On Thursday (22nd May), the media landscape was rife with source-based reports about Muhammad Yunus threatening to resign as the ‘chief advisor’ to the interim government of Bangladesh.
Yunus, a controversial US asset, took over the reins of the country on 8th August 2024 i.e. just 3 days after the undemocratic ouster of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a well-coordinated ‘regime change‘ operation.
He initially received overwhelming support from the public, so-called ‘student protestors’, the Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Islamic extremists and even the Bangladeshi military.
Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel Peace Prize winner who took over after a mass uprising last year, has threatened to resign if parties do not give him their backing, a political ally and sources in his office said
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) May 22, 2025
🇧🇩 https://t.co/pCPctnqMaI pic.twitter.com/I9faVjURAn
Muhammad Yunus, who had the backing of the US deep State, was tasked to stir the country amid the political turmoil and chaos that ensued after the fall of Dhaka.
His reputation of being a ‘Nobel laureate’ and a champion of ‘microfinance’ gave hopes of ‘renewed democracy’ to the Bangladeshis. But the facade could only last 10 months.
The growing discontentment, across all sections of society, against the interim government has now left Muhammad Yunus cornered.
His failure to conduct a ‘free and fair’ election till date has brought his nefarious ambition, of staying the de-facto leader of Bangladesh, under the spotlight.
In a last bid attempt to salvage his image, Muhammad Yunus has leaked it to media via his sources that he is frustrated over ‘recent developments’ and wants to step down.
“I won’t be able to work unless the political parties can reach a common ground,” Yunus conveyed his message to BBC Bangla through Nahid Islam, who previously served as ‘information adviser‘ under him.
Muhammad Yunus tired to appease Islamic extremists
Bangladesh witnessed a drastic rise in Islamism after Yunus came to power. He first revoked the ban on the radical Islamist outfit ‘Jamaat-e-Islami.’
Thereafter, he released the leader of the radical outfit ‘Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT)’ Muhammad Jasimuddin Rahmani.
At the same time, Muhammad Yunus downplayed the targeted attacks on the Hindu community by violent Muslim mobs. He has gone on record from lamenting about attacks on Hindus to saying that the claims of atrocities are ‘exaggerated‘.
In that way, the controversial US asset was able to placate Islamic extremists. Given that Awami Legaue was against Islamism, the interim government first banned its student wing ‘Chhatra League,’ and then the parent party.
Under the watch of Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh saw a drastic rise in vigilante Muslim mobs, which unleashed violence under the pretext of protecting the tenets of Islam.
These mobs were largely unorganised and called themselves ‘Tawhidi Janata (meaning Revolutionary People).’ They came under the spotlight over acts of vandalism and harassment of people.
The Yunus regime introduced new textbooks for primary and secondary students, which falsely claimed that the first declaration of independence of Bangladesh was made by Ziaur Rehman (a favourite icon of Muslim hardliners in Bangladesh).
The interim government also appointed a Hizb ut-Tahrir terrorist named Mohammad Azaz as the administrator for the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC).
The situation had become so grim that Bangladeshi ambassador to Morocco Mohammad Harun Al Rashid was forced to slam the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in a scathing Facebook post in March this year.
“Under Muhammad Yunus’s regime, the media has been both servile and silenced. Brutalities have unfolded daily—hidden from the world. The extremists have convinced Bangladeshis that the West no longer takes Islamic terrorism seriously—giving radicals free rein. And so far, they have been proven correct,” he pointed out.
Rashid added, “Minorities and secularists live in constant fear, while Hizb ut-Tahrir, IS, and Al-Qaeda flaunt their red and black flags, openly demanding Islamic theocracy. The July–August terrorists came straight from their ranks. But Yunus didn’t just shield them—he empowered them.“
Yunus tried to capitalise on anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh
Given that India is a perceived as a ‘Hindu nation’ by Bangladeshi Muslims, Yunus set out to antagonise the neighbouring country as well and capitalise on his growing anti-Indian sentiment in the country.
He first attempted to ban the export of Hilsa fish to India but it was in vain. He then strategically downplayed the crucial role played by India in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War by distorting textbooks.
Yunus remained tight-lipped when officials, appointed by him, issued threats to India. In October 2024, Law adviser Asif Nazrul in Bangladesh’s interim government warned that if India tried to refuse the extradition of Sheikh Hasina, the country would launch a “strong protest.”
Sarjis Alam, a so-called ‘student activist’, issued veiled threats to Indian Prime Minsiter Modi. And yet again, Yunus maintained strategic silence. His own ‘adviser’ Mahfuz Alam threatened to annex parts of India.
Former Director General of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), A.L.M. Fazlur Rahman, had also threatened to occupy the 7 States of North-East India in case of war with Pakistan. He is a close aide of Muhammad Yunus.
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) commander Lt. Col Golam Kibria also issued threats to India’s Border Security Force (BSF). The interim government maintained stoic silence yet again.
Yunus went on a trip to China and urged the expansonist nation to use the 7 sisters of India as an extension of its economy.
According to him, the chief adviser expressed concerns about whether he would be able to continue working under the current circumstances.
Shrewd tactics of Yunus and the last nail in the coffin
Besides appeasing Islamic extremists and riding on anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus also ensured the revival of the politically dormant Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
He had given a free hand to the ‘student activists’, who played a crucial role in the regime change operation in Bangladesh, to indulge in corruption. Yunus also tried to placate the Bangladesh army from time to time.
However, it now appears that the ‘chief advisor’ to the interim government of Bangladesh has finally run his course.
The Bangladesh Army Chief General, Waker-Uz-Zaman, has directed Muhammad Yunus to hold elections by December 2025 under any circumstances. This has dented the latter’s sinister agenda to hold steadfast to the reigns of power.
The sitauation has been further excaerbated with the BNP launching an all-out protest against the interim government.
The party demanded the appointment of its candidate (Ishraque Hossain) as Dhaka’s mayor. BNP also sought for a fixed election date and removal of controversial advisors from the Yunus cabinet.
The ‘student activists,’ who practically oversaw the rise of Muhammad Yunus to the power corridors of Bangladesh, have their own political organisation (National Citizen Party or NCP) now.
They hold demonstrations every other day against one institution or another, creating more hindrance in the functioning of the interim government.
In the meantime, Jamaat-e-Islami has made it clear that it wants elections only after Awami League politicians have been tried by the govt and ‘necessary reforms’ are implemented.
With no support to continue the facade of unelected, ‘democratic’ governance, Muhammad Yunus is now left with no options. A timely resignation may still save face amid growing uncertainities (both political and economic) in Bangladesh.
The ‘chief advisor’ to the interim government has now claimed to feel like a ‘hostage’ due to protests by NCP and BNP.
He has been asked to ‘reconsider his decision’ but the question remains – Does Muhammad Yunus really have a choice anymore?
