Counterpoint

Why are Critical Ordinances not being Passed into Law?

Sharif Bhuiyan

The ordinances concerning the Human Rights Commission, the Anti-Corruption Commission, and the prevention of enforced disappearances, are all directly aimed at protecting citizens’ rights, and maintaining the separation of powers. Rendering them ineffective is deeply disappointing from the perspective of citizens.

Bangladesh’s Next Development Chapter Must Start with Health

Mosabbir Hossain

Strengthening healthcare services means investing in frontline workers, improving facility readiness, ensuring reliable supplies of essential medicines, and better integrating services across the continuum of care.

After the Oil Crisis, We Go Back to Sleep

Muhaimen Siddiquee

Bangladesh is not short of clever people or workable ideas. What we are short of is institutional willingness to treat a crisis as something other than an inconvenience to be weathered.

A Reply to Shahidul Alam on Performative Governance

Zakir Kibria

A government that reduces VIP protocol but continues to evict vendors without rehabilitation has merely exchanged one performance for another.

The Demise of International Law

Md Mustafizur Rahman

International law appears to bind only the weak nations but not the powerful, mighty ones. Afghanistan, Gaza, Guantanamo Bay, and targeted actions against foreign leaders all show how rules can be bypassed without consequence.

The Hormuz Gamble: What Washington Risks by Waging a Forever War

Mizan Rehman

Iranian leadership has demonstrated remarkable resilience, shaped by the mosaic defence, the bolster policy of Iran after the death of Kashem Soleimani.

Understanding Bangladesh’s Weak FDI Inflows: A Critical Analysis

A Gafur

Policy predictability must become a cornerstone of economic management. Investors must be assured that agreements will be honoured and that regulatory frameworks will not shift unpredictably. At the same time, bureaucratic processes must be simplified and digitized to reduce delays and discretion.

Where Is the Plan to Revive the Economy?

Khalilur Rahman

Bangladesh now needs a clear economic roadmap and renewed emphasis on economic and energy diplomacy.

Can Bangladesh Resurrect Saarc?

Naziba Mustabshira

Reviving Saarc is a Sisyphean task, but it is one Bangladesh is uniquely positioned to undertake. In a world of hardening blocs, South Asia cannot afford to be the only region without a voice.

Armed in History, Unarmed in Memory

Lubna Ferdowsi

Women were not mere supporters; they were shapers of conditions, bearers of risk, and, in many cases, decisive actors. The war cannot be imagined without them, but its written history has often proceeded as though it could.

Patriotism is Democracy’s Strongest Glue

Muhammad Abdul Bari

A stronger Bangladesh will not emerge overnight. But with patriotism and civility, it will rise -- steadily, confidently, and together. To the conscious citizens of Bangladesh: This is your moment. Do not wait for perfect leaders or ideal conditions. Be the example. Act locally. Think nationally. Stand firmly for honesty and integrity, nurture skills, and practise good manners persistently.

When Leadership Shares the Road

Yasir Azman

Sometimes the most revealing view of a country is not from above, but from within the flow of its everyday life

The Delusion of History for the Children of the West

Jaglul Ahmed

The endurance to hardship, spirit and skills to fight when forced, maturity to restrain, legacy of history to forge their own system of governance rather than blindly copy from the West, are the forte of these old but rich civilizations. They enrich their people not only with their own histories but also with the warring histories of the West, so that they can choose the good from the bad.

How More Bangladeshi Students can get to the US

Shahreer Zahan

The goal is to have a unified and cohesive story, an antithesis to the common phenomenon of students accumulating certificates like trophies, so that when they finally face their goal, the student does not essentially become a detriment to the system.

What the Interim Government Gave Bangladesh

Farhana Sultana

What Dr. Yunus and his team of advisers stepped into was not a functioning state awaiting a caretaker, it was institutional wreckage requiring reconstruction.  What followed was a period of institution-building that, whatever its imperfections, deserves recognition.

10 Questions for Bobby Hajjaj

Omar Shehab

The education system of Bangladesh is not merely a ministry. It is one of the largest social systems in the world. Running such a system is not simply a policy challenge. It is an administrative challenge of almost unimaginable scale.

The Myth of Rohingya Aid Dependency

Shafiur Rahman

The Rohingya are not “fully dependent” on anyone. They are dependent only to the extent that they have been made dependent -- by design, by policy, and by a system that manages dependency rather than ending it.

Judicial Reform Scheme -- From Plan to Practice

Millat Hossain

Comprehensive reform of the judicial system has emerged as a major national demand.

