Seeking a good unity for the sake of the nation, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Sunday said a master plan is there globally and in every place and institution of the country to thwart and render this government ineffective. One of their major ill-efforts is to create division among them, he said in a 30-minute televised speech to the nation marking the 100 days in power. “The leaders of the fallen government, who have laundered a huge amount of money from this country, are trying to return to the country getting stronger with the laundered money. Do not let them succeed at all,” said the chief adviser. Desired elections on completion of necessary reforms: Dr Yunus   Prof Yunus said their (who are hatching conspiracies) success means the death of the nation and end as a nation. “Be careful. We need to defeat all their evil efforts through unity - the way you thwarted their gunshots, their ‘Ayna Ghar’ (mirror house), stay agreed on this and be united.” Prof Yunus said the minorities were subjected to violence in some cases but it was ‘completely exaggerated’. “When we took over the charge, Bangladesh was a completely unguarded country. At that time, there was an attempt to spread unnecessary panic among religious minorities,” he said. The chief adviser said the main reason for the few incidents of violence that occurred was political. We’ll seek repatriation of dictator Sheikh Hasina: Prof Yunus Prof Yunus said there was an attempt to destabilise Bangladesh afresh by giving a religious cover to these incidents. “With the cooperation of all of you, we have firmly handled this situation.” Within two months of taking the charge, the Durga Puja was celebrated in about 32,000 puja mandaps in the country, said the chief adviser.  An additional day of holiday was declared with the executive order on the occasion of Durga Puja. “We had taken extensive security preparations during Durga Puja and the Hindu community of the country celebrated their festival without any interruptions,” said the chief adviser. He said they are investigating every incident in the few cases where they have been subjected to violence since they took over the charge. Reforms aimed at ensuring ‘free, fair’ elections: Dr Yunus tells UK Minister Dr Yunus said they have tried their best to ensure that not only the Hindu community, but any person in the country is not subjected to any kind of violence. “And we will always keep trying.”

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Sunday conveyed to UK Minister for the Indo-Pacific Catherine West that the reform initiatives are aimed at ensuring “free and fair" elections in the country and to break away from the "rampant vote rigging" practiced by the previous regime. During the meeting at the State Guest House Jamuna in Dhaka, Prof Yunus described his government's reform initiatives to fix the country's key institutions and the election commission. Minister West backed the reforms, saying Britain would like to see vibrant debates on the key aspects of electoral, judiciary and constitutional reforms. "Debates are very important." Dhaka seeks stronger cooperation with London for tracing, return of "stolen" wealth She said her government would extend “full support” to Bangladesh, including in its efforts to bring back billions of dollars of laundered money, according to the Chief Adviser's press wing. "It is important to let you know that you've got our support," Catherine West said. The British minister said the United Kingdom would also extend its support to Dhaka's efforts to bring back tens of billions of dollars siphoned off abroad during Sheikh Hasina's nearly 16-year-long rule. Yunus thanked her, saying that returning money laundered by corrupt politicians, oligarchs and bureaucrats is a top priority of the interim government. He quoted a recent Transparency International Bangladesh report, saying that annually more than 12 billion dollars were siphoned off abroad. UK expects Prof Yunus to lay out his vision: Catherine West The minister announced £10.3 million of UK grant support to provide essential services and assistance to the Rohingya refugees, the host communities and those affected by natural disasters in Bangladesh. Prof Yunus reiterated his call for a "UN-overseen safe zone" for communities in Myanmar's violence-plagued Rakhine so that they don't have to flee across the border to Bangladesh and charities and aid groups can take food and assistance at the doorsteps of the displaced people. During the meeting, they also discussed geopolitical issues, minority rights, ties with South Asian neighbours, and Bangladesh's recent 40 megawatt energy deal with Nepal. Yunus said his government has fully backed the creation of a South Asia electricity grid to bring power from hydroelectricity-rich Nepal and Bhutan. Rohingya Crisis: "No light at the end of the tunnel yet" He said Bangladesh can ease off its reliance on fossil fuels if it can import renewable energy from the two Himalayan countries. He said Bangladesh needs collaboration with India to this effect. During the meeting, Sarah Cook, the British High Commissioner to Dhaka, said a UK medical team arrived in the country this month to treat students and other demonstrators who were critically injured during the July-August mass uprising. "They are conducting three surgeries a day," she said.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday called upon the interim government to shift its focus on holding a participatory and credible national election from any other issue, as per the desire of people. Speaking at a discussion, he also urged Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus to remain alert so that people’s affection and respect for him are not diminished. “We need to give the government time and hope they will use it wisely.  