The long awaited ‘tête-à-tête meeting’ between Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and BNP‘s acting chairman Tarique Rahman has started at Dorchester Hotel in London on Friday morning.
The meeting is the first face-to-face encounter between Dr Yunus and Tarique Rahman amid heightened tension between interim government and BNP relating to clear election roadmap alongside issues relating to multisectoral national reforms in Bangladesh.
Both BNP and government sources confirmed its high importance, particularly in light of unresolved issues such as election timing and structural reforms. It is likely that senior BNP leader Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury who has flown to London from Dhaka and other party figures currently in the UK may also attend.
Shafiqul Alam, Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser, said in a video message: There will be a one-on-one(tête-à-tête) meeting. If the leaders decide others should join, that will be mutually agreed upon.
Party insiders say BNP has briefed Tarique Rahman on key positions to convey, with the timing of the upcoming general election being central. In his recent Eid address to the nation, Yunus proposed holding elections in early April 2026. BNP intends to request reconsideration of this timeline, potentially showing flexibility by stepping back from its December demand in exchange for a mid-February poll date before Ramadan.
However, if the interim government remains firm on April, compromise may prove difficult. Two other issues expected to come up include BNP’s longstanding objection to three ‘controversial’ advisers within the current administration and their demand for removal. BNP also wants removal of beneficiaries of the former Awami League from the administration.
While reform is another likely discussion point, BNP officials say Tarique Rahman will not raise it unprompted, as the party has already conveyed its position to the National Consensus Commission.
“There is no fixed agenda,” Shafiqul Alam reiterated. “Any current national issue may be discussed, from the upcoming election and the July Charter to the overall political situation.”
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has described the meeting as the “biggest political event” of the current phase, suggesting it could open “an entirely new horizon” in Bangladesh’s political landscape.