When the BBC's Rajini Vaidyanathan asked Professor Muhammad Yunus—head of Bangladesh's interim government—during his recent visit to London why he was meeting the king but  not the prime minister , it was an awkward moment for most. Yet, without hesitation or irritation, as clearly heard on the radio, Professor Yunus replied: "Well, we would be very happy to meet him. Somehow, probably he is busy or whatever. But that gives me a great opportunity too—now that he is busy, I invite him to come to Bangladesh." A witty remark, no doubt, though hardly a satisfying explanation. Rajini followed up with a more pointed question: "What reason does Downing Street give you for not arranging the meeting?" To this, Professor Yunus replied: "I don't think we've received any explanation. Probably he is busy with other important things." This exchange highlighted the foreign ministry's failure to secure a key meeting during the chief adviser's visit...

Even if the much-anticipated meeting between Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and Tarique Rahman, acting chairman of the BNP, the leading political party in Bangladesh, fails to fulfil the high expectations of bridging differences over the recently unveiled election roadmap, London has nonetheless emerged as the place where the interim government's strategy gained much-needed clarity. This was largely due to the Royal Institute of International Affairs, commonly known as Chatham House, hosting Prof Yunus for a discussion and Q&A session focused on Bangladesh's future trajectory. The conversation addressed both domestic issues, such as elections, democracy, and institutional reforms, and foreign policy concerns, particularly relations with India and the Rohingya refugee crisis. This context underscores a glaring issue: the Chief Adviser's Office still lacks an effective communication strategy. Had similar interactive press sessions been held in Dhaka over the past 10 mo...