Bangladesh and India are preparing for a high-level Foreign Secretary meeting in Dhaka next month, with discussions likely to cover a range of bilateral issues, including the potential extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is currently in India. At the Foreign Ministry's weekly briefing on Thursday, Director General of the Public Diplomacy Wing Toufique Hasan confirmed that an inter-ministerial meeting has already taken place to coordinate preparations for the upcoming talks. The Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) is scheduled to be held early December in Dhaka.

"We will engage with Delhi and begin the formal process (of extraditing Hasina) in accordance with the existing extradition treaty once we receive the necessary instructions," he clarified in response to queries. Meanwhile reviews of existing agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) between the two countries, Hasan noted, is currently underway at various ministries in Bangladesh. The FOC will be led by Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Md. Jashim Uddin and Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.

Three High Court judges - Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury, Justice Quazi Reza-Ul-Hoque and Justice AKM Zahirul Hoque - who remained barred from judicial duties for five years in the wake of inquiries into allegations against them, resigned. Justice Salma was appointed to the High Court Division in 2002, during the BNP-led alliance government's tenure, while Quazi Reza-Ul and Zahirul were made HC judges in 2010, under the Awami League government. A gazette notification, signed by Law Secretary Sheikh Abu Taher, was issued in this regard this week.

The president accepted their resignation letters, the notification added. However, neither the government nor the Supreme Court provided any information on the allegations against the judges, or the current status of the inquiries. However the Supreme Judicial Council, revived and led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed to handle impeachment allegations against judges, earlier this month had called for the three justices to appear before it. In August 2019, then-chief justice Syed Mahmud Hossain had asked the trio to refrain from judicial activities.

The Sultanate of Brunei has offered to export 12-18 LNG (liquefied natural gas) cargoes to Bangladesh under a long term contract of 10 years, with an option to extend the deal for a further five years. According to our sister newsagency UNB, the Brunei Energy Services and Trading (BEST) Sdn Bhd, sent the offer to state-owned Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Limited (RPGCL). Each cargo size under the proposal would be approximately between 3,100,000 and 3,200,000 MMBtu (Million British Thermal Unit, a unit used to measure LNG), with the price quoted at JKM+0.87 USD per MMBtu.

JKM stands for Japan Korea Marker, an index that measures the price of LNG delivered to Japan, South Korea, China, and Taiwan, and is accepted as the Asian standard. Official sources at Petrobangla said that the idea of importing LNG from the energy-rich Southeast Asian nation is not new, as Bangladesh had received an offer from the country in 2018 as well.

Former Secretary AMM Md Nasir Uddin was appointed as Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), as the head of a 5-member Election Commission. The four other election commissioners are former Additional Secretary Md Anwarul Islam Sarker, former District and Sessions Judge Abdur Rahman Masud, former Joint Secretary Begum Tahmida Ahmad and Brigadier General (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah. President Mohammed Shahabuddin has appointed them following section 118 (1) of the Constitution.

Two separate notifications, signed by Cabinet Secretary Dr Sheikh Abdur Rashid were issued in this regard on Thursday. On October 29, the interim government formed a six-member search committee to recommend names for the new CEC and other commissioners. Nasir was formerly information as well as energy secretary, and a member of the Planning Commission. The BNP and several other parties had proposed Nasir and another former secretary, Shafiqul Islam, as the CEC to the search committee.