BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman was on his way to the National Martyrs’ Memorial in Savar after visiting the grave of late President Ziaur Rahman on Friday, December 26, 2025. As he could not reach the memorial before sunset, senior BNP leaders paid tribute on his behalf under the leadership of Dr. Abdul Moyeen Khan. The tribute took place at 5:06 p.m.

According to BNP’s media cell, the delegation included Standing Committee members Gayeshwar Chandra Roy and Dr. Abdul Moyeen Khan, Advisory Council members Amanullah Aman and Lutfozzaman Babar, along with Dhaka District BNP President Khandaker Abu Ashfaq and several other party leaders. They placed floral wreaths at the memorial to honor the martyrs of the Liberation War.

The event highlighted BNP’s continued observance of national commemorations, even when its acting chairman could not be physically present at the memorial due to time constraints before sunset.

The Urban Development Journalists Forum Bangladesh (UDJFB) has formed a new executive committee for the 2026–27 term. Matin Abdullah, special correspondent of the daily Jugantor, was elected president, and Hasan Imon, staff reporter of Bangladesh Pratidin, was elected general secretary. The election took place on Friday at a restaurant in Banglamotor, Dhaka, during the forum’s biennial general meeting. Chief Election Commissioner Amitosh Pal announced the results, assisted by commissioners Khalid Saifullah of Naya Diganta and Mizanur Rahman of The Daily Observer.

Other elected members include Faisal Khan as vice president, Yasin Rana as joint general secretary, Rashedul Hasan as finance secretary, Zahidul Islam as organizational secretary, Md. Billal Hossain (Sagar) as publicity and publication secretary, Latiful Islam as office secretary, Rahat Hossain as training and research secretary, and Delaowar Hossain Dolon as hospitality and welfare secretary. Executive members are Mahmuda Dolly, Moinul Islam (Rajib), Niaz Morshed, and Abdul Kaiyum.

The meeting was presided over by newly elected president Matin Abdullah and conducted by Faisal Khan, with all forum members and leaders in attendance.

Inqilab Mancha, founded by the late Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, has called on the people of Bangladesh to gather at Shahbagh in Dhaka to demand justice for Hadi’s killing. The call was made through the group’s official Facebook page following a protest march organized by its Dhaka University branch after Friday prayers. The procession started from the university’s central mosque and ended with a sit-in at Shahbagh.

According to Inqilab Mancha, the movement will continue until a swift and exemplary trial is ensured for the murder of Sharif Osman Hadi. Hadi, who was the spokesperson of the organization and a potential independent candidate for Dhaka-8 constituency, was shot in the head on December 12 in Purana Paltan, a day after the announcement of the 13th national election and referendum schedule. He was later flown to Singapore for advanced treatment but died on December 18.

Investigators reportedly identified a banned Chhatra League leader as the shooter, who is believed to have fled to India, though this remains under discussion.

Nurul Islam Saddam has been elected as the new president of Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir, while Sibgatullah Sibga has been appointed as the organization’s secretary general. The election took place on Friday at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center in Agargaon, Dhaka, where members of the organization voted to select the central leadership for the 2026 term.

According to the organization’s constitution, the newly elected president nominates the secretary general following the election. Sibgatullah previously served as the president of the Dhaka University branch of Islami Chhatra Shibir. The announcement marks the beginning of the organization’s new central leadership for the upcoming term.

The leadership transition follows the group’s internal electoral process, which determines its central committee for each term based on member votes and constitutional procedures.

BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman visited the grave of his father and party founder Ziaur Rahman at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on Friday afternoon, a day after returning to Bangladesh from a 17-year exile. He arrived at the site around 4:40 p.m., offered prayers, and stood silently for some time in an emotional moment. Senior BNP leaders, including Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and members of the party’s standing committee, accompanied him.

Earlier on Thursday, Tarique Rahman returned to the country after years abroad. Upon arrival, he attended a reception organized by the party at Purbachal’s 300 Feet area, visited his ailing mother at Evercare Hospital, and then went to his residence. From noon on Friday, thousands of BNP leaders and activists gathered around Chandrima Udyan and the mausoleum area with banners and festoons to witness his visit. A large number of police, BGB, Ansar, and plainclothes security personnel were deployed to maintain order and ensure his safety.

