Restoring public confidence in the judiciary is a test for the government

In any democracy, the line between legitimate prosecution and political litigation depends not only on statutory authority but on credibility.
28 February 2026, 01:16 AM

Leaders, beware of ‘Yes Men’

The truth is that leaders who surround themselves with people brave enough to say “this may be wrong” are far better equipped to govern than those shielded by constant applause.
28 February 2026, 01:13 AM

Who truly pays for the Ramadan price spike?

In countries such as Pakistan and Indonesia, governments routinely expand subsidised sales. Even in low-income countries across North Africa, Ramadan markets are often associated with discounts rather than mark-ups.
28 February 2026, 01:10 AM

Depoliticise institutions, not ideas

Not often do you hear a politician saying that “politicising education, research, and the practice of arts and literature is never a mark of a civilised society.”
28 February 2026, 01:06 AM

How Bangladesh can turn canal excavation into an environmental win

For thousands of years, the delta of Bengal has been defined by its intricate relationship with water. This was never a purely natural phenomenon;
27 February 2026, 00:27 AM

Education system must be built on proficiency, not pass rates

One of the toughest challenges for the new government is to ensure just educational opportunities for over four crore young people.
27 February 2026, 00:21 AM

A controversial decision

Critical decisions are usually judged by three things: their merit, method, and meaning or significance.
27 February 2026, 00:01 AM

Does a referendum mandate mean unlimited authority?

The 2026 referendum was neither a constitution-founding rupture nor a blank cheque for institutional reconstruction. It was a powerful but structured act of authorisation. The distinction matters because transitions succeed when authority is precisely interpreted and designated.
26 February 2026, 13:00 PM

We are neglecting cooking gas danger at our own peril

A faint gas smell is sometimes tolerated for hours. A regulator that hisses slightly is considered manageable. A minor spark in a switchboard is dismissed as routine. We are accustomed to improvisation in many aspects of life. Improvisation, however, is a poor strategy against combustible gases.
26 February 2026, 00:37 AM

Security should not be a pretext for moral policing or erosion of liberties

The recent incidents of assault and harassment by police officers are not merely a string of isolated incidents, but a signal about institutional health.
26 February 2026, 00:33 AM

Economic priorities the new government should focus on

The crises of persistent inflationary pressure, sluggish private investment, and unemployment needs to be dealt with simultaneously, with careful policy planning.
26 February 2026, 00:31 AM

What the transport minister’s words really revealed

What if the minister did not seek to legalise or sanitise extortion, but unintentionally described an informal system of governance that already operates alongside the formal state?
25 February 2026, 11:36 AM

Jahanara’s case and the accountability gap in athlete protection

Sport is often portrayed as a realm of discipline, merit, and national pride. Yet it is also shaped by sharp power imbalances—between administrators and athletes, coaches and players, and selectors and aspirants.
25 February 2026, 00:12 AM

Make ICT policy a priority, not a side show

In a fast-moving policy landscape, delay is often punished. By the time a state realises a law is unworkable, or that a regulatory approach has fallen behind, the world may have already moved on.
25 February 2026, 00:09 AM

Think twice before forcing a third language on school students

Beyond the economy, art education on a national level is vital for raising better citizens and improving our Human Development Index.
25 February 2026, 00:06 AM

Climate actions need less talk, more work

A lesson emerging from COP participation is that for advocacy to deliver results, it must be married to strategy.
25 February 2026, 00:00 AM

Deferring Bangladesh’s LDC graduation and the road ahead

In November last year, Bangladesh confirmed that it continued to meet all three LDC graduation criteria and remained on track for graduation in November 2026 despite economic shocks.
24 February 2026, 00:00 AM

Bangladesh’s renewables drive must include women

Women constitute only about 32 percent of the total global workforce in the renewable energy sector, with even lower representation in technical and decision-making positions.
24 February 2026, 00:00 AM

Rethinking the Bangladesh-US trade deal following the legal blow

The United States has virtually granted itself de facto control over Bangladesh’s economic relationships with the wider world. The agreement does, however, offer one significant benefit: Bangladeshi garments made with US cotton and man-made fibre would get zero tariffs in the US market.
24 February 2026, 00:00 AM

When extortion is sanitised, rights become negotiable

When a private citizen pays, it is often an act of compulsion within a broken system. When a public official justifies the payment, it becomes an institutional endorsement.
24 February 2026, 00:00 AM