The mourning of Ashura has come and gone, and not a whimper in Bangladesh. As readers of the New York Times and Guardian know Ashura is the commemoration of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. The events of that date in 680 AD are considered to have created the fault lines between […]
I am concerned with the effect of intra-party democracy and candidate selection on the quality of democratic policy making in Bangladesh. Though not as well-studied in politics as other more “titillating” topics like justice, candidate selection is the dominant issue in any practical study of a functioning democracy. To that end, it may serve us […]
Fire at Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC): A fire broke out in a laboratory at India’s premier nuclear research facility yesterday. Though no danger of radiation due to the accident was reported, two research students were killed in the fire. The cause of the fire is unknown. Earlier this month three people were arrested for […]
Zainab Jeewanjee shares her experience in Pakistan and a couple BBC pieces documenting the horror of terrorist attacks carried out in Karachi Pakistan, in December 2009.
One year ago, to the day, the Awami League swept back into power with an overwhelming majority of votes and corresponding seats in Parliament. Promising change and prosperity in Bangladesh, Awami League leader and former Prime Minister Begum Sheikh Hasina Wajed trounced her opposition, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by Begum Khaleda Zia, the […]
Zainab Jeewanjee comments on a DAWN article that talks about foreign “meddling” in Pakistani affairs. She discusses how foreign dealings in Pakistan could be a result of history wherein political infrastructure was never put in place, inevitably making Pakistan reliant on foreign assistance for development.
Vietnam: The Asia Times has a fairly detailed article on Vietnam’s transportation bottleneck. Specifically, it takes a look at Vietnam’s port capacity as compared to its neighbors in the region, and how it’s current infrastructure needs to improve if Vietnam wishes to continue to see economic growth. To remedy the issue, the Vietnamese government is […]
There are times when I am tempted to accept Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) as a genuine political party. However, thankfully, I come to my senses as soon as MQM attempts one of those fascist maneuvers that have become synonymous with MQM. If anyone pays close attention, it is not difficult to see a pattern with […]
Merry Christmas to all. It is a sign of the rising urgency of the necessary work that still needs to be done in order to foster tolerance in Bangladesh that the Awami League has taken security measures in order to ensure that peace prevails for the Christmas celebrations in Bangladesh. It were as if the […]
The Copenhagen Conference has claimed another victim: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed’s prestige on the international stage. Her state visit to India to hash out issues as far ranging as investment in cross-border electrical grids, prisoner swaps and child trafficking got derailed when her Indian counterpart decided to attend the talks in Copenhagen. Her visit […]
Upon the retirement of the Chief Justice M.M. Ruhul Amin, Justice M. Tazzaful Islam was elevated to teh seat of Chief Justice on December 22nd. Though he will serve his term for only a few months, he nevertheless intends to be an activist justice on the bench of the Bangladesh Supreme Court. However, his remarks […]
India’s Union Home Minister, P Chidambaram has proposed setting up a National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) as part of a plan to radically restructure the country’s security apparatus. Delivering the 22nd Intelligence Bureau Centenary Endowment Lecture he said that given the scope and urgency of internal security, it is necessary to separate the non-internal security […]
A Trial Court in Dhaka, in accordance with the Supreme Court decision that upheld a guilty verdict on the assassination of President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman issued the death warrants for the 5 convicted men who were appealing a High Court verdict on their complicity in the plot. This is a most historic case because it deals with […]
A report, investigating the state’s response to the Mumbai attacks last year, has blamed then Commissioner of Police (CP) Hasan Gafoor of “absence of overt leadership” and “lack of visible command and control at the CP’s office.” Gafoor was heavily criticized by the media and state government, and was transferred from his post two months […]
Zainab Jeewanjee contrasts Christopher Hitchens Slate.com piece: Why does Pakistan Hate the United States with Dr. Goodson’s article “Pakistan is the most dangerous place in the world”, published at the Strategic Studies Institute. Although both articles describe the problems of a “transactional relationship” between both countries, Jeewanjee says Dr. Goodson’s piece offers an accurate assessment of the issue.
