United News of Bangladesh

Gono Odhikar Parishad President Nurul Haque Nur on Monday said the reform proposals finalised through dialogue must be implemented by the current interim government, no matter what. “At any cost, the reforms agreed upon through discussions must be implemented under this government,” he said while delivering his opening speech during a dialogue with the National Consensus Commission at the LD Hall of the Jatiya Sangsad Complex. A nine-member delegation of Gono Odhikar Parishad, led by Nur, joined the discussion that began at 10:15am with National Consensus Commission Vice Chairman Prof Ali Riaz in the chair. BNP’s Khosru seeks immediate election roadmap for democratic transition Nur said all parties must remain committed and strongly pursue the implementation of effective reforms in the greater interest of the country and the people. “In the case of reforms, national interest and the country should be given priority over personal benefits or the interests of any party or group. This is our appeal to the commission,” he added. He expressed the hope that the ongoing dialogue with the National Consensus Commission would mark an important chapter in Bangladesh’s future progress. Nur said the country’s independence, sovereignty and democracy had been trampled over the past 16 years. “To ensure that no future ruler can follow such a path and put the country at risk by oppressing citizens, we want to implement effective reforms through the National Consensus Commission,” he said. Consensus Commission members Safar Raj Hossain, Justice Emdadul Haque, Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar and Dr Iftekharuzzaman were present at the discussion moderated by Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant Monir Haider. Gono Odhikar Parishad agreed with 127 of the 166 proposals made by the Commission, partially agreed with 23, and disagreed with 15. Zonayed Saki urges specific timeframe for national election On March 20 last, the Consensus Commission opened a series of talks with political parties to forge a national consensus on state reform initiatives. The Commission has already held discussions with 19 political parties, including BNP, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, and the National Citizen Party (NCP). Formed on February 15, 2025, under the leadership of Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, the Commission was tasked with shaping a unified national stance on critical reforms.  

As part of its series of talks with political parties, the National Consensus Commission is going to sit in separate discussions with Bangladesh Jasod and Zaker Party on Saturday over the reform recommendations. The talks with Jasod will be held at 10:00am, while that with Zaker Party at 3:00pm at the LD Hall of the Jatiya Sangsad Complex, said a press release on Friday. The Consensus Commission opened the dialogues on March 20 last and already held talks with six political parties – Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Khelafat Majlish, Bangladesh Labour Party, Rastra Sangshaskar Andolan, Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party and Nagorik Oikya. The Commission has a plan to complete the first round of talks by the first week of May. The Consensus Commission, spearheaded by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, started its work on February 15, 2025. NBR mulls developing a central app to boost VAT revenue The commission identified the crucial recommendations made in the reports of five reform commissions – the constitution reform commission, the public administration reform commission, the electoral system reform commission, the judiciary reform commission and the ACC reform commission – to seek opinions from the political parties. Later, the commission sent a set of recommendations in spreadsheet format to 38 political parties asking them to send their specific opinions on the important reform recommendations by March 13. A total of 32 political parties, including BNP, Jamaat and NCP submitted their respective proposals to the Consensus Commission.

Former US Ambassador to Bangladesh William B Milam on Thursday lauded the interim government's reform initiatives, saying the July uprising has offered big opportunities to carry out sweeping reforms and establish true democracy in Bangladesh. Jon Danilowicz, who was a deputy ambassador of the US to Dhaka, said Bangladesh needs positive narratives and serious efforts to tackle the menace of fake news and disinformation. Milam and Danilowicz, the president and executive director of a US-based non-profit human rights group, Right to Freedom, paid a courtesy call on Bangladesh Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna in Dhaka. UN rights chief calls for accountability over Bangladesh’s 2024 protest abuses The two former diplomats updated the Chief Adviser about the work of the Right to Freedom and their plan to expand its work in Bangladesh as part of its efforts to assist the country in its democratic transition. Professor Yunus appreciated the work of the non-profit group and also the efforts by the two diplomats to champion human rights and democratic values in Bangladesh. During the hour-long meeting, Professor Yunus told the diplomats that political parties would sign a July Charter after the conclusion of the dialogue on the reforms recommended by the six commissions. "The July Charter will guide us," he said, adding that the interim government would implement parts of the recommendations made in the July Charter and the rest will be implemented by political governments. CA Dr Yunus asks labour ministry to reform labour law maintaining global standard They also discussed the current Bangladesh-US relations, the Rohingya crisis, and the impact of dwindling aid for the much-persecuted Myanmar refugees, recovering billions of dollars stolen during the previous regime, the Chief Adviser's attempt to revive Saarc and possible dates for the upcoming elections. The Chief Adviser said the elections would be held either in December, provided the political parties agreed to fewer reforms ahead of the vote, or by June next year.  

