United News of Bangladesh

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has expressed deep grief over the death of M Ghaziul Haque, a pioneer in the country’s financial sector, founding director and former chairman of Eastern Bank PLC (EBL), and chairman of MGH Group. In a condolence message, BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan said Ghaziul Haque played an outstanding lifelong role in Bangladesh’s economic growth, expansion of modern banking and development of international trade. His visionary leadership and contribution to establishing Eastern Bank PLC and strengthening the foundation of private-sector banking in the country will always be remembered, he said. Mahmud Hasan Khan also said Ghaziul Haque’s dynamic leadership of MGH Group, a global company supporting international supply chains, logistics and foreign trade, significantly contributed to the overall economy and particularly the growth of the apparel sector. His contribution to earning foreign exchange and diversifying exports in global markets had a far-reaching positive impact on the national economy, he said. BGMEA prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed its deepest sympathy to the bereaved family. The association said the nation would always remember Ghaziul Haque’s outstanding contributions with profound respect.

Shahida Islam, mother of senior journalist of The Daily Observer Md Wahidul Islam, passed away at a city hospital at 2:30am on Friday. She was 69. Born on January 10, 1957, in Jashore, Shahida Islam was the wife of Hafez Rabiul Islam. She was the daughter of renowned social worker Solaiman Hossain and Rathia Rokiya. She is survived by two sons and daughters, who, along with other relatives and well-wishers, are mourning her death. Her death has cast a pall of grief over her family, relatives and acquaintances. They remembered her as a devoted family member whose presence was a source of affection and support to those around her. The family has sought prayers for the eternal peace of the departed soul and for strength for the bereaved family to bear the loss.

Syed Imran Ahmed, co-founder and former guitarist of metal band ‘Mechanix’, died on Sunday morning after battling cancer for around one and a half years. Mechanix vocalist Aftabuzzaman Tridib confirmed the death in a social media post. “Syed Imran Ahmed has left us forever. He had been battling cancer for the past one and a half years. I have lost a brother. Please pray for him,” Tridib wrote. Imran was buried at Mohammadpur Tajmahal Road Cemetery following his namaz-e-janaza at the cemetery mosque after Asr prayers on Sunday. Members of the country’s music and band community have expressed grief over his death. Mechanix made its debut in 2005 and played an important role in the development of heavy metal music in Bangladesh. Imran co-founded the band with Tridib. He left Mechanix in 2008 and did not join any other band afterwards due to professional commitments. Despite leaving the band, Imran maintained a close and friendly relationship with the members of Mechanix. After he was diagnosed with cancer, the band also organised a concert to raise funds for his treatment. The fundraising concert, held on July 25, featured performances by eight bands, including Mechanix and Highway. Imran died only a few weeks after the concert, which was organised to support his treatment. He gained wider recognition as a guitarist after appearing in the second season of the television music reality show ‘D Rockstars’ in 2007. Imran is survived by his wife and a daughter.

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday expressed deep shock and sorrow at the death of Amena Begum, mother of Agriculture, and Fisheries and Livestock Minister Mohammed Aminur Rashid. In a condolence message, the President prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed his deep sympathy to the bereaved family. Amena Begum died of complications from old age at her residence in Dhaka on Tuesday afternoon at the age of 103.

Amena Begum, mother of Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock Minister Mohammed Aminur Rashid, passed away at her residence in Dhaka on Tuesday. She was 103. Nizam Uddin Kaiser, a member of the minister’s family and president of Cumilla Modern High School Managing Committee, said she breathed her last at their Mohakhali DOHS residence in the afternoon. According to the minister’s relative Jasim Uddin, her namaz-e-janaza will be held at 2:00pm on Wednesday at her native village Paranpur under Baropara union of Sadar South upazila in Cumilla. She will be buried beside her husband’s grave at the family graveyard in the village following the janaza. Amena Begum was the mother of nine children – four sons and five daughters. Aminur was her fifth child.

Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan on Monday signed the condolence book opened at the Norwegian Embassy in Dhaka following the death of King Harald V of Norway. Norwegian Ambassador to Bangladesh Håkon Arald Gulbrandsen was present on the occasion. Signing the condolence book, the minister conveyed profound grief and sincere condolences on behalf of the government and people of Bangladesh to the Norwegian Royal Family, government and people. King Harald V died on August 28. The Norwegian Embassy in Dhaka opened the condolence book to allow people to pay their respects following his death.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has taken the seat next to Prime Minister and Leader of the House Tarique Rahman in Parliament following Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir’s assumption of office as President. The first sitting of the current parliament session began at 3:00pm on Thursday, with Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad in the chair. Under the new seating arrangement, Salahuddin occupied the seat beside the Prime Minister, which was previously held by Mirza Fakhrul. Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood, Women and Children Affairs Minister AZM Zahid Hossain, Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan and Selima Rahman have been given seats in the front row. Amanullah Aman was also allocated a seat in the front row following the rearrangement.  

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat on Monday said Cox’s Bazar International Airport will be inaugurated in October this year. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to open the airport, he said during a meeting with members of the Aviation and Tourism Journalists Forum of Bangladesh (ATJFB) at the Secretariat. He said international airlines alongside Biman Bangladesh Airlines will operate flights from Cox’s Bazar International Airport. “Several foreign airlines have already expressed interest in operating flights from Cox’s Bazar,” he said. The government has taken initiatives to launch direct international flights from Cox’s Bazar through discussions and coordination with international airlines, the minister said, adding that the process of signing the necessary agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) is underway. Regarding the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Millat said the government is working towards launching the terminal in December. “Necessary preparations are underway. An agreement with the Japanese consortium will be signed next month,” he said. Once operational, the third terminal will increase the airport’s passenger-handling capacity and improve service quality, enabling the airport to provide international-standard facilities, he added.  

