"It will take time to hold the council but the preparation is going on," Mofazzal Karim, adviser to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, told the reporters after meeting party Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan at his Gulshan residence yesterday.

They have to take the consent of the party chairperson as well as the government to hold the council, he said.

"Everything will take place according to the party constitution," he said when asked what they will do if the chairperson does not give her consent for council.

After the arrest of Sheikh Hasina, many district level BNP leaders expressed their concern to the pro-reform central leaders about the party's future as they fear that Khaleda Zia might also be arrested soon, sources said.

Many pro-reforms leaders of BNP also refrained from their regular visit to the party secretary general's residence in last few days. Some of them are of the view that it would not be possible to hold the party council in the presence of Khaleda Zia.

Most members of the party's central executive committee are, however, maintaining silence over the initiative to hold the council keeping the party chairperson away.

"Khaleda Zia is the symbol of party's unity... so it is tough for us to take position against her although we are unhappy with Tarique Rahman," an executive committee member said, adding that field level councillors also will not accept any decision without Khaleda's participation.

But pro-reform leaders claim that many former lawmakers and most presidents and general secretaries of the party's district units are with them and want to hold the council as soon as possible.

Almost all the party councillors have already received a copy of the reform proposal and pro-reforms leaders are maintaining close contact with the councillors as part of their strategy to muster support to hold the council.