Controlling inflation, implementing economic reforms and ensuring macroeconomic stability will be the biggest challenges for Bangladesh’s interim government in formulating the budget for the next fiscal year, according to experts. They said the interim government, led by Professor Muhammad Yunus, faces a series of formidable economic challenges as it prepares the national budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year as the nation is grappling with high inflation, dwindling foreign exchange reserves, a burgeoning external debt and an unstable foreign exchange market. Next budget to see cuts in tax waiver: NBR Chairman The main challenges for the interim government in the next fiscal year will include implementing effective fiscal and monetary measures to bring inflation down to the target of 6.5%, introducing structural reforms to enhance revenue collection, curbing corruption and improving public sector efficiency. Besides, formulating policies to address economic challenges following Bangladesh’s graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status will be crucial. Ensuring stability through prudent fiscal management, debt control, and fostering a congenial environment for investment and growth will also be among the top priorities. Economist and Dhaka University Professor Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir said the interim government should declare a revised budget just after assuming power as it inherited a precarious fiscal balance. “They had inherited a precarious economy which was on the cliff,” he said. NBR invites budget proposals for FY 2025–2026 Prof Titumir said the previous government’s debt was mounting, as it continued borrowing new loans to repay old ones.  “They (interim govt) have inherited such an economy where there is outflow, but no inflow, the economy was stagnant -- they have inherited a crisis of income and expenditure,” he said. Due to inflation, Titumir said, consumption had decreased and wages shrunk, leading to a rising trend of poverty even before they came to power. He said that there was no social security, while social protection remained fragmented and plagued by inclusion and exclusion errors. The government failed to address this issue due to the absence of a robust fiscal policy to drive economic growth. The Dhaka University teacher said that enterprises were reluctant to invest due to the ongoing liquidity crisis, which has consequently led to a rise in unemployment.  “As a result, a huge number of the youth population was supposed to be there for absorption in the job market, but they became precariat class,” he said. Talking about the challenges for the next budget, Titumir, a professor at the Department of Development Studies, pointed out that revenue generation will be a challenge for the government while formulating the budget for the next fiscal. Titumir said the government has to go for a good debt management which will take time, for this it should go for a common minimum reform programme. There should be a quick election for an elected government so that confidence may grow among the people of the country which will lead to the predictability of economic activity and stability, he said. He stressed for creating depthness in the social protection system as the inflation prolonged in the country. Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, who is also the Chairperson of think tank Unnayan Onneshan, said that the government should go for a performance based subsidy programme shunning the pick and choose one. He slammed the government for not scrapping the capacity charge system in the power sector. “Subsidies in the energy, power and road sector were visible,” he added. Prof Titumir said that the government should provide a roadmap for the enterprises which are refraining from making new investments currently. “The government has to show that it has brought discipline in every sector, we are not seeing any discipline in the capacity charge system or other agreements that have done previously.” He also stressed the importance of bringing harmonisation of the fiscal and monetary policy which is still absent. Talking to UNB, former National Board of Revenue (NBR) chairman and a member of the advisory committee to initiate reforms in the NBR, Muhammad Abdul Mazid said that there is an uncertain time in the coming days. “New government will come, but this interim government will stay in power for how long, there will be a surface level budget which will be automatically small one,” he said. There should be no mega projects in the next budget, he said, adding: “The next budget will emphasise the rebuilding of the economy, subsidy, social-safety net programmes and containing the inflation.” Talking about the deplorable condition in the banking sector, Mazid, chairman