An opinion article in Amar Desh says Prime Minister and BNP chairman Tarique Rahman instructed leaders from Joypurhat and Naogaon not to treat the party and government as one. In a meeting, he compared the governing party and government to parallel railway tracks: moving toward the same destination without touching. The article frames the instruction as a question of preserving the boundary between the state and a political party.

The writer argues that while an elected party forms a government, the state and government belong to all citizens, including those who did not support it. It warns that merging party and state can make administration, policing, lending, tenders and responses to criticism subject to partisan influence. The article also cites the prime minister’s recent comments about instability, alleged misinformation around power and energy issues, and a plan to present a 10-year energy and electricity strategy in parliament.

It says the real test of separation will be tolerance of criticism, prevention of partisan lobbying and evidence-based distinctions between legitimate demands and sabotage. The article proposes institutional measures, including relieving ministers of party executive duties, blocking party recommendations in public appointments and creating internal accountability channels.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami assistant secretary general Maulana Abdul Halim said the party’s leaders never spoke of forgiving the Awami League. In comments published on August 12, 2026, he responded to remarks by BNP senior joint secretary general and prime minister’s adviser Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.

According to Abdul Halim, Rizvi said at a Tuesday event at the Dhaka Reporters Unity that, after August 5, a Jamaat leader had spoken about forgiving the Awami League. Abdul Halim rejected that assertion, saying no Jamaat leader had made such a statement.

He called on Rizvi to present evidence before the nation identifying which Jamaat leader made the alleged remark, when and where it was made, and in what context. Abdul Halim alleged that Rizvi made the claim without proof to make Jamaat’s image controversial. He said the public could not be misled about Jamaat through what he described as baseless statements, and urged Rizvi to refrain from making unsubstantiated comments about the party.

State Minister for Primary and Mass Education and Dhaka-13 lawmaker Bobby Hajjaj has announced a direct public-engagement initiative for residents of his constituency. Under the programme, titled “Tea with the Minister, Your Home Address,” he will visit invited residents at their homes across Dhaka-13 on Wednesday, August 12, to hold informal tea discussions outside formal meetings or political events.

Hajjaj will listen to residents’ concerns, expectations, ideas and advice, according to the report. Discussions are expected to cover civic issues, education, transport, gas, water, electricity, cleanliness, security and youth employment, as well as promising local initiatives and residents’ proposals. Dhaka-13 residents can invite the state minister to their homes online.

Hajjaj said representation should not be limited to speeches in parliament or hearing people in an office, adding that representatives must visit people, observe their lives and listen to them. He said informal tea gatherings could bring out matters that may not be raised in formal meetings. Those associated with the initiative said it could reduce the distance between residents and their representative.

Dinesh Trivedi, India’s high commissioner to Bangladesh, met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss Bangladesh-India bilateral relations, the recent diplomatic situation and ongoing issues between the two countries. UNB reported the meeting on Tuesday, according to the source.

The meeting followed Trivedi’s first meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Monday after taking up his post in Dhaka. During that discussion, the two sides stressed advancing relations between the countries, increasing mutual trust and resolving unresolved matters through dialogue.

Trivedi travelled to Delhi on Monday afternoon after meeting Tarique Rahman. The source says he subsequently met Modi, but does not provide details of any decisions, announcements or follow-up measures from the discussion with the Indian prime minister.

Bangladesh Adarsha Teacher Federation condemned a government decision to transfer teacher recruitment authority in MPO-listed schools and colleges to institutional managing committees. At a central committee meeting on Tuesday evening at Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s central office in Moghbazar, Dhaka, the federation’s chief adviser and Jamaat naib-e-ameer Professor Mujibur Rahman MP said the move showed a departure from the spirit of July.

Rahman accused the BNP government of failing to implement the referendum verdict, calling it a grave offence. He also alleged that the government had politicised institutions by appointing vice-chancellors at nine public universities and administrators to most district councils. He criticised the proposed recruitment arrangement, claiming it could enable money-based appointments and partisan hiring of unqualified people in educational institutions.

The meeting discussed strong protest programmes against the decision, and a proposal was adopted to conduct the movement in several phases. Participants demanded that the existing recruitment process through NTRCA remain in place for private schools, colleges and madrasas. Federation Secretary General Professor ABM Fazlul Karim chaired the meeting.

Chief Election Commissioner A M M Nasir Uddin has called a meeting of members of Parliament for Bangladesh’s presidential election. An Election Commission Secretariat notification said the meeting will be held at 2 p.m. on August 20 in the Parliament chamber at the National Parliament Building, the day set for voting in the election.

