Editorial

Dear readers
Assalamu alaikum. Hope you are fine and so are we. The political landscape is quickly shifting. Seemingly a new middle east is in the making. One crisis is following another rapidly. As part of the Muslim world Bangladesh is facing a daunting task of managing its own problems which are equally complicated by the Rohingya influx who are fleeing the atrocities, rape, arson and killing of Myanmar army and Buddhist extremists. These people had once a country of their own which is Arakan but now they are homeless, stateless, having no shelter, food, treatment and even regional support. International and regional organizations like BBIN, BIMSTEC, BCIM and the SAARC failed to mobilize leverage necessary for a South Asian nation’s concern. None of the non-Muslim members of the SAARC voted in favour of Bangladesh on Rohingya issue. Similarly in other parts of the world when people’s national aspirations are suppressed, injustice and discrimination are not mitigated movement for independence brew up. Leadership grows up from the disgruntled people to mobilize opinion. Once popular the call for independence resonates round the region among both the scholarly and common people. Demonstrations and protest take place with the participation of more and more people. Turning such gatherings or rallies into mass-upsurge people’s national aspiration becomes indomitable. Incumbent hegemony caves in to people’s demand for independence. So we are running a story on independence on the occasion of 16th December when Bengalis demand for self-determination and liberty came true. Hope you will like the story. n