After False Claims About Award, Now Secrecy Over Meeting With British PM

European Correspondent

London, June 10, 2025 (AP): Controversy has arisen surrounding the UK visit of Bangladesh’s interim government chief adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus. Following the earlier dispute over the King Charles Foundation’s “Harmony Award,” uncertainty now looms over his scheduled meeting with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. While Bangladeshi media has widely discussed this meeting, the chief adviser’s office has yet to confirm any fixed schedule.

Dr. Yunus is currently on a visit to the UK. His press wing had earlier stated that during this trip, he would meet the British Prime Minister and receive the King Charles Foundation’s Harmony Award.

British PM Sir Keir Starmer is set to travel to Canada later this week. Ahead of the G7 summit, he is scheduled to meet Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney on June 14 to discuss mutual security and economic relations. Following this, the G7 summit will take place from June 15 to 17 in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, where Sir Keir Starmer will be in attendance.

Given these circumstances, questions have been raised about the timing of Dr. Yunus’s meeting with the British PM, as Dr. Yunus is set to return to Bangladesh on June 14. When contacted, the chief adviser’s press secretary said, “Sir Keir Starmer is currently in Canada. Dr. Yunus will remain in London until June 14. If the British Prime Minister returns within this period, a meeting is possible.”

While Bangladeshi media has shown great enthusiasm over this visit, the uncertainty surrounding the meeting has sparked fresh controversy. First, despite Dr. Yunus’s name being absent from the King Charles Foundation’s awardee list, Bangladeshi media announced his receipt of the Harmony Award. Now, after widely publicizing a meeting with the British PM, uncertainty prevails.

Observers suggest that the chief adviser’s press wing may have heavily promoted the meeting in Bangladeshi media without any confirmation from the British PM’s office. Such diplomatic impropriety has raised public questions, and diplomatic circles are also viewing the matter unfavorably. After all, traveling to the UK with such a large entourage without a confirmed schedule with the British PM holds little significance.

It is worth noting that this is Dr. Yunus’s 11th foreign trip in the last 10 months. Diplomatic circles claim that, barring one or two visits, none of these trips have held any substantive value for a head of state.