Focus on the election without paying attention to other issues,” the BNP leader said addressing the government. He also said there is no alternative to holding a fair, neutral, inclusive and acceptable election to ensure the country's survival and progress. Because the greatest challenge we face now is to establish a democratic state. The BNP leader expressed hope that the government would arrange for an acceptable election within a reasonable timeframe, allowing the people to establish their parliament through their votes. "This is what the people want," he said. The National People's Party (NPP) organised the programme at Dhaka Reporter’s Unity (DRU) to mark its 17th founding anniversary. Fakhrul said the interim government has formed a search committee for the constitution of the Election Commission. “We expected that they (govt) would consult political parties before forming it, although we do not think this is a major issue, as we hope the committee will fulfill its responsibilities properly,” he said. The BNP leader hoped that the new election will arrange the election promptly. He noted that since the recently resigned Election Commission, led by Kazi Habibul Awal, arranged the election in three months, the new Commission should be able to do the same, saying that "it is certainly possible if there is the will to make it happen." The BNP leader said they believe this government has no political agenda, as its head has clearly indicated that he has no political ambitions. “I want to say to Dr Muhammad Yunus that you are highly respected worldwide, and the people of Bangladesh deeply love and respect you. They want that to continue. My request is that you stay vigilant to ensure your position is not undermined,” he said. Fakhrul said the nation is facing a critical time, pointing out that the struggle for democracy continues amid various plots. He warned that the state would be in great danger if any imprudent actions were taken or mistakes were made out of mere emotion, as many efforts are being made to threaten the nation’s existence. "We must remember these words.” He observed that everyone must remain vigilant, as the fascists are still active. “Merely changing an individual cannot alter the entire structure of fascism.” He said the youth have brought change to the country through a bloody struggle and immense sacrifices. “It’s also their responsibility to maintain it... we have to resolve many problems that we have. Stating that the interim government is a non-political one, the BNP leader said it has come forward to help the nation. “But politicians have to resolve the problems, and no problem can be solved without politicians.” Fakhrul thanked the government for forming several commissions for state reform. “We hope the government will take the reports from the reform commissions, present them to the people, and take it forward. I want to make one thing clear: all reforms must be ratified by the people and accepted by them.” He warned that reforms will never be sustainable without people's participation, emphasizing that success cannot be achieved by imposing reforms from above. “Ayub Khan tried, Ershad tried, but it was not possible. Nothing can be done that conflicts with our country and the culture of the people.”  

Amid the growing demand for the resignation of the President, BNP senior leaders met Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus and called for strengthening national unity to foil any attempts to create a constitutional and political crisis. Speaking to reporters in front of the Chief Adviser's residence after the meeting, BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan also said they will tackle any plots by the cohorts of the deposed fascist regime unitedly, together with all pro-democratic political parties and organisations. “We’re observing that the associates of the ousted fascist regime are making various efforts and resorting to different tactics to create a constitutional and political crisis in the country. We think national unity needs to be more consolidated to restore democracy and the change we achieved through the long struggles at the cost of many lives,” he added. Earlier, Nazrul, along with BNP Standing Committee members Amir Khosru Mahmud and Salahuddin Ahmed, met the Chief Adviser to discuss the latest political situation. The BNP leader said they discussed establishing a government of the people through a national election after completing the ongoing process of reforms. The BNP leader said they also talked about the public suffering caused by the hikes in essential items. “We urged the government to play a more effective role in addressing the issue.” Nazrul said a unity of all political parties, professional bodies, and all the organisations of students and youths needs to be forged. “We also all need to be alert so that no one can create any new political or constitutional crisis in the country.” He said the government should intensify the reform process and complete it promptly based on consensus. Read: BNP warns of conspiracies, urges vigilance The BNP leader said the government also needs to resolve the persisting problems people are facing and ultimately restore democracy, which is the main desire of the recent mass movement. “We also discussed that if the associates of the deposed autocrats make any evil efforts to create a constitutional and political crisis, all the pro-democratic political parties and different organisations that have been in the movement will face this crisis in unison,” he said. Asked whether the Chief Adviser sought any opinion from them about the removal of the President, Nazrul parried the question. Later, briefing reporters, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said the head of the interim government had the meeting with the BNP leaders as part of the ongoing dialogue with political parties.

