BNP demands removing partisans from interim govt, transform it into a caretaker one

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has formally urged the interim government to reconstitute itself as a neutral caretaker administration removing partisan elements from it to ensure the credibility of the upcoming national parliamentary elections scheduled for February 2026.

In a high-level meeting with Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus at his official residence, Jamuna, on Tuesday evening, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir pressed for sweeping institutional reforms to depoliticise the state machinery ahead of the polls.

Speaking to journalists after the hour-long discussion, Fakhrul said the party had conveyed its “serious political concerns” and stressed that for the election to be “meaningful, impartial, and acceptable to all,” the current interim government must immediately assume the role and structure of a traditional caretaker government.

“The interim government must now take the model of a caretaker government – exactly what we mean by a neutral, non-partisan administration during elections,” Fakhrul asserted.

He outlined a series of specific demands, beginning with the removal of partisan officials from key positions. “We have asked for the removal of individuals in the Secretariat who are known associates of identified fascists and their replacement with neutral, non-political officers,” he said, adding that similar measures must be implemented at the district administration level.

The BNP also called for complete neutrality in police appointments and promotions, insisting that all new postings be made without political bias.

Fakhrul further urged the Chief Adviser, despite the judiciary’s constitutional independence, to intervene in the higher judiciary, demanding the removal of “judges linked to fascist elements” and their replacement with impartial jurists.

“Although judicial appointments are technically outside executive control, the Chief Adviser holds overarching responsibility during this transitional period. We have therefore conveyed our concerns directly to him,” Fakhrul explained.

Crucially, the BNP demanded that any individual with party affiliations currently serving in the interim government be removed immediately to uphold electoral neutrality.

The BNP delegation included National Standing Committee members Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and Salah Uddin Ahmed.

The meeting marks the BNP’s most direct engagement with the interim leadership since the formation of the post-August 2024 transitional administration. The party’s renewed push for a caretaker model reflects its long-standing position that only a truly neutral election-time government can guarantee a free and fair vote—a stance that has shaped Bangladesh’s political discourse for decades.