The UAE president, vice president and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi yesterday congratulated Bangladesh Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina on securing landslide victory in the 11th national election.

The UAE President Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, also Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Muhammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan greeted Hasina in separate messages.

“It pleases me very much to take this opportunity to send to your Excellency [Sheikh Hasina] my warmest congratulations and best wishes on securing absolute majority in the 11th parliamentary election,” they said in three separate identical messages.

The UAE top leaders wished continuous success of Hasina during her new tenure, welfare and prosperity for her friendly people.

They also expressed hope for further progress of bilateral relations between Bangladesh and the UAE for the benefit of both the friendly countries and their people.

Meanwhile, the Emir of Qatar, Deputy Emir and prime minister have also congratulated Hasina.

Qatar Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Deputy Emir Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Thani and Prime Minister Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al-Thani greeted Hasina in separate messages yesterday, reported BSS.

“It gives me pleasure, on the occasion of your landslide victory in Bangladesh's general election, to extend to you, on behalf of the people of the state of Qatar and my own behalf, our heartfelt greetings and felicitations,” Qatar Emir said in his statement.

He also wished Hasina's wellbeing and continued success as well as further progress and development of Bangladesh.

The Emir also expressed his hope that the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Qatar would be further enhanced in the days to come.

In separate messages, the Deputy Emir and the prime minister also wished for wellbeing and continued success of Hasina during her new tenure.

Also, Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering and Fijian Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama yesterday congratulated Hasina.

Former Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay greeted Hasina, saying her victory in the general election is good not only for Bangladesh but also for the region and the international community.

In a message, Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering said, “It gives me immense pleasure to extend warmest felicitations on her victory in the 11th parliamentary elections of Bangladesh.”

He said, “The landslide mandate secured by Sheikh Hasina is a clear demonstration of the deep confidence and trust the people of Bangladesh have in your leadership as you guide Bangladesh in fulfillment of the vision of Sonar Bangla.”

Lotay Tshering wished every success in discharging her duties during the coming tenure.

He expressed his firm conviction that the warm and cordial relations between Bhutan and Bangladesh would continue to strengthen and achieve new height in the true spirit of friendship and understanding.

The Bhutanese prime minister said he was looking forward to working closely with Bangladesh to further strengthen the ties and have the opportunity to receive Sheikh Hasina in Bhutan at a time of her convenience.

He also highly commended the PM's son and ICT Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy for his tremendous contribution to her success.

“Sajeeb's tireless efforts and leadership is an immense inspiration to the people of Bangladesh and beyond,” he said.

Lotay Tshering wished good health of Hasina and peace, prosperity and happiness of the people of Bangladesh, reported UNB.

Fijian prime minister, in his congratulatory message, said, “The impressive victory of the Awami League with 288 seats of 300-member parliament is testament of the confidence of the people of Bangladesh in your [Hasina's] leadership and ability in progressing your country's economy.”

He said Fiji and Bangladesh share formal diplomatic ties since 2003, building up cooperation in the areas of trade and economic activities.

Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama, commonly known as Frank Bainimarama, said he was looking forward to strengthening the friendship and advancing bilateral cooperation between the two counties.

He wished all the success of the Bangladesh government in its next tenure.

In a separate message, former Bhutanese prime minister Tshering Tobgay said, “The victory of Sheikh Hasina and Bangladesh Awami League is good for Bangladesh, good for the region and good for the international community.”

Extending his heartiest congratulations to Hasina, he said internationally Hasina was seen as a role model of leadership who was playing a pivotal role in poverty alleviation, environmental conservation, women development and addressing the problems of physically challenged persons.

“I see your Excellency as an elder sister and am personally happy that you and Bangladesh Awami League have secured a landslide victory,” Tobgay said.

Pakistan has also welcomed the newly elected government in Bangladesh.

“We want Pakistan-Bangladesh relations to move forward in line with the 1974 tripartite agreement. We welcome the newly elected government in Bangladesh and hope and expect that it would help take the bilateral relationship away from the irritants that it has faced in the recent times,” Mohammad Faisal, spokesperson for the Pakistan foreign ministry, told the weekly briefing in Islamabad yesterday.

