No discussion on banning Jatiyo Party: Fakhrul after meeting with CA
Fakhrul also dismissed the Jamaat-e-Islami’s allegation that the timing of the polls was decided in a meeting with a political leader in London.
Highlights
- No talks on banning Jatiyo Party
- CA's London meeting defended as his prerogative
- BNP expects polls in February per CA's assurance
- BNP condemns attack on Nurul Haque Nur, seeks probe
There was no discussion held about the banning of Jatiyo Party during the talks with the chief adviser, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said today (31 August)
"No discussion was held on banning the Jatiyo Party," he told journalists after meeting with the Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus at his official residence, Jamuna.
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Fakhrul also refuted the Jamaat-e-Islami's allegation that the timing of the polls was decided in a meeting with a political leader in London.
"The chief adviser met with the head of a major political party in London — he has every right to do so. It is entirely his prerogative to meet with any party leader," he said.
The BNP leader further said, "The chief adviser has assured that the national parliamentary election will be held in the first half of February. We hope that the election will be held as per the announcement."
Regarding the attack on Gono Odhikar Parishad President Nurul Haque Nur, Fakhrul said, "We have told the chief adviser that this is a highly reprehensible and concerning act. It needs a thorough investigation."
"A certain group is carrying out such acts to delay the election," he alleged.
Earlier at 7pm, the chief adviser held a meeting with the BNP delegation, led by Fakhrul, at his official residence, as part of a series of separate discussions with major political parties on the upcoming national election and the current political situation in the country.
The team include Standing Committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Salahuddin Ahmed, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, and Dr AZM Zahid Hossain.
Yesterday, BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said the dialogue will likely focus on the election atmosphere and the evolving national scenario.
The meeting with BNP comes amid heightened political tensions and just a day after the interim government condemned an attack on Gono Odhikar Parishad leader Nurul Haque Nur.
Earlier in the day, Yunus also met Jamaat-e-Islami at 4:30pm and the National Citizen Party (NCP) at 6:30pm to seek consensus on reforms, the election schedule and the July Charter.
In a statement issued yesterday, the interim government reaffirmed its "solemn commitment" to hold the national elections within the announced timeframe. However, political parties remain divided over whether reforms should be implemented before or after the polls.
While BNP has welcomed the election roadmap, insisting reforms be carried out by an elected government, Jamaat and the NCP have expressed doubts about whether the July Charter would be implemented after the elections.
