multiparty parliamentary system patterned after the Westminster model (1971-74), one-party presidential system (1975), and multi-party presidential system (1978-82; 1986-1990). For eight years between 1975 and 1990, the country remained under absolute military rule. In September 1991 the multi-party parliamentary system was restored. Since then, Bangladesh has officially remained a parliamentary democracy. Ten parliaments have been elected over the last four decades (1973-2014), although only a few have been able to complete their five-year tenure. Among the Parliaments, those elected since the early 1990s have survived longer; the 1 only exception was the sixth Parliament (1996) which met for only four days. The ‘recent’ parliaments, which have enjoyed greater legitimacy than their predecessors, have also undertaken several measures to modernize procedures to improve their capacity to affect the policy outcome as well as to make the government behave.
    [Show full text]
  • THE PARLIAMENT of BANGLADESH Representation and Accountability
    THE PARLIAMENT OF BANGLADESH Representation and Accountability CPD­CMI Working Paper 2 Rounaq Jahan Inge Amundsen _____________________________________________ Professor Rounaq Jahan is a Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Bangladesh. Dr Inge Amundsen is a Senior Researcher at the Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI), Norway. Publishers Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) House 40/C, Road 32, Dhanmondi R/A Dhaka 1209, Bangladesh Telephone: (+88 02) 8124770, 9141703, 9141734, 9145090 Fax: (+88 02) 8130951 E‐mail: [email protected] Website: www.cpd.org.bd Blog: http://www.cpd.org.bd/Blog/ Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI) Jekteviksbakken 31, 5006 Bergen, Norway P.O. Box 6033 Bedriftssenteret, N‐5892 Bergen, Norway Tel: (+47 47) 93 80 00 Fax: (+47 47) 93 80 01 E‐mail: [email protected] Website: www.cmi.no First Published April 2012 © Centre for Policy Dialogue Disclaimer: The views expressed in this paper are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of CPD or CMI. Tk. 125 USD 7 ISSN 2225‐8175 (Online) ISSN 2225‐8035 (Print) CCM42012_1WP2_DGP The present Working Paper Series emerged from a joint collaborative programme being implemented by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Dhaka, Bangladesh and Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI), Norway. This three‐year research cooperation programme will focus on issues of common interest to both the organisations and service the demands of Bangladesh economy in a number of key sectors. The CPD, established in 1993, is a civil society initiative in Bangladesh to promote an ongoing dialogue between the principal partners in the decision making and implementing process.
    [Show full text]
  • Bangladesh: Political and Strategic Developments and U.S
    Bangladesh: Political and Strategic Developments and U.S. Interests /name redacted/ Specialist in Asian Affairs June 8, 2015 Congressional Research Service 7-.... www.crs.gov R44094 Bangladesh: Political and Strategic Developments and U.S. Interests Summary Bangladesh (the former East Pakistan) is a Muslim-majority nation in South Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, dominated by low-lying riparian zones. It is the world’s eighth most populous country, with approximately 160 million people housed in a land mass about the size of Iowa. It is a poor nation and suffers from high levels of corruption and a faltering democratic system that has been subject to an array of pressures in recent years. These pressures include a combination of political violence, corruption, weak governance, poverty, demographic and environmental stress, and Islamist militancy. The United States has long-standing supportive relations with Bangladesh and views Bangladesh as a moderate voice in the Islamic world. The U.S. government and Members of Congress have focused on issues related to economic development, humanitarian concerns, labor rights, human rights, good governance, and counterterrorism among other issues as part of the United States’ bilateral relationship with Bangladesh. The Awami League (AL) and the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) dominate Bangladeshi politics. When in opposition, both parties have sought to regain control of the government through demonstrations, labor strikes, and transport blockades. Such mass protests are known as hartals in South Asia. The current AL government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was reelected in January 2014 with an overwhelming majority in parliament. Hasina has been in office since 2009.
