Thirty-two eminent citizens have called for the immediate appointment of a trusted individual from the indigenous communities of the Chittagong Hill Tracts as a full minister to lead the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs. Their joint statement, released to the media on Thursday, followed the resignation of the acting minister, which they said had caused frustration among the hill communities. The signatories noted that the minister, who had been elected with the highest votes from the region, resigned citing personal reasons, raising questions and doubts among local residents.

The statement suggested that some believe the minister may have faced undue obstacles during his tenure, undermining the confidence that hill communities had placed in the new government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. The citizens emphasized that the hill peoples have long faced discrimination and that the 1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord was a product of cross-party consensus. They also recalled that the accord’s provisions include appointing a minister from indigenous groups.

The signatories urged the prime minister to reconsider the matter promptly and restore confidence by appointing a full minister from the indigenous population to oversee the ministry’s operations.

National Citizen Party (NCP) lawmaker Hasnat Abdullah, representing Cumilla-4, alleged in parliament that 28 lakh crore taka had been laundered abroad, as shown in a white paper released by the interim government. Speaking during Thursday’s budget discussion chaired by Deputy Speaker Barrister Kaiser Kamal, he said those responsible now move freely in affluent Dhaka areas. Abdullah questioned the progress of the Anti-Corruption Commission’s case against Bashundhara Group and demanded transparency about any possible under-the-table settlements.

He criticized the government’s budget proposal, calling it contradictory for pledging to reduce essential commodity prices while increasing taxes, which he said would ultimately burden ordinary citizens. Abdullah also questioned the government’s promise to create over one crore jobs in five years, asking how many had been achieved in the past four months. He expressed concern over the lack of clear policy to depoliticize banks and recover laundered funds.

Abdullah urged strong action against loan defaulters and those accused of corruption, calling for laws to disqualify defaulters from parliament. He also demanded justice for enforced disappearances and political killings, urging the prime minister to ensure rule of law and accountability.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker Mohammad Kamal Hossain from Dhaka-5 constituency demanded that gas supply be ensured or billing stopped if gas is unavailable. He made the statement on Thursday during the general discussion of the 13th National Parliament’s budget session. Hossain said that although his area has gas lines, residents are not receiving gas, causing severe hardship for households. He added that citizens are paying city corporation taxes but not receiving adequate services.

Earlier in the same session, opposition MP Salah Uddin from Gazipur-4 alleged that an honest deputy commissioner, Sarowar Alam, was withdrawn from Sylhet to promote corruption. He also claimed that Tk 17 crore is being embezzled weekly from the school feeding program and that new corruption reports are emerging daily in canal excavation projects.

Kamal Hossain further stated that corruption has reached such a level that bribes ranging from 10 to 15 percent are being calculated on calculators.

Cumilla-4 Member of Parliament Hasnat Abdullah delivered a fiery speech during the general discussion of the 13th National Parliament’s budget session on Thursday. He questioned why Bashundhara Group’s representatives, who could not enter the country during the interim government, have now returned confidently after the current government took office. Abdullah demanded updates on the Anti-Corruption Commission’s cases against Bashundhara and asked whether any under-the-table settlements had occurred.

He accused Bashundhara Group of money laundering, land grabbing, and using media to justify enforced disappearances and killings linked to the Awami League. Abdullah urged the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to take a firm stance against those legitimizing such acts, while welcoming Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s non-retaliatory approach but emphasizing that avoiding revenge is not the same as ensuring justice.

Abdullah also criticized the lack of clear policy to recover laundered funds over the past 17 years and expressed shame over sharing parliament with loan defaulters. He alleged that some ruling party members work as advisors to Bashundhara and its media outlets, which once labeled the prime minister as a traitor.

The Parbatya Chattogram Citizens Council (PCCN) has called for a unified tax policy covering all communities in the three hill districts—Rangamati, Khagrachhari, and Bandarban. The demand was made at a press conference held at the Crime Reporters Association of Bangladesh auditorium on Thursday. PCCN leaders argued that the current system grants undue privileges to a specific group under the 1997 peace accord and criticized a recent letter by four members of parliament seeking to retain full tax exemptions for indigenous residents under the Income Tax Act 2023.

Speakers, including PCCN Chairman Kazi Md. Mojibur Rahman and analyst AHM Faruk, said the existing tax exemption violates constitutional equality and fosters economic disparity. They claimed that since 1984, indigenous groups have benefited from tax-free advantages, becoming economically dominant while Bengali residents continue to pay taxes. The council rejected claims of underdevelopment in the hills as one-sided and protested the participation of a Bengali MP in the letter supporting tax exemption.

