Regarding the ban on Jatiyo Party, Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said, “Different parties gave different opinions about the Jatiyo Party. The chief adviser has listened to them.”
Chief Adviser of the interim government Prof Muhammad Yunus addresses the members of the National Defence Course and Armed Forces War Course of the National Defence College during an event at his office in Tejgaon, Dhaka on Sunday, 3 November, 2024. Photo: PID
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Chief Adviser of the interim government Prof Muhammad Yunus addresses the members of the National Defence Course and Armed Forces War Course of the National Defence College during an event at his office in Tejgaon, Dhaka on Sunday, 3 November, 2024. Photo: PID
There is no alternative to holding the national elections in the stipulated timeframe, which is the first half of February, said Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam, quoting Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus.
“If anyone contemplates otherwise, it will pose a grave danger to the nation,” Shafiqul said as the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing briefed the media this evening (31 August), following separate meetings with the BNP, Jamaat and NCP.
Regarding political parties seeking a ban on the Jatiyo Party, the press secretary said, “Different parties gave different opinions about the Jatiyo Party. The chief adviser has listened to them.”
He also said Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has urged political parties to cooperate so that no one can create unrest or conspiracies during the Durga Puja celebrations in late September.
The press secretary mentioned that the chief adviser met with National Consensus Commission Vice-Chairman Ali Riaz and discussed the progress of the July Charter and its implementation.
Earlier, Yunus held separate meetings with the leaders of BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and National Citizen Party (NCP) where they discussed the country’s overall current situation and the upcoming national election, scheduled to take place in February next year.
In between the talks, National Consensus Commission Vice Chair Prof Ali Riaz Special Assistant (Consensus Building) to the Chief Adviser Monir Haider met Yunus and updated him about the July Charter and views of the political parties, said the press secretary.
Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder and Assistant Press Secretary Sushmita Tithi.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir led the BNP delegation at the meeting held at the state guesthouse Jamuna in the evening.
Senior BNP leaders Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Salahuddin Ahmed, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, AZM Zahid Hossain and Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku accompanied the BNP secretary general in the meeting.
Advisers Wahiduddin Mahmud, Asif Nazrul and Adilur Rahman Khan were also present.
Before meeting the BNP leaders, the chief adviser held meetings with the leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami and NCP.
The four-member delegation of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami was led by its Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher. Its other members were Jamaat Secretary General Prof Mia Golam Porwar, and Assistant Secretaries General Rafiqul Islam Khan and Hamidur Rahman Azad.
NCP’s senior joint convener Ariful Islam Adeeb, first senior joint member secretary Dr Tasnim Jara, Hasnat Abdullah and Abdul Hannan Masud joined the meeting with the Chief Adviser.
Both Jamaat and NCP leaders urged the Chief Adviser to ban the activities of Jatiya Party, tagging its connection with Bangladesh Awami League.
The interim government yesterday reaffirmed in its strongest terms that the national election will be held on time, in the first half of February 2026.
“This is the solemn commitment of the interim government to the people of Bangladesh. All conspiracies, obstructions, or attempts to delay or derail the election will be firmly resisted by the interim government and our democracy-loving patriotic people,” said the government in a statement.
The government said the will of people shall prevail and no evil force will be allowed to undermine the ‘march to democracy’.
The interim government called for unity among all political and social forces that took part in the July Uprising. “This unity is essential to protect the gains of our struggle, to resist all conspiracies against the people’s mandate, and to ensure our successful transition to democracy,” it said.