    [Show full text]
  • 63Rd Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference and Bilateral Visit to Sri Lanka
    Report of the Canadian Parliamentary Delegation respecting its participation to the 63rd Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference and Bilateral Visit to Sri Lanka Canadian Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Dhaka, Bangladesh November 1 to 8, 2017 and Colombo, Sri Lanka November 8 to 11, 2017 Report The delegation of the Canadian Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association which attended the 63rd Annual Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in Dhaka, Bangladesh from November 1 to 8, 2017 and which participated in a bilateral visit to Sri Lanka from November 8 to 11, 2017 has the honour to present its report. A. 63RD CPA CONFERENCE, DHAKA, BANGLADESH The Canadian Branch was represented by the following delegates: Ms. Yasmin Ratansi, M.P., Chair of the Canadian Branch; Hon. Salma Ataullahjan, Senator; Hon. Marilou McPhedran, Senator; Ms. Alexandra Mendès, M.P.; Mr. Matt Jeneroux, M.P.; Hon. Thomas Mulcair, M.P.; and Mr. Rémi Bourgault, Association Secretary Commonwealth parliamentarians attending the 63rd Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference and associated meetings recognised the Commonwealth’s commitment to democracy and met under the conference theme of ‘Continuing to enhance high standards of performance of Parliamentarians’. The conference, hosted by the CPA Bangladesh Branch and Parliament of Bangladesh from 1 to 8 November, 2017 in Dhaka, Bangladesh was attended by over 500 Parliamentarians and Parliamentary Clerks representing Parliaments and Legislatures from across the Commonwealth. The conference was hosted by the CPA President and outgoing Chairperson of the CPA International Executive Committee, Hon. Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury MP, Speaker of the Parliament of Bangladesh. The conference also included the 36th Small Branches Conference and meetings of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP).
    [Show full text]
  • \L/" 'I -2- Dhaka Stands Ready to Send Back All Displaced People to Rakhine
    PRESS INFORMATION DEPARTMENT GOVERNMENT OF BANGLADESH DHAKA Most Urgent From: PIO, PID, Dhaka For: Bans.ladoot. All Missions Fax: 9540553/9540026 MSG: l lzl2019:20 E-mail: oiddhaka()e.rnail.com Date: Wednesday, 27 November 2019 Web : www.pressiir l"orm. gov. bd News Brief President Md Abdul Hamid has asked each member of armed forces to properly utilize the scopes of information technology in military life and simultaneously to keep always ready to prevent its misuse. The President gave the directive while addressing a banquet marking the Armed Forces Day-2019 at Bangabhaban in Dhaka yesterday. The Head of the State hoped that each armed force member, being imbued with the great Liberation War spirit, would continue their relentless efforts in the welfare of the dearest homeland. The ECNEC has approved six projects involving Tk 7,312 crore, including a Tk 5,950-crore scheme to expand Dhaka and Western Zone Transmission Grid to different upazilas in 17 districts of Dhaka, Khulna and Barishal divisions. The approval came from the weekly ECNEC meeting held at the NEC conference room in Dhaka yesterday with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. Of the total cost, Tk 2,778.56 crore will come from government fund, while Tk321.69 crore from the own fund of organisation concerned and Tk 4,212.30 crore from foreign solrrces as project loan. Among the approved projects, five are new and one is a revised one, which is Construction of Link Road from Natore Road to Rajshahi Bypass (2nd revised) involving TK 206.64 crore.
