Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus left Dhaka early today (22 September) for New York to attend the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), accompanied by five leaders from the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party (NCP).
The decision to include leaders from parties that remain divided over the July National Charter for reforms has drawn attention in political circles.
The political leaders accompanying the CA are BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, BNP’s acting chairman’s foreign affairs adviser Humayun Kabir, Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher, NCP Member-Secretary Akhter Hossen and NCP Senior Joint Member Secretary Tasnim Jara. Jamaat leader Mohammad Nakibur Rahman is expected to join the team in the United States.
The BNP, Jamaat and NCP have yet to reach a consensus on the charter and other issues in the ongoing National Consensus Commission talks.
According to the Chief Adviser’s press wing, the move carries symbolic weight ahead of the upcoming national election.
Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain said last week that politicians had been included because “politicians will run the country in the future…We are moving towards a transitional phase. Therefore, the involvement of politicians is crucial.”
On 17 September, the Consensus Commission suspended discussions until October after parties failed to agree on the implementation of the charter.
Jamaat accepted proposals from legal experts, the BNP withheld its position, while the NCP said it needed more time.
Commission Vice Chairman Professor Ali Riaz said the pause was meant to allow parties space to build mutual understanding.
In this context, the presence of opposition political leaders in the UNGA delegation is being seen as a gesture of political inclusion.
During his visit, the chief adviser is expected to hold bilateral meetings with heads of government from various countries, with the possibility of the accompanying politicians joining these meetings.
He is also scheduled to meet members of the Bangladeshi diaspora in the United States.