BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman is scheduled to hold talks with Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Thursday evening, in what will be their first formal meeting since Rahman’s return to Bangladesh after nearly two decades in exile.
A senior BNP Standing Committee member and a source at the Chief Adviser’s Office confirmed that the meeting will take place at Jamuna, the official residence of the Chief Adviser. Rahman is expected to be accompanied by several senior BNP leaders, with discussions likely to focus on the overall election environment and related political issues.
The meeting will mark the second formal engagement between the two leaders. Their first one-to-one discussion took place in London on 13 June last year, when Rahman was serving as the BNP’s acting chairman. That meeting, held at the Dorchester Hotel, concluded with a joint statement issued by both sides.
After spending 17 years in exile in the United Kingdom, Rahman returned to Bangladesh on December 25. Upon his arrival at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, he spoke with Yunus by phone from the VIP lounge, expressing gratitude for the interim government’s measures to ensure the security of him and his family.
The two leaders were seen briefly together again on December 31 during the namaz-e-janaza of BNP Chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia on the Parliament premises. However, Thursday’s engagement will be their first structured talks since Rahman’s return.
Khaleda Zia passed away on December 30, marking a significant moment in the country’s political landscape and within the BNP leadership.
According to the schedule announced by the Election Commission, the 13th National Parliamentary Election is set to be held on February 12. A referendum on state reforms and the implementation of the July National Charter will also take place on the same day.