    [Show full text]
  • Asian-Parliaments.Pdf
    Asian Parliaments Bangladesh Government type: parliamentary democracy unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300 seats elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies (the constitutional amendment reserving 30 seats for women over and above the 300 regular parliament seats expired in May 2001); members serve five­year terms elections: last held 1 October 2001 (next to be held no later than January 2007) Bhutan Government type: monarchy; special treaty relationship with India unicameral National Assembly or Tshogdu (150 seats; 105 elected from village constituencies, 10 represent religious bodies, and 35 are designated by the monarch to represent government and other secular interests; members serve three­year terms) elections: local elections last held August 2005 (next to be held in 2008) Burma Government type: military junta (leader not elected) Unicameral People's Assembly or Pyithu Hluttaw (485 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four­year terms) elections: last held 27 May 1990, but Assembly never allowed by junta to convene Cambodia Government type: multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy established in September 1993 Bicameral, consists of the National Assembly (123 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five­year terms) and the Senate (61 seats; 2 members appointed by the monarch, 2 elected by the National Assembly, and 57 elected by parliamentarians and commune councils; members serve five­year terms) elections: National Assembly ­ last held 27 July 2003 (next to be
    [Show full text]
  • GRADUATION CEREMONY National Defence College, Bangladesh
    National Defence College, Bangladesh NDC Newsletter An Education 4.0 Institution Education in the Era of IR 4.0 GRADUATION CEREMONY December - 2019 Hon’ble Prime Minister, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Sheikh Volume-7, Issue-4 Hasina, distributed the Graduation Certificates among the Course Members of National Defence Course and Armed Forces War Course-2019 on 18 December 2019 during The Editorial Board Graduation Ceremony. A total of 85 Course Members from National Defence Course and 38 Course Members from Armed Forces War Course received certificates from the Chief Patron Hon’ble Prime Minister. Lt Gen Sheikh Mamun Khaled SUP, rcds, psc, PhD Commandant, NDC Editor Col M A Saadi, afwc, psc Director (Research and Academic) Associate Editors Lt Col Nizam Uddin Ahmed afwc, psc, Engr Senior Research Fellow Lt Col Muhammad Alamgir Iqbal Khan, psc, Arty Senior Research Fellow Assistant Editor Md Nazrul Islam Assistant Director HIGHLIGHTS OF NDC ND CoursE-2019 04 July 2019: Lieutenant General Mohammad overseas study Tour (osT) Mahfuzur Rahman, OSP, rcds, ndc, afwc, psc, PhD, Principal Staff Officer, Armed Forces Division 19 July 2019-24 July 2019: Overseas Study Tour (OST)-1 04 August 2019: Lieutenant General Sheikh Mamun Khaled, SUP, rcds, psc, PhD, Commandant, NDC 08 September 2019-21 September 2019: Overseas Study Tour (OST)-2 LoCAL VIsIT-AFWC 2019 GUEST SPeaKERS 03 July 2019: Visit to Police Headquarters 11 July 2019: Dr. Mashiur Rahman, Adviser to the INTErNAL StuDy Tour-AFWC 2019 Hon’ble Prime Minister (Economic Affairs) 29 July 2019-02 August 2019: Internal Study Tour 18 July 2019: Ambassador Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Guide Madrid
    136thAssembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union 1 to 5 April 2017 Dhaka - Bangladesh ASSEMBLY GUIDEBOOK - 2 - CONTENTS Page INAUGURAL CEREMONY AND MEETING VENUE .......................................................... OFFICIAL RECEPTIONS AND OTHER EVENTS ................................................................ TIMETABLE OF THE ASSEMBLY AND RELATED MEETINGS ........................................ SEATING ARRANGEMENTS IN MEETING ROOMS ........................................................... AGENDAS OF THE ASSEMBLY AND STANDING COMMITTEES ................................... REGISTRATION OF SPEAKERS AND SPEAKING TIME FOR THE GENERAL DEBATE ............................................................................................. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Registration and Information Desk ............................................................................ Table of votes at the Assembly ................................................................................... Assembly documents .................................................................................................. Distribution of messages and communications ........................................................... Results of the Assembly and related meetings ........................................................... Summary records of the debates ................................................................................ Submission and Control of Documents ..................................................................... Distribution of
    [Show full text]
  • BANGLADESH: from AUTOCRACY to DEMOCRACY (A Study of the Transition of Political Norms and Values)
    BANGLADESH: FROM AUTOCRACY TO DEMOCRACY (A Study of the Transition of Political Norms and Values) By Golam Shafiuddin THESIS Submitted to School of Public Policy and Global Management, KDI in partial fulfillment of the requirements the degree of MASTER OF PUBLIC POLICY 2002 BANGLADESH: FROM AUTOCRACY TO DEMOCRACY (A Study of the Transition of Political Norms and Values) By Golam Shafiuddin THESIS Submitted to School of Public Policy and Global Management, KDI in partial fulfillment of the requirements the degree of MASTER OF PUBLIC POLICY 2002 Professor PARK, Hun-Joo (David) ABSTRACT BANGLADESH: FROM AUTOCRACY TO DEMOCRACY By Golam Shafiuddin The political history of independent Bangladesh is the history of authoritarianism, argument of force, seizure of power, rigged elections, and legitimacy crisis. It is also a history of sustained campaigns for democracy that claimed hundreds of lives. Extremely repressive measures taken by the authoritarian rulers could seldom suppress, or even weaken, the movement for the restoration of constitutionalism. At times the means adopted by the rulers to split the opposition, create a democratic facade, and confuse the people seemingly served the rulers’ purpose. But these definitely caused disenchantment among the politically conscious people and strengthened their commitment to resistance. The main problems of Bangladesh are now the lack of national consensus, violence in the politics, hartal (strike) culture, crimes sponsored with political ends etc. which contribute to the negation of democracy. Besides, abject poverty and illiteracy also does not make it easy for the democracy to flourish. After the creation of non-partisan caretaker government, the chief responsibility of the said government was only to run the routine administration and take all necessary measures to hold free and fair parliamentary elections.
