Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman addressed several election rallies in Comilla, Daudkandi, and Dhaka on Saturday, calling for an end to corruption, fascism, and dominance-based politics. Speaking as chief guest at the 11-party alliance’s gatherings, he said the people of Bangladesh desire change and that transformation will begin on the 13th. He emphasized building a youthful and humane Bangladesh, free from division and injustice, and said the alliance aims to govern based on the aspirations of 180 million citizens. Rahman pledged that if his party comes to power, it will form a unity government ensuring justice, eradicating corruption, and implementing July reform proposals. He also promised to improve education, health, and civic services, including transforming Keraniganj into a model township. Other alliance leaders, including Nahid Islam of NCP and Maulana Mamunul Haque of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, echoed calls for national unity and resistance to foreign interference in elections. The rallies drew large crowds, with Rahman urging voters to support the 11-party alliance in the upcoming polls to strengthen sovereignty and establish accountable governance.

BNP Chairperson Tarique Rahman said that after toppling autocracy through movement, it is now time to rebuild the country collectively. He made the remarks on Saturday afternoon at an election rally in Sirajganj’s BSCIC Industrial Park, marking the final day of his northern region tour. Rahman called on supporters to stand by farmers and remain alert against any attempts to deprive citizens of their voting rights. He introduced party candidates from Sirajganj and Pabna and urged voters to support them. Rahman emphasized BNP’s experience in state governance and pledged to establish new industrial parks, revive the handloom industry, and create vocational institutes to address unemployment. He also promised family and agriculture cards to assist women and farmers if the party wins. Earlier in Bogura, he met local leaders and described the district as a BNP stronghold. At a later rally in Tangail, Rahman alleged that some groups were conspiring to obstruct the election by misleading voters. He outlined plans for regional development, including a barrage on the Jamuna River, new factories, and pineapple processing plants.

Educational institutions across Bangladesh have begun announcing extended holidays as the national election approaches. In Keraniganj, the Girls’ School and College declared holidays until February 15 after Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) established a camp on its premises to maintain law and order during the election period. Similar closures have been reported in other schools in and around Dhaka. Parents confirmed that students were informed of the extended break due to the BGB deployment. According to BGB’s Dhaka Sector Commander Colonel S.M. Abul Ehsan, more than 37,000 BGB members will be deployed nationwide to ensure security during the upcoming parliamentary election. The government has also announced general holidays on February 11 and 12 for the election, with additional days off linked to religious observances and weekends, creating extended breaks for both students and government employees. The overlapping of election-related and religious holidays has resulted in unusually long school closures across the country, affecting academic schedules and daily routines in many institutions.

Severe disruption has hit public services in the 3 No. Angarpara Union Parishad of Khansama upazila, Dinajpur, after its chairman went into hiding and the panel chairman was jailed. For nearly three weeks, administrative operations have been paralyzed, leaving residents unable to obtain birth registrations, certificates, inheritance documents, social safety allowances, and land-related services. Local sources said elected chairman Mostafa Ahmed Shah, a former acting president of the upazila Awami League, went into hiding after being accused in an arson case filed by a local Jubo Dal leader following the fall of the Awami League government in July. Allegations suggest he is attempting to manage office affairs remotely through seals and signatures. The situation worsened when the panel chairman was recently arrested in an unidentified case, leaving the council without leadership. Union officials said documents cannot be issued without the chairman’s signature, forcing citizens to wait days. The Upazila Nirbahi Officer stated that uninterrupted public service is essential and that directives have been issued to ensure timely service delivery under administrative monitoring.

At least 37 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes across several areas of the Gaza Strip within the past 24 hours, despite a ceasefire being in effect. Anadolu Agency reported on Saturday that the dead included women, children, and seven members of a single family. Gaza’s Civil Defense said the attacks began early Saturday, killing at least 32 people and injuring many others. Medical sources confirmed that five people, including three children and two women, were killed when an apartment building was hit in Gaza City’s Rimal area. In Khan Younis, seven members of one family died when a tent sheltering displaced people was struck. Witnesses also reported injuries from a strike on a residential building in Gaza City’s Al-Tuffah area. Additional airstrikes were carried out in Al-Jalla Street and the Bureij refugee camp, though casualties there were not immediately known. According to Anadolu’s correspondent, Israeli forces had issued evacuation warnings before striking an administrative building at the Gaith camp near Al-Ribat College in Khan Younis, which housed hundreds of displaced people.

