Silences within silences: excavating the hidden history of Bengalis interned in Pakistan after 1971

By Irfan Chowdhury / Sapan News Citizens to Traitors: Bengali Internment in Pakistan 1971-1974By Ilyas Chattha; Cambridge University Press, 2025 Growing up in the 1980s in Bangladesh, I had heard many stories of the 1971 war. I knew about the Bengalis working, for example, in the civil service of Pakistan, like my uncle who was stranded with… Read More Silences within silences: excavating the hidden history of Bengalis interned in Pakistan after 1971

The puppet-masters behind the Bangladesh genocide of 1971: Interview with Ramesh Sharma

Earlier this year, Bangladesh asked Pakistan for a formal apology for the 1971 war crimes. But responsibility for the massacre of civilians does not rest with Pakistan alone. Ramesh Sharma’s latest documentary ‘Chronicles of the Forgotten Genocide’ looks at the role of the US in the violence that accompanied the birth of Bangladesh. The Emmy-nominated filmmaker… Read More The puppet-masters behind the Bangladesh genocide of 1971: Interview with Ramesh Sharma

Mainstream, Dec 6, 2025

++++++Readers outside of India can donate hereto support Mainstream Weeklyhttps://tinyurl.com/2rsy4ss6++++++ In this issue DOCUMENTS: BOOKS IMAGE & SOUND Editor’s Picks: Books of Note

Nepal, France, America: democracy seems overtaken once more

There is one recurring theme: Young people feel robbed of their future Pratap Bhanu Mehta NB: A timely and typically thought-provoking essay by this scholar. I add some observations below 1/ The crisis of the 1960s and 1970s culminated in the Trilateral Commission’s 1975 report on The Crisis of Democracy, authored by Samuel Huntington et… Read More Nepal, France, America: democracy seems overtaken once more

The Minister’s Millions: Crime and politics in Bangladesh

The Minister’s Millions I Al Jazeera Investigations Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit goes on the trail of The Minister’s Millions to find out how he built a half-billion-dollar property empire – on a thirteen-thousand-dollar salary. Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, a close ally of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, bought hundreds of luxury properties in London, Dubai, and New… Read More The Minister’s Millions: Crime and politics in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, the Government Agenda is Taking an Alarming New Direction

Bharat Bhushan The political dynamics are moving into uncharted territory in Bangladesh as the agenda of the leaders of the student movement becomes clearer. It seems to be shifting towards an accommodation of Islamic ideology within the structure of the state. In a strategically significant move, the political guru of the students’ movement, Mahfuz Alam, a 26-year-old… Read More In Bangladesh, the Government Agenda is Taking an Alarming New Direction