of the Social Development Foundation (SDF), said that the bleeding in the banking sector has stopped. “It is now in the recovery sector, if some of the siphoned money can be brought back it would be very good, the challenge will be in the reconciliation of the banking sector with the depositors,” he said. He also criticised the previous Awami League government for granting immunity in the power sector, a policy that continues to this day as there is no viable exit strategy midway. Currently, controlling inflation is the primary focus for the upcoming budget. Over the past two and a half years, overall inflation in Bangladesh has consistently surpassed 9%, with food inflation reaching double digits. In December 2024, inflation surged to 11.38%, marking a four-month high. The interim government aims to reduce the average inflation rate to 6.5% in the next fiscal year. To achieve this, the government plans to implement cost-saving measures in public spending, coordinate with a contractionary monetary policy, and proceed with caution in project implementation. These efforts are designed to restore macroeconomic stability and ease the financial burden on citizens. Revenue collection has fallen short, with a gap of approximately Tk 38,000 crore against the revised target of Tk 4,10,000 crore for fiscal year 2024. The banking sector is grappling with significant challenges, particularly a high volume of non-performing loans (NPLs). Political transitions have resulted in leadership vacuums within the central bank, further destabilising the sector. Liquidity shortages are acute, with banks struggling to secure funds even in the call money market. The interim government is prioritising reforms to address these vulnerabilities, focusing on enhancing transparency, improving governance, and restoring confidence in the financial system. A major concern is the $500 million debt owed to India’s Adani Group for electricity supplied from its 1,600 MW coal plant. This liability, inherited from agreements made under the previous administration, is a substantial financial burden. The interim government is reassessing such energy deals, aiming to renegotiate terms to ease fiscal pressures. Plans include reintroducing competitive bidding and implementing regulatory reforms to ensure transparency and cost-effectiveness in future energy agreements.  

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday said that reforms and elections are not mutually exclusive, as both can progress parallel without hindrance. “There’s no conflict between reforms and elections. The reforms will continue, and so will the elections,” he said while speaking to reporters after paying tribute to Ziaur Rahman on the occasion of his 89th birth anniversary. He said the party that wins the election and forms the government will carry forward the reforms. “We can say it clearly, on behalf of our party, that we will take forward every reform (if we form the government),” the BNP leader assured. Sought remarks on the submitted reports of the four reform commissions, Fakhrul declined to comment as their party has not yet received the reports. He also mentioned that the government has said it will hold discussions with political parties after receiving the reports and would then make a decision on the reform proposals. The BNP Secretary General, however, said no reform proposal will be accepted without consensus. “On this day, we pray for stronger unity among all people and hope that we can soon return to democracy through an election, establishing a proper democratic system,” he said. Read: Safeguard freedom of expression, voting rights to resist autocrats: Tarique Earlier, Fakhrul along with BNP leaders and activists paid homage to its founder and former President Ziaur Rahman, marking his birth anniversary. Thousands of BNP leaders and activists, led by Fakhrul, placed wreaths at Zia's Sher-e-Banglanagar grave around 11:15am. Read more: BNP promises to ignore loan defaulters in upcoming election They later offered fateha following a special munajat seeking salvation of the departed soul of Zia. BNP Standing Committee Member Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, Vice Chairman Ahmed Azam Khan, Chairperson's Advisory Council Members Amanullah Aman, Zainul Abedin Farroque, Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, central leaders Khairul Kabir Khokon, Abdus Salam, Kamruzzaman Ratan, Mir Sarafat Ali, Sultan Salahuddin Tuku, Saiful Alam Nirab, Dr Rafiqul Islam, Amirulzzaman Khan Shimul, Dhaka north city unit president Aminul Haque and south city unit president Rafiqul Alam Mojnu were, among others, present. Leaders and activists of BNP's different units and associate bodies also placed wreaths at Zia's grave.