Bangladesh interim chief Muhammad Yunus to stay, say advisers after emergency talks amid resignation buzz

File photo: Bangladesh’s interim chief Muhammad Yunus (Picture credit: IANS)

Bangladesh’s interim chief Muhammad Yunus will remain in office, his advisers confirmed on Saturday evening following an unscheduled, closed-door meeting of the council amid speculation that he was preparing to resign under political and military pressure.Planning adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud told reporters after the meeting at the NEC conference room in Dhaka that Yunus had not expressed any intention to step down. “The chief adviser is staying with us. He has not said he will resign, and all other advisers will also continue. We are here to carry out the responsibilities entrusted with us,” Mahmud said, according to news outlet Prothom Alo.The council met behind closed doors shortly after the ECNEC session, in what was seen as a critical moment to address rising tensions within the interim government. Hours earlier, Yunus had called the emergency meeting amid mounting demands for election clarity and growing discord between political factions and the military.

According to news agency UNB, the chief adviser was set to meet leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami later in the evening. A BNP spokesperson confirmed, “We have been invited by the Chief Adviser’s Office to hold a meeting over the latest political situation.” The BNP meeting is scheduled for 7:00 pm (local time), with Jamaat to follow at 8:00 pm.Yunus, 84, had earlier confided in leaders of the National Citizen Party (NCP) that he was considering resignation. “He said he is thinking about it. He feels that the situation is such that he cannot work,” NCP convenor Nahid Islam was quoted as saying by BBC Bangla. Yunus reportedly made similar remarks at a cabinet meeting, reported news agency PTI, prompting fellow advisers to urge him to stay on.Also read: ‘Congress ki Ram Ram kar ke hi chodenge’: BJP hits back at Jairam Ramesh’s ‘unfit body’ remark on Niti Aayog meetBNP leaders Salahuddin Ahmed and Abdul Moyeen Khan also publicly encouraged Yunus not to quit, warning they may withdraw support if no election timeline is set by December. “If he is unable to announce a specific election date by December, we will reconsider our support for his administration,” Salahuddin said on TV, as per news agency AFP.The army, too, has pushed for elections by December. Bangladesh Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman and other military leaders met Yunus earlier in the week, urging a clear timeline and raising objections to a proposed humanitarian corridor to Myanmar. A day later, Zaman convened a military leadership meeting and voiced concern over strategic decisions being made without military input, seen as a sign of the army’s rising influence.Yunus has led the caretaker government since last August, after a student-led uprising forced Sheikh Hasina’s exit. Backed by Students Against Discrimination (SAD), many of whom now lead the NCP, Yunus returned from exile to head the interim setup.Political friction has grown in recent weeks between the NCP and BNP. BNP wants student representatives out of the cabinet, while NCP has accused two advisers of favouring BNP interests. Jamaat, which has recently shifted support from BNP to NCP, called for both elections and governance reforms.Despite these pressures, key adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan insisted that the interim government’s mission went beyond holding elections. “We have three major responsibilities, all of which are difficult: reform, justice and election. We did not take charge just to hold an election,” she said.As Bangladesh’s 170 million citizens wait amid protests and competing demands, these latest developments suggest Yunus will stay on, alt least for now.