US pre-election monitoring team in meeting with AL

The US pre-election monitoring team has started a meeting with a delegation of the ruling Awami League in the capital.

The meeting started around 12:30pm at a hotel in Banani.

A six-member team of the Awami League led by Obaidul Quader, general secretary of the party, is taking part in the meeting, party sources said.

Other members of the AL team are presidium member Muhammad Faruk Khan, International Affairs Secretary Shammi Ahmed, Office Secretary Barrister Biplob Barua, Information and Research Affairs Secretary Selim Mahmud, and executive committee member Mohammad Ali Arafat.

The joint International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI) pre-election assessment mission (PEAM) arrived in Bangladesh on Saturday to follow electoral preparations and conduct an independent and impartial assessment.

Earlier, around 10:30am today, the mission held a meeting started with BNP leaders at the party chairperson's Gulshan office, said BNP media cell member Shairul Kabir Khan.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir led the delegation at the meeting.

Party's standing committee members Abdul Moyeen Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan, and Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury were present at the meeting, among other leaders.

Mohammad Ismail Zabiullah, Shama Obayed, Asaduzzaman Asad were also present.