Polls, political situation on agenda as CA to sit with BNP, Jamaat, NCP today
When asked about the meeting agenda, a BNP source told The Business Standard that they have learned that discussions would focus on the current political situation, the national elections, and the July Charter
Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus is set to hold separate meetings with the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and the National Citizen Party (NCP) between afternoon and evening today (31 August) to discuss the national elections and the prevailing political situation, as tensions grow over reforms, polls date and the implementation of the July Charter.
The meetings will be held at his official Jamuna residence, with Jamaat at 4:30pm, with NCP at 6:30pm, and with BNP at 7pm, according to the CA's Press Wing.
In the meeting, the BNP delegation will be led by Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, and will include senior leaders from the party's Standing Committee, according to BNP Media Cell member Shairul Kabir Khan.
When asked about the meeting agenda, a BNP source told The Business Standard that they have learned that discussions would focus on the current political situation, the national elections, and the July Charter.
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Besides, BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed told the media yesterday that the discussion is likely to cover the current political developments, the election atmosphere, and the evolving national situation.
In a media statement issued yesterday, Jamaat-e-Islami announced that it will send a four-member delegation led by its Nayeb-e-Amir Syed Abdullah Md Taher. The delegation also includes Secretary General Prof Mia Golam Parwar and Assistant Secretary Generals Maolana Rafiqul Islam Khan and Hamidur Rahman Azad.
The NCP, in a press release issued today, said its delegation will include Chief Organiser Hasnat Abdullah, Senior Joint Convener Ariful Islam Adib, Senior Joint Member Secretary Tasnim Jara, and Senior Joint Chief Coordinator Abdul Hannan Masud.
The meetings come at a time when political parties remain at odds over the timeline for elections and state reforms. The situation escalated after the Election Commission recently unveiled its election roadmap, declaring that national polls will be held in the first half of February next year.
The meetings were announced a day after a clash between the supporters of Jatiyo Party and Gono Odhikar Parisahd activists in Kakrail. A large deployment of police and army personnel later arrived to restore order. A video widely shared on social media shows the joint force using batons to disperse Gono Odhikar men, who were seen standing behind a dais on the street where they wanted to brief the media. This was when Nurul Haque Nur, among others, suffered injuries.
Yesterday, the government condemned the attack on Nur in a statement. At a press briefing, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said Muhammad Yunus will meet the leaders of BNP, Jamaat and NCP today separately to discuss the current situation and the upcoming national election.
In the evening, tensions escalated as the Jatiyo Party's Kakrail office was attacked allegedly by activists of Gono Odhikar Parishad in retaliation for an attack on their leaders the previous day.
In a statement issued yesterday, the interim government reaffirmed its "solemn commitment" to the people of Bangladesh to hold the elections in the said timeframe.
However, major political parties have yet to reach a consensus on the sequencing of reforms and elections. While the BNP has welcomed the proposed election timeline and insists that reforms should be undertaken by an elected government, Jamaat and the NCP have expressed skepticism about whether reforms and the July Charter will be implemented after the polls.
