CA shares outcome of London meet

Staff Reporter :

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus met with all advisers of the interim government at his official residence, Jamuna, on Sunday afternoon, where he briefed them on his recent high-level discussions with BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman in London.

The private meeting, which commenced around 4 p.m., was confirmed by multiple advisers and officials from the Chief Adviser’s Office. Senior Assistant Press Secretary Foyez Ahmmad said the gathering also served as an opportunity to exchange post-Eid greetings and to reflect on the chief adviser’s UK visit.

“As far as I know, our chief adviser briefed the advisers on his recent visit to the UK and the key takeaways from his meeting with Tarique Rahman,” Foyez told reporters.

Professor Yunus met with the BNP’s exiled acting chief on Friday, 13 June, for a 90-minute closed-door meeting in London.

According to sources familiar with the conversation, the two leaders reached a preliminary understanding that the next general election could be held in the second week of February 2026-just ahead of Ramadan-subject to the completion of essential institutional and administrative preparations.

A joint statement released following the meeting described the talks as a “breakthrough”, offering hope for easing the country’s prolonged political impasse and fostering renewed cooperation between the interim administration and the BNP, Bangladesh’s largest political party.

The encouraging tone was echoed by Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan during a media briefing at the Secretariat on Sunday, the first working day after the Eid holidays.

“The political atmosphere now appears more promising following the London meeting,” she said. “Each political party will naturally present its perspective. If there is anything more to be discussed, I believe they will communicate it to the chief adviser.”

Asked whether the meeting represented a thaw in tensions between the BNP and the government, she replied, “I don’t believe there was ever a conflict in that sense. Politics, elections, democracy, and reforms must all move forward through dialogue.

That’s why I consider this ongoing dialogue to be a very positive step.”
Saturday’s meeting at Jamuna marked the first full cabinet-level session of the interim government since the Eid holidays. The administration now looks ahead to the next round of deliberations under the National Consensus Commission, scheduled to begin on 17 June.

While the final election schedule will depend on further consultations and institutional readiness, the Yunus-Tarique discussions appear to have laid the foundation for a growing consensus – potentially shaping Bangladesh’s path towards its next general election.