The Yunus Centre had to postpone an international conference on social business after the police withheld permission. The permission was sought without giving the police adequate time, the inspector general of polce (IGP), AKM Shahidul Huq, said yesterday (Thursday).

"Arranging such a conference is prestigious. But for that, one has to apply for permission early. Such conferences have been held before," he added.

The IGP was talking to reporters after a function in the city.

The Yunus Centre informed the superintendent of police (SP), Dhaka, on July 23 that the conference would be held at Ashulia in Savar on July 28 (Friday).

The IGP said such a conference cannot be held by informing the SP alone as it requires a lot of preparation. So, permission has been withheld for the time being, the police chief added

The Yunus Centre told The Independent yesterday that it has postponed the seventh annual "Social Business Day", scheduled to be held at the Social Convention Centre at Jirabo, Savar, on July 28-29. The theme selected

was: “Is it possible to prevent centralisation of wealth?”

The preparations were complete, but it postponed the conference, citing “unavoidable reasons”.

Over 500 delegates from 36 countries and more than 2,000 guests and participants were likely to have attended the conference. It was scheduled to have been inaugurated by Nobel laureate Prof Mohammad Yunus. Coordinator of the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), Thomas Gus, was to have been the keynote speaker at the conference, the Yunus Centre said.