Dhaka, Sept. 28 -- Whenever senior leaders of major political parties travel abroad, they are received by expatriate party activists. The same scenes play out whether they belong to the ruling party or the opposition: welcomes, rallies, and counter-protests.

Most recently in New York, as Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus arrived for the UN General Assembly accompanied by the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and National Citizen Party (NCP) leaders, they were greeted by supporters, while Awami League activists staged protests.

Yet under the Representation of the People Order (RPO) -- a set of electoral laws -- registered political parties are not permitted to form or run overseas branches or committees.

Although party registration was introduced in 200...