BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman today said that the people of the country are now free from today. He said that pro-democracy people of the country have once again made the BNP victorious; and described this victory as a win for Bangladesh and for democracy, pledging to build a safe, humane, and democratic Bangladesh in the days ahead.

“Alhamdulillah, this victory belongs to Bangladesh. This victory belongs to democracy. This victory belongs to the people who yearn for democracy. From today, we are all free.”

Tarique Rahman made the remarks at a post-election press conference held in the Ballroom of the InterContinental Hotel in the city today. BNP Chairman said the people have paved the way for establishing democracy in the country by overcoming all obstacles. However, he noted that their journey must begin amidst a fragile economy left behind by fascism, dysfunctional constitutional and statutory institutions, and a weak law and order situation.

“After more than one and a half decades, a parliament and government accountable to the people are set to be established through direct voting. Everyone to remain united so that no anti-democratic force can re-establish fascism in the country or turn Bangladesh into a subservient state,” he said.

Tarique Rahman extended heartfelt congratulations to the 51 political parties that participated in the election, including Jamaat-e-Islami, NCP, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, and Ganadhikar Parishad.

“In a democratic state and politics, political parties are essentially the lighthouses of democracy. If the government and the opposition each play a responsible role from their respective positions, democracy will undoubtedly become institutionalized,” he said.

Calling upon every democratic political party that participated in the election to share their ideas for nation-building, he stated, “Our paths and opinions may be different, but we are all united for the sake of the country. I believe national unity is our strength, and division is our weakness.”

He specially thanked the interim government and the Election Commission for successfully holding a peaceful, free, fair, and impartial election, dispelling all public doubts. Tarique Rahman also praised the role of all election-related officials, the armed forces, law enforcement agencies, and domestic and international media and observers.

Tarique Rahman expressed deep respect for those who were martyred or injured in the movement to establish democracy over this long period from the Liberation War of 1971 to the war to protect the freedom of the country and its people in 2024. He prayed for salvation of their departed souls. He also mentioned that the absence of the uncompromising leader and former Prime Miniter Begum Khaleda Zia weighs heavily on the party during this joyous moment.

He said, “In anticipation of such a democratic time for establishing people’s rights in the state and politics, she fought uncompromisingly against fascism. She never compromised with autocracy or fascism.”

Referring to BNP’s 31 point ‘roadmap for state repair’, he said, through consultations with other parties and the public, BNP has formulated its election manifesto. Highlighting BNP’s signature to the July Charter, Tarique Rahman assured that every commitment made to the people will be implemented in phases. BNP chairman said his party didn’t bring out any victory processions even after an absolute victory to maintain peace and order, but celebrating the triumph by offering gratitude to Allah.

He asserted, “My statement is clear: peace and order must be maintained at any cost. No injustice or illegal activities will be tolerated.”

He further said, “Regardless of party, opinion, religion, or caste, attacks by the powerful on the weak will not be accepted under any pretext. Justice will be the ideal. If the rule of law is not established, all our efforts will go in vain.”

He urged everyone to be cautious so that any misunderstandings arising from electoral competition do not turn into revenge or retaliation. While appealing to the pro-democracy people, the BNP Chairman said, “Just as we played role in the struggle to establish democracy, let us now each to play our part from our respective positions to build Bangladesh as a safe and humane state by controlling corruption, maintaining law and order, and ensuring accountability to the people.”

Concluding his speech, the BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman once again congratulated and thanked all democratic forces, expatriate Bangladeshis, and the freedom-loving people across the country for the victory.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Standing Committee Member Mirza Abbas, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Dr Khandakar Mosarrof Hossain, Nazrul Islam Khan, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Major (retd) Hafiz Uddin, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, Selima Rahman, Salahuddin Ahmed, Sultan Salauddin Mahmud Tuku,among others were present during the press conference.

Journalists from the local and foreign media joined the press conference. After concluding the written speech Tarique Rahman answered different questions from the journalists.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairman Tarique Rahman on Saturday said the party will follow a foreign policy that protects the country’s interests in its dealings with China, India, and Pakistan. Speaking to journalists at a post-election press conference at Hotel Intercontinental in Dhaka, Tarique said Bangladesh’s foreign policy will be guided by “the greater interests of Bangladesh and its people.”

