"He Didn't Say He'll Leave": Muhammad Yunus' Aide Amid Resignation Buzz

Muhammad Yunus will continue as the head of Bangladesh's interim government, an adviser in his cabinet said on Saturday. This announcement comes two days after he told student-led National Citizen Party (NCP) leaders that he was mulling resignation as he felt “the situation is such that he cannot work". He also cited difficulties in working because political parties could not find a common ground for change.

"He (Yunus) didn't say he will leave. He said that while we face many obstacles in carrying out the work and responsibilities assigned to us, we are overcoming them,” Planning Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud told reporters. He added, “He (Yunus) is definitely staying."

Mahmud also stated that “the responsibility entrusted to us is a significant one; we cannot abandon this duty", and the advisors were not going anywhere. Reportedly, Yunus was pursuaded not to quit by his colleagues when he expressed his desire to resign during a cabinet meeting.

As many as 19 advisers, effectively ministers, joined the abruptly called closed-door meeting, which Yunus decided to convene following a scheduled meeting of the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) at the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area in Dhaka.

Midway through the meeting, adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan told reporters that discussions were focused on the elections, Yunus's reform agenda, and the belated July Proclamation — a manifesto to mark last year's student-led uprising that led to the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League.

Nahid Islam, the NCP convenor, said that he urged Yunus "to stay strong for the sake of the country's security, and future and to meet the expectations of the mass uprising, (and) I hope everyone will cooperate with him".

Yunus will be meeting leaders of  former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami later in the day, after his overnight calls for talks about the evolving political landscape of recent days.

Senior BNP leaders have said that the party hoped Yunus would not resign abruptly, oversee and early general election and step down with dignity. However, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, an important adviser in Yunus' cabinet, said that the interim government was formed to implement reforms and ensure justice, and not solely hold elections.

Yunus' resignation comes amid reports of discord between the military and the interim government because of the possible timeline for holding the elections. Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, along with his navy and air chiefs met Yunus 3 days ago to reiterate their call for election by December this year to allow for an elected government to take charge.

During last year's protests, the army avoided a crackdown, instead extended its hand for Hasina's safe exit to India. It also supported Yunus' appointment as chief adviser, as demanded by the SAD, much of which later formed the NCP.

Yunus's administration recently disbanded Hasina's Awami League, sending many of its senior leaders, including former ministers, to jail to face trial for charges like crimes against humanity.

Yunus has been facing calls from the political parties, including the BNP, to announce a date for the next elections. His reported threat to resign came a day after the party rallied thousands of supporters to stage a large-scale protest demanding an election at the earliest.