The organization warned that maintaining exclusive tax waivers could create powerful business syndicates and urged the government to implement the proposed amendment ensuring equal taxation for all citizens.

Bangladesh and China signed four memorandums of understanding in the presence of Prime Minister Tareq Rahman and Chinese Premier Li Qiang. The signing took place between the heads of China’s Xinhua News Agency, China Media Group, and Bangladesh’s Information Minister Zahid Uddin Swapon, who represented the Bangladesh government.

According to the agreements, the two countries will enhance bilateral cooperation in news and information exchange, develop long-term partnerships in the media sector, conduct joint research on Global South media, and expand collaboration in technology use and broadcasting. The memorandums are expected to further strengthen the existing friendly relations between Bangladesh and China and open new avenues of mutual cooperation in media and information sectors.

Information Minister Zahid Uddin Swapon left Dhaka for China on June 23 to join the Prime Minister’s state visit. The Prime Minister is scheduled to return home with the delegation on June 26 night.

Cumilla-4 Member of Parliament Hasnat Abdullah has called for justice against media outlets that, according to him, created narratives supporting fascism. Speaking during the general discussion on the national budget session of the 13th Parliament on June 25, 2026, he questioned the status of the Anti-Corruption Commission’s case against Bashundhara Group filed during the interim government period. Abdullah noted that certain individuals linked to the group had not entered the country during that time but have since returned after the current government took office.

He demanded transparency regarding whether any under-the-table settlement had occurred and urged that any legal obstacles to action against the group be made public. Abdullah accused Bashundhara Group of money laundering, asset grabbing, and legitimizing enforced disappearances and killings through its media outlets. He also urged the BNP to take a firm stance against those who justified such acts, while welcoming the prime minister’s non-retaliatory approach but emphasizing that avoiding revenge is not the same as ensuring justice.

British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cook met Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed at his office in Dhaka on June 25, 2026. The meeting, held in a cordial atmosphere, covered issues including law and order, security, the Rohingya situation, prevention of illegal migration, and organized immigration crimes. Both sides discussed the upcoming Bangladesh-UK Joint Working Group meeting.

Sarah Cook said the second Bangladesh-UK Joint Working Group meeting will take place in London on July 7–8, 2026, where two agreements are expected to be signed. The minister reaffirmed Bangladesh’s commitment to the orderly repatriation of its citizens from the UK under the 2024 Standard Operating Procedure and noted that the UK’s proposed “UK Letter” is being reviewed positively.

Bangladesh sought UK cooperation in preventing migration-related crimes, implementing the Police Referral Program, and identifying and recovering illicitly transferred funds and assets. The minister also thanked the UK for its humanitarian support in addressing the Rohingya crisis.

President Md. Shahabuddin stated that the eternal message of the holy Ashura teaches people to stand against injustice, oppression, and abuse of power, guiding them toward truth and enlightenment. He made the remarks in a message issued on Thursday ahead of Ashura, which will be observed tomorrow, the 10th of Muharram.

In his message, the President paid deep respect and sorrow to Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA), the beloved grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), his family members, and all martyrs of Karbala. He said Ashura is a significant and mournful day for the Muslim Ummah, commemorating many important events in Islamic history, with the sacrifice of Imam Hussain (RA) and his companions giving the day unique dignity and deep human appeal.

The President expressed hope that the noble teachings of Ashura would enlighten everyone’s life and called for building a just, humane society based on equality and unity within the Muslim Ummah.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman stated that Islam has no place for division, violence, hatred, or social hostility. In a message issued on Thursday ahead of the observance of Ashura on Friday, he emphasized that the holy day reminds Muslims that the core teachings of Islam are founded on peace, justice, compassion, and human welfare. He called on all to strengthen harmony, mutual respect, tolerance, and brotherhood in society and to dedicate themselves to building a just, peaceful, and welfare-oriented community.

Rahman described Ashura, observed on the 10th day of Muharram, as a day of profound significance in Islamic history, symbolizing truth, justice, patience, sacrifice, and moral steadfastness. He recalled the tragedy of Karbala, where Imam Hussain (RA) and his companions embraced martyrdom rather than submit to tyranny and injustice, turning Karbala into an eternal symbol of the struggle for truth and righteousness.

