The funeral prayer of Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh’s former prime minister, will be held on Wednesday (December 31, 2025) at 2 p.m., officials said.

The coffin of Zia will be placed at the west end of Manik Mia Avenue instead of the South Plaza of the Parliament, the Chief Advisor’s Office said on Tuesday (December 30).

In a statement issued at 11:46 p.m., the Chief Advisor’s Press Wing said the funeral prayers for Zia will be held after Zuhr, around 2pm, on Manik Mia Avenue, bdnews24 reported.

PTI

Bangladesh’s former prime minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia, center, leaves after a court appearance in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 2017. File
| Photo Credit: AP

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman waves as he arrives at Evercare Hospital to meet his ailing mother and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, in Dhaka, Bangladesh on December 25, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

A Bangladeshi court on Friday (August 29, 2025) sent 16 people, including several 1971 Liberation War veterans, to jail under the tough Anti-Terrorism Act, a day after a mob allegedly disrupted their scheduled public discussion in the capital.

Magistrate Farzana Haque ordered them to be sent to jail after they were produced in court nearly 24 hours after their detention.

Police had initially detained them for their protection from “public unrest” on Thursday.

Dhaka police after midnight Thursday said the detainees were being charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009 without further elaboration.

The initial case document submitted in the court suggested at least six of the 16 arrested were in their 70s.

“For the sake of a proper investigation, which is yet to be completed, and the identity and address of the accused is yet to be verified, it is ‘absolutely necessary’ to keep the accused in custody,” read the police application submitted in court.

According to media reports, former Minister and 1971 war veteran Abdul Latif Siddiqui, Dhaka University law professor Hafizur Rahman Curzon, and journalist Manjurul Alam Panna were among those sent to jail.

Abu Alam Shahid, freedom fighter and retired secretary to the government, who joined Thursday’s meeting, said several of those arrested were 1971 veterans.

“Most of the senior persons arrested were 1971 veterans as yesterday’s meeting was a freedom fighters discussion,” the former bureaucrat said.

Newly-formed veterans’ platform ‘Moncho 71’ organised the discussion at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) auditorium and at the onset of the meeting, the mob allegedly stormed the scene.

They called the organisers and participants of the event “accomplices of the fascist regime” of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

However, Shahid said to his knowledge “no Awami League leader” was there at the event.

Former Minister Siddique was expelled from Hasina’s cabinet and the party for breaching discipline in 2014.

The violent uprising led by the Students against Discrimination (SAD) toppled Hasina’s Awami League regime on August 5, 2024, when she left the country for neighbouring India.

Three days later, Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus took over as the Chief Advisor of the interim government.

The ‘Moncho 71’ platform was launched earlier this month, announcing that it would uphold the “1971 Liberation War, Bangladesh’s founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the 1972 Constitution, the national flag and the national anthem”.

The group that stormed the DRU auditorium identified themselves as the ‘July warriors’ as they tore down the banner of the discussion and allegedly assaulted some of the participants.

“Freedom fighters of all political backgrounds were invited to the event. Soon after the programme started, more than 25 men came to the scene and created chaos,” 1971 veteran Golam Mostafa told media persons.

Liberation War veteran and lawyer ZI Khan Panna, a key-organiser of ‘Moncho 71’, who had not joined the event due to health issues, in a video message on social media called the mob “a group of miscreants”.

He said the assault “reflects what freedom of expression now exists in the country” under the interim government.

The DRU later issued a statement saying the organisation is an open platform. “Everyone has freedom of expression here. Threats or obstruction from any party are not acceptable here,” it said.

The 1971 veterans were sent to jail two days after secretary general of former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir alleged that efforts were underway to erase the 1971 Liberation War from people’s memories.

“Many efforts are going on to make people forget 1971… those who helped the enemies at that time are now speaking loudly,” the BNP leader said, referring to the country’s largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami party, that opposed Bangladesh’s 1971 Independence from Pakistan.

“We fought in the [independence] war of 1971. We have not forgotten 1971. It is not possible to forget,” he added.