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday alleged that a quarter is desperate to divide the nation, though unity is now essential to protect the country and restore democracy. “I urge all not to engage in the politics of division. What is most needed now to save the country and restore democracy is unity,” he said while unveiling the cover of a book. The book, titled “Rajbandir Jabanbandi” which chronicles the depositions given in court by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in a ‘false’ case of Zia Orphanage Trust case against her, was unveiled at the party chairperson’s Gulshan office. Fakhrul said reforms are indeed necessary, but the driving force behind these reforms must be an elected parliament and government. "Without this, we will never be able to legitimise the reforms. I don’t want to engage in a debate over it now.” The BNP leader also urged all to refrain from excessive debate on the matter. “I call on all pro-democratic and freedom-loving people of the country to remain united. Don’t get divided. But, it seems to me that some people are desperate to divide the country and its people,” he said. He also said some people are also making provocative statements aimed at dividing the nation. The BNP leader called up the politicians to remain alert about it and refrain from making efforts to create division in the country. An unhealthy competition has emerged, driven solely by the desire to pursue power, he said without specifically naming those involved in such activities. "Since Hasina fled the country, I don’t understand why we can’t restore full trust in ourselves, and why we can’t maintain unity. Don’t you see? An unhealthy competition has begun to dominate the pursuit of power… Power can only be sustained when you ensure stability,” Fakhrul said. He said their party was the first to raise the issue of reforms and has consistently advocated for the necessary reforms. The BNP claimed that that their party’s founder Ziaur Rahman was the first person to introduce state reforms by establishing a multi-party democratic system and dismantling the one-party rule.   He expressed gratitude to the students and youth who sacrificed their lives during the July-August mass uprising against the Awami League’s fascist rule. "The sacrifice of our people, our youths, our volunteers, our students, and our women will not be in vain. At least we rid ourselves of fascism and drove them out,” the BNP leader said. Fakhrul also expressed hope that BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman would return to Bangladesh from London. "Our Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman will soon be completely free from all charges... He will also be with us again, Inshallah.” The BNP Secretary General thanked pro-BNP lawyer Advocate Abdur Razzak Khan, journalist Shafik Rehman and Khaleda Zia's former press secretary Maruf Kamal Khan for turning Khaleda Zia's depositions into a book.

Advisers Md Nahid Islam and Md Mahfuj Alam on Sunday said that consensus based institutional reform can sow the seed of true and sustainable democracy in Bangladesh and that in turn will save the future of democracy in Bangladesh.   They expressed this view in response to a question raised during the first session of a series of ‘Foreign Policy Dialogue’ themed ‘Building a New Bangladesh – Reforms and Foreign Policy’, held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.   Adviser to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications Information Technology Nahid Islam and Adviser to the government Mahfuj Alam participated in the dialogue while Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin moderated the event.   At the beginning, a minute’s silence was observed for the martyrs of the July-August revolution and the event screened a special short documentary on the events of July-August 2024.   Praising the fearless roles of the young Advisers, Foreign Secretary remarked that the youth has again proved that they can take the leadership role at any critical juncture of the country’s history. India unlikely to extradite Hasina, says Adviser Mahfuj Mentioning the reform initiatives taken by the interim government, he engaged in an interactive dialogue with the Advisers and sought their views on foreign policy, reform, mass uprising and the future of Bangladesh.   An engaging question-answer session followed where young officers of the Ministry took the opportunity to ask the Advisers candid questions and get answers on the episode that turned the history pages of Bangladesh into a new chapter.   In response to a question, both the Advisers agreed that for the implementation of a robust foreign policy for making Bangladesh an important player in the international arena, support will be extended to the initiatives for enabling the Foreign Ministry to take the leading role in foreign policy issues.

