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mode. After the announcement of the schedule, any protest or movement on the streets will be handled very strictly. We are preparing for a good election.”

There have been 2,000 protests in the last 16 months.

“The new government decided to deal with these protests peacefully. Except for a few incidents of baton charge, nothing else happened. The law-enforcement agencies have shown a great level of patience, which is rare in Bangladesh’s history,” he said.

Also at the meeting, the advisory council exempted the value-added tax (VAT) on metro rail tickets.

Though the government would get about Tk 40 crore per year, the government exempted the VAT considering that the metro rail is playing an important role in the transportation of the city dwellers, Shafiqul said.

The government also reduced the tax incidence on dates to 40 percent from the existing 52 percent to facilitate the consumers in the upcoming holy month of Ramadan.

Three ordinances were also approved: the Commercial Court Ordinance 2025, the National Legal Aid (Second Amendment) Ordinance 2025, and the Registration (Amendment) Ordinance 2025.

However, the drafts of the Telecommunication Ordinance, the SME Policy, and the National Qualifications Framework Policy were placed before the advisory council but did not receive approval, Shafiqul said.

The meeting also adopted a thanksgiving motion for the two outgoing advisers.

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan moved the motion highlighting the biography of outgoing advisers Mahfuj Alam and Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain and their contributions to the 2018 anti-quota movement and the 2024 July Uprising.

Yunus also hosted a luncheon in their honour after the meeting of the advisory council at his office.