In domestic developments, leaders of important political parties on March 16 demanded that the caretaker government immediately withdraw the state of emergency and declare the schedule of general elections1.

The visiting head of UNDP, Kemal Dervis met the Chief of Army Staff Gen. Moeen U. Ahmed and pledged the UNDP’s budgetary and food assistance to Bangladesh to help the people hit hard by sky rocketing food prices2. The World Bank (WB) Managing Director Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala also made a four-day visit to Bangladesh in order to get a better understanding of the key challenges facing the country and ways to deal with them3.

In other developments, the Pakistani High Commissioner in Dhaka Alamgir Babar emphasised the need for increased bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Pakistan while three Indian Navy ships INS Ranjit, INS Khanjar and INS Vinash arrived in Chittagong on a three-day goodwill visit4.

• 1. “Lift emergency, declare poll date: Politicians demand at roundtable,” The Daily Star, March 17, 2008, at http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=28098
• 2. “UN pledges food aid for Bangladesh,” The Daily Star, March 17, 2008, at http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=28095
• 3. “WB MD in Dhaka to talk key challenges,” The Daily Star, March 17, 2008, at http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=28102
• 4. “Pak envoy stresses need for increased trade with Bangladesh,” The Daily Star, March 18, 2008, at http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=28216