Law Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul on Saturday said the election timing will be fixed under the leadership of Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus as it is a very important policy decision.  "He (CA) alone has the authority to declare it (election timing)," Prof Asif Nazrul said in a statement, further explaining his remarks made in a TV programme on Thursday night.  Earlier, Dr Asif Nazrul said the next national election may be arranged by the next year - 2025 - after completing the pre-election preparations, including the formation of a new Election Commission through a search committee.  "I think realistically, holding the election may be possible by next year. There are many factors. This is a preliminary assumption to me," he said when Daily Manabzamin Chief Editor Matiur Rahman Chowdhury wanted to know about the election timing during a programme titled "Ajker Patrika" hosted by Channel I . Chief Adviser to hold dialogue with political parties today Dr Asif said a search committee will be formed soon to help form the new Election Commission.  The new EC will then prepare a flawless voters' list and then an election will be held, he said.  In his statement, Dr Asif said he did not get a chance to fully explain these factors there.  But everyone will understand from the words of the government that there are issues of reform and political consensus for the elections, said the Adviser.  "These are the factors. I also spoke about the reforms," he said.  "Some other factors I have explained in the programme, such as: formation of search committee and election commission, preparation of voter list etc," he added.  The Adviser said if these factors remain okay, the election may be held next year. "I also said this from my primary assumption.”  These conditional ideas and assumptions are presented by some media as an election announcement. Honestly, this is not correct," Asif Nazrul said in his statement.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk is scheduled to pay a three-day official visit to Bangladesh in the last week of October. "We are working on this," a senior official told UNB. The UN Human Rights chief is expected to meet Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and other stakeholders to have broad discussions on rights issues, including the establishment of an office in Dhaka, said the official. UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon staying put despite Israeli warnings to move Earlier, he received an official invitation from the Chief Adviser to conduct an impartial and independent fact-finding mission into human rights violations committed from July 1 to August 15. The office deployed a fact-finding team to Bangladesh, with a view to reporting on violations and abuses perpetrated during the protests, analysing root causes and making recommendations to advance justice and accountability and for longer-term reforms. Bangladesh is witnessing a number of visits from the United Nations for two reasons-new interim government in place and Bangladesh's 50 years of UN membership. Volker Türk made a phone call to Bangladesh interim government Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus in August. During his recent visit to New York, Chief Adviser Prof Yunus sought support from foreign friends for Bangladesh's new journey towards a happy and prosperous future, stressing that they do not want to miss the opportunity to build a new Bangladesh. On September 17, 1974, Bangladesh became a full member of the United Nations. As part of an ongoing engagement with the interim government, an advance team of the UN rights body visited Bangladesh from August 22-29 and met student leaders of the recent protests, as well as a wide range of advisers in the Interim Government, the Chief Justice, senior officers of the police and armed forces, lawyers, journalists and human rights defenders, representatives of political parties, and minority and indigenous communities.      