Bangladesh on Tuesday officially launched the World Health Organization’s (WHO) SPECS 2030 Initiative, marking a major step towards expanding access to quality, affordable and people-centred eye care services across the country.  State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr MA Muhit launched the initiative at a function held at a city hotel. Speaking on the occasion, he said the government is planning to establish dedicated outpatient, inpatient and operating theatre facilities for eye care at the 151-bed hospitals being constructed at the upazila level. The state minister said the government is also finalising an integrated National Eye Care Plan, targeting around 1 million cataract surgeries, distribution of several crore pairs of spectacles and expanded treatment for diabetic retinopathy. “We are committed to taking modern eye-care services to the grassroots,” he said, adding that nearly 500 upazilas will eventually have access to advanced eye-care facilities so that people do not have to travel to district towns or Dhaka for treatment. Muhit said primary eye care will be incorporated into the training of around 100,000 health workers currently under the government’s recruitment process. The government also plans to strengthen regular cataract surgery and refraction services in at least half of the country’s districts by coordinating existing district hospital infrastructure, he added. He said the government has been coordinating with international and local organisations over the past six months to strengthen and expand eye-care services. The WHO SPECS 2030 Initiative, introduced globally in May 2024, seeks to improve access to refractive error services worldwide. It supports countries in achieving the first global target for refractive error endorsed by the World Health Assembly in 2021, a 40-percentage-point increase in effective refractive error coverage (eREC) by 2030. Orbis International Bangladesh played a key coordinating and convening role in bringing together government, WHO and other eye-health stakeholders and helped drive the process towards the national launch of the initiative. At the launch, WHO and government representatives stressed that addressing the existing gaps will require an integrated approach involving primary healthcare, trained personnel, referral systems, affordable spectacles, reliable data and stronger collaboration among government, WHO, NGOs, professional bodies, development partners and the private sector. The launch was preceded by a presentation on the global, regional and country perspectives of the SPECS 2030 Initiative by Dr Tashi Tobgay, Regional Adviser and Unit Head for NCD, Mental Health and Disabilities at WHO South-East Asia Region. Prof Dr ASMM Quadir, Director (In charge), National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital (NIO&H), and Dr Ahmed Jamsheed Mohamed, WHO Representative to Bangladesh, also addressed the launching event. After the launch, a panel discussion titled “Strengthening Eye Care Services with Specific Focus on Refractive Error and WHO SPECS 2030 Implementation in Bangladesh” was conducted by Dr Munir Ahmed, Country Director of Orbis International Bangladesh and Honorary Country Chair for Bangladesh of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). Panellists Max Tunon, ILO Country Director for Bangladesh; Rajesh Narwal, WHO Deputy Representative to Bangladesh; Indra Prasad Sharma, Regional Officer for South-East Asia, IAPB; and Johurul Islam Jewel, Senior Programme Manager, CSF Global, highlighted the need for workplace eye health, evidence-based policymaking, stronger workforce capacity, affordable spectacle provision and coordinated action across sectors. The SPECS 2030 framework is built around five strategic pillars and seeks to bring governments, professional associations, NGOs, academic institutions and the private sector together to expand access to refractive error services. The launch of the initiative is expected to provide a national framework for coordinating these efforts and developing an implementation roadmap towards the 2030 global target.   END/UNB/SI/AM

The 42nd death anniversary of Rear Admiral Mahbub Ali Khan, former chief of the Bangladesh Navy and former minister for communications and agriculture, will be observed on Thursday. Elaborate programmes have been chalked out to observe the day with due respect, both at home and abroad, said a press release. The day’s programmes will begin with the placing of floral wreaths at his grave, where Quran Khatam, Khawani and special prayers will be held. His grave is beside his favourite Naval Headquarters. On August 6, 42 years ago, Rear Admiral Mahbub Ali Khan, also the father-in-law of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, sacrificed his life while serving the nation. The Bangladesh Navy will pay tribute to him by laying a floral wreath at his grave in the morning. Food will also be distributed among underprivileged people, while special doa mahfils and prayers will be held after Zohr prayers at naval mosques across the country for the eternal peace of his departed soul. Quran Khatam, Quran Khawani, doa mahfils and special prayers will also be held at Mahbub Bhaban in the capital. Begum Mahbub Ali Khan has requested all well-wishers to pray for the deceased. A doa mahfil and special prayers will also be organised at SUROVI, a charitable organisation for underprivileged children founded by Begum Mahbub Ali Khan in 1979. Quran Khatam, Quran Khawani and doa mahfils will be held at several madrasahs and orphanages in Dhaka, including Jamia Qurbania Talimia Women's Madrasah and Orphanage at Bawniabad, Jamia Qurbania Arabia Madrasah and Orphanage at Bhashantek, and Sanmandi Khan Bari Daryl Quran Hafizia Madrasa and Orphanage in Sonargaon. Special prayers have also been arranged at numerous mosques in Dhaka, including the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque. The anniversary will also be observed in his birthplace, Sylhet, with doa mahfils, remembrance meetings, Quran Khawani and food distribution. Similar programmes have been arranged in Bogura and Jamalpur. Overseas, commemorative programmes, including Quran Khatam, doa mahfils and special prayers, will be held in Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Malaysia, China, South Korea, Singapore and the Maldives.