Bangladesh’s outgoing foreign affairs adviser Md. Touhid Hossain said he does not personally accept responsibility for the recent difficulties Bangladeshis face in obtaining foreign visas. Speaking at a media briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, he stated that the problem stems from systemic and national shortcomings rather than individual or ministerial failures. He argued that widespread document fraud has damaged Bangladesh’s credibility abroad, making it harder for citizens to secure visas or admissions.

Hossain explained that visa and admission decisions depend on the authenticity of submitted documents, and Bangladesh’s reputation for falsification has undermined trust. He warned that unless the country addresses internal irregularities, the situation could worsen. He also acknowledged that relations between Bangladesh and India had stagnated during the interim government’s tenure, noting that both nations prioritized their own interests.

Expressing optimism, Hossain said he believes the next government will be able to improve bilateral relations with India. He also dismissed concerns that agreements signed by the interim government would burden its successor, saying they were intended to facilitate future work.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) will announce its election manifesto for the 13th National Parliament election on Friday. BNP Chairperson Tarique Rahman is scheduled to formally unveil the manifesto at 3:30 p.m. in the ballroom of Hotel Sonargaon in Dhaka. The announcement was confirmed by BNP media cell member Shayrul Kabir Khan. The event will be presided over by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and conducted by Standing Committee member and Election Steering Committee Chairman Nazrul Islam Khan.

According to party sources, the manifesto emphasizes BNP’s previously declared 31-point agenda, the July Charter, and the aspirations of young voters. It will highlight citizen-focused services such as family cards, health cards, and farmer cards. The document is also expected to include commitments to restore democracy, ensure judicial independence, decentralize administration, protect human rights, and strengthen anti-corruption frameworks. Economic and foreign policy directions will also be outlined.

The event is expected to be attended by prominent citizens, ambassadors, high commissioners, and representatives from international organizations and diplomatic missions in Dhaka.

The European Union Election Observation Mission has called for a level playing field in Bangladesh’s upcoming 13th national parliamentary election, scheduled for February 12. Chief Observer Ivars Ijabs made the remarks on February 5 after meeting Chief Election Commissioner A M M Nasir Uddin at the Election Commission building in Agargaon, Dhaka. He emphasized that the mission was not there to give advice but to observe the process, expressing hope for a free, fair, and impartial election.

Ijabs said the EU team had already deployed observers across various parts of the country and that more would arrive before election day. Discussions with the Election Commission focused on election challenges and ensuring fairness in the electoral field. The EU mission is currently monitoring the electoral environment in all 300 constituencies.

The Chief Observer noted satisfaction with the Election Commission’s activities and reiterated the EU’s commitment to observing the process to help ensure transparency and credibility in the upcoming vote.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman announced that female students will be able to study up to the master’s level at government expense. He said no mother’s child will be left out of education, and the state will take responsibility for children whose families cannot afford schooling. He made these remarks on February 5 at a public rally of the 11-party electoral alliance in Naogaon’s A.Team field ahead of the 13th national parliamentary election.

Dr. Rahman outlined a vision for an inclusive and equitable Bangladesh, emphasizing education, agricultural development, and regional infrastructure. He proposed establishing a medical college and agricultural research university in Naogaon, developing storage facilities for crops, and promoting fruit processing industries. He also called for preserving archaeological sites like Kusumba Mosque and Paharpur Buddhist Monastery to boost tourism.

He criticized past governments for corruption and neglect of citizens, pledging to recover misappropriated public funds and invest them in underdeveloped regions. Rahman urged unity across religious communities and reaffirmed his commitment to justice, women’s dignity, and youth empowerment through education and vocational training.

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman has stated that if his party is entrusted with governing Bangladesh, their administration will remain accountable to the people. In a verified Facebook post on Thursday, he said elected representatives and senior government officials would regularly face the public to ensure transparency and responsibility.

Dr. Rahman emphasized that past governments in the country had ruled without accountability, making key decisions behind closed doors and concealing corruption. He pledged that under a Jamaat-led government, ministers, members of parliament, and senior officials would be required to publicly disclose their assets and answer directly to citizens for their decisions.

He further announced that the government would operate through a transparent and digital record system, allowing citizens to monitor official work, expenditures, and services in real time. According to him, this approach would permanently end the culture of secrecy in governance.

