BNP Chairperson's advisory council member Zainul Abedin Farroque on Friday urged the interim government to promptly initiate the process of a fair election without delaying reforms as plots are on to destabilise the country. "There is a conspiracy to weaken the interim government, which is disrupting the reform process. I urge Chief Advisor Dr Muhammad Yunus to stay vigilant about this,” he said. BNP warns of legal action against unauthorised use of party name Speaking at a sit-in programme, he also said the government should complete reforms to the Election Commission urgently based on the opinions of the political parties to start the election process. The Senbagh Forum in Dhaka arranged the programme in front of the Jatiya Press Club, demanding the withdrawal of all cases filed against BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman. Farroque also demanded that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India, be brought back to the country immediately. He claimed that Sheikh Hasina, who is involved in the disappearances of Ilyas Ali and Chowdhury Alam in Bangladesh and the killings of many opposition leaders and activists, was seen walking around a park in Delhi under special security. The BNP leader noted that a fallen dictator like Hasina walks in a park in Delhi, the capital of a country that once boasted to the world as a democratic nation. "I demand that the Chief Advisor of the Interim Government bring back Sheikh Hasina, against whom an arrest warrant has been issued by the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh. She should be held accountable under the law and punished,” he said. Farroque stated that the syndicate pushing up the prices of essential items is connected to the ghost of Awami League. “Those involved in the potato syndicate, the onion syndicate, and the sugar syndicate are once again alert and plotting," he said. The BNP leader emphasised that the government must take swift action against the Awami business syndicate. “The longer we wait, the more they will assert themselves... We need to bring them under the law and break their hold."

The Council of Advisers on Thursday approved the  proposed list of 26 holidays including 5-day holiday for Eid-ul-Fitr, 6-day for Eid-ul-Azha and two-day for Durga Puja for 2025 calendar year. The approval came from a meeting of the Council of Advisers chaired by Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus at his office. The holidays included 12 general holidays and 14 holidays by the executive order. Nine holidays would coincide weekends (Fridays and Saturdays). Durga Puja holiday: Banks to close nationwide on Oct 10 There will be 12 general holidays including five weekly holidays and holidays for festivals of different religions. Besides, there will be 14 holidays by the executive orders which include four days of weekly holidays for Pahela Baishakh and other important holidays on religious occasions. Meanwhile, the indigenous people will get a three-day holiday on the occasion of Baisabi.