Two years have passed since the ousted Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina left the country and the coup took place. Meanwhile, Asif Nazrul, former legal advisor of the interim government led by Mohammad Yunus, has made a big and shocking revelation. According to him, when there was discussion about making Mohammad Yunus the chief advisor of the interim government after Sheikh Hasina’s departure, the country’s Army Chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman had strongly disagreed with his name. Let us know why the Army Chief was against this appointment and how the situation changed after that.
Why did Army Chief Waqar-uz-Zaman object to the name Muhammad Yunus?
In an interview with Prothom Alo, a leading Bangladeshi newspaper, former legal advisor Asif Nazrul shared the inside story of the coup on August 5th, marking two years since the coup. Nazrul recounted visiting Army Headquarters, where General Waqar praised the courage shown by the students and expressed his support for the reforms. When the Army Chief asked who should lead the interim government, Nazrul informed him that student movement leaders had agreed on Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. The Army Chief immediately objected, arguing that Yunus faced serious criminal charges, including labor law violations and money laundering.
Yunus was embroiled in labor law and money laundering cases.
It is worth noting that Muhammad Yunus is known for his work on the economic upliftment of the poor in Bangladesh, but his organization has also been accused of money laundering and embezzlement of approximately $2 million. Furthermore, in January 2024, during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure, he was sentenced to six months in prison for violating labor laws. However, this sentence was later overturned when he became head of the interim government. The Army Chief was extremely cautious about appointing someone facing serious legal charges to the country’s highest executive position.
How the Army Chief was persuaded, then this is how the political picture of Bangladesh changed
Asif Nazrul explained that he tried his best to convince the Army Chief that the labor law and money laundering cases filed against Yunus were purely politically motivated. These false accusations were leveled against him because then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government disliked Yunus. Following this explanation, Army Chief Waqar-uz-Zaman relented, paving the way for Muhammad Yunus’s appointment as Chief Advisor.
Sheikh Hasina’s coup and the current political situation in Bangladesh
It should be noted that on August 5, 2024, following months of violent student protests, an angry mob stormed the Prime Minister’s residence. Shortly before this, Sheikh Hasina, on military instructions, fled Bangladesh for India and has been living there ever since. Following the Yunus-led interim government, elections were held in the country, in which the main opposition party, the BNP, won. However, Khaleda Zia’s death before the elections led to her son, Tariq Rahman, becoming the new Prime Minister. Currently, diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh are not normal due to Sheikh Hasina’s asylum in India and the BNP’s stance.
