(BSS) - BNP held a meeting with top business leaders at the Chairperson`s office at Gulshan today.

During the meeting, the BNP and business leaders discussed various issues affecting the business sector, including LDC graduation and labor law amendments.

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and Chairperson`s adviser S M Fazlul Haque were present at the meeting.

BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan, Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) President Kamran Tanvirur Rahman, former MCCI Presidents Tapan Chowdhury and Nasim Manzur, former FBCCI President A K Azad, Pran Group Head Ahsan Khan Chowdhury, BKMEA President M.A. Hatem, Bangladesh Employers` Federation (BEF) President Fazle Shameem Ehsan, BGMEA Secretary General Rashid Ahmed Hossainy, and Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) President Tasneem Ahmed, among others, attended the meeting.

Mentioning that Bangladesh is not ready for LDC graduation, Amir Khasru said, "The major business leaders, who are the driving force of Bangladesh`s economy, were all here. They came for two reasons -- one is our LDC graduation and the other is the labor law issue. These are extremely important matters to protect and secure the future potential of trade and investment in Bangladesh. We need to be careful about certain issues."

"We listened to them in detail about their advantages and disadvantages. What became clear from this is that LDC graduation at this moment will not be beneficial for the current and future trade and investment of Bangladesh. The country`s economy is now recovering from a major challenge and everyone is working together to protect and advance it. The statistics that were provided regarding the LDC graduation in the past are now questionable," he added.

The BNP leader added, "Considering all the things, if we want to continue advancing Bangladesh`s future economy, investment, and trade, and fulfill the dream of a new Bangladesh, we have all discussed the necessity of postponing the LDC graduation at this moment."

They also opined the interim government should write a letter to the United Nations about this matter and invite UN representatives to assess whether Bangladesh is prepared, Khasru said.

Regarding the discussion on labor issues, the senior BNP leader said, "They have no problem with the ratification of labor issues. However, regarding the numbers of other unions, it needs to be considered whether these changes will truly change the fate of the workers or if the unions can work effectively."

"If the decision is made hurriedly without considering these factors, and a bad message goes out to the country and abroad, it will be very difficult to recover from it," he added.

BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan said, "We, as the business community involved in running industries and trade, have discussed our many business concerns today. But at this moment, our biggest concerns are the deferment of LDC graduation and the labor law amendment."

"We have no objection to amending the labor law. As you know, 124 points were discussed at the TCC... We have agreed on 122 of the 124 points. There are realistic reasons why we could not agree on the two remaining points," he added.