The tremendous growth in Bangladesh’s exports has been due to three factors – the global recession, new markets and China’s spectacular economic growth.
The Bay of Bengal is the largest bay off the coast of Bangladesh, India, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. With the exception of Bangladesh all the littoral states have reached agreements over their bilateral maritime boundaries. As signatories to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, India and Myanmar had to file their claims by June 29, 2009 and by May 21, 2009 respectively, and Bangladesh has to file its claim by July 27, 2011 to the Commission on the limits of the continental shelf.
Recent arrests prove the close relationship between Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh and extremist groups that have vowed to turn Bangladesh into an Islamic state.
Campus violence by its student body, avoidable controversy over the constitution of the war crime tribunal, and unnecessary confrontation with the BNP are diverting the Awami League from its commitment to generate a change in Bangladesh's political culture.
The mutiny in Bangladesh Rifles in February 2009 tainted the image of the most important para-military force of Bangladesh. It completely destroyed the command structure of the force and created distrust between army and the BDR. In this situation, it became necessary to reconstitute the force. Bangladesh has undertaken this exercise. But the proposed reforms somehow does not appear geared to deal with the grievances of the BDR soldiers which have been seen at least as one of the causes of the mutiny.
The latest arrests underline the lack of cooperation among security agencies in South Asia and the support base that exists in Bangladesh for terrorist groups.
Unless Baloch nationalists get their act together in pursuit of ‘achievable nationhood’, it will be only a matter of time before this latest upsurge in Balochistan will be brutally crushed.
