Mohammed Shahabuddin’s less-than-ceremonious exit from the presidency allows the ruling BNP to draw a line under months of ambiguity over two issues.

In discussions on legal and constitutional reforms in Bangladesh, the independence of the judiciary has long been a central issue.

Just as BNP was about to come up with fresh programmes, Ramadan arrived, rendering all politics to the confines of the iftar table.

It was a fateful night for Fazilatunnesa’s family. Ruling party men stormed her house in Wari at midnight, just two nights before the BNP's December 10 grand rally -- killing one of her sons and whisking away another son. All these happened because of her grandson's involvement with BNP's politics, she said.