Muhammad Aurangzeb Haral, counsellor (press) of Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka, sent the statement made in the briefing to the press in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh-India-Pakistan on April 9, 1974, signed the tripartite agreement on the repatriation of prisoners of war and civilian internees and for normalisation of relations in the sub-continent.

At a time when the government is pressing full steam ahead with the 'Smart Bangladesh' agenda, the telecom regulator is taking measures that are at odds with it.

On September 3, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission ordered the mobile operators to discontinue three-day and 15-day data packages from October 15, in a move that stakeholders, experts and consumer rights organisations say restricts the freedom of choice.

The move will particularly hit the pockets of the grassroots, low-income and youth segments and is primed to reduce their consumption of telecom services, particularly the internet.

The operators have also been directed to limit the total number of packages they offer to 40. At present, operators offer up to 95 packages to subscribers, whose duration ranges from an hour to an indefinite period.

From October 15, mobile users will have the option to buy data plans for seven days or 30 days. The option to purchase plans with unlimited validity will remain, too.

The BTRC said it arrived at the decision by surveying mobile users, who were in favour of condensing the volume of packages on offer.

The mobile operators maintain that the BTRC survey contained leading questions that influenced the respondents' answers by suggesting responses.

Telecom Minister Mustafa Jabbar has long been expressing his annoyance over the sheer number of packages offered by the carriers.

"Earlier, they would offer 300 packages. Now they are offering 95 packages. Is it possible for customers to choose from 95 packages and remember those? This takes the level of people's confusion to extreme heights. So, we are cutting it down to 40," he told The Daily Star.

When asked if the move curbs the freedom of choice, he said: "With this, a new system is being introduced to break the autocratic attitude of operators who have been bombarding customers with a web of plans."

Curiously, at the programme on May 30 where the BTRC survey result was shared, many of the customers who spoke said they wanted more packages, particularly targeted for OTT media consumption and students.

Subsequently, the operators vehemently opposed the impending BTRC move and said it is not reasonable "in a world where consumer preference for options is vast and wide-ranging".

"Every product that operators offer is based on an analysis of the diverse demands of the consumers from various demographics," said the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (Amtob), the trade body for carriers, in a letter to BTRC on August 7.

The synergy between market offerings and customer demand may be broken if there are any abrupt changes made to the offer modalities as a result of frequent regulatory interventions.

Just in March 2022, the BTRC ordered operators to bring down the number of packages to 95 from a few hundred packages each.  

Subsequently, Amtob urged the telecom regulator to reconsider its proposed changes, which will have "grave consequences on the industry".

But the BTRC went ahead and issued the directive on Sunday. Discontinuing the three-day packs, it seems, is the more polemic among the directives.

A large segment of grassroots people use data for entertainment and other purposes besides connectivity, said TIM Nurul Kabir, a former secretary general of Amtob.

And they mostly opt for the affordable three-day packs.

"If the option to purchase data for a short time with lower expenditure is eliminated, it will be very inconvenient for them. Customers should always have flexibility in choosing options, and denying this would be unjustified," he added.

Asked if the customers who avail three-day packages now will have to spend more for the minimum seven-day plans, AKM Habibur Rahman, managing director of Teletalk, said: "Undoubtedly -- it is not possible to offer the seven-day packages at the same rate as the three-day ones."

As much as 48 percent of Banglalink's 4.2 crore-odd customers regularly purchase the three-day packs and just 3 percent avail of the 15-day plans, according to Taimur Rahman, its chief corporate and regulatory affairs officer.

"Discontinuing the three-day packs will have a huge impact on customers, specifically those who have a limited budget," he added.

Similarly, Robi, the second-largest carrier with 5.7 crore users, has the highest number of takers for its three-day packages: 50 percent of the recharges come from it, while 7 percent come from 15-day plans.

There are more than 11 crore unique mobile subscribers, who have a wide array of demands and requirements, said Shahed Alam, head of regulatory affairs at Robi. Meeting these demands with a mere 40 packages poses a significant challenge for the operators.

