Staff Correspondent:

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) will abolish the Financial Institutions Division (FID) under the Ministry of Finance if it returns to power, said BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury.

Speaking as the chief guest at the Economic Reform Summit held at a hotel in Gulshan on Monday afternoon, Amir Khasru said the division was created to exert political control over state-owned banks.

“Its main purpose was to appoint politically preferred managing directors and board members for looting and corruption. During its previous term, the BNP government had abolished this division, but Sheikh Hasina’s government reinstated it. Once BNP returns to power, it will again be dissolved,” he declared.

The BNP leader emphasised that restoring discipline and reforming the financial sector requires granting full independence—not just autonomy—to Bangladesh Bank.

He added that the party plans to introduce comprehensive reforms to encourage investment and stabilise the economy.

Amir Khasru also questioned the government’s recent decision to split the National Board of Revenue (NBR) into two divisions, saying, “What benefit has this brought? Both divisions are still run by bureaucrats. BNP has a different plan for NBR.”

Discussing bureaucratic reform, he said, “BNP will not challenge the bureaucracy, but their responsibilities will be reduced. Power will be decentralised across all areas of governance, ensuring that policy decisions remain in the hands of policymakers, not bureaucrats.”

Speaking to reporters after the event, Amir Khasru said that demands and reforms should not be fought for on the streets but rather through public engagement.

“We must go to the people with our demands, earn their mandate, and bring reforms through parliamentary approval,” he said.

Highlighting the need for a change in political culture, he added, “Unless we bring tolerance and respect for differing opinions into our politics, no amount of reform will deliver lasting results. We must learn to respect others even when we disagree.”

Other speakers at the event included Manzur Hossain, member of the General Economics Division of the Planning Commission; Nakibur Rahman, spokesperson of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami in the United States; Mohammad Hasan Arif, vice chairman of the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB); Snehasish Barua, chartered accountant; Jyoti Rahman, executive editor of Counterpart; and Wasim Alim, CEO of Chaldal.