The council of advisers led by Dr Muhammad Yunus is likely to induct some new faces this month to speed up administrative activities, according to official sources at the Secretariat. Moreover, the distribution of ministries and departments may see a reshuffle, said the sources familiar with the thinking. The interim government is now into its second month. Preferring anonymity, the officials said discussions are ongoing regarding the addition of three or four new faces who have previous experience of working in the respective ministries and departments. Currently, the advisers of the interim government have been handling two or more ministries which slows down the administrative activities. To reduce the workload of those currently managing multiple ministries, the new advisers will be added to the existing 21-advisory council. Wishing not to be named, a senior official from the Cabinet Division said new advisers could be appointed within this month but he didn’t specify when. Though the exact number of new advisers is yet to be set, it could be three to four, he said, adding that preparations for this are underway. There are allegations of noncooperation from the secretaries, department heads and officials of the administration appointed during the Awami League regime to the interim government, resulting in slow pace of work. After appointing new advisers, the speed of administrative work and monitoring within each ministry will gather speed, the authorities concerned hoped. When asked about the current slowdown in administration, Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan, adviser to the Youth and Sports Ministry and the Labour and Employment Ministry, said that the problems that persisted for 16 to 17 years cant’ be solved within a few days. Echoing Asif, another young adviser Nahid Islam at a press conference on September 12 at the Secretariat, said "We are noticing a lack of cooperation from various sources. We hope the stagnation will be resolved soon." Following the student-led mass upsurge, Dr Yunus-led interim government took oath on August 8, with 17 members. Read: Three advisers to look into bribery allegation in DC appointment Later on August 16, four more advisers joined them. Currently, three advisers are responsible for three ministries each, while ten advisers oversee two ministries each. On August 12, Chief Adviser Dr. Yunus instructed 28 secretaries working across 25 ministries and divisions to accelerate their efforts. However, no visible headway has been seen yet. Following this four more advisers were appointed on August 16 and the chief adviser called a meeting with secretaries from all ministries on September 4 asking them to increase work speed. Which ministries under discussion The ministries under discussion for new advisers include the Ministries of Commerce, Health, Road Transport and Bridges, Railways, Education, Planning, Agriculture, Food and Civil Aviation and Tourism respectively. There are 58 ministries and departments under the government. The Awami League-led last cabinet was formed by 45 full ministers, state and deputy ministers. In the previous cabinet of the 11th parliament, the number of the cabinet had 47. During Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed's caretaker government, the number of advisers was 16. The ministries under Chief Adviser The ministries under Dr. Yunus include the Cabinet Division, Ministry of Defense, Armed Forces Division, Ministry of Food, Ministry of Public Administration, and Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism. Dr Salehuddin Ahmed oversees the Ministries of Finance and Commerce and Science and Technology, while Prof Asif Nazrul handles the Ministries of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment and Culture. Read more: Govt officials inc. advisers to submit wealth, income statements within fortnight of filing taxes Other advisers include Lt. Gen. (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury for the Ministries of Home Affairs and Agriculture, Wahiduddin Mahmud for the Planning and Education Ministries and several others overseeing various ministries. AF Hassan Ariff has been entrusted with ministries of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives and Ministry of Land, Adilur Rahman Khan with ministries of Industry and Ministry of Housing and Public Works. Ali Imam Majumdar has been attached to the Office of the chief adviser. Syeda Rizwana Hasan has been performing duty at ministries of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Water Resources. Though Brig. Gen (retd) M. Sakhawat Hossain was assigned with the Home Ministry, later he was shifted to ministries of Textiles and Jute and Shipping. Md. Touhid Hossain is handling the ministry of Foreign Affairs. Along with those, the other advisers are tasked with enhancing the operational efficiency and responsiveness of their respective ministries in the current interim government.