The notification said the chief election commissioner convened the meeting after consultation with the speaker of Parliament, using powers provided under Section 5(3) of the Presidential Election Act, 1991. Earlier, Election Commission Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said voting would continue without interruption from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the assembly chamber of the National Parliament Building.

Vote counting will begin immediately after polling ends at 5 p.m., in front of ballot boxes kept inside the assembly chamber. The deadline for submitting nominations is August 13, scrutiny is scheduled for August 16, and the final date for withdrawing candidacy is August 18. The Election Commission began preparations for the 23rd presidential election after Bangladesh’s 22nd president, Md Shahabuddin, resigned on July 24.

India says it has invited Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on two separate occasions: for a bilateral visit and to attend a BRICS summit in Delhi. Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made the statement at a weekly press briefing on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, saying letters had been sent to the prime minister for the separate invitations.

Responding to a journalist’s question about an invitation for Rahman to visit India, Jaiswal said India’s high commissioner met Bangladesh’s prime minister on Monday. The meeting covered matters of bilateral interest, he said. Jaiswal added that Rahman had been invited both for a bilateral visit and to join the BRICS summit in Delhi, and that further information would be provided later.

Bangladesh has not yet made a decision on whether its prime minister will attend the BRICS summit, Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman said. After Indian envoy Dinesh Trivedi met the prime minister, the minister said the BRICS invitation was not issued to the “prime minister” but to the “chairperson of BIMSTEC.” He also said Narendra Modi had previously sent an invitation letter, which the government would consider.

Education Minister Dr A N M Ehsanul Haque Milon alleged that nearly Tk 7,000 crore from teachers’ retirement allowances and the welfare trust was misappropriated during the previous Awami League government. He made the allegation on Tuesday while speaking as chief guest at a session on rebuilding a fragile economy and achieving sustainable development goals at Windy Town Hall of the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in the capital.

Milon said the financial crisis had left teachers unable to receive their dues and allowances for a long time. He also alleged that the previous government spent thousands of crores in the name of observing August 15 and misappropriated money from various sectors. The minister urged political parties to work together rather than only criticising.

He said the government was working to improve the education system on the prime minister’s instructions and stressed that education must receive the highest priority for sustainable development. Planning State Minister Md Jonaed Abdur Rahim Saki said reliable data were essential for public welfare, sound policymaking and effective planning. Secondary and Higher Education Division Secretary Abdul Khaleque presented detailed ministry matters related to the SDGs.

Bangladesh’s Election Commission Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said voting in the presidential election will take place from 2pm to 5pm on August 20 in the session chamber of the National Parliament Building. Speaking to journalists at the Election Building in Agargaon, Dhaka, he said voting would continue without interruption. Members of parliament will remain in their assigned seats while Election Commission-appointed officials deliver ballot papers to them.

Each ballot paper will have a counterfoil and a main ballot. The counterfoil will include the candidate’s serial number, the voter’s name, division number and a signature field. On the main ballot, candidates’ names will be listed, and voters will write their full name beside their preferred candidate and sign. Three transparent ballot boxes will be placed in the chamber for members to use.

Counting will begin immediately after voting closes at 5pm, in front of the ballot boxes inside the session chamber. A team of four or five ballot counters will sort and count the papers. The chief election commissioner will announce the valid and invalid ballots and votes received by each candidate from 349 ballots. The commission will later publish the final official gazette, while live coverage and designated seating for journalists will be available.

The third session of Bangladesh’s 13th National Parliament will convene on August 27 at 3pm. Acting President Hafiz Uddin Ahmed called the session under his constitutional authority, according to a notification issued by the National Parliament Secretariat.

The announcement was signed by Parliament Secretariat Secretary Barrister Md Golam Sarwar Bhuiyan and released on Tuesday. The current parliament’s second session ended on July 15. Under the constitutional provision cited in the report, the interval between two parliamentary sessions cannot exceed 60 days.

A special parliamentary sitting will also be held on August 20 for the presidential election. The Election Commission, in consultation with the acting speaker, is expected to call that sitting within the next day or two. The chief election commissioner will conduct the election at the parliamentary meeting.

Hindu Raksha Dal has claimed that a Shiva lingam and a Shiva temple exist within the premises of Darul Uloom Deoband, a historic Islamic educational institution in Uttar Pradesh, India. In a video message on August 8, Uttarakhand state president Lalit Sharma said a group led by national president Pinky Chaudhary would travel from Haridwar to Deoband with Ganges water on August 11 to offer it there.