In his message, the Prime Minister paid deep respect to Imam Hussain (RA), his family, and companions, and expressed sympathy to the global Muslim community on this solemn occasion.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was warmly received by Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the Great Hall in Beijing on Thursday afternoon. The welcome ceremony followed Rahman’s arrival from the state guesthouse Diaoyutai in a motorcade. After exchanging greetings and introductions between delegations, Li Qiang escorted Rahman to the red-carpeted reception stage where both leaders received an armed salute from a ceremonial guard as the national anthems of both countries were played. A gun salute was also fired in honor of the visiting prime minister, followed by an inspection of the parade by the two leaders.

According to Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir, the two prime ministers are scheduled to lead a high-level meeting at the Great Hall to discuss bilateral relations, trade, investment, infrastructure development, and other issues of mutual interest. This marks Rahman’s first official visit to China since assuming office on February 17 after his party’s victory in the thirteenth national election. Before arriving in Beijing, he attended the World Economic Forum in Dalian following a two-day official visit to Malaysia.

The visit underscores the continuation of Bangladesh’s diplomatic engagements in Asia, with emphasis on strengthening economic and strategic cooperation with China.

During the general discussion of the 13th National Parliament’s budget session on Thursday, MP Hummam Quader Chowdhury used an Urdu expression, remarking that he had learned much Urdu while sitting in parliament. His comment came amid broader debates over the proposed 2026–27 fiscal year budget.

National Citizen Party (NCP) member-secretary and Rangpur-4 MP Akhtar Hossain expressed anger over what he described as anarchy in the banking sector. He alleged that former owners of five merged banks looted and laundered money, leading to bankruptcy, yet under the new Bank Resolution Act, they could regain ownership by returning only 7.5 percent of the funds. He questioned the logic of returning banks to those responsible for their collapse.

Akhtar Hossain further claimed that the finance minister returned empty-handed from the IMF due to failure to reform the financial sector. He labeled the proposed budget a “death trap” for the middle class and a blow to small businesses, citing rising debt and loan defaults as major concerns.

Bangladesh’s Minister of Religious Affairs, Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain (Kaykobad), told Parliament that the government does not have precise statistics on how many imams and muezzins are currently employed across the country. Citing a 2020 estimate, he said there were 331,125 mosques, suggesting the number of imams and muezzins could be around 662,250. He made the statement on June 25, 2026, in response to a parliamentary question from Narsingdi-1 MP Khairul Kabir Khokon.

The minister added that under the government’s election pledge to provide monthly honoraria to imams, muezzins, and khadems, 12,810 individuals have so far been included. He also discussed several ongoing projects, including mosque-based education programs, Hindu temple-based education initiatives, and the construction of 564 model mosques and Islamic cultural centers, of which 342 have been completed and 186 are under construction.

He further noted that efforts continue to promote moral education, religious tolerance, and anti-extremism awareness among youth and religious leaders. The minister also reported that 151.1795 acres of illegally occupied Waqf property had been recovered in the past year.

India’s newly appointed High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Dinesh Trivedi, presented his credentials to President Md. Shahabuddin at Bangabhaban on June 25, 2026. Upon arrival, he received a guard of honor from the President Guard Regiment. Following the formal ceremony, the High Commissioner held a courtesy meeting with the President.

During the meeting, President Shahabuddin welcomed the new envoy and expressed hope that his tenure would further strengthen and deepen Bangladesh-India relations. He recalled India’s participation in the swearing-in ceremony of Bangladesh’s new democratic government earlier in the year and emphasized the importance Bangladesh places on its partnership with India based on mutual respect, sovereignty, and people’s welfare. The High Commissioner conveyed greetings from India’s President and leadership and reaffirmed India’s commitment to enhancing bilateral cooperation.

Both sides discussed the need for greater people-to-people contact and the resolution of outstanding border issues. The High Commissioner noted recent productive talks between senior officials of the BSF and BGB and expressed optimism that regular meetings would help resolve border matters swiftly.

BNP lawmaker Fazlur Rahman from Kishoreganj-4 said he has no objection to the construction of Hindu temples or statues, emphasizing peaceful coexistence among followers of different religions. Speaking on Thursday during the general discussion of the 13th National Parliament’s budget session, he stated that if the Home Minister deems a temple or statue inappropriate, he may stop it, but personally, Rahman sees no issue. He added that people should be free to worship in their own places, saying he could build a mosque while others build temples without conflict.

Addressing opposition to the construction of an 81-foot Ram temple in Palashbari, Gaibandha, Rahman criticized groups such as Hefazat-e-Islam for organizing processions against the project. He said some people use religion for personal gain and ignore cultural values. Rahman also expressed concern over budget disparities between education and culture, arguing that both sectors are interdependent and essential for building a civilized society.

He urged for a balanced approach in national budgeting to ensure that cultural development complements educational progress.