Tarique meets Yunus

BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman on Thursday held his first formal meeting with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus in Bangladesh since returning to the country last month.

The meeting took place at the Chief Adviser’s official residence, Jamuna, in Dhaka. Tarique Rahman arrived there with his family at around 7:30pm and left for his Gulshan residence at about 9:10pm following the courtesy call.

Earlier in the evening, Tarique Rahman left the BNP chairperson’s office in Gulshan at 6:42pm and briefly went to his residence before heading to Jamuna at 6:52pm with his family.

This was the first in-country meeting between the two leaders in recent years. They last met in person on June 13 last year in London during Professor Yunus’ visit to the UK. That meeting, held at the Dorchester Hotel, took place when Tarique Rahman was serving as BNP’s acting chairman and was followed by a joint statement from both sides.

After spending 17 years in exile in the United Kingdom, Tarique Rahman returned to Bangladesh on December 25.

Upon his arrival at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, he spoke with Professor Yunus over the phone while waiting at the VIP lounge. The two also had a brief interaction on December 31 at the Jatiya Sangsad complex during the namaz-e-janaza of BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who died on December 30.

Tarique Rahman was elected BNP chairman on January 9 through a unanimous decision of the party’s highest policymaking body, the National Standing Committee. Thursday’s meeting marked his first engagement with the Chief Adviser in Bangladesh in his capacity as BNP chairman.