At least three people were injured when stones were thrown at an election rally of Abdul Hannan Masud, the candidate nominated by the 11-party alliance, in Hatiya upazila of Noakhali. The incident occurred on Saturday evening at Talatala Bazar in Tamraddi Union, where Masud was addressing supporters. Following the attack, tension spread throughout the area as the assailants fled the scene. According to the National Citizen Party (NCP), the attack took place while Masud was delivering his speech, allegedly by individuals supporting the BNP. The injured were identified as Didar Uddin, son of Abdur Rahman from Ward 8, and Sompod, son of Mozammel Hossain from Ward 5, along with another person. They received local medical treatment. NCP’s Hatiya upazila convener, Shamsul Tibriz, condemned the attack, accusing the BNP of attempting to disrupt the electoral environment and manipulate polling centers. He demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible for the violence.

In Chattogram’s Hathazari upazila, the Mekhal Union Health and Family Welfare Center has remained abandoned for nearly eight years, forcing healthcare operations to continue in a rented building funded by local residents. The original facility, built in 1983, was declared abandoned by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2014 after becoming structurally unsafe. Since January 6, 2026, services have been completely halted following the leave of the center’s only medical officer, Dr. Ali Chowdhury. According to local sources, the building became severely damaged over the years, with cracked walls, leaking roofs, and broken infrastructure. Despite repeated appeals, no new construction order has been issued. Residents report significant hardship in accessing healthcare, as the temporary rented facility offers limited services. Local community members have urged authorities to rebuild the center urgently. The Hathazari Upazila Family Planning Officer stated that several centers, including Mekhal Union’s, were expected to be rebuilt in 2024, but no official directive has yet been received.

The government has finalized its decision to lease the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) of Chattogram Port to foreign operator DP World. The agreement is expected to be signed in Dhaka today, Sunday, in the presence of senior government and ministerial officials. However, port authorities claim they have not been officially informed about the deal, which is being managed by the Public-Private Partnership Authority. Meanwhile, BNP-backed port workers and employees continue strikes and protests opposing the foreign operator’s appointment. According to port sources, the handover of NCT to DP World may be completed before the February 12 national election. Workers argue that leasing the profitable terminal to a foreign company could cost the state around two thousand crore taka annually and threaten national security. The port authority counters that DP World’s advanced technology will enhance operational capacity while preserving national interests through lease revenues. In response to ongoing strikes, the port authority has transferred four employees and formed a committee to identify those violating institutional discipline and assess related losses.

Allegations have surfaced that the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is attempting to promote 29 junior consultants who were allegedly appointed illegally during the previous Awami League government without written or oral examinations. Despite multiple letters from the Posts and Telecommunications Division urging action after the issue appeared in a government audit, the commission has reportedly taken no visible steps. Instead, efforts are underway to finalize the promotions before the new government assumes office. According to sources, the audit identified the appointments as illegal and corrupt. The government’s recently formed White Paper Committee, tasked with investigating 15 years of irregularities in the telecommunications sector, also found extensive corruption in BTRC recruitment and listed the names of these officials. Reports indicate that the commission has twice rescheduled meetings to push through the promotions, an unusual move in its history. A departmental promotion meeting on January 25 decided that officials with audit objections would not be promoted, but the decision was not finalized. Several senior posts remain vacant, and many qualified officers allege that their promotions are being delayed to favor unqualified appointees.

In Atrai upazila of Naogaon, the Atrai River has reportedly dried up due to the unplanned construction of sluice gates, causing severe water shortages across vast agricultural lands. The crisis has led to the disappearance of native fish species and left many fishermen unemployed. The problem stems from the 1980s, when a single-gate sluice was built on the wide Atrai River near the upazila complex, while a ten-gate sluice was constructed on a narrow canal at Kashiyabari, about two kilometers away. Residents have questioned the planning behind these decisions. Local farmers from several villages, including Parkasunda, Narikelbari, and Khajura, said they have suffered for years from water scarcity that hampers crop production. The president of the local fishermen’s cooperative, Profulla Chandra Hawlader, stated that hundreds of fishing families have lost their livelihoods and now live in hardship. When contacted, Naogaon Water Development Board’s executive engineer Asif Ahmed said the sluice gates were built long before his tenure and promised to look into the matter. The drying of the river has affected nearly 30 kilometers of its course, impacting numerous villages and threatening the region’s agricultural and ecological balance.