Sharma alleged that the Muslim structure had been built after a temple was demolished. He also said the group had previously approached the administration seeking permission to conduct an examination at Deoband, but its request was not considered.

The announcement has raised concerns about renewed tension in the area. Deoband Circle police officer Amit Kumar Singh said deterioration of law and order would not be tolerated. He said legal action would be taken against anyone attempting to disturb the peace or disrupt public order. Darul Uloom Deoband, founded in 1866, is described in the report as a renowned religious educational institution.

Islami Andolon Bangladesh has demanded that authority to recruit teachers at private educational institutions be restored to the Non-Government Teachers’ Registration and Certification Authority, or NTRCA. In a statement published Tuesday, party Secretary General Maulana Gazi Ataur Rahman called for the immediate cancellation of a decision to give school management committees recruitment powers and for the previous system to be reinstated.

He said a merit-based central system had operated for a decade, under which NTRCA conducted teacher registration examinations, issued certificates and recommended teachers for appointment. According to him, this system had largely closed opportunities for nepotism and corruption by management committees. He said a high-level meeting on August 3 at the Secretariat reviewed NTRCA operations and decided to abolish the arrangement.

Ateur Rahman alleged that transferring recruitment authority to management committees would open the way for irregularities, financial transactions, political recommendations and nepotism. He also cited the introduction last September of a district commissioner-led committee for employee recruitment and its cancellation through a July 21 Education Ministry notification. He urged the government to reverse the decision, saying it could cause major dissatisfaction because it concerns employment for millions of unemployed young people.

Prime Minister’s Information Adviser Dr. Jahed Ur Rahman said cricketer Shakib Al Hasan may be a quality player but described him as a “spoiled, rotten person.” Responding to journalists at a weekly press briefing at the Information Department conference room in the Secretariat on Tuesday morning, he said necessary legal action would be taken if Shakib returned to Bangladesh.

Criticising Shakib’s recent remarks, the adviser said the cricketer was still speaking from a politically affiliated position with Sheikh Hasina. He described Shakib’s comments as an attempt to put some pressure on the government. Rahman also said discussion of the names and reputations of people aligned with Hasina, who remain aligned with her, was meaningless.

Rahman said he did not believe Shakib would think a crowd would harm him at the airport if he came to Bangladesh to face cases, the law and judicial proceedings. He said he saw no problem if Shakib returned while accepting the allegations and legal issues involved. He also said Sheikh Hasina would receive full security and due rights in judicial proceedings if she returned.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party has not yet selected a candidate for the presidency, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni said after a preparatory meeting on the election at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban on Tuesday. He said the party’s standing committee had assigned Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to decide the matter. The Election Commission meeting with acting Speaker Barrister Kaiser Kamal began at 11am.

Moni said voting would take place in the presence of the leader of the House, the opposition leader and the Speaker, with live media coverage continuing until results are announced. The vote will be held inside parliament under the rules of Article 70, with lawmakers casting ballots according to their seat numbers. He said members voting against their party’s decision would lose their parliamentary membership.

Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam alleged that the government was not implementing a presidential election in line with the July Charter. He said the 11-party alliance had nominated a candidate to prevent an uncontested election. Nominations are due on August 13, scrutiny is set for August 16, withdrawal closes on August 18, and voting will run from 2pm to 5pm on August 20. The Election Commission began preparations after the 22nd president, Md Shahabuddin, resigned on July 24.

US President Donald Trump secretly departed Ankara, Turkey, for Britain aboard a smaller C-32A aircraft on July 8, according to an unnamed US official cited by The Washington Post and reported by Amardesh. The official said Trump was moved inside a catering container after initially boarding Air Force One.

Several US media outlets said Trump had arrived in Ankara on a new Air Force One obtained from Qatar to attend a NATO summit. They reported that a threat to his life prompted the last-minute aircraft change, citing a threat from an Iran-backed group. Journalists aboard the older Air Force One were instructed to keep their window shades down during the return from Ankara.

A Washington Post video reportedly showed a catering truck leaving the older Air Force One minutes after Trump boarded and moving toward the smaller C-32A. After both aircraft reached the United Kingdom, video showed Trump leaving the larger aircraft and walking toward the new Air Force One. It remains unconfirmed how he returned to the larger plane. White House communications director Steven Cheung said the new aircraft has high-level security systems.