Rewriting the Narrative? RAB’s Conduct in a Nation on Edge

Mirza R. Ahmad

In July 2024, when the entire country erupted in protest, when over 1,400 lives were lost, and when Dhaka became a city under siege, RAB did not revert to familiar patterns. They did not conduct midnight raids. They did not trigger mass disappearances. Instead, they acted as a containment force. That contrast is not just noteworthy, it is historic.

Three Million or Three Hundred Thousand?

Serajul I. Bhuiyan

Seeking a clearer understanding of history does not diminish the legacy of the Liberation War, but honors it more completely. A nation willing to examine its past with honesty shows confidence in its own story.

The Extremely Sustainable Lifestyle of the Burnt-Out Feminist

Sushmita S Preetha

Though the International Brotherhood of Mediocre Men appears to be doing a competent job of setting the world on literal fire, feminists remain the preferred explanation for why everything is burning.

Democracy Feels Alive Again. But What if We Look Closer?

Md. Zarif Rahman

A dual crisis of legitimacy in the opposition and civil society is creating a “twin vacuum” that weakens democratic accountability in Bangladesh

How to Tackle the Energy Crisis? Hint: Not Like This.

Rushad Faridi

A month into the conflict, we have yet to see any meaningful adjustment in fuel prices. Even as international crude prices have skyrocketed, the domestic market remains insulated, standing in stark contrast to almost all other Asian nations, including our neighbors, which have already implemented price hikes.

An Exciting New Start

Imran Shauket and Jon Danilowicz

Bangladeshis need to understand who they are and develop the self-confidence necessary to chart their future destiny. Bangladesh is the eighth-largest country in the world by population, it is the 26th-largest economy by GDP-PPP at approximately $1.9 trillion, and one of South Asia's fastest-growing economies -- with GDP per capita projected to reach $10,850 by the end of 2026.

The Shingara as a Geopolitical Testimony

Zakir Kibria

On gravity, and those who bear its weight.

From Raids to Reform: Why Bangla QR is the Real Solution to Market Opacity

Tashzid Reza

The transition from cash to digital is not merely a technological shift; it is an institutional reform. It requires aligning incentives, building trust, and modernizing infrastructure. But the alternative -- continuing cycles of raids, fines, allegations of harassment, and persistent opacity -- offers little hope for sustainable market discipline.

The Looming Persian Storm: Why Bangladesh Cannot Afford to Defy Economic Gravity Again

Rushad Faridi

A prolonged conflict in the Middle East would likely trigger a slump in consumer demand in Western markets, leaving the RMG sector vulnerable to the dual blow of dwindling orders and the logistical nightmare of disrupted maritime routes.

Mental Wellbeing Beyond Ramadan: Inner Work for Becoming Better Versions of Ourselves

Arman Rashid

Divine gratitude can flow into our everyday lives in such ways, humbling our hearts to appreciate our privileges, the people and experiences that shape us, and the community and world we belong to, all the while realizing that much of life is a gift rather than an entitlement.

Dhaka Will See You Now, Mr Prime Minister

Apurba Jahangir

You have to heal those it hurt, reassure those who hurt on its behalf, and do all of this under the watchful eye of a public that has very little forgiveness left in the tank. You are blamed for problems you inherited and applauded cautiously for small, unsexy fixes that don’t photograph well.

When Lullabies Become Archives

Nafew Sajed Joy

What appears as playful nonsense often functions as mnemonic residue, compressed narratives of invasion, hunger, gendered sorrow, ecological uncertainty, and communal endurance.

The J Z Show। Ep 19: Bangladesh's Post-Election Landscape and Regional Cooperation

Zafar Sobhan

The J Z Show। Ep 18 । Zafar Sobhan। Jon Danilowicz

Zafar Sobhan

The J Z Show। Ep 15 । Md Rubaiyath Sarwar | Zafar Sobhan। Jon Danilowicz

Zafar Sobhan

Counterpoint Generations | Ep 9

Zafar Sobhan

Episode 9 of Counterpoint Generations reflects on the immediate post-election landscape, examining voter participation, the formation of the new cabinet, and the institutional challenges facing the incoming government as parliament prepares to begin its term.

Counterpoint Generations | Ep 8

Zafar Sobhan

In Episode 8 of Counterpoint Generations, the discussion explores Bangladesh’s electoral journey from the 1970 election to the present, examining how voting behaviour, political participation, and institutions have evolved over time. The episode also addresses contemporary questions around minority voting patterns, and why opinion polls often fail to predict real outcomes. A reflective conversation on elections, uncertainty, and democratic change.

Counterpoint Generations | EP 7 | Professor Rehman Sobhan | Zafar Sobhan

Zafar Sobhan

In Episode 7 of Counterpoint Generations, Zafar Sobhan and Professor Rehman Sobhan discuss Manchester United’s recent win, revisit how their shared love for football began, and reflect on the current state of global and Bangladeshi football.