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Published : 11 Jun 2025, 03:38 AM
Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus and BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman might discuss the ongoing political situation, election timeline, July Charter and reforms when they meet on Friday in London, Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam has hinted.
After touching down at London’s Heathrow Airport on Tuesday morning, Yunus checked into The Dorchester hotel around 10am, rested for a couple of hours and held several meetings.
Later, in a briefing at the Bangladesh High Commission in London, Shafiqul outlined Yunus’s interactions throughout the day.
He spoke about Yunus receiving letters from Tarique and deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's niece and British MP Tulip Siddiq while mentioning the meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, alongside different matters related to the four-day UK visit.
He said, “The meeting with Tarique Rahman will take place on the morning of the 13th [of June]. The meeting will not have a structure, but since Tarique Rahman is the leader of the largest political party in Bangladesh now and Professor Yunus is the head of the interim government, they will sit down as they are, and there will be a discussion.
“The current political situation in Bangladesh, then... you know that we have announced an election date -- [discussion will be held] on [those matters]. The July Charter, the reforms initiative -- discussion may be held on any issue. They [Yunus and Tarique] will decide what to discuss.”
On the meeting with Starmer, Shafiqul said: "What we know about Keir Starmer is that he is probably in Canada. He is visiting Canada.
“Today, an MP from the British Parliament came [to meet Yunus], and said that [Starmer] is in Canada. Even then, we are trying to match schedules… And if it does not match, then we’ll work on it. So we are seeing what can be done.”
On Yunus’s name being absent on The King’s Foundation website, he said: “Everything will be clear on the 12th [of June]. He is receiving the Harmony Award while a one-on-one meeting with King Charles (III) is to take place.”
Acting Foreign Secretary Ruhul Alam Siddique earlier said that the interim prime minister will receive the award from King Charles III at a ceremony at St James’s Palace in London on Jun 12.
Former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon received the award from The King’s Foundation in 2024.
Outlining Yunus’s day, Shafiqul said at 12pm, Airbus Executive Vice President (EVP) Wouter Van Wersch met with the head of the interim government on the cooperation of the French-based European aircraft manufacturer with Bangladesh in the aviation sector.
Then at 12:30pm, a meeting was held with representatives of Menzies, a leading ground handling company.
Highlighting the discussions with them on aviation-related issues, he said that Menzies works in about 350 airports around the world and efforts are under way to quickly launch the third terminal in Bangladesh.
“'Then at 2pm, an All-Party Parliamentary Group of British MPs of Bangladeshi origin and friends of Bangladesh came to meet the chief advisor. There, they discussed for more than an hour issues of mutual interest, the Rohingya issue, political issues, democratic transformation, the activities of the reform commissions, the July Charter and the achievements of the government in the last 10 months. The discussions were very cordial. The chief advisor answered every question.”
Asked if Tulip was in the All-Party Parliamentary Group, Shafiqul said: “No, Tulip Siddiq was not.”
On receiving a letter from Tulip, he said: “We did receive a letter… The letter is a legal issue and it will be resolved legally.”