Asked about the main challenges he would face as head of government, Tarique said, “We have several challenges. Our economy faces challenges, and the country’s law and order situation is a concern. We must ensure the security of the people. The previous government politicized almost all institutions. Therefore, we must ensure good governance.”

On Bangladesh’s future relations with China and the Belt and Road Initiative, Tarique said: “We will try to protect the interests of the people of Bangladesh. If something is not in Bangladesh’s interest, naturally we cannot pursue it. I am certain that mutual interests will be our first priority.”

Regarding the Belt and Road Initiative, he added: “If it benefits Bangladesh and supports the economy, we will make a decision.” When asked whether he would consult with youth in decision-making, Tarique said, “People have supported us, and we will certainly listen to the youth. But there are more people in this society. Everyone has some issue or the other; we have to listen to everyone.”

On reviving SAARC, Tarique said: “You know, SAARC was established through Bangladesh’s initiative. We want it to function. We will discuss with our friendly states and try to revive SAARC.”

Asked whether BNP would seek the extradition of Sheikh Hasina from India, he said: “That depends on the legal process.” Responding to another question on China, Tarique said: “They have been Bangladesh’s long-term development partners. We hope to create areas where we can work together.”

On plans to address a fragile economy, low investment, and inflation, the BNP chairman said: “We will bring in new investments and create employment.”

Tarique Rahman, chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), on Saturday called for maintaining law and order “at any cost” and sought cooperation from all in building a safe and humane Bangladesh. “We need everyone’s cooperation to build a safe and humane Bangladesh. This time, everyone must play a responsible role in rebuilding the country. No injustice can be done to anyone on any excuse. Law and order must be maintained at any cost,” Tarique said.

He made the remarks at an official press briefing in the afternoon at Hotel InterContinental in the capital after securing an absolute majority in the election. Tarique said the freedom-loving people of the country had made BNP victorious, describing the outcome as “the victory of the people.”

“From today, everyone is free. Congratulations to all. With the participation of all, the journey of a fascism-free state has begun in the country,” the BNP chairman said. He noted that besides BNP, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, NCP and Islami Andolon Bangladesh also participated in the election, which he described as peaceful. “Everyone’s thoughts are important in building the country. We will build the country based on everyone’s opinions,” Tarique said.

The BNP chairman thanked the Election Commission and congratulated the administration and all election officials. “Without your cooperation, such a beautiful election would not have been possible,” he added. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and other top party leaders were present at the press conference. Representatives of allied parties of the simultaneous movement and distinguished citizens were also in attendance.

Although it was a press briefing, a festive atmosphere prevailed as newly elected members of parliament from across the country and well-wishers gathered at the venue. Representatives of foreign media were also present.

Armed Forces Day will be observed on Friday, November 21, with due respect and enthusiasm across the country. Various programs will take place nationwide to mark the occasion. The day’s events will begin with special Fazr prayers and supplications at all army, navy, and air force base mosques, seeking the welfare and prosperity of the country, the advancement of the armed forces, and the blessings for the souls of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives during the Liberation War.

On this occasion, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Md. Shahabuddin, and Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus have issued separate messages. According to a press release from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), to honor the members of the armed forces who sacrificed their lives in the 1971 Liberation War, the President and the Chief Adviser will lay floral wreaths tomorrow morning at the Eternal Flame at Dhaka Cantonment.

Following this, the Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman, Navy Chief Admiral Mohammad Nazmul Hasan, and Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmud Khan will also lay floral wreaths on behalf of their respective services.

The Chief Adviser will exchange greetings with the three service chiefs at his designated office in the Armed Forces Division at Dhaka Cantonment and spend some time in courtesy meetings. Subsequently, the service chiefs will also pay a courtesy call on the President at Bangabhaban.

On the occasion, the Chief Adviser will host a reception at the Army Multipurpose Complex, Dhaka Cantonment, for selected gallantry award-winning freedom fighters and their heirs. During the event, the Chief Adviser will present commemorative gifts and exchange greetings with 101 selected gallantry award recipients and their heirs, in the presence of senior officials.

