Roving Periscope: Rudderless, Bangladesh may slip into a civil war
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Muhammad Yunus has, since he started enjoying political power for the first time in August 2024, at the ripe old age of 84, proved Lord Acton right: that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Secondly, he has also proved that being a Nobel Laureate for Peace—he pioneered micro-financing in Bangladesh—does not guarantee the winner has common sense!
With mounting debt, rising prices, unemployment, political unrest, anarchy, and all-round defeatism, Bangladesh may well head into a civil war.
Sensing the shape of things to come, French President Emmanual Macron turned down a bilateral meeting with Yunus this week.
When he succeeded ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed in August 2024, many optimists worldwide, particularly in Bangladesh, thought that Yunus’ leadership will be a boon for his country which had barely left abject poverty behind and emerged as an important economy in the last few years. But his Islamist-controlled government has only dragged Bangladesh down in the dumps.
Most people in Bangladesh, including political parties, are now disillusioned with Yunus who has antagonized many friends, including India, as he moved closer to even the Pakistani establishment which raped the then East Pakistan’s women, and massacred millions of Bengalis in the 1947-1971 period. Ironically, the so-called “economist”, despite Bangladesh’s mounting debt, also closed ranks with a fleecing China and even offered it what offended India.
Sensing the looming danger, with even the Bangladesh Army now turning against him, he is now reported to be mulling resignation as the Chief Advisor to the Interim Government, citing mounting political unrest and the failure of parties to forge a consensus.
According to BBC Bangla and local media reports Yunus voiced this intention during closed-door discussions with his advisory council and political allies.
At the time of Islamist-led “student unrest” in mid-2024, he was in the US. After the then Joe Biden administration allegedly masterminded the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, Yunus, a puppet of the Democrats, was rushed to Dhaka to assume office as a consensus choice to lead a transitional government until the next election, with support from the military as well as Islamists.
The widespread unrest, controlled by Pakistan-backed Islamist fundamentalist groups but outwardly led by the likes Students Against Discrimination (SAD), now central to the National Citizen Party (NCP), called for a neutral figure to clean up corruption and fix the electoral system. That was how they chose Yunus, 84, as a harmless nobody they could push in to make Bangladesh an Islamic country.
Recent media reports suggest that Yunus himself may now have realized that he was riding a tiger and finds it difficult to disembark. He is deeply frustrated by the increasing polarisation, lack of consensus among political parties, and growing protests against his advisory council. He expressed these concerns during a late-night meeting at the state guest house Jamuna, attended by key figures from the NCP including Nahid Islam, Mahfuj Alam, and Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, the media reports said.
“I won’t be able to work unless the political parties can reach a common ground,” Yunus reportedly told NCP leader.
According to Nahid Islam, Yunus feels “held hostage” by relentless protests and factional demands, and is disheartened by aspersions cast on his government’s neutrality and performance. Multiple political parties are now demanding the dismissal of some of his advisers, alleging they are aligned with specific groups such as the NCP, raising questions about the impartiality of his administration.
The main Opposition, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Begum Khaleda Zia, has upped the ante by demanding parliamentary elections by December 2025, and not 2026 as proposed. It also wants a downsized advisory council with the removal of advisers like Mahfuj Alam and Asif Mahmud Shojib, and sacking of National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman, besides a complete reconstitution of the ‘biased’ Election Commission.
Even the NCP, once a strong supporter of Yunus, also protested against the current EC and demanded the resignation of key advisers like Salehuddin Ahmed (Finance), Asif Nazrul (Law), and Wahiduddin Mahmud (Planning). Jamaat-e-Islami and others have backed calls for institutional reforms and trial of former Shiekh Hasina’s Awami League leaders.
Another significant development is the apparent shift in military support. On Wednesday, Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, reportedly unhappy with Dhaka’s open proximity with Islamabad and Beijing, said that elections must be held by December 2025 to restore civilian governance. “This is only possible through an elected government, not by unelected decision-makers,” he said, according to military sources cited by The Daily Star.
Having tasted unchecked power since August 2024, however, NCP leaders are pressuring Yunus to cling to his office. At a Thursday morning advisory council meeting, he expressed his desire to step down and address the nation. Advisers urged him to take a few days to reflect before making a final decision. Later that evening, he repeated his concerns during a meeting with NCP leaders. Despite attempts to reassure him, he returned home unconvinced, with speculation intensifying on social media.
Nahid Islam, in his BBC Bangla interview, indicated that Yunus feels powerless amid political infighting and no longer confident in his ability to lead reforms. However, NCP leaders continue to urge him to stay on, citing the importance of unity and national stability.