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Friday highlighted the critical role of unity, reforms and elections in Bangladesh's progress, saying that neither reforms without unity nor elections without reforms can propel the country forward. “None of these three goals can be achieved alone,” he said, describing the correlation among them. In a recorded speech delivered at a national dialogue’s inaugural session in the capital, Dr Yunus thanked the Forum for Bangladesh Studies (FBS) for giving three things - unity, reform and elections’ importance in the dialogue, noting that they need consensus on reforms. The Chief Adviser thinks the minimum age for becoming eligible for a voter should be 17 years. “Young people are interested in the future of the country. To get their opinion about their own future, I think the voting age should be fixed at 17 years,” he said. Dr Yunus said different countries have different ages for a citizen to become a voter and the Electoral Reforms Commission will surely recommend such an age. CA Dr Yunus promises to control prices, fix economy “I may or may not like that age. Suppose I am in favor of making young people vote early. The younger they are, the more interested they are in change—this is my argument. Youth gives them energy. Their deep affinity with information technology gives them this energy,” said the Chief Adviser. Dr Yunus said reform and election preparations will continue simultaneously and mentioned that the work of preparing for the election is mainly the work of the Election Commission. He said the citizens of the country do not have to spend time on this process until they get the election date. But all citizens must participate in the work of reform, Dr Yunus said, adding that those who are voters will participate, along with those who will be voters in the future, should also fully engage themselves in the work of reform. National election likely between late 2025 or early 2026, says CA Dr Yunus “To make the work of reform easier for the citizens, we have formed 15 reform commissions. We will get their reports in January,” Dr Yunus said. The responsibility of each reform commission is to identify the main options and recommend one to the nation. In each case, he said, the recommendations are made by drawing on the opinions of different parties on how the future will be shaped through reforms, making it easier for citizens to decide. Dr Yunus said he does not know what the Election Reform Commission will recommend but if the majority of the people of the country like the age to be recommended by the Commission, he will accept it to reach a consensus. "All the reform commissions will place many recommendations to us. We have now reached a stage that whatever anyone’s opinion, we want to accomplish the reform works by quickly establishing a consensus,” the CA said. He said the interim government wants to make arrangements so that "we can move forward on the path of elections". It’s not true BNP prioritising election over reforms: Fakhrul Dr Yunus said it is the responsibility of all-every citizen, political party, every social, economic, business and religious community-to participate in the reform process with joy. He said the responsibility of each reform commission is to identify the main alternatives and recommend one of those to the nation. Recalling with deep respect all the warriors who took part in the long struggle against fascism, he said, "I especially salute the students who were martyred in the July mass uprising. Our debt to those who were injured, who lost their eyesight and who lost their limbs cannot be repaid. The nation will never forget their inspiration and contribution to the formation of a new Bangladesh." Dr Yunus said the sacrifices of the martyrs in the July uprising will not be meaningful without building a just society. Fascism drove Bangladesh away from all idealistic goals and put the nation into deep darkness, he said. "We are working to bring our beloved Bangladesh back to the path of equality, human dignity and justice," the chief adviser said, stressing the need for building an economy that ensures equality of wealth and opportunity for all. Dr Yunus said there will be such a political and state environment where the identity of minority and majority will be irrelevant. "We all have one identity-I am a citizen of Bangladesh and the state is obliged to ensure all my rights," he added.

BNP standing committee member Maj (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed on Tuesday said it is only BNP that can conduct reforms in the state system, if it gets public support. “Reform is a very difficult task. But it is only BNP that can do it, if people support (us),” he told a function at a city hotel.  Hafiz Uddin, also a former footballer, attended as the chief guest at the trophy and jersey unveiling ceremony of the Shaheed Zia Inter-Thana Football Tournament-2025 of Dhaka North City. He said Bangladesh’s political landscape needs to go through an overhaul as deposed dictator and mafia leader Sheikh Hasina systematically destroyed every institution of Bangladesh. Recollecting his memories, the BNP leader said he first met Ziaur Rahman during on a football match between two teams of the Pakistan army. At that time, Ziaur Rahma asked him whether he would play for a university team and he responded positively not mentioning that he had already represented Pakistan national team, said Hafiz Uddin. The BNP standing committee member said he joined the East Bengal Regiment of Pakistan Army following the suggestion of Ziaur Rahman. Read: Press Secretary’s statement creates confusion over election: Prof Zahid BNP north city unit’s convener Aminul Haque presided over the function, while former national footballer Syed Rumman Bin Wali Sabbir and BNP Dhaka north unit’s joint convener Akter Hossain were present. A total of 26 thana-level teams under eight groups will participate in the football tournament.