Following the grave visit, Tarique Rahman was scheduled to pay tribute to the martyrs of the Liberation War at the National Memorial in Savar.

The Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) has accused the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of failing in political compromise and responsibility, leading to a complex and uncertain democratic transition in Bangladesh. The allegation was made on Friday, December 26, at a press conference organized by JSD at the Jatiya Press Club’s Zahur Hossain Chowdhury Hall, where the party’s general secretary, Shahid Uddin Mahmud Swapan, presented a written statement.

In his remarks, Swapan said that BNP had not shown the expected respect and commitment to the politics of compromise and declared political responsibility in the current political context. He urged all to avoid provocation and rumors, stand for humanity, and choose unity over division. He emphasized that building a broader national unity is the only effective and sustainable way to overcome the ongoing crisis.

JSD senior vice-president Tania Rob, presiding over the event, reiterated the party’s stance against injustice and its commitment to lead the state based on the spirit of the Liberation War. She said that despite divisions and doubts, the youth would eventually find their direction, and JSD would stand beside them.

Tarique Rahman, acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), visited the grave of his father and party founder, Ziaur Rahman, at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on Friday, December 26, 2025. The visit took place a day after his return to Bangladesh following 17 years of exile. He arrived at the site at around 4:40 p.m. and offered prayers in an emotional atmosphere.

On Thursday, Rahman returned to the country and attended a reception organized by the party at the 300 Feet area in Purbachal, Dhaka. Later, he visited his ailing mother at Evercare Hospital before returning to his residence. From noon on Friday, thousands of BNP leaders and activists gathered at Chandrima Udyan and the mausoleum area, carrying banners and festoons to welcome him. To maintain order and ensure security, large contingents of police, Border Guard Bangladesh, Ansar, and plainclothes law enforcement officers were deployed.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee members, and senior central leaders accompanied Rahman during the visit. He was also scheduled to pay tribute to the martyrs of the Liberation War at the National Memorial in Savar afterward.

Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Najib Razak has been found guilty of abusing his power in connection with the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) fund. On Friday, the Kuala Lumpur High Court convicted him on four counts related to the illegal transfer of about 539 million dollars from the 1MDB project. Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah stated that the prosecution had proven the case beyond reasonable doubt.

Prosecutors accused Najib of misusing his positions as prime minister, finance minister, and chairman of the 1MDB advisory board to divert large sums into his personal accounts. The 1MDB scandal, first exposed in 2015, revealed Malaysia’s involvement in global fraud and corruption. Najib had previously been sentenced in 2020 to 12 years in prison for misappropriating 9.9 million dollars from the same fund, later reduced to six years.

Najib, who served as prime minister from 2009 to 2018, still faces 21 additional charges of money laundering, each carrying potential prison terms of 15 to 20 years. He has claimed that fugitive financier Jho Low misled him, though Low remains wanted by Interpol since 2016.

Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Machud stated that there is no legal obstacle preventing BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman from becoming a registered voter in Bangladesh. He explained that the Election Commission (EC) has the authority to register any eligible person as a voter at any time. Machud made these remarks on Friday while speaking to a national media outlet.

Tarique Rahman returned to the country on Thursday after 17 years abroad. Earlier, on December 22, BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said after a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner A. M. M. Nasir Uddin that Tarique Rahman would register as a voter on Saturday, December 27. However, Commissioner Machud could not confirm whether Rahman would appear at the Election Commission office on that date.

The EC’s clarification comes amid renewed political attention following Rahman’s return, with his potential voter registration seen as a significant step in his re-engagement with national politics.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman said the party prioritizes creating employment opportunities for youth instead of providing unemployment allowances. Speaking on Friday, December 26, 2025, at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center in Dhaka during the central members’ conference of Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir, he stated that every young person should be given work to become skilled and self-reliant. He emphasized that Islami Chhatra Shibir has now assumed a guardian role for the nation’s student community in the post-2024 context.

Dr. Rahman highlighted the need for educational institutions to focus on moral education, character building, and modern research. He said the dark era of campus violence and insecurity is fading but not yet over. He urged Shibir members to ensure campuses remain free from weapons, drugs, and disorder, and to create a safe environment for female students.

