The standing committee meeting would be held on August 24, said a party press release issued last night. Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will preside over the meeting.

The meeting was scheduled ahead of the party's national executive committee meeting, which will be held on August 26. Party insiders said the standing committee meeting would give issues to be discussed in the executive committee meeting.

Party sources said the last meeting of standing committee was held on June 22, 2002. Prime Minister's son Tarique Rahman had been appointed as party's senior joint secretary general on that day.

The standing committee had no role in party activities following the 2002 meeting. The party nominations in the by-polls were done by BNP high commands keeping the standing committee members in the dark. As per the party constitution, standing committee members are members of the party parliamentary board.

Sources said following his appointment as senior joint secretary general, Tarique Rahman arranged a views-exchange meeting with grassroots-level leaders of different districts without the approval of the standing committee. Most of the standing committee members were not even informed about Tarique's initiative.

Ignoring the standing committee members, party chief Khaleda Zia herself began attending views-exchange meetings with the grassroots-level leaders from July 8. The standing committee members had no permission to join the meetings.

Khaleda organised pre-election meetings in the Prime Minister Babhan on October 15-16 last year but the standing committee members did not know about it. Only BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan and Joint Secretary General Tarique Rahman joined the meeting.

Sources said as per rule-12 of the party constitution the standing committee must have 15 members. The committee has 12 members now.

Chairperson Khaleda did not include anyone new in the committee when former minister Majid-Ul-Huq was expelled after the elections of 1996, former president AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury resigned from the party and when Mustafizur Rahman died in 1997. They were all members of the standing committee.

Standing Committee Member Col (retd) Oli Ahmed strongly criticised the party high-ups recently for ignoring the committee. He said the party high-ups did not meet the standing committee members and that is why they did not know anything about the party's activities.

A section of BNP leaders already expressed their unhappiness over Oli's remarks on Khaleda and her son Tarique.