Tight security protocols were enforced across Sylhet as the administration prepared for the high-profile visit. According to the official itinerary, the President offered prayers at the shrines of Hazrat Shahjalal (R) and Hazrat Shahparan (R) before heading to the civic reception and civic gathering hosted by the city authorities. While senior local BNP figures joined administrative delegations at Osmani International Airport and accompanied the head of state during his shrine visits, they collectively absented themselves from the formal reception.

The decision to boycott stemmed from accusations that the SCC administration acted arbitrarily by failing to consult local lawmakers and party officials while arranging the event. Leaders also alleged that a significant number of party activists were overlooked and excluded from the guest list.

Prominent leaders who skipped the civic reception included Dr Mohammad Enamul Haque Chowdhury, Adviser to the BNP Chairperson; Miftah Siddiqui, Central Assistant Organising Secretary and Chairman of Sylhet WASA; Advocate Emran Ahmad Chowdhury, MP for Sylhet-6 and General Secretary of Sylhet District BNP; Kamruzzaman Kamrul, MP for Sunamganj-1; Advocate Nurul Islam Nurul, MP; Rezaul Hasan Koyes Lodi, Chairman of the Sylhet Development Authority and former Acting President of Sylhet City BNP; Freedom Fighter Abdur Razzaq, Assistant Secretary for Microcredit and Cottage Industries; Abul Kaher Shamim, Administrator of Sylhet District Council; Nasim Hossain, President of Sylhet City BNP; Emdad Hossain Chowdhury, General Secretary of Sylhet City BNP; and Md Badruzzaman Selim, Director of Jalalabad Gas and former General Secretary of Sylhet City BNP.

Explaining the rationale behind their decision, Emdad Hossain Chowdhury stated that party leaders actively extended all necessary cooperation for the state visit, including receiving and seeing off the President at the airport and attending shrine prayers. However, he criticised the SCC Administrator for bypassing established norms, such as forming an inclusive civic committee, and expressed frustration over bureaucratic hurdles that prevented party leaders’ vehicles from accessing the shrine premises—access previously granted during executive visits.

Echoing similar sentiments, Rezaul Hasan Koyes Lodi reiterated the party’s deep respect for the presidency but noted that many grassroots activists who suffered persecution over the past decade were excluded from the invitation list. Lodi stated that standing in solidarity with these dedicated party workers was a moral obligation, prompting him to decline the invitation while maintaining his full respect for the head of state.

Sylhet City BNP President Nasim Hossain confirmed that although party leaders fully participated in state protocols at the shrines and the airport, no representative from the BNP joined the civic reception platform hosted by the city corporation.