Published – August 29, 2025 05:51 pm IST

Washington DC:

In its bid to save US taxpayers’ money, the Donald Trump administration’s cost-cutting team–Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)– has cancelled a slew of overseas projects, including one in Bangladesh that raised several eyebrows. The billionaire Elon Musk-led department said it is cancelling $29 million funding intended for “strengthening the political landscape in Bangladesh”.

In a post on X listing a list of cancelled US funding abroad, DOGE said, “USD 29M to ‘strengthening the political landscape in Bangladesh” has been stopped.

US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent on the following items, all which have been cancelled:
– $10M for “Mozambique voluntary medical male circumcision”
– $9.7M for UC Berkeley to develop “a cohort of Cambodian youth with enterprise driven skills”
– $2.3M for “strengthening…

— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) February 15, 2025

This comes days after American President Trump denied allegations of US involvement in the regime change in Bangladesh last year when former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted following a nationwide protest led by students.

About Strengthening Political Landscape Project in Bangladesh

Funded by the United States Agency For International Development (USAID) and the United Kingdon’s erstwhile Department for International Development, the strengthening Political Landscape in Bangladesh program (SPL) worked to build political party capacity and strengthen relationships between parties and constituents while reducing political violence, according to Democracy International (DI).

Per DI, the programme supported political activists and citizens as they built the skills they needed to become effective leaders, advocate for inclusive policies, and constructively engage with one another to mitigate conflict.

In addition, SPL confronted the challenges of political violence by engaging political parties, grassroots activists, and university students, monitoring incidents of violence, and promoting peaceful alternatives.

Trump On US Involvement In Bangadesh’s Regime Change

After a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, US President Donald Trump dismissed any American involvement in the Bangladesh political crisis, stating that the issue has been handled by India for a long time.

When a reporter sought the views of President Trump on whether the previous Democratic government under former President Joe Biden carried out a regime change in Bangladesh, and installed Muhammad Yunus as a chief adviser, the Republican said, “There is no role for our deep state. This is something that the Prime Minister has been working on for a long time and has worked on for hundreds of years… I have been reading about it.”

Then pointing at PM Modi he added, “I will leave Bangladesh to the PM.”

While the Republican did not directly address the question, speculation is that the response indicated the new Trump administration may not get itself involved in Bangladesh, where alleged radical Islamist elements have been targeting religious minorities including Hindus.

India-Bangladesh Relations

Ties between India and Bangladesh have nosedived after Ms Hasina fled Dhaka in August in the face of a massive anti-government protest.

The interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who returned from the US to work as Bangladesh’s caretaker, continues to draw sharp criticism over not doing enough to stop attacks on minorities by radical Islamists.

Bangladesh-US Ties

Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus, on Friday said that he has discussed with Tesla CEO Elon Musk a potential collaboration to launch Starlink satellite internet service in Bangladesh.

Yunus on Thursday held an extensive video discussion with Musk to make further progress in introducing Starlink satellite to enhance internet service in Bangladesh.

Professor Yunus also extended an invitation to Musk to visit Bangladesh for the potential launch of Starlink services, underscoring the significance of this initiative for national development, to which Musk responded positively. 

“I look forward to it,” Musk said.

Other Biden-Era Funding Slashed By DOGE

In a post on X, the official DOGE handle listed the number of spending by US taxpayers that has been cancelled, including $22 million in funding intended for ‘voter turnout in India’ and $ 39 million for “fiscal federalism” and “biodiversity conservation” in Nepal.

This is part of DOGE’s continued effort to outline significant changes in government spending over the last few weeks.

About Nepal’s  “Fiscal Federalism” Programme

With the promulgation of the 2015 constitution, Nepal embarked on its federalism journey and established three tiers of government– one federal, seven provinces, and 753 local levels in 2017. 

The fiscal federalism programme is based on the canon that “single penny expense is not levied without the consent of parliament”

To adhere to this norm, Nepal’s Constitution has clear provisions with regard to the financial procedures of the federal, provincial and local governments, according to a report by International Alert.

About DOGE

The effort by what the Donald Trump administration calls DOGE is intended to cut government costs drastically. Musk’s department has swept through federal agencies in recent weeks searching for spending cuts as part of Trump’s goal to overhaul and shrink the US government.

