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ISLAMABAD: Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman said on Tuesday that those responsible for hacking his social media accounts have been identified, and efforts are underway to uncover the masterminds behind the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/microsoft-disrupts-cybercrime-service-linked-to-aienabled-fraud" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">cyberattack</a>, Bangladeshi media reported. He made these remarks while addressing a rally organized by the 11-party alliance at the Chattogram Port Authority School and College ground on Monday, according to The Daily Star. Shafiqur said his X&nbsp;account had been compromised to spread &ldquo;vile language&rdquo; and derogatory remarks targeting women, aiming to tarnish his image. &ldquo;Today, mothers see the 11-party alliance as the only guarantee of their dignity. On one hand, a certain party promises &lsquo;family cards&rsquo;; on the other, it lays hands on our mothers and sisters and threatens to strip them of their dignity,&rdquo; he said. He warned that such attacks would not be tolerated, adding, &ldquo;My mother&rsquo;s honor is above all else.&rdquo; Shafiqur also criticized&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/16-countries-to-send-57-observers-for-feb-12-election-bangladeshi-state-media" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">political rivals</a>, alleging that while his party supported families of martyrs and the injured after the July Uprising, a certain party engaged in extortion and land grabbing. He claimed that in the course of such &ldquo;occupying politics,&rdquo; the party was responsible for the deaths of 234 of its own members. Turning to the development of Chattogram, the Jamaat chief accused some individuals of &ldquo;selling out&rdquo; Chattogram port for personal gain over the decades. He promised that under the 11-party alliance, the port would remain in public hands and be upgraded to international standards free of corruption.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman speaks at an electoral rally at the Padua ACM High  School ground in Lohagara, Chattogram, on February 02, 2026. (Photo: BSS)

Bangladesh

Shafiqur says his X account had been compromised to spread 'vile language' and derogatory remarks targeting women, aiming to tarnish his image.

Bangladesh Jamaat chief: Social account hackers traced, masterminds to be revealed

DHAKA: Textile worker Sabina Khatun is in limbo after losing her job during sweeping factory closures, caught up like millions in Bangladesh in the fallout from a 2024 uprising that toppled years of autocratic rule. In the 18 months since the collapse of Sheikh Hasina&#39;s government,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/bangladesh-remittance-inflow-surges-51-in-january" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bangladesh</a>&nbsp;has endured political turmoil but also biting economic pain -- with many hoping for a rebound under new leadership after elections on Feb. 12. &quot;I&#39;ve gone to a dozen factories looking for work,&quot; said Khatun, 30, who lost her job last year in garment hub Narayanganj. &quot;There are no openings.&quot; Second-largest producer&nbsp;Bangladesh, the world&#39;s second-largest producer of garments, has seen 240 factories shut since the August 2024 uprising, many of them in the textile industry, according to government data. That has dealt a blow to a major sector that forms 80% of Bangladesh&#39;s export economy. Some of the factories were owned by Hasina&#39;s cronies, who have since fled. Many workers like Khatun&nbsp;have been laid off, and closures are rippling through the wider labor market. &quot;Small markets, stores and low-cost cosmetics shops catering to female garment workers have all disappeared,&quot; said Iqbal Hossain, a trade union leader. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Improvement in economy&nbsp;</h2>The economy has improved since the chaotic aftermath of Hasina&#39;s ouster, but there are wider issues&nbsp;in the country of 170 million people. Salehuddin Ahmed, who holds the finance portfolio in the interim government, said the economy had shifted from the &quot;intensive care unit to the high dependency unit&quot;. Bangladesh&#39;s economy is expected to grow 4.7% this year, up from 3.7% in 2025, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/imf-sees-bangladesh-growth-rebounding-to-47-in-fy2627" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">International Monetary Fund</a>&nbsp;(IMF). Fahmida Khatun, head of the Dhaka-based Centre for Policy Dialogue, said foreign reserves have risen and the banking sector is showing signs of repair. &ldquo;But unemployment is rising, merchandise exports have declined, imports of heavy machinery and raw materials remain weak, and private-sector credit has hit a historic low,&rdquo; she told AFP. &quot;The gradual deterioration of law and order has emerged as the biggest threat.&quot; Trade deal with US&nbsp;In August, Bangladesh struck a trade deal with the United States -- a key market for ready-made garment exports -- scaling back President Donald Trump&#39;s threatened tariffs to 20%. But US orders &quot;remained static,&quot; said Mohiuddin Rubel, former head of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, noting that some new factories had opened. They, however, have had little impact on the labor market, as the unemployment rate remains high. Merchandise exports still fell for a fifth consecutive month in December 2025, and while inflation slightly eased, it continues to erode what people can afford. &quot;We don&#39;t buy fish or meat anymore,&quot; said unemployed textile worker Khatun, who continues her search for a job.&nbsp; &quot;Everyone tells me to come back after the election&quot;. Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, head of the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies, said the interim government had done little to help the bruised textile sector. &quot;Some of these were big factories employing thousands of workers,&quot; he said. &quot;In some cases, the government sold factory land and assets to clear workers&#39; dues -- but there was no initiative to restart viable factories.&quot; Unemployment is at 4.63%, according to the latest government figures released in May, up from 3.95% recorded during the same period the previous year. &lsquo;We are all waiting for the election&rsquo;&nbsp;Once juggling multiple odd jobs, Helal Uddin now ekes out a living running a food cart. &quot;It&#39;s hard to pay the house rent with the meagre amount I earn now,&quot; the 33-year-old told AFP, gloomy about the &quot;sharp rise&quot; in the price of rice he serves. &quot;The economy is not moving,&quot; Uddin said. &quot;It&#39;s stuck. We are all waiting for the election.&quot; Autocratic Hasina governmentHasina, 78, was once praised for overseeing Bangladesh&#39;s rapid economic rise, with growth topping 7% annually and per capita GDP more than quadrupling since 2000. But she also presided over an autocratic government that crushed dissent, and now faces court cases alleging the looting of national wealth. She is a convicted fugitive in hiding in India, sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity. Economist Fahmida Khatun warned that the new administration will face many challenges. &ldquo;People hope things will improve after the election, but many of the problems are structural,&rdquo; she said.&nbsp; &ldquo;There is no quick fix.&rdquo;