As part of the ongoing consultations with stakeholders, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus will hold dialogue with another group of political parties on Saturday. Fifteen political parties, including Gono Forum, Liberal Democrats Party (LDP) and Bangladesh Jatiya Party (Andaleeve), are among those which will join Saturday's dialogue. Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder shared the updates with reporters at a media briefing at the Foreign Service Academy on Tuesday. CA's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam and two assistant press secretaries Nayem Ali and Shuchismita Tithi were present. Responding to a question on Jatiya Party (Ershad-GM Quader), Azad said the dialogue is an ongoing process and any further decision will be communicated accordingly. Prof Yunus seeks increased Turkish investment as Dhaka ready for business When his attention was drawn to the reported ‘minus-two’ formula, he said this is not an issue of the government and this was never discussed. "Our government does not know what is minus-two," Azad said, encouraging the reporters to talk that particular political party for any further information. He said the government is seriously working to ease people's sufferings due to the price hike of essential commodities and necessary steps are being taken to address the situation. Citing examples he said, the import duty on eggs was slashed to 13 percent from 33 percent. At the same time, import duty on edible oil is reduced by 5 percent, he added. Responding to a question Azad said the government is determined to stop any kind of extortion to enable the businesses to run their operations without any hassle. He also mentioned that the government is working on to dismantle the market syndicate so that market manipulation does not exist. This is going to be the second such dialogue in the second spell which started on October 5 with the participation of BNP, Jamaat, CPB and some other parties. The key purpose of the dialogue is to inform the political parties about progress over the reform works and seek their suggestions.

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Monday invited more Turkish investment in Bangladesh, saying Dhaka is ‘now ready for business’ and both nations should explore full potential in their relationship. "We should put in a big effort," he said when Turkish Ambassador to Bangladesh Ramis Sen paid a courtesy call on the Chief Adviser at his Tejgaon office in Dhaka. The Turkish envoy said bilateral trade between the two nations now stands at $1.1 billion, but there are huge scopes to scale up exports from both countries. He said a Turkish official delegation is now visiting Bangladesh in an effort to explore new business and trade opportunities and help reform initiatives of the interim government, according to the Chief Adviser's press wing. "We want to deepen trade and economic ties," Sen said, adding that the Turkish Trade Minister would visit Bangladesh in December this year. Prof Yunus for creating "safe zone guaranteed by UN" for displaced people in Rakhine Prof Yunus also extended an invitation to the Turkish President and the first lady to visit Bangladesh at an opportune time. They discussed ways to deepen trade, economic and defence cooperation between the two countries, the Rohingya crisis, and more exchanges of students between two Muslim majority nations. Prof Yunus appreciated the Turkish humanitarian response to recent Bangladesh floods, its continued assistance to the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh's southeast, and a visit by a Turkish official delegation to enhance trade and business ties between the two nations. The envoy thanked Bangladesh for expressing solidarity with the earthquake victims of Turkey last year and sending some 10,000 tents for them. He conveyed Ankara’s invitation to Bangladesh to attend the upcoming World Halal Summit and a ministerial-level meeting in Istanbul. He said another Turkish team travelled the country during the recent floods in southeast Bangladesh, and provided humanitarian aid to the flood victims in Feni, Noakhali, Lakshmipur and Cumilla. The Turkish Ambassador emphasised a high-level business delegation's visit to Turkey to engage with Turkish business people and officials.

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday praised Russia’s cooperation in the power and energy sectors and acknowledged Russia’s role as a supplier of wheat and fertiliser to Bangladesh. These issues were discussed when Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexander V Mantytskiy paid a farewell call on the Chief Adviser at his Tejgaon office. He said that the interim government would resolve the payment issues over the Rooppur project and welcomed further Russian investment in Bangladesh. “We will work together.” During the meeting, Mantytskiy focused on his eventful time during his over three-year tenure as the Ambassador of the Russian Federation. He updated the Chief Adviser on the progress of the Rooppur nuclear power plant, which is expected to generate power next year. Read: Seventh batch of uranium for RNPP arrives in Rooppur amid tight security The plant is primarily funded by Russia and its experts are implementing the project. Russia’s state-run company Gazprom’s exploration activities in Bangladesh, Russian exports of wheat and fertiliser and repayment of the debt for the Rooppur plant were also discussed during the meeting, according to the Chief Adviser’s press wing. Lamiya Morshed, Senior Secretary and Head of SDG Affairs, and Md Abul Hasan Mridha, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, were also present during the meeting. Read more: Russia assures Bangladesh of successful completion of Rooppur plant