BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that UN Secretary-General António Guterres did not discuss reforms, as it is an internal matter of Bangladesh.
He made this remark in response to a journalist's question after a roundtable meeting with the UN secretary-general at the InterContinental Hotel in Dhaka on Saturday.
BNP representatives at the meeting included Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed.
Mirza Fakhrul said that during the meeting, the UN secretary-general was informed about the reform commissions that have been established. Law Adviser Asif Nazrul briefed him on the matter. BNP reiterated the same points it has been making regarding the issue.
Emphasizing the need for reforms, Fakhrul said that BNP was the first to call for reforms and stressed that the process should be expedited.
He added that BNP believes in first implementing election-related reforms, holding elections swiftly, and then making further reforms through a newly elected parliament. He described reform as a continuous process.
When asked whether any timeline for elections was discussed, Fakhrul replied that BNP does not need to set a timeframe. He reiterated that reforms are an internal matter and that BNP is in communication with reform commissions.
He further said that discussions with these commissions are ongoing and there has already been a meeting. He questioned why BNP would need to present a timeframe to the UN secretary-general.
