NN Online:
Amid escalating political tensions, all eyes are now on Jamuna, the official residence of Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, as key political players prepare for crucial meetings on Saturday.
Prof Yunus is set to hold separate discussions with delegations from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami in a bid to ease the growing unrest and address political concerns, his press secretary Shafiqul Alam confirmed. The meetings follow an unscheduled session of the Council of Advisers, which took place after the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) meeting.
A senior BNP standing committee member said their meeting is likely to take place around 7pm, adding that the party was invited to discuss the latest political situation. The Chief Adviser is expected to meet Jamaat-e-Islami shortly afterward.
The BNP leader noted that their participation aims to defuse tensions and dispel misunderstandings with the interim administration. He stressed that BNP does not seek the Chief Adviser’s resignation, warning that such a move could deepen the crisis. Instead, the party will urge Yunus to expedite reforms and present a clear roadmap for elections to be held within the year.
BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed earlier told a private TV channel that the party had been requesting a meeting with the Chief Adviser since Monday, but no time had been confirmed until Friday night.
He clarified that BNP’s demands focused on the resignation of certain controversial advisers, not the Chief Adviser himself. “If he chooses to resign instead of giving a roadmap, that would be his own decision,” he said.
On Thursday, BNP issued a stern warning, saying it may reconsider its cooperation with the interim government if an election roadmap by December is not immediately announced. At a press conference, senior leader Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain also called for the removal of advisers alleged to have political affiliations, including the National Security Adviser, to preserve the government’s neutrality.
Meanwhile, speculation is swirling around Prof Yunus’s future, with media reports suggesting he is contemplating resignation amid mounting political pressure and remarks made by the Army Chief during a recent address to officers.
