Bangladesh President on Yunus era: I don’t know if anyone can withstand the storm I went through
Dhaka: Bangladesh President Mohammad Shahabuddin has launched a blistering attack on Mohammad Yunus, accusing the former interim government chief of plotting to overthrow him, destabilizing the country and creating a constitutional vacuum.“They are trying to keep me in the dark. They don’t want people to recognize me. They don’t allow me to participate in events abroad or at home,” the president said, giving another glimpse into a hidden side of the Nobel laureate. The Nobel laureate won over an influential global lobby by casting himself as a peace-loving academic, but his tenure as interim administrator has been defined by manipulation, semi-authoritarian tendencies and the unbridled indulgence of violent fundamentalists.Notably, Shahabuddin claimed in an interview with Bangladeshi daily Kaler Kantho that Bangladesh’s trade agreement with the United States was implemented in a “highly secretive manner” and even the president’s office was not informed about it. This disclosure will strengthen the view of those who insist that the protests against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina were instigated by foreign powers.The interview also confirmed estimates that Yunus’ authoritarian ways have unsettled both the BNP and the military, with Shahabuddin saying he would not remain president without the support of the armed forces and the BNP leadership from “the highest levels” during the “challenging” 18 months of Yunus’ interim government.
Yunus-appointed prosecutor Tajul Islam replaced
The Tarique Rahman-led BNP government on Monday fired Tajul Islam, chief prosecutor of the Congress-aligned Bangladesh International Crime Tribunal (ICT), who represented the former interim government of Mohammad Yunus in the Crimes Against Humanity 2024 case in which former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia, Ahsan Tasnim reported. Tajul has been replaced by Supreme Court lawyer Md Aminul Islam, a key member of the legal team of former prime minister and BNP matriarch Khaleda Zia. “My clear message is that those who have not committed any crime will not face any harassment but the real perpetrators will have to be punished,” Aminu told reporters.
