Table of Contents
Pakistan Dispatch
During his three days stay in Pakistan, the US CENTCOM commander Michael Erik Kurilla visited Pakistan’s National Counter Terrorism Centre and Pakistan Army Sniper School. His discussions with Pakistan Army High Command were focused on combined Pakistan and USCENTCOM counter-terrorism training opportunities, and the training management process of the Pakistani Army.
In a bid to boost supply of illusive dollar, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has now allowed the exchange companies and currency dealers, to import the world’s top currency but with certain conditions. The move means one of the major demands of exchange companies has been accepted as they were calling for this permission, arguing that they can improve the supply through importing dollars with the country facing severe US dollar shortage which not caused a huge depreciation of rupee but also paralyzed business activities.
An anti-terrorism court in Lahore has accepted a petition filed by the police to declare Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s sisters and other PTI leaders ‘absconders’ for not cooperating with the ongoing investigation related to the May 9 riots cases.
China has given the green light to Pakistan for a two-year deferment of a $2.1 billion loan. The deferment was confirmed by China’s Exim Bank through a formal letter to Pakistan’s Finance Ministry. Notably, Pakistan will not be required to pay any additional interest on the deferred loan.
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has decided to expand its flight operations to 16 other Chinese cities after Beijing and Shenghai. This decision is expected to boost airline revenue through the expansion of the flight network in China.
Infographic
Opinion
In his article, Pakistani journalist Ghulam Shabir Arain describes the dangerous situation that journalists in Pakistan are facing every day. They contend with death threats, abduction, assault, violence, and intimidation. Between 2002 and 2022, 90 journalists were killed in the country, including five last year alone.
The dangerous reality for journalists in Pakistan: International Journalist’s Network
Bangladesh Dispatch
The Bangladesh government has grown increasingly impatient with the constant verbal attacks from various foreign missions and has decided to summon the heads of 13 foreign missions in response to their condemnation of a by-election candidate's attack. Meanwhile, the EU has expressed concern about the country's human rights situation and may send observers to the upcoming national elections. As Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina returns from Rome, preparations for the elections will intensify, with Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader stating that the party will begin officially campaigning in September.
Politics
Foreign Relations
The Bangladesh government has summoned the heads of 13 foreign missions for condemning the attack on Dhaka-17 by-polls candidate Ashraful Hossen Alom. The government is dissatisfied with the joint statement issued by the foreign missions, which called for a full investigation into the incident and bringing the perpetrators to justice. (News Desk, New Age)
EU special envoy Eamon Gilmore expressed concern over the human rights situation in Bangladesh, including extrajudicial killings, custodial deaths, and enforced disappearances. He said that the EU is considering sending observers to the upcoming national polls, but will make a decision after assessing the report of the EU election exploratory mission. (News Desk, Prothom Alo)
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Rome on Tuesday. Meloni stressed the need for Bangladeshi workers to migrate to Italy legally, while Hasina said that Bangladesh discourages illegal migration. The two leaders also discussed bilateral trade and business, and Meloni agreed to visit Bangladesh in the future. (News Desk, The Daily Naya Diganta)
National
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked Bangladeshi diplomats to work against anti-state propaganda abroad. She said that some people are spreading misinformation against the country and that the international community should not be misled by this falsehood. She also criticized the BNP for siphoning off money from the country and spending it on false propaganda. (News Desk, The Daily Observer)
Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader has said that the party will begin its campaign for the next parliamentary election in September-October. He also accused BNP of stockpiling firearms and said that the party does not believe in the people's mandate. (News Desk, The Daily Sun)
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has warned that the BNP does not want elections and instead wants to create an unstable situation in Bangladesh. She urged the people of the country to stay united and thwart any bad intentions of the BNP. (News Desk, Samakal)
Economy
The IMF has suggested that Bangladesh address long-standing structural issues to make its economy more resilient and achieve higher growth. These issues include raising tax revenues, modernizing the tax system, and improving revenue collection. The IMF also highlighted the need to reduce financial sector vulnerabilities, strengthen oversight, and enhance governance and the regulatory framework. These reforms, combined with efforts to boost private investments and export diversification, will help create conditions to make Bangladesh's economy more resilient and support long-term, inclusive, and sustainable growth. (News Desk, Business Insider Bangladesh)
Saudi Arabia is inviting Bangladeshi professionals and investors to participate in the country's economic development. The country is currently undertaking a number of megaprojects, such as NEOM and the developments of the Red Sea coast, which require skilled workers. A delegation of top Bangladeshi business leaders is expected to visit Saudi Arabia in the coming weeks to explore investment opportunities. (News Desk, The Business Standard)
The government of Bangladesh has introduced mandatory insurance coverage for outbound migrant workers. The insurance covers death, disability, and return within six months of migration. The benefit of the insurance policy has been doubled to Tk1 million. So far, more than 2.5 million outbound workers have come under the insurance support. (News Desk, The Financial Express)
Value Added Tax (VAT) collection from big companies in Bangladesh has increased by 12% in FY23, despite a less-than-expected overall economic growth. The surge in commodity prices, particularly of import-dependent goods, has boosted the government's VAT revenues. However, VAT collection from banks and insurance companies has lagged behind. Stakeholders believe that the anticipated growth in the business activities of major companies for the current FY24 is less likely to materialise due to the continuous economic slowdown and the prevailing political uncertainty in the country. (Reyad Hossain, The Business Standard)
Infographic
Bangladesh's remittance inflow has not increased on par with the manpower export growth, experts say. The main reason is that a large portion of remittances is coming through informal channels.To increase remittance inflow, the government should take steps to make formal channels more attractive and crack down on illegal channels. The potential remittance inflow for FY23 was $30 billion, but it is estimated that only $21 billion came through formal channels. (Talukder Farhad, The Business Post)
Society
Bangladesh has seen a sharp increase in dengue cases and deaths in recent weeks. As of Tuesday morning, the country had recorded 16 more deaths and 2,418 new hospitalizations due to the mosquito-borne disease. The total number of patients with dengue has now reached 37,688, and 201 people have died this year. The country registered 281 dengue deaths in 2022, the highest on record.
Opinion: Are Tarique Rahman and BNP above the law?
According to the article, Tarique Rahman and the BNP are above the law because they have committed a number of crimes, including contempt of court and violating a restraining order, but have never been held accountable. The author urges the country's conscience to speak out against Tarique Rahman's crimes and bring the matter to the attention of the High Court. (Justice Shamsuddin Choudhary Manik, Bangladesh Pratidin)