A reception program will also be organized in the afternoon at Senakunja, Dhaka Cantonment, where distinguished guests will attend.

Besides Dhaka, receptions will be held at military bases in Barishal, Cox’s Bazar, Bogura, Sylhet, Ghatail, Chattogram, Comilla, Jessore, Rangpur, and Khulna, organized by the respective area headquarters.

Across the country, outside Dhaka, various programs will also be held at army garrisons, navy, and air force bases to mark the day. Navy ships, specially decorated in Dhaka, Khulna, Chandpur, Barishal, and Chattogram, will remain anchored at nearby jetties for public viewing until sunset.

To highlight the significance of Armed Forces Day, Bangladesh Television will broadcast a special program, ‘Bisesh Onirban’, following the 8:00 PM Bangla news on Thursday. Bangladesh Betar will air ‘Bisesh Durbar’ on the evening of November 21.

The ‘Bisesh Onirban’ program produced for television will also be broadcast later on private TV channels. Special inserts will be published in national newspapers, and various educational institutions run by the armed forces will hold essay and drawing competitions in observance of the day.

The High Court has directed that all activities under the contract related to the Neomuring Container Terminal at Chittagong Port remain suspended until the pending case is resolved. The order was given verbally on Thursday (November 20) by a High Court bench led by Justice Fatema Nazib.

During the hearing, the government assured the court that all activities under the contract would remain halted until the verdict is delivered.

Earlier, on July 30, the High Court issued a rule in response to a writ challenging the validity of the contract between Chittagong Port Authority and a foreign company regarding the management of the Neomuring Container Terminal.

The writ was filed by Mirza Walid Hossain, President of the Bangladesh Young Economists Forum, questioning the legality of handing over the terminal to the foreign company.

Florida, USA: The 40th FOBANA (Federation of Bangladeshi Associations in North America) Conference will be held from September 4-6, 2026, at Holiday Inn Resort, 3011 Maingate Ln, Kissimmee, Florida 34747, Orlando, USA. The event is organized by the Bangladesh Somity of Central Florida.

The conference will be supported by the Bangladesh Society of Central Florida, Association of World Fair and Fest USA Inc, and Central Florida Sports Club Inc. This year’s conference will feature a gathering of the Bangladeshi diaspora, cultural programs, educational and business discussions, as well as various community development activities. The event is open to all expatriates and interested participants, and everyone is warmly invited to attend.

The Office of the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) has issued a directive making it mandatory to deduct income tax at source from the monthly salaries of government officers and employees whose basic pay exceeds the specified threshold. The circular was released on Monday.

According to the letter from the CGA’s Additional Accounts and Procedures Division, under the Income Tax Act, 2023, male government officials and employees with a monthly basic salary of Tk26,785 or more, and female officials and employees earning Tk30,357 or more, have crossed the tax-free income limit. As a result, income tax must be deducted at source when preparing their salary bills.

The circular also stated that, under Treasury Rules S R 125, the responsibility for deducting income tax and other applicable charges from salary bills rests with the respective drawing and disbursing officers (DDOs).

All Chief Accounts and Finance Officers, Divisional and District Accounts Controllers, Upazila Accounts Officers, and other relevant offices nationwide have been instructed to take the necessary steps to implement this directive.

The instruction was sent to the Finance Division through the secretary, with specific attention to the joint secretary (budget-1).

The directive refers to a semi-official letter issued by the Internal Resources Division and the National Board of Revenue (NBR) on October 7, which provided clear guidelines on deducting income tax at source from government salaries.

The Jackson Heights Beautification Group (JHBG) hosted its annual Halloween parade on Friday, Oct. 31, along 37th Avenue, from 89th Street to 76th Street in Jackson Heights. This marked the 34th annual Jackson Heights Halloween parade. Attendees of the parade were also given bags of treats as a reward for their participation.

People of all ages took part in the parade. JHBG Co-Chairs John McCaffrey Jr. and Edwin O’Keefe-Westley sponsored this event. O’Keefe-Westley also serves as a member of Queens Community Board 3. Live music was performed during the parade.

