Bangladesh court orders arrest of Khalida Zia for arson attack
Dhaka: A Bangladesh court today ordered the arrest of former prime minister Khaleda Zia in connection with bomb attacks on a bus during an anti-government agitation in 2015 that killed eight persons, a police official said.
Judge Joynab Begum of the Comilla district court accepted the charge sheet filed by the police in the case and issued the arrest warrant, the official said.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by 72-year- old Zia, had boycotted the 2014 general elections which were held under the Awami League government. The BNP had emerged as the main opposition party outside parliament.
The BNP, along with 20 alliance partners, had given a call for a nationwide transport blockade in 2015 in protest against the first anniversary of the polls.
Eight passengers were killed after protestors hurled petrol bombs on a bus in the central Comilla district during the agitation.
"The judge issued the arrest warrant after accepting the charge sheet submitted by police," the official told PTI over telephone.
The former prime minister is also facing a number of graft cases and a sedition charge for her "slanderous" remarks two years ago when she "expressed doubts" about the casualty figures of 1971 Liberation War in which officially three million people were killed, during the nine-month long war against Pakistan.
Zia also faces similar charges in different courts for spearheading a protracted violent campaign three years ago in which over 125 people lost their lives, mostly in arson attacks on buses and trucks.
Today's court order came a day after prosecutors demanded death sentence for the BNP leader and Zia's son Tarique Rahman and 48 others for their alleged involvement in two cases of murder and blasts.
Rehman, the BNP's senior vice president who lives in exile in London, is accused of planning an attack in 2004 in which more than 10 grenades were thrown in a rally organised by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League party when she was in opposition and Zia was in power.
Hasina, who sustained permanent hearing impairment, had a narrow escape in the attack that killed 24 people and injured 300 others.
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India makes significant pledges at UN peacekeeping Ministerial in Berlin
United Nations (PTI): India, which is among the largest troop contributing countries to UN peacekeeping, has made key pledges at a peacekeeping ministerial meeting, including a quick reaction force company and one women-led formed police unit (FPU).
India pledged a Quick Reaction Force company, an armed police or mixed armed police unit, one women-led Formed Police Unit and a counter-improvised explosive devices/ explosive ordnance disposal unit as well as a K-9 unit and a SWAT police unit, the UN Department of Peace Operations said in a post on X. "Thank you India for your support", UN peacekeeping said.
India pledged a Quick Reaction Force company, an armed police or mixed armed police unit, one women-led Formed Police Unit and a Counter-Improvised Explosive Devices/ Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit as well as a K-9 Unit and a SWAT Police Unit. #PKMinisterial @UNPOL pic.twitter.com/hNjuyVpppB
— UN Peacekeeping (@UNPeacekeeping) May 14, 2025
The United Nations peacekeeping ministerial 2025 concluded in Berlin, Germany Wednesday. More than 130 member states and international partners – over a thousand participants in total – came together to reaffirm their support for UN peacekeeping and to announce concrete pledges aimed at enhancing the effectiveness and adaptability of peace operations in the face of evolving global challenges. A total of 74 member states made pledges.
“In troubled spots around the world, Blue Helmets can mean the difference between life and death. Now more than ever, the world needs the United Nations. And the United Nations needs peacekeeping that is fully equipped for today’s realities and tomorrow’s challenges,” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in his opening remarks at the ministerial meeting on ‘Future of Peacekeeping’.
Guterres said that the international community owes it to peacekeepers — and the populations they protect — to continue strengthening their ability to answer the call to peace and to do so in the face of daunting challenges, such as complex, intertwined and frequently borderless conflicts; growing polarisation and division around the globe; terrorism and transnational crime, which find fertile ground in instability and the ongoing climate crisis that is exacerbating conflict while leaving more of the planet uninhabitable.
Guterres underscored the need for shaping peacekeeping operations that are fit for the future and making peacekeeping operations more adaptable and flexible.
Hosted by the Government of Germany, the two-day high-level meeting marked a significant milestone in the ongoing efforts to strengthen Member State support and help shape the future of UN peacekeeping. The Ministerial focused on the Future of Peacekeeping, reflecting the need for innovative approaches to address complex conflicts, leverage emerging technologies, and address threats such as mis- and disinformation, a press release by UN Peacekeeping said.
Guterres welcomed member states’ political statements of support for peacekeeping as well as their pledges of military and police capabilities, new partnerships and technological support. “This meeting is also about something more fundamental: the future of peacekeeping itself,” Guterres added.
German minister of Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul said in the statement released by UN Peacekeeping that “in an interconnected world, no nation can achieve peace and security for its citizens on its own.
“We all agree that setting up strong and effective peacekeeping missions is our joint responsibility. We want to tailor future missions to the exact needs of the host countries and increase their acceptance and effectiveness. This is the way forward in a world in which peacekeeping is more important now than ever before, but where the challenges are greater than at any time in the past,” he said.
Key outcomes of the peacekeeping ministerial included 53 member states pledging uniformed capabilities, including 88 military and police units, as well as various critical capabilities, airlift, individual experts, staff officers and individual police officers.
Fifty-nine member states pledged specialised training on critical issues such as peacekeeping-intelligence, protection of civilians, gender and the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse; 18 member states made pledges related to technological advancements and data-driven approaches to improve mission effectiveness.
Thirty-eight member states made pledges to further implement the Women, Peace, and Security agenda, including gender-responsive peacekeeping and women in peacekeeping. Sixteen member states pledged capabilities and projects to enhance the safety and security of peacekeepers. Eleven member states made pledges related to the conduct and accountability of peacekeepers and UN peacekeeping’s fight against sexual exploitation and abuse.
"This response includes targeted contributions to the Trust Fund for victims and eight member states made pledges to support the UN’s strategic communications efforts and contribute resources to strengthen information integrity.
India ranks among the top contributors to UN peacekeeping missions with 5,384 personnel, including 153 women, across 10 missions as of September 2024. Nearly 180 Indian peacekeepers have been killed in action, the highest number by far from any troop-contributing country. India deployed the first all-female FPU to Liberia in 2007.
The Berlin Ministerial is part of a series of high-level meetings aimed at galvanising political support and generating tangible commitments to improve UN peacekeeping. It follows previous Ministerial meetings held in Accra (2023), Seoul (2021), New York (2019) Vancouver (2017) and London (2016). The 2025 Ministerial also coincides with the 80th anniversary of the UN and the 10-year anniversary of the Leaders' Summit on Peacekeeping.
