Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has officially responded to the recent meeting between Tareque Rahman, Acting Chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), and Professor Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser of the Interim Government, which took place in London on Friday.
In a written statement issued after the party’s Central Executive Council meeting, presided over by Jamaat-e-Islami’s Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, the party expressed concern that the Chief Adviser’s actions suggest a "special inclination toward a particular party." The statement did not directly mention the BNP by name.
Jamaat-e-Islami noted that Professor Yunus had previously announced in a national address on June 6 that the next parliamentary elections were scheduled for the first half of April 2026.
The party criticized his decision to hold a meeting with one political party abroad and to issue a joint statement and joint briefing regarding the election timeline.
The statement read, "We believe this is a departure from the political culture of Bangladesh and reflects a special favor toward a particular party, which compromises his neutrality. It would have been more appropriate for the Chief Adviser to return to the country and engage in discussions with other political parties before expressing his views on such critical matters."
Jamaat-e-Islami further argued that issuing a joint statement with a single political party has raised public concerns about the fairness and credibility of the upcoming election.
The party also questioned the rationale of making significant national decisions after discussions with only one party, despite the existence of many active political parties in the country.
The highly discussed meeting between Professor Yunus and Tareque Rahman was held on Friday, June 13, at The Dorchester Hotel in London at 9:10 AM local time.
Following the meeting, a joint statement and press briefing announced that if sufficient progress is made regarding reforms and justice, the next national parliamentary election in Bangladesh could potentially be held by February 2026, before the start of Ramadan.
