Dhaka: A delegation from the US-based International Republican Institute (IRI) held a meeting with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) today, marking a significant engagement between the two entities. The meeting commenced at 12:00pm at the BNP Chairperson's office located in the city's Gulshan area.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the meeting was confirmed by BNP Media Cell Member Shairul Kabir Khan. Under the leadership of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, a team of party leaders participated in the discussions. The BNP team included Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, BNP Chairperson's Advisory Council Member Ismail Zabihullah, Organizing Secretary Shama Obaid, BNP Acting Chairman's Adviser Dr Mahadi Amin, and International Affairs Secretary Rashedul Haque.
The IRI delegation was led by board member Christopher J. Fussner and Lisa Curtis, a Senior Fellow with the Indo-Pacific Security Programme at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). Other notable attendees from IRI included Technical Specialist Jessica Keegan, Resident Programme Director Steve Cima, and Programme Director of NDI Jamie Spikermann. The meeting also saw the presence of Campaigns and Advocacy Consultant John Fluharty, Consultant Darin Bielecki, Programme Consultant Amitabh Ghosh, and Consultant Saida Mushrefa Jahan.