New Delhi:

Pakistan’s notorious spy agency ISI has secretly sent four top members to Dhaka, raising a red flag in New Delhi. Acknowledging the development, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday that India is keeping a very close watch on the developments in its immediate neighbourhood, especially ones that having a bearing on its national security. “Appropriate action” will be taken, if required, the foreign ministry said.

Pakistani spy agency ISI’s Director General of Analysis Maj Gen Shahid Amir Afsar and other senior officials are reportedly visiting Bangladesh at the moment. The visit comes close on the heels of a Bangladeshi military delegation visiting Rawalpindi and meeting the army, air force, and navy chiefs.

“We keep an eye on all activities around the country and in the region, as well as all activities affecting our national security, and the government will take appropriate steps,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in response to a question on fast-growing military engagement between Bangladesh and Pakistan.

ISI OFFICIALS IN DHAKA

According to a report in the Hindustan Times, less than a week after a Bangladeshi military delegation toured Pakistan, meeting all three service chiefs, Rawalpindi has sent four senior officers, including a two-star General of the ISI to Dhaka. The report, which attributes the development to unnamed sources familiar with the matter, states that Major General Shahid Amir Afsar, who is the Director General of Analysis in the ISI, and has served as Pakistan’s defence attache in Beijing, is part of the delegation.

The six-member Bangladeshi delegation which visited Rawalpindi – the town where Pakistan’s military headquarters is based – was led by Lt. Gen. SM Kamrul Hasan, the Principal Staff Officer of the Bangladesh Armed Forces Division. Pakistan Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir reportedly met them for extensive talks. The Bangladeshi delegation stayed in Pakistan between January 13 and January 18.

Photo Credit: YouTube / ISPR Official

Just three days later – on January 21, Rawalpindi secretly dispatched a senior delegation to Dhaka. This was the first time in nearly two decades that the ISI officially went to Bangladesh. A senior official from Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Forces Intelligence or DGFI received them at the airport upon their arrival aboard an Emirates Airlines flight routed via Dubai.

The ISI team is being given a detailed tour of several military establishments in Bangladesh and is reportedly being informed about Dhaka’s military capabilities and preparedness.

In the midst of these visits by either side, the Pakistan Army’s media wing – the Inter-Services Public Relations or ISPR released a statement, in which it wrote that the meeting between Lt Gen SM Kamrul Hasan of Bangladesh and Pak Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir “underscored the importance of a stronger defence relationship, emphasising that the enduring partnership between the two brotherly nations must remain resilient against external influences.”

WHEN ISI ACTIVITY WAS STOPPED IN BANGLADESH

When Sheikh Hasina was the prime minister, all activities by Pakistan’s ISI was brought to a grinding halt due to its covert activities and political interference in Bangladesh, as well as its support for extremist elements. Under Sheikh Hasina’s leadership, several people were caught and prosecuted for their involvement and collusion with the ISI during the 1971 Bangladesh War.

But ever since Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, the interim government under Muhammad Yunus has been accelerating military ties with Pakistan. During the 1990s, when terror camps mushroomed across Pakistan and were used on foreign soil as “an instrument of state policy”, as highlighted by India at the United Nations, the ISI even used Bangladeshi soil to fund militancy and insurgency in India’s northeastern states. This too was cracked down upon by Sheikh Hasina when she came to power the first time in 1996.
 

Dhaka:

Bangladesh on Thursday ordered a commission to investigate a failed 2009 army mutiny and subsequent crackdown, including the role of alleged “foreign” backers, the inquiry chief said.

The violent mutiny sent shock waves through the South Asian nation and ended with the army crushing the mutineers, with scores arrested and sentenced to death.

A previous official investigation into the mutiny which left scores dead blamed years of pent-up anger among ordinary soldiers, who felt their appeals for pay rises and better treatment were ignored. 

But that probe was carried out during the tenure of Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted as prime minister by a revolution in August, when she fled to old ally India.

Since her fall, families of soldiers killed in the violence have been campaigning to reopen the investigation.

They have repeatedly accused Hasina — then newly elected — of orchestrating a plan to weaken the military to bolster her own power in a country prone to coups.

Protesters have also alleged India’s involvement in that plot.

The claims are likely to infuriate New Delhi, which did not immediately respond to the allegations.

“We aim to determine whether any foreign entity was involved in the carnage, as allegations of national and international conspiracy have been raised,” commission chief A.L.M. Fazlur Rahman told reporters.

