Chief adviser Professor Mohammad Yunus, now on a four-day visit to the United Kingdom, is expected to hold a meeting with Bangladesh Nationalist Party acting chairman Tarique Rahman in London on Friday.
The potential meeting between the head of the interim government and the BNP acting chairman had been in discussion for several days.
The meeting was facilitated by a mediator who had been working to finalise the sitting following the chief adviser鈥檚 decision to travel to London, according to multiple sources.
The meeting is likely to focus on the current political situation in Bangladesh, the ongoing democratic transition and the upcoming election deadline.
The meeting is scheduled to be held between 9:00am and 11:00am (London time) on June 13 at the hotel where the chief adviser is staying, both the chief adviser鈥檚 press wing and senior BNP leaders confirmed.
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday expressed hope that the upcoming meeting between Muhammad Yunus and Tarique Rahman in London could mark a decisive moment in resolving the country鈥檚 ongoing political crisis.
Speaking to reporters at the BNP chairperson鈥檚 office in Gulshan, he said, 鈥楾his is not just another political interaction. If things move in the right direction, the meeting can be a major political event that can reshape the landscape of our national politics.鈥�
Fakhrul said that the BNP standing committee meeting on Monday granted the acting chairman full authority to make any decisions on behalf of the party during the meeting with Yunus.
Tarique faced 84 criminal cases and was sentenced to imprisonment in at least five of them during the Awami League regime.
The chief adviser arrived in London on Tuesday for a four-day official visit aimed at strengthening Bangladesh鈥揢K bilateral relations.
An Emirates Airlines flight carrying the chief adviser and his delegation landed at Heathrow Airport聽 at about 7:00am (local time).
He was accompanied by national security adviser Khalilur Rahman, chief advisor鈥檚 special envoy Lutfey Siddiqi, Bangladesh Bank governor
Ahsan H Mansur, Anti-Corruption Commission chairman Mohammad Abdul Momen and other high officials.
According to the chief adviser鈥檚 press wing, on the first day of the four-day visit on Tuesday, Airbus executive vice president Wouter van Wersch and Menzies Aviation executive vice president Charles Wyley called on the chief adviser at his hotel in London.
On the day, the chief adviser also held a meeting with the All-Party Parliamentary Group and was called on by the Commonwealth secretary-general.
During his visit, the chief adviser is expected to meet
King Charles III and hold bilateral talks with British prime minister Keir Starmer, according to the foreign affairs ministry.
He is also scheduled to meet UK foreign secretary David Lammy.
Professor Yunus has been nominated by King Charles III for the King Charles III Harmony Award 2025, with the ceremony scheduled for June 12 at St James鈥檚 Palace.
Professor Yunus will also deliver a keynote address at Chatham House on June 11 as per his schedule.
Meanwhile, The Guardian reported on Sunday that former UK city minister Tulip Siddiq, niece of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, formally requested a meeting with Muhammad Yunus during his visit to London.
The request was reportedly made to address what she called a 鈥榤isunderstanding鈥� following corruption allegations by the interim government that led to her resignation from the UK cabinet.
In her letter, Tulip expressed hope that a meeting would clarify
claims by Dhaka鈥檚 Anti-Corruption Commission linking her to her aunt Sheikh Hasina.
However, chief adviser鈥檚 press secretary Shafiqul Alam said on Tuesday in London that the government had received Tulip鈥檚 letter.
鈥業t is a legal issue and steps would be taken legally,鈥� he said.
During the visit, the Bangladesh Bank governor would raise the issue of recovering laundered money and overseas assets with UK government officials.
The government estimates that around $16 billion was illicitly transferred abroad annually under the previous administration.
The chief adviser has already requested cooperation from the British government, via its high commissioner in Dhaka, to trace and recover funds allegedly laundered to the UK by individuals linked to the former Sheikh Hasina-led regime.
The chief adviser is to return home on June 14