- Former aide: Yunus contacted to lead interim government.
- Journalist facilitated initial contact before PM Hasina fled.
- Yunus-led interim government took charge, tried Hasina.
Bangladesh’s former Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus was approached to lead the country’s interim government two days before former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled Dhaka following violent student-led protests in August 2024, according to his former press secretary, Shafiqul Alam.
In a Facebook post, Alam claimed that student leaders planning a change of regime had reached out to the Nobel laureate ahead of Hasina’s ouster on August 5, 2024. He also alleged that an Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalist played a key role in connecting Yunus with the protesters.
What Yunus’ Aide Said
Alam identified Qadaruddin Shishir, who was then the editor of AFP Dhaka’s fact-check team, as the person who facilitated the initial contact between Yunus and the student leaders.
“When student leaders wanted to reach out to Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus and invite him to head the interim government in a post-Hasina scenario, they needed a trusted bridge-builder. Qadaruddin Shishir stepped up to fulfil that critical role,” Alam wrote.
He claimed that Shishir managed the “high-stakes operation” in “complete secrecy”, with only a select group of trusted individuals aware of the developments.
“It was Shishir who first approached the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner on behalf of the student leaders and facilitated the initial talks between the two parties,” Alam said.
According to the former press secretary, the meeting took place two days before Hasina fled Bangladesh, offering an account of the alleged behind-the-scenes discussions ahead of the political transition.
Alam also claimed that Hasina’s security apparatus, which he described as being notorious for mass killings and abductions, remained unaware of the discussions.
“Hasina would remain in power for two more days, yet her brutal security machine — notorious for mass killings and abductions — never caught a whisper of it. Had they discovered what was happening, Shishir and our entire AFP team would likely have ended up in an Aynaghar (house of mirrors secret prison),” he wrote.
Alam further praised Shishir’s composure and claimed that the journalist had quietly begun gathering video evidence of killings allegedly committed by the regime.
The claims were made by Alam in his Facebook post. The account of the alleged discussions was not independently established in the material provided.
Hasina’s Allegations Against Yunus
After Hasina’s Awami League government was toppled, an interim administration led by Yunus took office on August 8, 2024. It governed Bangladesh for approximately a year and a half.
In 2025, Hasina was tried in absentia by a special tribunal and sentenced to death. The interim administration also disbanded her Awami League party and sought her extradition from India.
Hasina has accused the Yunus-led administration of allowing those responsible for violence to evade accountability while pursuing politically motivated cases against Awami League members. She has also alleged that political repression and a culture of fear persisted under the subsequent political arrangements.
Yunus Heckled At New York Airport
During a recent visit to the United States, Yunus was heckled by people described as supporters of the disbanded Awami League at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.
In a video of the incident that later went viral, protesters could be heard shouting, “You are a terrorist, murderer!”, “Why you come here?” and “You killed thousands of police officers in my country.”
Yunus appeared bewildered as he left the airport. His escort then hurriedly turned his wheelchair around inside the terminal amid the verbal abuse.
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