Author: Priya Saha

Protesting in front of the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka on Pakistan’s Independence Day, the Bangladesh Conscious Citizens Committee (BCCC) on Saturday criticised alleged Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and its support to the Taliban in Afganistan. The committee, in a display of discord, spotlighted the alleged Pak-sponsored terrorism and militancy in Afghanistan. The organisation also criticised Pakistan’s alleged support to the Taliban and the false propaganda through Inter-Service Intelligence’s (ISI) puppet Maria Jadoon, a BCCC release maintained. The organisation stressed how the Taliban had waged battle in war-torn Afghanistan, pushing the country to the verge of civil war. The Taliban are now believed…

Since 1978, the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami have sent several thousands of people from Bangladesh to Pakistan and after training, they went to Kabul to join the Taliban.To show support to the Taliban, Hefazat-e-Islam, a radical militant outfit of Bangladesh, had organised a long march and one of its key organisers was Maulana Habibur Rahman, a madrasa principal from Sylhet with a background of working for ‘Taliban-style’ rule in Bangladesh.Rahman, the principal of Kazi Bazar Madrasa in Sylhet city, was a leader of the banned Islamist militant organisation Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami (Huji) Bangladesh with links to international militant groups.Rahman had himself revealed…

As the whole of Pakistan wears a green and white look with colorful stalls to celebrate its 74th Independence Day on Aug. 14, the Christians of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province have issued a somber greeting.“Edwardes College Peshawar awaits freedom on Independence Day,” stated the social media card emblazoned with the college logo, which carries a red cross, in chains.“The patriotic minorities of Pakistan strongly appeal to federal and provincial governments to abide by the constitution of Pakistan and ensure the security of minorities. On this joyful occasion, the college must be returned to its original owner, namely the Diocese of Peshawar…

The concept of colonialism is linked to imperialism. Colonial rule refers to the establishment of the rule of an empire in a particular region or territory. Colonial rule reduces the dominance of the local population in a territory and leads to economic exploitation. Bangladesh is a small country in South Asia. Bangladesh has a long history of colonial rule. In ancient times Bangladesh was known as Banga Janapad and was ruled by Maury’s, Guptas, Pala’s and Mughals. After the death of Mughal Emperor Alamgir, the British started trading in exchange for taxes from Subedar Shaista Khan. In the battle of…

Indonesia turns 76 this month. Yet the fruits of independence have not been felt entirely by minority groups in many parts of the country.Thousands of Christians and other religious minority groups remain ostracized and do not feel that the state is there to protect them against harassment.In Aceh, a semi-autonomous region on the northern tip of Sumatra, Christians are under constant pressure. Government data shows that the province has 5.3 million people, of whom more than 98 percent are Muslim. Christians only number about 53,000 or roughly 1 percent. They are mostly Protestants, with a small number of Catholics.A region…

LAHORE:Minorities are safe and have full religious freedom in Pakistan. They play an important role in the country’s development and prosperity. We must fulfill our responsibility to ensure minorities’ protection in the country.These views were expressed by Begum Perveen Sarwar, Chairperson of Sarwar Foundation, and wife of Governor Ch Muhammad Sarwar while addressing an event on the occasion of National Minority Day at Governor’s House here on Thursday.Member Punjab Assembly Jamshaid Thomas, Vice-Chairman Punjab Minority Advisory Council Robinson Aziz Francis, Commissioner Lahore Captain (Retd) Muhammad Usman and others participated and a cake was cut to express solidarity with the minorities…

Recently Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sent a local variant of sweet mangoes known as Haribhanga to her counterparts in India and Pakistan. Why mangoes? The mango represents the epitome of Bangladeshi produce, like the French or Italians are proud of their wines, the Germans and the Japanese of their cars, or the Norwegians of their salmon and cloudberries. In recent years, the mango has become a key element of Bangladesh’s public diplomacy globally, a gesture of friendship and goodwill. Sending mangoes to India was expected. Bangladesh wants to harness a close and warm relationship with its giant neighbour. But…

Lahore and Islamabad, Pakistan Salman Rashid and Mohinder Pratab Sehgal had an unlikely friendship. It struck immediately after they met and lasted until Mr. Sehgal died. After all, the two had been looking for each other all their lives.In 2008, Mr. Rashid set out from his home in Lahore, Pakistan, carrying a photo of his grandfather’s house in Jalandhar, India. The 80-mile journey might seem simple, for an acclaimed travel writer like Mr. Rashid, but this was a deeply personal quest. His father and some other relatives had survived the Partition, the violent end of British India in 1947. But…

File photo | Muhammad Ali Jinnah | Commons Text Size: A- A+ If you are from a religious minority in Pakistan, you still can’t drive till you’re 18 but you can very well become a victim of blasphemy even at eight. Late July this year, an eight-year-old Hindu boy accidentally entered a madrassa in Bhong, in Punjab’s Rahim Yar Khan district. On being reprimanded by the cleric, Hafiz Muhammad Ibrahim, for loitering in the madrassa, the boy allegedly urinated on the carpet out of fear. Ibrahim lodged a police complaint claiming that the Hindu boy intentionally peed…

 By Sangram Datta, Moulvibazar, BangladeshThe newly constructed Sri Srimangaleshwari Kali Temple has become a sight to behold with its artistic craftsmanship and exquisite construction style at Srimangal town in Moulvibazar district of Bangladesh.  The whole temple is painted red, white and the designs painted in gold and bronze.This five-tiered temple can be seen on the left side of the road a little further from the town’s crossroads via College Road of the town. There is another small sanctum sanctorum inside the temple. The Statue of Goddess Kali will be kept there.The temple management committee believes that it will attract both…

Police in southern Bangladesh have arrested 11 people for their alleged involvement in vandalizing and looting Hindu temples and shops.The arrests were made after a local Hindu leader filed a case following attacks on four Hindu temples and several shops in Shiali village in the Rupsa area of Khulna district on Aug. 7.A mob attacked the village with homemade weapons following an altercation over the singing of Hindu religious songs by women on the previous night on their way to a Hindu crematorium, which allegedly enraged a Muslim cleric, a Hindu leader said. Despite an attempt to resolve the tension…

Minister of state for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Shantanu Thakur, has written to Prime minister Narendra Modi highlighting recent alleged attacks on religious minorities in Bangladesh asking that the Indian government should take steps to safeguard their rights. Thakur – a BJP Lok Sabha MP from Bongaon – is also a leader of the Matua community in Bengal – listed under the Scheduled Castes. In his letter, dated August 10, Thakur wrote “.. with great sorrow and grief I would like to inform you that on 07/08/2021 at midnight 1.30 am onwards some miscreants attacked were held in Hindu temples.…