Shawdesh Desk:

Interim government chief adviser Muhammad Yunus would start talks with political parties on reform issues and the current law and order situation today.

Other advisers will also be present at the talks.

The meeting will highlight the issues of reform from the interim government’s side as it has established six commissions to advance state reforms, five of which have been fully formed with each having one student representative, among other members.

Five of the commissions comprise eight members, including the commission heads, while the police reform commission consists of nine members.

The names of the members of the electoral system, police, judiciary, Anti-Corruption Commission, and public administration reform commissions were announced on Thursday.

According to the chief adviser’s office, the dialogue will kick off today at 2:30pm at his official residence, the State Guest House Jamuna on Hare Road.

The first meeting will be held with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

BNP standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury told New Age that party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will lead its delegation.

After the BNP, the meeting will be held with Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami at 3:00pm, Ganatantra Mancha at 3:30pm, Left Democratic Unity at 4:00pm, Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh at 4:30pm, Islami Andolon Bangladesh at 5:00pm, and the last meeting of the first day will take place with AB Party at 5:30pm.

This will be the third round of discussions between the chief adviser and political parties, the previous one of which was held on August 31.

At today’s meeting, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party would suggest that the reform commissions should complete their work as soon as possible, while it should concurrently proceed with the arrangement of holding the next general elections.

‘BNP will share its thoughts that bringing reforms to the constitutional bodies and constitution as well is the responsibilities of an elected parliament, therefore the interim government should make proposals for reforms based on consultation with and consensus of the democratic political parties,’ a BNP standing committee member seeking anonymity told New Age.

He said that the party would also suggest that the government should make administration more functional and restore law and order with effective policing.

‘The interim government will make a mistake if it thinks to hold the election after completing all its planned reforms. They should actually bring speedy reforms to the electoral system, judiciary and public administration, focusing on those reforms that are critical to ensure a fair election,’ he said.

After former prime minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country in the face of a student-led mass uprising on August 5, Yunus was sworn in as the chief adviser to the interim government on August 8.

In his speech to the nation on October 1, Yunus announced the formation of six reform commissions.