Leaders of the 12-party alliance, who previously organised joint movements with the BNP against the former Awami League government, have expressed support for the BNP's position on holding the next parliamentary elections by 2025.

They argue that failing to conduct the elections within this timeframe could lead to further delays. As a result, they have agreed to exert pressure on the interim government to ensure the elections take place by next year.

This stance was shared during a meeting with the BNP's liaison committee at the party chairperson's Gulshan office last evening.

The alliance leaders also reiterated their commitment to supporting the BNP's decisions regarding the national election and the formation of a new political party by student leaders involved in the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement in July and August.

A source from the meeting told The Daily Star that the meeting agreed to demand the election be held by December 2025.

"We heard their [the BNP's] views on the formation of the new political party, which appears to have support from the interim government. While everyone has the right to form a political party, doing so with state backing is unacceptable," the source, speaking anonymously, said.

This dialogue marks the beginning of the BNP's consultations with like-minded parties that stood with them during the anti-Awami League movements. The talks aim to solidify unity among political parties and gather their opinions on the upcoming general election.

After the meeting, BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan told reporters that no final decisions had been made regarding the meeting's agenda.

"We have initiated the dialogue, and the parties have assured us of their continued support, as they did during the anti-Awami League movements."

He added that the meeting focused on the country's current political and economic situation, with further discussions planned with other like-minded parties. "We will make decisions after these talks conclude."

Mostafa Jamal Haidar, chairman of Jatiya Party (Kazi Zafar), noted that the meeting also addressed the possibility of organising joint programmes between the BNP and its allied parties.

"The need for unity remains. We must strengthen this unity moving forward. We will announce our joint programmes soon," he said.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Bangladesh LDP Secretary General Shahadat Hossain Salim, Bangladesh Jatiya Dal Chairman Syed Ehsanul Huda, Bikalpadhara Bangladesh Chairman Nurul Amin Bepari, and Jatiya Ganatantrik Party President Rashed Pradhan, among others, were also present at the meeting.

BNP today placed promises for the ICT and outsourcing sector of the country in its election manifesto announced today.

Here are some of the significant promises from the party:

• All kinds of "illogical bars" for bringing foreign currency earned through information technology-enabled services (ITES) will be removed.
• Low cost Global Payment Gateway facilities will be provided to those involved with freelancing and outsourcing.
• Nationwide Telecommunication Transmission Network (NTTN), Internet Service Provider (ISP) and International Internet Gateway (IIG) markets will be made open.
• Augmented reality, animation, robotics sectors to be boosted with investment.
• VOIP systems will be made open for all.
• Zero tariff on ICT equipments.
• The metropolitan areas, municipalities and other administrative centres will be gradually turned into smart villages, smart cities and smart municipalities.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today unveiled the election manifesto of the party ahead of the 11th national elections slated to be held on December 30.

BNP will form a judicial commission to reform the judiciary, the party promised in the election manifesto unveiled today. 

It will place the control of the lower judiciary on the Supreme Court instead of the president through amendment of the constitution.

It will put in place a institutional system to appoint efficient judges to remove the current case backlog, the party said in its manifesto.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday said his party, if voted to power, will form a "national government" with participation from all parties that supported them throughout.

"If we are elected, we will not run the country alone ... So, where is the problem? Where is the doubt?" he said at a discussion at the Jatiya Press Club.

Highlighting the need for holding an election swiftly to save the nation, Fakhrul asked the interim government to focus on specific reforms.

"The public has started doubting you [interim government]. The people in the government are creating confusion by making various remarks. Focus should be on fixing the Election Commission, administration, and the judiciary to prepare for elections. The remaining work will be done by those elected."

Mentioning the lack of political expertise in the current administration, he said, "Factories, which are major assets of our country, are being set on fire. Why can't they address this? … They lack the political strength."

"None of these people [advisers] have political experience. Politics involves specific calculations and equations, which only politicians understand," the BNP leader said, adding that delays in holding polls will only exacerbate existing problems and create new ones.

Referring to the recent protests by the students of Government Titumir College, Fakhrul questioned the interim government's preparedness.

"Were they not intelligent enough to foresee this? Why were preventive measures not taken?" he stressed.

Urging the government for an election roadmap, Fakhrul said, "We demand polls in the interest of the nation, not for BNP's benefit. We submitted reform proposals supported by 62 parties. Review them and decide on which ones will be implemented."

"Announcing an election roadmap will restore public confidence," said the BNP leader, adding that he wants the interim government to succeed in their endeavors.

"We don't want Hasina to return," he said. 

The BNP yesterday shared its concerns over recent violence in Dhaka and Chattogram with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, calling for national unity to tackle such challenges.

The party's Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said they urged the government to hold discussions with all political parties to build unity and prevent division among the people.

"We hope the chief adviser will promptly arrange a peaceful solution. The country should not reach a point that leads to division," he told reporters outside State Guest House Jamuna, where the meeting took place in the evening.

Photo: Sajjad Hossain BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and other BNP leaders brief media after their talks with the chief adviser at State Guest House Jamuna in the capital today.

"At this moment, what is most needed is national unity, which we have conveyed to him," he said after leading a five-member BNP delegation in the hour-long meeting.

"We are facing significant challenges. To address these challenges, particularly those that threaten independence and sovereignty or seek to undermine them, we must build national unity to resist and counter such threats," Fakhrul said.

He also raised concerns over the law-and-order situation at the meeting, mentioning clashes between students of different colleges in Dhaka earlier this week and violent protests in Chattogram on Tuesday against the arrest of a former ISKCON leader.

"The main purpose of our meeting was to convey our party's concerns to the chief adviser regarding the recent developments, particularly the law-and-order situation in the past few days, the issues surrounding ISKCON, and the problems of students of some colleges," Fakhrul said, according to the UNB.

Fakhrul further stressed the need to hold elections as soon as possible after completing necessary reforms.

The BNP leader also called for withdrawing cases filed against party leaders and activists and also called for the dissolution of union parishads.