    [Show full text]
  • A “Dual State” Explanation of Bangladesh Jatya Sangsad
    PARLIAMENTS DURING THE PANDEMIC: A “DUAL STATE” EXPLANATION OF BANGLADESH JATYA SANGSAD M. Jashim Ali Chowdhury Raihan Rahman Rafid ABSTRACT This article seeks to theorise the Parliament of Bangladesh (Jatiya Sangsad)’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic in light of the normative traits of global parliamentary responses to the public health emergency. It is argued that while the pandemic has contributed to the executive aggrandizement in established and unstable democracies alike, it has irreversibly marginalised the legislatures in countries with “pre-existing conditions” like democratic decay, elected authoritarianism etc. This article adopts the “Dual State” thesis expounded by Csaba Győry and Nyasha Weinberg in relation to Hungary and uses it as a theoretical lens to look through the Bangladesh Parliament’s performance during the pandemic. It concludes that Bangladesh’s total neglect of parliament as an institution of relevance during the pandemic is relatable to the Hungarian or Georgian style “Dual State” approach to the crisis and this might end up normalising a perpetual marginalisation of the Jatya Sangad as an institution of accountability. I. INTRODUCTION During the nineteenth century, parliaments were central in pressing public demands, and in democratizing the autocratic monarchies. However, in the last few decades, the parliaments themselves have been substantially marginalized.1 Some argue that parliaments have become law-influencing bodies rather than law-makers.2 They see the parliament as an assembly that appoints and controls the executive branch, rather than as a body directly engaging in decision-making. According to Elena Griglio, this trend results from several factors such as the decline of legislatures’ involvement in law-making, overarching role of the PhD Candidate (Parliament Studies), King’s College London, UK.
    [Show full text]
  • News Brief President Md. Abdul Hamid Has Urged Doctors And
    PRESS INFORMATION DEPARTMENT GOVERNMENT OF BANGLADESH DHAKA Most Urgent From: PIO, PID, Dhaka For: Bangladoot, All Missions Fax: 9540553/9540026 MSG: 211/2018-19 E-mail: [email protected] Date: Tuesday, 30 April 2019 Web:www.pressinform.gov.bd News Brief President Md. Abdul Hamid has urged doctors and others concerned to devise ways to ensure access of ordinary people to quality treatment at lower cost without hassles. The President made the call while inaugurating the 7th biennial conference of Bangladesh Community Ophthalmological Society at Radisson Blue Water Garden Hotel in Dhaka yesterday. The Cabinet has ordered a nationwide intensified anti-militancy security and intelligence vigil against the backdrop of recent terrorist attack in Sri Lanka. The instruction was given in the weekly Cabinet meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair at her office in Dhaka yesterday. The Cabinet condemned the assault in Sri Lanka and took two condolence motions for the victims in general and particularly for Zyan Chowdhury, grandson of Awami League Presidium Member Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim MP. The Cabinet fixed up office timing for government, semi- government, autonomous and semi-autonomous institutions during the holy month of Ramadan from 9am to 3:30pm with a 15 minute-break from 1:15 to 1:30 for Zohr prayers. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said, the government will ensure the maximum punishment to the culprits by enacting tougher law, if necessary, to prevent the sexual harassment. The PM said this while taking part in a discussion on a resolution placed in the Parliament yesterday pointing at brutal killing of Feni‟s Sonagazi Madrasa student Nusrat Jahan Rafi.
    [Show full text]