Dhaka [Bangladesh], June 13: In a major political development, Bangladesh’s interim government Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus is set to hold a high-stakes meeting with BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman in London. The two-hour meeting, scheduled for 9 a.m. local time at a hotel, aims to resolve the deepening political crisis ahead of the upcoming national election expected in April next year.
The meeting comes at a critical time, with tensions escalating between the BNP and the interim government over the election timeline. While Chief Adviser Yunus recently announced that national elections would be held in the first half of April, the BNP insists the polls must take place by December this year. The stance is backed by Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman, who also advocates for a December election.
Yunus has defended the proposed timeline, stating that the interim government needs time to implement institutional reforms and pursue legal action against Awami League leaders, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. On the other hand, BNP argues that an April election would severely hamper campaign efforts due to the holy month of Ramadan beginning mid-February, impacting the Muslim-majority population of over 170 million.
The London meeting is being viewed as a potential turning point in Bangladesh’s political landscape. Tarique Rahman, who has been in self-imposed exile in London for 16 years, is now expected to return to Bangladesh soon. His party, the BNP, is currently the largest political force in the country after the Awami League was banned from contesting elections.
Yunus is on a four-day official visit to the UK. However, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer declined a meeting with him following concerns raised by the banned Awami League.
Sheikh Hasina, ousted in a student-led uprising in August last year, is currently living in exile in India. Her downfall led to the formation of the interim government under Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.