The National Citizen Party (NCP) is set to finalise its proposed advisory council at a meeting on Wednesday evening, bringing together around 25 professionals and experts to provide strategic guidance to the party.
Dr Atiq Mujahid, an NCP lawmaker and Political Council member coordinating the initiative, told Daily Waadaa that the meeting with prospective advisers would finalise the council’s composition ahead of a formal announcement expected next week.
The proposed council will include retired military officers, former bureaucrats, academics, lawyers, engineers, journalists and religious scholars.
Among those being considered are retired Brigadier General Fazlur Rahman, journalist Maskawath Ahsan, former additional secretary Mezbah Uddin, Dr Naima Imam Chowdhury, Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Omar Faruk, Professor Dr SM Abdul Quddus, engineer Sabina Ahmed, Mufti Maulana Shaikh Muhammad Usman Gani and Shaikh Ahmed Badruddin Khan.
Sarwar Tusher, an NCP joint convener and Political Council member, said the party had planned to establish an advisory body since its inception, but competing organisational priorities had delayed the process.
“The main objective is to seek their advice and benefit from their social connections. They will assist us on various matters and provide guidance,” Tusher told Waadaa.
He said most of those approached had responded positively, although some preferred not to have their names disclosed publicly because of professional and other considerations.
“Some are involved in business, while others are associated with different institutions. They fear that publicly associating themselves with us could expose them to pressure from the government,” he said.
The council’s powers and responsibilities have yet to be determined, with its mandate expected to be incorporated into the party’s constitution, which remains in draft form.
“When we finalise our party constitution ahead of the next council, the advisers’ responsibilities and scope of work will be clearly defined,” Tusher said.
He added that the advisers would also propose their own terms of reference, which would be considered alongside the party’s expectations.
The NCP plans to hold its next party council in February or March 2027, around the second anniversary of its formation.
“We want to hold our party council in February to mark our second anniversary, provided everything goes well and the situation in the country allows it. It should take place by February or March at the latest,” Tusher said.
The advisory council is part of the NCP’s broader organisational expansion, which also includes plans for independent alliances representing religious and ethnic minority communities.
“We recently formed a sports alliance, and we are planning to establish a Hindu, Buddhist and Christian alliance,” Tusher said.
He said a separate platform was also being planned for Bangladesh’s ethnic communities, noting that not all citizens identify as Bengali.
Unlike the party’s formal student, youth and women’s wings, these alliances would operate independently while sharing the NCP’s ideological outlook.