The borders of present-day Bangladesh were established with the partition of Bengal and India in 1947, when the region became the eastern wing of the newly-formed Pakistan.
|There has been widespread agitation in Bangladesh after the caretaker government took over [EPA]
However, political and linguistic discrimination as well as economic neglect led to popular agitations against West Pakistan, which led to the war for independence in 1971 and the establishment of Bangladesh.
Following years of disasters, ranging from floods to coups, democracy was restored to the country in 1991.
That has been short lived; a victim of incredible political instability, the country has been under a state of emergency since the interim government took charge in January last year, cancelling a controversial election due that month.
The leaders of the two main parties are currently facing corruption charges and more than 500,000 people are in jail on similar charges. Many claim the caretaker government is undemocratic and is violating human rights.
On the next Riz Khan show, we take an in-depth look at the current political situation in Bangladesh with two leading experts on the current situation and the way forward.
This episode of Riz Khan airs on Monday, June 23, 2008
You can watch Riz live at 1900GMT, with repeats at 0030GMT, 0500GMT and 1000GMT
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Source: Al Jazeera