During the second round of talks with the National Consensus Commission, BNP’s Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed spoke in detail about justice, reform, and the upcoming national election. He urged the commission to present a clear roadmap to hold elections by December without delay.
The meeting was held on Monday at 5pm at the Foreign Service Academy, chaired by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, who also serves as the head of the Commission. It ended at around 6:45pm. Over 30 parties, including BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and the National Citizen Party, were invited.
BNP’s three-member delegation, led by Salahuddin Ahmed, expressed disappointment with the pace of the Commission’s work, saying: “We are not satisfied with the progress. BNP has been a leading voice for reforms. If you hadn’t taken charge, we would have been obligated to act once fascism fell.”
He mentioned BNP’s 31-point reform proposal and said the Commission’s suggestions largely align with theirs, though the Commission proposed even broader reforms.
BNP had previously submitted a written response but did not fully agree with the Commission’s summary, citing confusion and misrepresentation. Salahuddin suggested that agreements and disagreements should have been clearly compiled and shared.
He stated: “We didn’t come here to praise anyone—we came for meaningful dialogue. There is no valid reason to delay elections beyond December. We’ve explained our position many times. Some forces, both domestic and international, are trying to create instability and delay the election. Just because a neighboring country isn’t keen on an election now doesn’t mean we should wait indefinitely. That country says it wants an inclusive election, but exclusion has already happened. When Europe or the US calls for elections, no one objects.”