"This decision is poised to have a detrimental impact on customers' ability to select the packages that best suit their preferences and the overall cost of their mobile phone usage."

Furthermore, discontinuing the three-day packages will disproportionately affect students and individuals with limited data needs.

"The decision lacks a foundation in data or research conducted by the telecom regulator, and the findings, if any, were inconclusive," Alam added.

Subscribers more often than not fail to use up the data in the three-day packages, said BTRC Chairman Shyam Sunder Sikder.

"There is an option for customers to carry forward their unused data if they purchase the same package. But many customers were unaware of this and are ultimately deprived."

So the telecom operator is doing away with the three-day packages, he added.

"We are currently assessing the regulatory move," said Hossain Sadat, spokesman of Grameenphone, the market leader with 8.2 crore subscribers as of July.

The regulator can fix the number of packages an operator can offer to reduce customer confusion of customers, but setting the durations of packages is too much regulation, said Ghulam Rahman, president of Consumers Association of Bangladesh.

"It should be set by operators based on their customers' needs," he added.

A regulatory authority should seek the opinions of stakeholders -- operators and customers -- and conduct a thorough survey before making such an important decision that will undoubtedly affect millions of people, said Shahdeen Malik, an eminent jurist and a constitutional expert.

"It would be tantamount to incompetence if a regulator conducts an online survey with only 550 participants for this. I would say it is a misuse of power by a regulatory authority."

Furthermore, if the revenue of mobile companies, one of the biggest sources of government revenue, were to decline, it would have significant implications for public finances.

"It's not that I want the operators' revenue to increase, but from a national standpoint, their revenue is important for the government, especially considering current budgetary constraints," Malik added.

Though Lalmonirhat-3 has been a stronghold of the Jatiya Party, a partner in the Awami League-led grand alliance, since 1991, the Jatiya Oikyafront, led by the BNP and several other parties, is eyeing a win this time.

Oikyafront leaders said they are confident about victory as the opposition alliance fielded a well-known face in the constituency -- Lalmonirhat BNP President Asadul Habib Dulu.

Dulu will face JP Co-chair GM Quader, who was elected lawmaker twice from the constituency in 1996 and 2008. JP leader Riaz Uddin Ahmed won in the seat in 1991 and Dulu in 2001. AL leader Abu Saleh Mohammad Sayeed managed a victory in the 2014 polls when the JP fielded no candidate.

Dulu is the favourite this time as he is very well-known in the area and has always remained in contact with the voters, said Oikyafront sources.

“I am a local. So I know the sufferings of my people very well. Besides, I have worked really hard for the development of the district,” Dulu told The Daily Star on Monday.  

He termed his rival Quader, younger brother of JP chief HM Ershad, an outsider and claimed that he was totally disconnected from the voters. 

“Quader only visits the district before elections and disappears immediately,” Dulu said. “I believe the polls results will go in my favour if a peaceful voting environment is ensured.”

But Quader trashed the allegation.

“My opponents allege that I am an outsider. It is not true. In fact, I have a permanent home on the district's Hospital Road,” he told The Daily Star.

“I believe people will vote for me as I have been honest and always worked for the development of my constituency.”

Talking to these correspondents, SM Shafiqul Islam, president of the Lalmonirhat chapter of Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik, a platform working for good governance, said, ”It doesn't matter whether a candidate is a local or an outsider. What matters here is whether the contender is free from corruption.” 

Nazir Ali, 62, a farmer living in Lalmonirhat Sadar's Sindurmati village, said he has always found Dulu by his side during bad times.

But Dilruba Begum, 48, another resident in the area, said though the BNP leader was popular, many locals were not happy about his party's close links with Jamaat-e-Islami, which opposed Bangladesh's birth during the 1971 Liberation War.

Sabed Ali, 62, of Kulaghat village in the district, said the “only plus point” for Quader was that he was contesting as the AL-led alliance candidate. “He has not done anything remarkable for us.”

Visiting different areas of Lalmonirhat Sadar, these correspondents saw Quader's campaign was underway in full-swing. His posters were almost everywhere.

On the other hand, Dulu and his supporters began an energetic campaign after the army deployment on Monday, said locals.