In the 18 months since the collapse of Sheikh Hasina's government, Bangladesh has endured political turmoil but also biting economic pain -- with many hoping for a rebound under new leadership after elections on Feb. 12.

Mired in economic trouble, Bangladesh pins hopes on election boost

ISLAMABAD: At least 16 countries have accepted Bangladesh&rsquo;s invitation to send a total of 57 election observers for the country&rsquo;s 13th general election and the referendum on the July Charter, both scheduled to be held concurrently on February 12, state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) News reported on Friday. The observers will join several hundred international observers from the European Union, the Commonwealth, and various global organizations working on democratic governance and human rights, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/bangladesh-chief-adviser-urges-armed-forces-to-ensure-fair-february-elections" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chief Adviser&rsquo;s</a>&nbsp;Press Wing. Bilateral delegations&nbsp; Among the bilateral delegations, Malaysia will send the largest contingent with 14 observers, followed by T&uuml;rkiye with 12 observers. The Malaysian team will be led by Dato Sri Ramlan Bin Dato Harun, chairman of the Election Commission of Malaysia. The Turkish delegation, made up of several members of parliament, will be led by Mehmet Vakur Erkul, a former Turkish ambassador to Bangladesh. Other countries confirming the deployment of observers include Indonesia (5), Japan (4), Pakistan (3), Bhutan (2), Maldives (2), Sri Lanka (1), the Philippines (2), Jordan (2), Iran (1), Georgia (2), Russia (2), Kyrgyzstan (2), Uzbekistan (1), and South Africa (2), the BSS report said. &nbsp;&ldquo;We have received confirmation of close to 400 election observers so far, and we expect a few more countries to confirm the visits of their delegates very soon,&rdquo; said Lamiya Morshed, senior secretary and SDG coordinator, who is supporting the coordination of election observers. Former President of Ghana Nana Akufo-Addo will lead the 14-member Commonwealth Observer Group. Other members include Jeffrey Salim Waheed, former deputy minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Maldives; David John Francis, former foreign minister of Sierra Leone; and Ras Adiba Mohd Radzi, former senator of Malaysia. EU&nbsp;Election Observation MissionThe European Union Election Observation Mission will be led by Ivars Ijabs, chief observer and member of the European Parliament from Latvia. The mission will also include at least seven other Members of the European Parliament. Nearly 2,000&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/76-women-candidates-to-contest-in-bangladeshs-february-polls" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">candidates</a>, representing more than 50&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/parties-must-address-environment-in-election-manifestos-bangladeshi-climate-adviser" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">political parties</a>&nbsp;as well as independent contenders, are contesting the election for 300 parliamentary seats, which will be held alongside the referendum on the July reform charter.

The observers will join several hundred international observers from the European Union, the Commonwealth, and various global organizations working on democratic governance and human rights, according to Bangladesh Chief Adviser’s Press Wing.

Articles tagged with "Bangladesh Elections 2026"

Bangladesh Jamaat chief: Social account hackers traced, masterminds to be revealed

Mired in economic trouble, Bangladesh pins hopes on election boost

16 countries to send 57 observers for Feb 12 election: Bangladeshi state media

Bangladesh Jamaat chief: Social account hackers traced, masterminds to be revealed