Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

While the BNP has been pressing for national elections for months, it has avoided conflicts with student leaders and the interim government.

Just six months ago, the tables were completely turned. Khaleda was under house arrest, while her party was desperately appealing for her to be allowed to travel for medical care.

The BNP wants the national election by the middle of this year and local government polls afterwards.

Amid the bustling corridors of Dhaka’s hospitals, an invisible danger wafts silently through the air -- drug-resistant bacteria.

Prospects for the repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar are dimming as the Rakhine state descends deeper into conflict and humanitarian crisis.

It is often said that patience pays off. For BNP, 2024 is the year its 17 years of perseverance started showing signs of bearing fruit.

Seismic. That is perhaps the one word close enough to describe Bangladesh’s transformation in 2024.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is set to make her first appearance in a political programme in seven years on December 21, reigniting discussions about her symbolic presence and the possibility of a political comeback.

The days were pure chaos. Protests were erupting everywhere, and as the digital chief reporter, I had no choice but to keep my eyes glued to my computer screen or my cellphone, constantly scanning social media for updates

BNP leaders believe a vested quarter is intentionally trying to destabilise the country.

The BNP has finalised several constitutional reform proposals, which include balancing the powers of the president and the prime minister.

Leaders of BNP’s highest decision-making platform yesterday expressed frustration over the chief adviser’s failure to outline a definitive election roadmap during his recent address to the nation.

The BNP believes that the cabinet expansion is an attempt of this interim government to prolong its stay in power. Considering this, the party plans to beef up its street programmes to put pressure on the government to call for elections, said party leaders.

In an effort to intensify pressure on the interim government for national elections, the BNP on Friday held a massive gathering in the capital.

Unless the interim government issues a roadmap to the next election in two to three months, the BNP may take to the streets in March or April next year, say top leaders of the party.

The BNP plans to maintain a sustained presence on the streets starting November 7 to put pressure on the interim government to hold the next general election within a reasonable time and to foil any attempt to destabilise the country, insiders said.

BNP is considering rallies next month to push for a roadmap to election while keeping a close watch on the issue of the president’s probable removal.

The interim government’s decision on whether to remove President Mohammed Shahabuddin from office is still awaiting a “political consensus”, because the BNP believes removing him would unnecessarily stir things up in post-Hasina Bangladesh.

The BNP appears to be apprehensive about the sudden controversy over the resignation letter of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina

Having weathered a very difficult 15 years as de facto opposition, the BNP now wants only the essential reforms done to ensure free and fair polls.