Popular Islamic scholar Dr. Mizanur Rahman Azhari has shared his views on the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election and referendum, scheduled for February 12. In a Facebook post on February 5, he encouraged young voters to cast their first votes in favor of justice and fairness.

According to the official election schedule, campaigning by contesting candidates began on January 22 and will continue until 48 hours before polling starts. The Election Commission has announced that voting will take place uninterrupted from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on February 12, using transparent ballot boxes and paper ballots.

Chief Election Commissioner A.M.M. Nasir Uddin had earlier announced the election schedule in a national address on December 11. The post by Azhari adds a social and moral dimension to the public discourse ahead of the national vote.

The Bangladesh government has announced new working hours for all government, semi-government, autonomous, and semi-autonomous institutions during the upcoming Ramadan. Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam disclosed the schedule at a briefing held on Thursday, February 5, 2026, at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka. Offices will operate from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with a 15-minute break for Zuhr prayers from 1:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

According to the announcement, banks, insurance companies, the Supreme Court, and other autonomous bodies will have the flexibility to set their own schedules based on operational convenience. The decision aims to adjust working hours in line with the fasting period observed by employees during the holy month.

The revised hours will apply throughout Ramadan, after which regular office timings are expected to resume as usual.

Law Adviser Dr. Asif Nazrul stated that the interim government will not delay the oath-taking process for newly elected members of parliament. He made the remarks on Thursday at the Secretariat while responding to questions from journalists. According to him, after the election, a person nominated by the President on the advice of the Chief Adviser will administer the oath to the members of parliament.

Dr. Nazrul further explained that if the oath cannot be administered within three days, the Chief Election Commissioner will take responsibility for conducting the ceremony. His comments were aimed at clarifying the procedure and ensuring that the transition process following the election remains timely and orderly.

The assurance from the Law Adviser indicates the interim government’s commitment to maintaining procedural efficiency and avoiding any administrative delays during the post-election transition period.

A major political shift has occurred in the Cumilla-4 (Debidwar) constituency after the cancellation of Engineer Manjurul Ahsan Munshi’s nomination. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has decided to support Jasim Uddin, a leader of the Gano Adhikar Parishad, as the alliance candidate. The announcement was confirmed on Thursday, February 5, by AFM Tarek Munshi, member secretary of BNP’s Cumilla North district unit. Jasim Uddin will contest under the truck symbol against Hasnat Abdullah, the Shaplakoli symbol candidate from the Jamaat-led alliance.

According to Tarek Munshi, BNP has no candidate under the paddy sheaf symbol in Cumilla-4 for the February 12 election, and the central leadership instructed local units to back Jasim Uddin. He said party activists were directed to work for Jasim to strengthen the hand of acting chairman Tarique Rahman. Gano Adhikar Parishad’s central committee member Abu Hanif confirmed BNP’s official endorsement and said their party welcomed the support positively.

The BNP’s decision reshapes the local electoral equation, setting up a direct contest between the BNP-backed Jasim Uddin and Jamaat’s Hasnat Abdullah.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has accused India of conducting proxy terrorism in Pakistan following its defeat in the war of May last year. He made the allegation in response to recent deadly attacks in Balochistan, speaking during a special session of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly in Muzaffarabad on Kashmir Solidarity Day. Sharif said sustainable peace in South Asia is impossible unless India abandons its aggressive and expansionist policies.

During his address, Sharif expressed solidarity with the people of Kashmir, saying their sacrifices would not be in vain. He recalled Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s description of Kashmir as the “jugular vein” of Pakistan and reaffirmed his country’s commitment to peace based on equality and justice. He also reiterated Pakistan’s principled stance on Palestine and Kashmir.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces recently completed “Operation Raddul Fitna-1,” killing at least 216 militants. The coordinated operation also left 36 civilians, including women and children, and 22 security personnel dead.

The United Nations has adopted Bangladesh’s proposal to withdraw its reservation on Article 14(1) of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The decision aims to ensure effective compensation and rehabilitation rights for victims of state-perpetrated torture or enforced disappearance. The proposal was approved on December 29 at a weekly meeting of the Advisory Council chaired by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, according to a press release from the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing.

