Death in a foreign land

Death in a foreign land

Mushfique Wadud investigates the recent rise in death among expatriate workers and the probable causes behind the high number of such tragic incidents

photo by Al-Emrun Garjon

On April 5, when Tajmahal’s mobile rang, she received the call with eager excitement as she anticipated her husband calling from abroad. Her husband, Jaynal Abedin, had been living in Malaysia for the past three years.

Her heart, however, broke to pieces as the caller informed her of the demise of her husband. An expatriate Bangladeshi wage earner, Jaynal Abdin died of a heart attack in Malaysia on April 5. She could not believe the news as she had spoken to him over the phone just a day before.

A life less ordinary

A life less ordinary

On June 17, the country lost one of its most celebrated sons as Gaziul Haque passed away after prolonged illness. A language-movement hero, freedom fighter, lawyer, writer and a family man, Mushfique Wadud chronicles the multi-faceted life of the man that was Gaziul Haque

Following the declaration of the Basic Principles Committee of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan to impose Urdu as the only state language of Pakistan – a stance reiterated in a public meeting at Paltan Maidan, Dhaka, by Prime Minister Nazimuddin, on January 26, 1952, a wave of agitation sparks off among people of East Pakistan. To counter the growing unrest, an order under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code prohibiting processions and meetings in Dhaka City is sanctioned.

A high price to pay

A high price to pay

Mushfique Wadud digs deep into what led to the recent protest by the students of North South University and finds out why the fees of private universities are going up while the quality of education is under question

photo by Ma Raquib Khan

On May 10, the premises of North South University, the country’s first private university, were hounded by several hundred of its students as they staged daylong demonstrations through the course of which, a number of offices on the campus including the vice chancellor’s was vandalised.