The mutineers stole thousands of weapons in February 2009 from the headquarters of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) paramilitary squad before embarking on a killing spree in the barracks .

The uprising quickly spread, with thousands of soldiers seizing weapons and pledging allegiance to the mutineers before it was quashed by the army.

Thousands were rounded up and tried in special military courts in the aftermath of the massacre, as the then newly-elected government of Hasina wrestled to regain control.

Hundreds of soldiers were handed punishments ranging from death to a few years, with the United Nations criticising the process for failing to meet basic standards.

Hasina’s iron-fisted rule was backed by New Delhi, and the 77-year-old remains in India, adding to fraying relations between the nations.

On Monday, Dhaka said it had requested India send Hasina back, to face charges of “massacres, killings, and crimes against humanity”.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Dhaka:

In fresh incidents, eight idols have been vandalised in three Hindu temples in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh and Dinajpur over two days, a media report said on Friday. Police have arrested a suspect concerning vandalism at one of the temples, The Daily Star newspaper reported.

These are the latest in a series of incidents against the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh.

In Mymensingh’s Haluaghat sub-district, three idols of two temples were vandalised early Thursday and Friday. Quoting temple sources and locals, Abul Khayer, officer-in-charge (OC) of Haluaghat Police Station, said the attackers ransacked two idols of Bonderpara Temple in the Shakuai union of Haluaghat in the early hours of Friday.

Read: 4 Arrested For Damaging Hindu Temple, Houses In Bangladesh

No case was filed and no arrests have been made in the incident yet, he said.

In another incident, criminals vandalised an idol at Polashkanda Kali Temple in Beeldora union of Haluaghat early Thursday. Police on Friday arrested a 27-year-old man of the Polashkanda village over his alleged involvement.

During interrogation, the man, Alal Uddin, confessed to the crime, said the OC. He was produced before a Mymensingh court this afternoon, which sent him to jail, he added.

Earlier Thursday, Suvash Chandra Sarker, president of the Polashkanda Kali Temple committee, filed a case accusing unidentified persons.

Read: Temples Set On Fire, Centre Burnt Down In Dhaka, Claims ISKCON

In Dinajpur’s Birganj sub-district, five idols were vandalised at Jharbari Shashan Kali Temple on Tuesday. The incident came to light on Thursday, according to the report. “We’ve never seen such an act here,” Janardan Roy, president of the temple committee, was quoted as saying.

Officer-in-Charge Abdul Gafur said they are investigating the incident.

Last week, law enforcement agencies arrested four people for vandalising and damaging a Hindu temple and houses and shops of the community in Sunamganj district in north Bangladesh.

On November 29, three Hindu temples were vandalised by a slogan-shouting mob in Bangladesh’s Chattogram which witnessed protests and violence since a former ISKCON member was booked under sedition charges.

Read: Mob Vandalises 3 Hindu Temples in Bangladesh’s Chattogram

The relations between India and Bangladesh came under strain after the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus came to power after deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country on August 5 following a student-led protest.

The relations deteriorated further in recent weeks over continued attacks on Hindus, especially after the recent arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, a former member of ISKCON Bangladesh and now, a spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote organisation.

Last week, Bangladesh acknowledged 88 incidents of communal violence against minorities, primarily Hindus, following Hasina’s ouster.

The increasing number of anti-Hindu incidents has led to a diplomatic row between India and Bangladesh.

Earlier, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri flagged regrettable incidents of attacks on minorities and conveyed India’s concerns, including those related to the safety and welfare of minorities, during his meetings with the Bangladeshi leadership in Dhaka.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

File picture of U.S. President Joe Biden
| Photo Credit: Reuters

President Joe Biden is closely monitoring the situation in Bangladesh and the U.S. will hold the country’s interim government accountable for ensuring the protection of religious and ethnic minorities, the White House has said.

The security situation in Bangladesh has been difficult following the ouster of the former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said.

“And we have been working closely with the interim government to enhance the capability of their law enforcement and security services to deal with the challenge,” Mr. Kirby said at a news conference on Thursday.

Ms. Hasina was ousted as prime minister in the face of a massive anti-government protest in August.