Multiple local leaders were also on hand for the parade, including Council Member Shekar Krishnan, State Senator Jessica Ramos and Assemblymembers Jessica González-Rojas, Catalina Cruz and Larinda Hooks.

NEW DELHI: Ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that millions of Awami League supporters will boycott next year’s national election after the party was barred from contesting. Speaking to Reuters from exile in New Delhi on Wednesday, Hasina, 78, said she would not return to Bangladesh under any government formed after an election that excludes her party. She fled to India in August 2024 following a deadly student-led uprising that toppled her 15-year rule.

An interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has been governing Bangladesh since her removal and has pledged to hold general elections in February 2025.

“The ban on the Awami League is not only unjust, it is self-defeating,” Hasina said in her first media comments since her ouster. “Millions of people support our party, and they will not vote if we are excluded. You cannot disenfranchise millions and expect a functioning democracy.”

Bangladesh has more than 126 million registered voters. The Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have long dominated the political landscape, and the BNP is widely expected to win the upcoming polls.

The Election Commission suspended the Awami League’s registration in May, while the Yunus-led government banned all political party activities, citing national security concerns and ongoing war crimes investigations into senior Awami League leaders.

“We are not asking our supporters to back other parties,” Hasina said. “We still hope reason will prevail and we will be allowed to contest.”

Hasina, credited with transforming Bangladesh’s economy but accused of human rights abuses and suppressing dissent, won a fourth consecutive term in 2024 in an election boycotted by the opposition.

She is now facing charges of crimes against humanity at the International Crimes Tribunal over the violent crackdown on student protesters between July and August 2024. A verdict is expected on November 13.

A United Nations report estimates that up to 1,400 people were killed and thousands injured during those protests — the deadliest unrest since Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War.

Prosecutors allege that Hasina oversaw abductions, torture, and extrajudicial killings through secret detention centres operated by security forces. Hasina has denied the accusations, calling the proceedings “politically motivated.”

“These are kangaroo courts, and the verdicts are predetermined,” she told Reuters. “I was denied any real opportunity to defend myself.”

Despite the turmoil, Hasina said the Awami League would eventually return to play a legitimate role in Bangladesh’s future — in government or in opposition — and that her family does not have to lead it.

“It’s not about me or my family,” she said. “For Bangladesh to move forward, there must be a return to constitutional rule and political stability.”

Hasina, whose father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and three brothers were killed in a 1975 military coup, said she lives freely in Delhi but remains cautious because of her family’s history.

A Reuters journalist recently spotted her walking quietly through Delhi’s Lodhi Garden, accompanied by two personal security guards.

“I would love to go home — if the government there is legitimate and the rule of law truly prevails,” she said.

Her departure initially triggered attacks on Awami League workers, though the streets have since remained calm. However, sporadic clashes erupted earlier this month during the signing of a state reform charter.

The High Court has issued a rule asking why former chief justice ABM Khairul Haque should not be granted bail in five cases, including the one filed over the killing of Jubo Dal activist Abdul Kaiyum Ahad in the capital’s Jatrabari during the anti-discrimination student movement. The respondents have been directed to submit their replies within two weeks.

The bench of Justice ASM Abdul Mobin and Justice Saghir Hossain issued the rule on Sunday. Earlier, on July 24, police arrested Khairul Haque from his residence in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi. He was later shown to be arrested in the case filed over the killing of Abdul Kaiyum Ahad in Jatrabari during the July movement.

He was also shown to be arrested in another case filed in Narayanganj over allegations of delivering unlawful verdicts and fabricating false judgments. On August 25, 2024, Abdul Bari Bhuiyan, former president of the District Bar Association and general secretary of Fatullah Thana BNP, filed the case. Khairul Haque was later shown to be arrested in several other cases as well.

On August 11 this year, during the hearing of Khairul Haque’s bail and case dismissal petitions in the same Jatrabari murder case, chaos erupted in the courtroom as pro-Awami League and state counsels engaged in heated arguments and scuffles.