- Shafiqur Rahman criticized President Shahabuddin over August 5, 2024 events
- Rahman accused the President of withholding facts about Hasina’s resignation
- Shahabuddin claimed no proof of Hasina’s resignation letter despite earlier statement
Shafiqur Rahman, leader of Bangladesh's radical Jamaat-e-Islami party, has launched a scathing attack on the country's President, days after Mohammed Shahabuddin talked about the mistreatment he received under the previous regime of Muhammad Yunus after Sheikh Hasina's ouster in 2024. The Jamaat chief, who is also the leader of the opposition in the Bangladeshi Parliament, accused the President of withholding key facts about the events of August 5, 2024—the day Hasina tendered her resignation and was forced to flee the Muslim-majority nation.
In a post on his verified Facebook account, Rahman referred to Shahabuddin's recent interview with Bangladesh's Bangali publication Kaler Kantho, where he spoke about his experiences following the political changeover triggered by the July uprising and said, "The president has withheld many facts regarding August 5, 2024."
"What he told the leaders present that day regarding the alleged resignation of the [ousted] prime minister, and what he later conveyed to the nation, is not reflected in his current remarks. What he is saying now is not what he said that day," he wrote, referring to the controversy over Sheikh Hasina's missing resignation letter.
"Will the president reconcile what millions of people heard that day with what he said then and what he is saying now?" Rahman asked.
He added that the public remained fully aware of the developments surrounding the political transition. "The nation is not naive. Such conduct from the highest office of the state is unacceptable," Rahman added.
Yunus-Jamat Nexus?
Rahman's criticism of the President came days after Shahabuddin accused the former chief adviser, Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus, of "conspiring" to remove him from office in an unconstitutional manner. Shahabuddin claimed that during Yunus's tenure, attempts were made to destabilise Bangladesh and create a constitutional vacuum.
By criticising the President, the Jamaat chief inadvertently exposed the nexus between Islamist groups in Bangladesh and Yunus's interim regime.
Yunus, during his 18-month tenure, faced persistent accusations from deposed Hasina, her Awami League party, and various analysts of fostering, supporting, or empowering radical Islamist forces following the August 2024 uprising.
The Controversy Of Hasina's Resignation
Hours after Hasina fled from Bangladesh on August 5, 2025, Shahabuddin said in a televised address that she had "tendered her resignation letter to the president, and I have received it." Hasina's resignation was constitutionally required to legitimise the formation of Yunus's interim regime.
However, two months later, the President claimed that he had only "heard" about Hasina's resignation but had no evidence of whether she resigned. "I tried [to collect the resignation letter] many times but failed. Maybe she did not have the time," he told Bangladeshi daily Janatar Chokh in October 2024.
The change in his stance led to a call for his removal, which he managed to ultimately ride out. Bangladesh's president has alleged that the Yunus regime tried to remove him from the top office repeatedly.