There have been a spate of incidents of violence against Hindus and other minorities, as well as attacks on temples in the last few weeks in Bangladesh.

“We’ve been very clear in our engagement with all Bangladeshi leaders that protection of religious and ethnic minorities is absolutely critical, and the leaders of the interim government have repeatedly committed to providing security to all Bangladeshis, regardless of religion or ethnicity,” he said.

“We want to hold them to that,” Kirby said in response to a question.

Over the past few weeks, Indian Americans have held peaceful protests and marches in several cities, including in front of the White House, in Chicago, New York, SFO, Detroit, Houston and Atlanta, urging Mr. Biden to help stop alleged brutalities against the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh.

Earlier in the day, Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi urged members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to address the issue of violence against minorities, primarily Hindus, in Bangladesh during the confirmation hearing of Senator Marco Rubio for the position of secretary of state.

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Senator Rubio for the top diplomatic position. The date of his confirmation hearing has not been announced yet.

“As targeted violence against Hindus and other minorities continues amid the disorder in Bangladesh, I urge the members of the Senate’s Committee on Foreign Relations to address this crisis directly during the upcoming hearings to confirm Senator Rubio as the next US secretary of state,” Mr. Krishnamoorthi said.

March from White House

Over the weekend, a large number of Indian-Americans held a march from the White House to the U.S. Capitol over alleged attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh.

Raising slogans like “We want Justice” and “Protect Hindus”, the demonstrators urged the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration to ask the new government in Bangladesh to take steps to protect Hindus and also initiate action against those responsible for this.

“The Bangladeshi Hindu community and the larger Hindu diaspora from the Indian subcontinent have come in support of the Bangladesh Hindu community because there is continuing violence going on in Bangladesh, specifically in Chittagong and Rangpur area, as well as in some other parts of the country,” said Utsav Chakrabarti of HinduACTion.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is expected to raise with Dhaka India’s concerns over attacks on Hindus and other minorities as he embarks on a day-long visit to Bangladesh on Monday (December 9, 2024), in the first high-level trip from New Delhi after a massive uprising ended deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule in August.

Mr. Misri is scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart Md. Jashim Uddin and meet the country’s de-facto foreign minister Mohammad Touhid Hossain.

It is learnt that the Indian foreign secretary is also likely to call on Bangladesh’s interim leader and Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus during his nearly 12-hour visit to Dhaka.

On its part, Bangladesh is likely to convey its concerns over India continuing to provide shelter to Hasina. Last month, Mr. Yunus said his government will seek Hasina’s extradition from India, people familiar with Mr. Misri’s visit said.

The close ties between India and Bangladesh came under severe strain after Hasina was forced to leave the country in the face of a massive anti-government protest in August. Mr. Yunus came to power days after Hasina took shelter in India.

The relations deteriorated further in recent weeks over attacks on Hindus and the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das.

There have been spate of incidents of violence against Hindus and other minorities as well as attacks on temples in the neighbouring country in the last few weeks that triggered strong concerns in New Delhi.

“Our position on the matter is very clear — the interim government must live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on November 29.

“We are concerned at the surge of extremist rhetoric, increasing incidents of violence and provocation. These developments cannot be dismissed only as media exaggeration. We once again call upon Bangladesh to take all steps for the protection of minorities,” he said.

India also hoped that the case relating to Bangladeshi monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, arrested on a charge of sedition, will be dealt with in a just, fair and transparent manner.

In the meetings, the Bangladeshi side is also likely to raise an incident of storming of its mission in Agartala on Monday (December 9, 2024) by a group of protesters.

Subsequently, Bangladesh Foreign Ministry on Tuesday (December 10, 2024) summoned the Indian envoy to Dhaka Pranay Verma and lodged a protest over the incident.

West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura witnessed protests in the last few days over the persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh and the arrest of Mr. Das.

Mr. Das was arrested at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport last month in connection with a sedition case.

India on Friday (December 6, 2024) announced that Mr. Misri is travelling to Dhaka to attend a meeting under the framework of Foreign Office Consultations.

“The foreign secretary is scheduled to visit Bangladesh for Foreign Office Consultations on December 9. This is part of our structured interactions with the Bangladesh side,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in brief remarks.