Key Points
- New Bangladeshi banknotes feature landscapes, drop human portraits
- Fresh notes to roll out from central bank first
- Prosecutors accuse Hasina of orchestrating systematic crackdown
ISLAMABAD: Bangladesh began issuing new banknotes that no longer feature the image of its founding president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, whose trial on charges of orchestrating crimes against humanity also commenced in her absence.
The caretaker government, which has been governing the South Asian nation of approximately 170 million people since Hasina fled the country last year, introduced the revised currency, according to AFP.
Hasina, aged 77, was removed from power in August 2024 following a student-led uprising.
“Under the new series and design, the notes will not display any human portraits, but will instead highlight natural landscapes and traditional landmarks,” said Bangladesh Bank spokesperson Arif Hossain Khan.
Previously, all banknotes carried a portrait of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Redesigned notes
The redesigned notes for the country include imagery of Hindu and Buddhist temples, historic palaces, artworks by the late painter Zainul Abedin illustrating the Bengal famine, and the national martyrs’ memorial.
On Sunday, three of the nine denominations were released. “The new notes will first be available from the central bank’s headquarters, followed by distribution through other regional offices,” Khan added, noting that “the remaining denominations will be introduced in phases.” Existing notes and coins will remain legal tender.
Meanwhile, during the opening of Hasina’s trial, prosecutors accused her of masterminding a “systematic attack” to suppress the uprising that led to her downfall, according to The Washington Post.
According to the United Nations, up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024 during her government’s crackdown on protests.
Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) is prosecuting former senior officials of Ms Hasina’s ousted administration and her now-banned Awami League party.
Systematic attack
“After reviewing the evidence, we concluded that it was a coordinated, widespread and systematic attack,” said ICT chief prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam in court.
Five charges were filed against Hasina, former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun (currently in custody), and ex-interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal (who remains at large), including abetment, incitement, complicity, facilitation, conspiracy, and failure to prevent mass killings.
Prosecutors stressed their impartiality, stating: “This is not an act of vendetta but a commitment to the principle that, in a democratic nation, crimes against humanity have no place.”
Investigators reportedly obtained extensive evidence, including video footage and recordings of Hasina’s phone calls.
Prosecutors said that Hasina instructed security forces to suppress protesters by any means necessary, including ordering helicopter gunfire and directing the targeted killing of student protester Abu Sayeed—actions they argue constitute crimes against humanity.
The ICT launched its first trial related to Hasina’s government on 25 May. In that case, eight police officers stand accused of crimes against humanity over the deaths of six protesters on 5 August—the day Hasina fled Bangladesh. Four of the officers are in custody, while the remaining four are being tried in absentia.
Jamaat-i-Islami’s registration restored
In a separate development, Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on Sunday reinstated the registration of Jamaat-i-Islami, allowing it to contest future elections.
The court overturned a 2013 High Court ruling, initiated under Hasina’s government, which had banned the party. “The Election Commission has been instructed to address the party’s registration in accordance with the law,” said commission lawyer Towhidul Islam.
The party’s counsel, Shishir Monir, stated that the decision paves the way for a “democratic, inclusive and multi-party system.” Hasina had previously outlawed Jamaat-i-Islami and imprisoned many of its leaders.
The Awami League itself was banned in May by the interim government, pending the outcomes of trials against Hasina and other key figures.
![NEW YORK: Pakistan's former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, leading Pakistan’s high-level parliamentary delegation, on Tuesday warned that India's aggressive actions pose a serious threat to peace in South Asia and urged the international community to take note of India's aggressive conduct. Bilawal was addressing a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York on recent regional developments after the military conflict between India and Pakistan. The Pakistani delegation is in New York to present Pakistan’s stance on the military escalation with India and to challenge New Delhi’s narrative at the global level. The visit is part of Pakistan’s sustained diplomatic outreach to brief key UN stakeholders on the alarming regional situation. The Pakistani delegation is also scheduled to arrive in Washington today, where it plans to engage with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, other senior officials, lawmakers, and think tanks till June 6. The team will also visit London and Brussels. Speaking at the press conference, Bilawal said that he wanted to use the opportunity to share Pakistan’s perspective on the recent military conflict with India in the wake of the Pahalgam attack and the way forward. Bilawal said that the “illegal strikes” launched by India as part of its ‘Operation Sindoor’ were “in violation of the UN Charter, international law”. He said the attacks had targeted civilian infrastructure, places of worship, energy infrastructure and innocent women and children. He said India had used the April 22 terrorist attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s (IIOJK) Pahalgam as a pretext to launch the attack inside Pakistan. Following the Pahalgam incident, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered publicly to India that Pakistan was ready to be part of any impartial international investigation into this attack. “We did so because we were confident, our hands were clean and we had nothing to do with this terrorist attack. “We expressed our sympathy with the victims of terrorism and Pakistan has consistently and unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” he said, adding that PM Sharif had immediately expressed Pakistan’s willingness to India and the global community to be part of any impartial international investigation. “Indian government refused Pakistan's offer and chose instead to conduct their illegal strikes. Pakistan only then acted in self-defence, we never initiated any violence against India,” Bilawal said. Bilawal emphasised that Pakistan never initiated hostilities against India but responded to Indian aggression by downing six Indian fighter jets. "The Pakistani military had responded with precision the night of the first Indian attack and only targeted and downed six planes because we believed those were the ones to release their load on Pakistan”. He stated that US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio played a vital role in achieving a ceasefire during heightened tensions between the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours. “We’ve seen during the course of this conflict how quickly the escalation ladder between our two countries rose and the concern is that the next time there is such an incident, there may not be time for the international community to intervene before things get a lot worse. That is why it is absolutely important for Pakistan and the international community to continue to pursue dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable path to peace.” He said Pakistan’s position was to hold a “comprehensive dialogue” with India that would include the issue of terrorism as well. The head of the Pakistani delegation said that no civilized nation can support the use of water as a weapon and urged the international community to play its part, questioning, "What would be the global reaction if someone’s lifeline was cut off?" He stressed that Pakistan has paid a heavy price in the fight against terrorism and has suffered the most. “The single largest number of terrorist attacks that take place in any one country is Pakistan. The single largest number of victims of terrorism is Pakistan. I myself have suffered at the hands of terrorists. My mother [Benazir Bhutto] was assassinated by the terrorists.” Bilawal also criticised India for targeting water reservoirs and civilian areas, including mosques, during its attacks. Calling negotiations the only path to peace, Bilawal reiterated that the unresolved Kashmir dispute remains the root cause of regional instability. He urged the global community to take notice of India’s aggressive conduct.](https://wenewsenglish.com/storage/2025/06/Bilawal-Bhutto-Zardari-300x180.jpg)
