Seven years ago, the Dhaka Lit Fest took place under the shadow of Bangladesh’s worst terrorist attack. On 1 July 2016, five gunmen stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery, a café popular with expats and middle-class Bangladeshis, in Dhaka’s Gulshan neighbourhood. In the twelve-hour standoff, twenty-two people were killed, many of whom were foreigners, who were targeted for being unbelievers.

The bakery attack, carried out by Islamic militants, stunned the country, and reminded many of the death squads of the Pakistani occupation. It marked a dark turn in the country’s recent history which, since 2013, had seen a spate of killings of minorities, expatriates, free-speech champions and LGBTIQ activists. Foreigners quietly began leaving the country and locals ventured out less and less.

• Tags: Abu Sayeed Asiful Islam, Bangla, Dhaka Lit Fest, Issue 28, Sadaf Saaz