The convention, adopted in 1984 and ratified by 173 states, was joined by Bangladesh in 1998. Along with the Bahamas, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa, and the United States, Bangladesh had initially placed a reservation on Article 14(1), limiting victims’ access to full compensation and rehabilitation. The withdrawal of this reservation now opens the way for victims and their dependents to claim fair and adequate compensation.

The Advisory Council described the move as a historic step that will strengthen Bangladesh’s international image in human rights protection and enhance state accountability and transparency. The decision fulfills a long-standing demand of human rights advocates in the country.

BNP Chairperson Tarique Rahman is set to visit northern Bangladesh on Saturday for the second phase of his election campaign. According to the party’s media cell, he will travel by helicopter in the morning and address rallies in Thakurgaon at 11:30 a.m., Nilphamari at 1:30 p.m., and Birampur in Dinajpur at 2:30 p.m.

In the first phase of his northern campaign, Rahman traveled by road on January 29, holding rallies in Rajshahi, Naogaon, Bogura, Rangpur, Sirajganj, and Tangail over three days. Earlier, he conducted election programs in Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Brahmanbaria, Kishoreganj, Narsingdi, Narayanganj, Chattogram, Feni, Cumilla, Mymensingh, Gazipur, Dhaka, Barishal, and Faridpur.

So far, the BNP chairperson has held 24 election rallies outside Dhaka and two within his own constituency, Dhaka-17, in Karail and Banani.

Mia Golam Parwar, Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami and candidate of the 11-party alliance for Khulna-5 (Dumuria-Phultala), warned that the upcoming election would not be free or acceptable if the government and administration remain indifferent. Speaking at a press conference at Khulna Press Club on Thursday, he urged authorities to recover illegal arms, arrest armed groups and extortionists near polling centers, and curb the use of black money. He said the government, Home Ministry, and Election Commission share responsibility for ensuring a fair vote.

Parwar alleged that despite assurances from the Election Commission and the interim government head about a festive and fair election, attacks on candidates, workers, and voters were already taking place. He claimed one side was distributing large sums of illegal money across local units, corrupting politics. He also said law enforcement had failed to act against known criminals despite having their lists.

He identified 52 of 150 polling centers in Khulna-5 as vulnerable, citing fears of intimidation, ballot snatching, and pre-filled ballots. The list was submitted to the administration and monitoring agencies.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has alleged that a planned campaign of false propaganda is being carried out against the party. Speaking as chief guest at an event at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on Thursday, he said the upcoming election is a struggle for the BNP amid widespread conspiracies, misinformation, and technological manipulation through so-called propaganda bots. The event was organized by Jatiyatabadi Samajik Sangskritik Sangstha (JASAS) to launch five new BNP election campaign songs.

Rizvi stated that those who fought for democracy and did not hide under the ruling party’s influence are now being targeted by deliberate misinformation. He emphasized that the roots of nationalist forces are deeply entrenched and cannot be obscured by lies or propaganda. He called on poets, writers, artists, lyricists, performers, and composers to take responsibility in countering such defamation and to ensure the victory of truth and justice.

The event was presided over by actor Helal Khan, with speeches from JASAS leaders and cultural figures including Rezauddin Stalin and Moniruzzaman Monir.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the upcoming election presents a crucial opportunity for Bangladesh after 15 years without genuine voting rights. Speaking at a roadside rally at Farabari High School field in Akcha Union, Thakurgaon-1, on Thursday, he stated that the current government is neutral and willing to hold a fair election. He expressed optimism that this time there would be no vote manipulation or coercion, crediting student and public movements for restoring the people’s right to vote.

During the rally, Fakhrul outlined BNP’s election pledges, including a Family Card for affordable essentials, a Farmer Card for irrigation and fertilizer purchases, and debt waivers up to Tk 10,000 for farmers. He promised to suspend NGO loan installments for one year and create jobs for one crore youths within 18 months. He also announced plans for road development, a warehouse, technical and nursing training, and agricultural industries in Thakurgaon.

Fakhrul emphasized communal harmony, urging all religious communities to vote without fear. Calling it his last election, he sought support for BNP’s symbol, the paddy sheaf, and reiterated his commitment to honest governance.