However, BNP posters were seen only at a few places.

BNP supporters alleged police harassment even during the night. They said many of their leaders were staying outside their homes to avoid arrest.

However, SM Rashidul Haque, superintendent of police in the district, denied the allegation.  “We are not harassing anyone. We are only arresting those who are accused in different cases.” 

Deputy Commissioner Shafiul Arif, district returning officer, said, “The election environment is peaceful and no unexpected incidents took place.”

The constituency has a total of 252,243 voters.

Seven BNP candidates yesterday filed separate election petitions with the High Court challenging the legality of the December 30 national election to their constituencies, citing widespread irregularities.

In the petitions, they appealed for cancelling the election results of their constituencies and directing the Election Commission to hold fresh elections there.

The BNP leaders are Saiful Islam Firoz from Jhenidah-4, Naser Rahman from Moulvibazar-3, Hafiz Ibrahim from Bhola-2, Jahiruddin Swapan from Barishal-1, Shah Riazul Hannan from Gazipur-4, Abul Kalam Azad from Tangail-7 and Abdul Hai from Munshiganj. 

The HC is yet to set any date for hearing the petitions.

Ruhul Kuddus Kajol, a lawyer for the petitioners, told The Daily Star that they would appeal to the HC for declaring the December 30 polls illegal as it was a “farcical” one.

Even dead people were shown casting votes, which is nothing but a clear evidence of a “farcical” election, he added. 

More BNP leaders may file similar petitions before the HC today, BNP insiders said.

The BNP and the Jatiya Oikyafront, an alliance of BNP and some other parties, rejected the polls results, alleging huge irregularities in the election.

The Awami League-led grand alliance secured 289 seats, while the Oikyafront got only eight seats.

The Oikyafront MP's-elect are yet to take oath in parliament.

It has become increasingly clear that the carrot of a pre-installed "free" app being dangled in front of our noses is covering up intentions that are far more insidious. We are talking about the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission's (BTRC) order to pre-install the Bijoy app in all imported and locally-manufactured Android phones. This order has come with the veiled threat that, if the BTRC-supplied Bijoy APK file is not installed and displayed to the commission, a no-objection will not be issued for marketing the phone.

The decision to impose this on consumers and sellers, with very little explanation for taking away their freedom of choice, has drawn criticism from across the board. The issue is made murkier by the obvious conflict of interest: the BTRC operates under the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, and the patent of the Bangla typing software Bijoy has belonged to its minister, Mostafa Jabbar, since 1988. 

Read more

Bijoy in phones Criticism follows BTRC directive

The minister has tried to make light of this order by arguing that the app will be provided free of cost, and that customers are free to uninstall it from their phones at will. But if customers are truly free to make this choice, why make its pre-installation mandatory? 

The truth is that there is no such thing as a free lunch. The use of a product always increases its commercial value, and given that Bijoy is far less popular than other, more user-friendly keyboards, like Avro and Ridmik, there seems to be a very transparent reason behind the plan to suddenly have Bijoy downloads go up by hundreds of thousands at once. Because if the reason really is to make a Bangla typing software available to users, as the minister suggested, then why not provide one that users already prefer? 

The issue here is not only the total disregard for citizens' right to choose. The process of putting forward this so-called order is in itself dubious since, legally, no government organisation has the right to make using a specific product or service mandatory. According to news reports, the BTRC order is based on an announcement from the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution terming Bijoy as the standard keyboard to follow. So under what due process did it suddenly become mandatory?

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A glaring example of government intrusion

Then there are the concerns over digital security. Experts have criticised the fact that Bijoy is not an open-source product, and that even its own privacy policy on app stores admits that there are holes in its security. This is extremely concerning since, when an app is pre-installed, consumers can be asked to give away their right to give it permission to access their personal data. This lax attitude towards data protection only confirms how little the current regime values citizens' right to data privacy. 

At the end of the day, this is not just about a keyboard. This is yet another step towards the slow erosion of digital rights and personal freedoms in the country. Before going forward with this decision, the authorities must ask themselves: is this really what they want Digital Bangladesh to be known for?