STRANGER THAN FICTION
Removal of Nawaz Sharif and the future of Pakistan
We know, since the assassination of the first Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan in 1951, no Pakistani Prime Minister has been able to complete his or her full term in office. However, someone's stating this becomes clichéd or worn-out unless one discerns the different circumstances leading to each removal and dismissal.
Two disasters, two countries, two peoples
Surprisingly, “baby boomers” (born between 1946 and 1960)—the generation that took part in the Liberation War—and “millennials” (born between mid-1980s and early 2000s) of Bangladesh (both supposed to be articulated, brave, and liberal), to put it mildly, also seem to be apathetic and opportunistic, even during times of national emergencies.
Trump's Riyadh rendezvous
Although there's no reason to take Donald Trump's erratic behaviour, and his ambivalent and unsavoury assertions seriously, we can't ignore what he staged in Riyadh in the name of defeating Islamist terrorism on May 21.
STRANGER THAN FICTION / What's so “interesting” in Bangladesh today?
Interest-ingly, “interesting” is an English expression, which may hide one's actual opinion about something one considers “interesting”.
Trump hits Syria / A gambit and a war crime
There are contrad-ictory opinions about who on April 4 used chemical weapons, which killed more than 80 civilians, including children in the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun in Syria.
ISIS threats in Bangladesh - Denials and Delusions
It has happened again! In the wake of the latest round of terror attacks in Bangladesh, with ISIS claiming credit for it, authorities in the...
CHILD MARRIAGE RESTRAINT ACT 2017 / Another regression therapy for Bangladesh?
A recent move by the Government to allow child marriage under special circumstances is tantamount to excluding many Bangladeshis from the benefits of growth and development.
STRANGER THAN FICTION / Corruption in Bangladesh: Perceptions vs. reality
The country has already become a lower middle-income country. So far so good! However, these indexes don't always tell us the whole truth about the states of governance, corruption, poverty, inequality, and most importantly, frequent violations of human rights across the country.
Should there still be ambiguity?
Although some Bangladeshi politicians till the recent past – the home minister repeated his position on July 3 2016 that the Holey Artisan Bakery massacre has no ISIS link...
Maniruzzaman Miah, as I knew Him
Although he was more of a guru and mentor to me, Professor Maniruzzaman Miah was also a very good friend of mine. He was
Why was Muhammad Ali Greater than his legend?
Last Friday (June 10), the “Great” Muhammad Ali was laid to rest at his birthplace, Louisville Kentucky. Around 15,000 people
Conspiracy theories and beyond
The Democratic and Republican parties have made presumptive nominations of their presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
Defiance of law and the state of impunity in Bangladesh
KARL Marx, among other critics of imperialism, had some kind words for British colonial rule in India, especially in regards to
Fallout from Narayanganj: Hope and Despair
Salim Osman might have put the last straw on the camel's back. His using of cheap, religious and communal sentiments of the people is absurdly wild and dangerous. It could wreak havoc on Narayanganj, and eventually on the whole country.
MP plays judge-jury-prosecutor!
An MP – who paradoxically represents the ruling coalition as well as its opposition in the parliament – recently played the proverbial role of the judge, jury and prosecutor.
Finding the beneficiaries of the killings
The way the U.S. and Indian governments, and some conservative think tanks in the U.S. are appraising the spate of killings in
Some unresolved issues
Not only the ruling coalition and its main Opposition (which is outside the Parliament) contradict each other as to who have been killing writers, bloggers and freethinkers in the country, but some ministers of the coalition government also contradict each other in this regard.
Terror in the East and West: Beyond Ankara, Lahore, Paris, and Brussels
Although Islamist or separatist terror groups bomb and kill hundreds of people in Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Turkey, or Afghanistan on a regular basis...