In Sylhet-2 constituency, two influential factions of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have announced unity in support of the party’s paddy sheaf symbol ahead of the upcoming national parliamentary election. The declaration came after years of internal disputes that had divided the local BNP into two camps led by Joint Secretary General Humayun Kabir and central leader Tahsina Rushdir Luna. The formal announcement was made at a coordination meeting held at the Lavista Hotel in Sylhet city, chaired by district BNP president Abdul Koyum Chowdhury. According to party sources, earlier misunderstandings and misinformation had caused long-standing divisions and sidelined many grassroots activists. Central intervention helped resolve the conflict, with Chowdhury assigned to coordinate between the two groups. At the meeting, Luna urged all members to forget past differences and work together for victory, while Chowdhury emphasized unity, discipline, and grassroots strength. The meeting also decided to hold two worker gatherings in Osmani Nagar and Bishwanath upazilas on February 2 or 3 in the presence of Humayun Kabir to strengthen organizational activities ahead of the election.

Senior US Congressmen Joe Wilson and Nile Pow, co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Bangladesh Caucus, have written to US Secretary of State Mark Rubio urging support for Bangladesh’s government to ensure that the upcoming February 12 general election is free, fair, and secure. The letter, sent last Tuesday, describes the election as crucial for Bangladesh’s future and calls for active engagement from the US State Department ahead of the national vote and referendum. The congressmen noted that the election follows reforms by the interim government and represents a positive step forward. They emphasized that this will be Bangladesh’s first vote since the 2024 protests and uprising, during which the UN Human Rights Office reported over 1,400 deaths caused by security forces. The letter also referenced the US State Department’s earlier assessments that the 2018 and 2024 elections were not free or fair. Expressing concern over Bangladesh’s fragile and unstable situation, the lawmakers cited recent killings of a pro-democracy leader and a worker. They described the election as an opportunity to break cycles of violence and build a government that respects the rule of law and human rights, urging a pre-election briefing on US actions.

Eminent academic Dr. Mahbub Ullah stated that the Awami League’s vengeful politics poses a major obstacle to democratic progress and peaceful coexistence in Bangladesh. Speaking on Saturday at the grand finale and award ceremony of the ‘Debate for Democracy’ election debate competition held at the FDC in Dhaka, he warned that the party’s actions risk damaging both the electoral environment and national peace. He also alleged that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had turned into a political miscreant due to her obsession with power. Dr. Ullah further claimed that fallen autocrats and neighboring states were supporting election-related violence and were unwilling to accept political change in Bangladesh. He said the nation had yet to reap the full benefits of its Liberation War, which he described as being influenced by neighboring powers. He urged the government to take effective measures to end electoral violence and bring qualitative change to politics to uphold democracy. At the same event, Debate for Democracy Chairman Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiron said public expectations for the upcoming election were higher than ever, describing it as a contest against fascist forces.

Bangladesh has entered February, known as Language Month, marking the beginning of nationwide observances honoring the martyrs of the 1952 Language Movement. From the first day of the month, social, political, and cultural organizations have launched various programs across the country, including at the Central Shaheed Minar and district towns. The Ministry of Cultural Affairs has announced preparations to ensure peaceful and dignified observance of International Mother Language Day on February 21. The Language Movement began in 1952 when students and citizens protested Pakistan’s decision to make Urdu the sole state language. Police opened fire on demonstrators in Dhaka, killing several, including Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, Abdul Jabbar, Abul Barkat, and Abdus Salam. Their sacrifice led to the eventual recognition of Bangla as a state language. UNESCO declared February 21 International Mother Language Day in 1999, expanding the commemoration globally. This year, the traditional Amar Ekushey Book Fair, usually starting on February 1, will begin on February 20 due to the recent parliamentary election. The newly elected head of government is expected to inaugurate the fair, while Dhaka University will hold a symbolic language march from Aparajeyo Bangla to the Shaheed Minar.

Police in Sylhet have uncovered the mystery behind a previously unsolved murder case under Jalalabad Police Station, arresting three people including a woman and a child. The arrests were made late Friday night in the city’s Sonarpara area, according to a statement from the Sylhet Metropolitan Police media cell. The suspects are Abdul Matin, 45, of Boropoud area, Khaleda Begum, 32, of Sonarpara, and her 16-year-old daughter. The case followed the discovery of an unidentified man’s body on January 29 in the Kurail Haor area, later identified as Shoebur Rahman, 30. Police said Shoebur had been working as an Arabic tutor for Khaleda Begum’s children since 2023 while her husband was abroad. Their relationship reportedly turned unethical, and Shoebur allegedly took over 6 million taka from Khaleda through deception involving land and gold purchases. When pressured for repayment, he allegedly abused Khaleda and her family. Police said these details emerged during initial interrogation, and legal action is underway. Investigators are continuing efforts to identify others possibly involved in the incident.