'Historic' Yunus-Tarique meeting ends after nearly 1.5 hours of discussions on polls, other crucial issues

The much-hyped meeting between Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus and BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman ended after nearly one and a half hours of discussions on various crucial issues ahead of the general election in Bangladesh.

The meeting began at the Dorchester Hotel in London at 2pm, Bangladesh time, on Friday and continued till 3:30 pm (BST), said BNP media cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan, reports UNB.

Earlier in the day, the BNP Media Cell in a post on Facebook dubbed the meeting between Yunus and Tarique "historic".

Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam and BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury are likely to brief reporters about the outcome of the meeting.

Earlier, National Security Adviser Dr Khalilur Rahman and CA's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam received Tarique Rahman upon his arrival at the hotel around 1:50pm.

BNP media cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan said Tarique, accompanied by BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and International Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir, left his London residence around 1pm for the meeting venue.

Several days ago, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said it would be a major turning point in the prevailing political situation.

BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed told The Business Standard yesterday (12 June) that this is definitely going to be an important meeting.

He said that this was definitely a significant meeting, because this meeting is coming at a time when there is a lot of political tension in Bangladesh over the timing of the national elections. The meeting may have some good discussions on the future democratic process of the country.

According to political observers, the election roadmap will be of utmost importance in today's meeting. Many questions about when, how, and through what process the next national election will be held may be answered in this meeting.

The timeline for the next national election, trial of the July Uprising massacre, state reforms, and the July Charter are among the agenda. But the polls timeline has become the biggest bone of contention.

BNP and several other parties have long been demanding that the election be held in December this year. They have also demanded a specific roadmap from the CA to ensure polls in December.

The CA, however, in an address to the nation on Eid-ul-Adha on 6 June, said the election will be held any day in the first half of April 2025.

BNP and other parties took no time to reject the timeline. Citing some reasons, such as Ramadan, heatwave, and public exams, they have said national election is not possible in April. They also fear that the April timeline is a tactic to delay the polls.

Jamaat-e-Islami and National Citizen Party, formed by the student leaders who spearheaded the July Uprising, have supported the April timeline for the election.

All eyes now on Yunus-Tarique talks amid strained BNP-govt ties

CA Yunus has repeatedly said that there is no way to deviate from the original election timeline by June 2026. But this could not minimise the growing uncertainty and discord among political parties over the election date.

Meanwhile, of the reform initiatives, several major issues such as curbing the power of the prime minister and the modality of the second chamber of parliament remain unresolved. The July Charter has yet to be finalised as well.

Amid such a situation, Tarique, who now leads the largest political party in Bangladesh, held a meeting with CA Yunus to discuss how to break the deadlock carries much significance.

Media reports say, at the meeting, Tarique will clarify his party's position, why it wants polls in December, and why it opposes polls in April.

To overcome the deadlock, Tarique may propose to hold the election before Ramadan, which is likely to begin mid-February.