Speakers at the Bengal Delta Conference 2025 stressed crucial reforms in the major sectors as they observed that people would no longer accept the old political settlement.
The two-day international conference themed 鈥楤angladesh at crossroads: rethinking politics, economics, and geopolitical strategy鈥� began on Friday at a Dhaka hotel.
Dhaka-based think tank Dacca Institute of Research and Analytics organised the conference addressed, among others, by foreign affairs adviser Mohammad Touhid Hossain, academics and politicians.
In the inaugural session, the foreign affairs adviser highlighted the significance of the July uprising in the country鈥檚 history, saying, 鈥榊outh will not allow the country to return to the politics of pre-uprising.鈥�
Professor of oriental and African studies at the University of London Mushtaq Khan delivered the opening speech, while public administration faculty at Dhaka University Shehrin Amin Bhuiya chaired the session.
Former education minister of Malaysia Professor Maszlee bin Malik said that Bangladesh could become a beacon of hope for the global south.
鈥楤angladesh should shift from a labour-based economy to a knowledge-based one,鈥� Malik said.
Nepal鈥檚 former water resources minister Dipak Gyawali said that good governance along with democracy was crucial for Bangladesh in its post-uprising era.
Dhaka University vice-chancellor Professor Niaz Ahmed Khan stressed more academic attention to explore the potential of the Bengal Delta communities.
India-based online media The Wire founder and editor Siddharth Varadarajan observed that economic inequality was Bangladesh鈥檚 biggest weakness, while The Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam blamed corruption by politicians as the country鈥檚 biggest problem.
The first day of the conference featured nine panel discussions, presentation of four separate keynotes and several interactive sessions.
The topics included the July uprising and reconstructive political order, ongoing reform initiatives, policy priorities in restructuring the economy, media and narratives, and literary construction of Muslim identity in different periods.
In a panel discussion over state reforms, University of Oxford鈥檚 departmental lecturer in development studies, David Jackman stressed reforms in political parties鈥� internal practices to stop dominance using extorted money and muscle power.
Development studies professor at Dhaka University Asif Shahan anchored the session in which adviser to Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Mahdi Amin urged other political parties to accept BNP鈥檚 notes of dissent in the draft July Charter as a notion of diversity in democracy.
National Citizen Party joint convener Tasnim Jara demanded a 鈥榗lear鈥� implementation plan for the charter.
In a separate session, India-based Jindal School of International Affairs鈥� teacher Professor Sreeradha Datta presented her keynote on the political implications of India-Bangladesh relations.
She said that Bangladesh was an 鈥榚xtremely important鈥� neighbour of India, but the Indian government had not addressed the security concerns of Bangladesh during the Sheikh Hasina-led regime.聽
According to the conference plan, various topics, including Islamophobia before and after 9/11, Turkey鈥檚 Asia policy, Rohingya crisis, authoritarianism, cross-country experiences of uprising, would be discussed today, the last day of the conference.