He further called for building a corruption-free, just, and humane Bangladesh based on Quranic and prophetic principles, stressing that national unity should be founded on justice and integrity.

Nurul Islam Saddam has been elected as the new central president of Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir for the year 2026. The election took place on Friday through direct voting by the organization’s members. The announcement was made during the Central Members’ Conference 2025, which began in the morning at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center in Dhaka.

More than six thousand members from across the country participated in the conference, marking a major organizational gathering for the student body. The event served as the platform for selecting the leadership for the upcoming term, confirming Saddam’s election as central president for 2026.

The conference highlighted the organization’s internal democratic process, with broad member participation in leadership selection for the next operational year.

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman said the nation remains under a 'dark shadow' and vowed that the party and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, will continue their struggle until it is lifted. He made the remarks on Friday at the central members’ conference of Islami Chhatra Shibir held at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center in Dhaka.

Dr. Rahman called for unity among all religions and political groups to build a corruption-free and just Bangladesh. He emphasized creating skilled citizens instead of relying on unemployment allowances and urged for an improved education curriculum. He said educational institutions should be free from drugs, terrorism, and fear, ensuring safety and dignity for women. He described the student-teacher relationship as one of mutual respect and responsibility.

The Jamaat chief stressed moral education, character building, and research-friendly environments in schools. He said the responsibility to restore these values now lies with Islami Chhatra Shibir, which he described as more than a student organization. Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar alleged that false propaganda is being used to suppress the group.

Madhya Pradesh Urban Administration Minister and senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya has stirred fresh controversy by claiming that the Taj Mahal was originally a temple later converted into a mausoleum by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Speaking at the inauguration of a cricket tournament in Bina town of Sagar district, he said Mumtaz Mahal was first buried in Burhanpur and later moved to a site where a temple was under construction, which eventually became the Taj Mahal.

His remarks created a stir among attendees, and a video of his speech quickly spread across social media, drawing sharp and divided reactions. Supporters described his statement as a “historical interpretation,” while critics called it provocative and misleading. The debate has since intensified online.

At the same event, Vijayvargiya also made a remark about people from Bihar, saying humility was not mandatory for them but praised BJP national executive member Nitin Naveen for his modesty. This comment too triggered mixed reactions online, with some calling it normal political talk and others labeling it inappropriate.

The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) prevented an attempt to push 14 Indian nationals into Bangladesh through the Daulatpur border in Kushtia. The incident occurred around 1 p.m. on Thursday at the Madaner Ghat border in Ramkrishnapur union, where six men, four women, and four children from the same family were reportedly being pushed in from India’s Bausmari border. BGB confirmed the matter in a statement issued on Friday morning.

According to BGB and local sources, the group, residents of Tarikunda village in Jagatsinghpur district of Odisha, India, were stopped near border pillar 157/1-S by a patrol team from Ramkrishnapur Border Outpost under the 47 BGB Battalion. Following a strong protest from BGB, a flag meeting between BGB and India’s Border Security Force (BSF) was held at the Chaidoba border at 1:40 p.m. Thursday.

After verifying their identities as Indian citizens, BSF took custody of the 14 individuals, and the meeting concluded peacefully. BGB stated it remains committed to preventing illegal crossings and border crimes, including drug trafficking, along the Kushtia frontier.

The Dhaka University branch of Inqilab Mancha staged a protest march on Friday after the Juma prayers, starting from the university’s central mosque and ending at Shahbagh intersection. The demonstrators blocked surrounding roads, causing severe traffic congestion, as they demanded justice for their slain spokesperson, Sharif Osman Hadi. As of the time of reporting, the protesters were continuing their sit-in at the site.

According to the organization’s earlier Facebook post on Thursday night, the protest was part of a nationwide call for prayers and demonstrations seeking justice for Hadi’s killing. Hadi, who was a potential independent candidate for the Dhaka-8 constituency, was shot in the head on December 12 at Purana Paltan’s Box Culvert Road, a day after the announcement of the 13th national election and referendum schedule. Investigators reportedly identified a banned Chhatra League leader as the shooter, who is believed to have fled to India.

Hadi was initially treated at Dhaka Medical College Hospital and later transferred to a private hospital before being flown to Singapore for advanced treatment, where he died on December 18.