Bangladesh’s interim government head Muhammad Yunus has reportedly threatened to quit citing difficulties in carrying out his mandate due to the ongoing political stalemate.
ANhid Islam, chief of the student-led National Citizen Party, told BBC Bangla that Yunus is growing increasingly uncertain about continuing in his role as chief adviser, as political parties have failed to reach consensus on key reforms.
“Sir said - ‘If I can't work… I was brought here after a mass uprising to bring change and reform to the country. But in the current situation, with mounting pressure from movements and the way I'm being cornered ... I cannot work like this. The political parties, you've all failed to reach common ground’,” Islam quoted Yunus as saying.
Bangladeshi newspaper Prothom Al reported that Yunus said in the meeting with his advisers that “what is the point of being the chief advisor if he cannot function properly?”
Nobel Peace Laureate Yunus, 84, assumed leadership as the interim head of Bangladesh last August, following a student-led uprising that compelled then prime minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to India.
But why is Muhammad Yunus threatening to resign now?Though there has been no official statement from Yunus’s office regarding the resignation, reports suggest growing tensions between the military and the interim government, particularly over the timeline for holding parliamentary elections. Political parties have increased pressure on Yunus to announce a clear election schedule.
Criticism over delay in elections
Yunus is facing mounting criticism from political parties and civil society groups over his failure to announce a timeline for the country's next parliamentary elections. Yunus, who took charge in August last year, had promised swift reforms and a return to democratic rule. However, nearly a year later, the absence of an election date has sparked accusations of indecisiveness and eroding public trust.
“If the government fails to meet public expectations, it will be difficult for the BNP to continue extending its support,” senior BNP leader Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain said.
“The highest priority should be placed on announcing a clear roadmap for the election,” he said.
BNP has also been staging large-scale protests in Dhaka, demanding the immediate swearing-in of its mayoral candidate. The party claims that the interim government has obstructed an Election Commission ruling that declared Ishraque Hossain as the rightful winner of the disputed 2020 mayoral elections. At the time, the BNP had alleged that the polls were rigged by the now-banned Awami League.
Amid calls for clarity, Yunus’s office has remained silent on a definitive election schedule.
Yunus vs army chief
Bangladesh's army chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, has also reportedly issued a firm warning to Yunus, demanding that national elections be held by December. According to reports, while speaking at a closed-door meeting, Zaman also firmly rejected the Yunus government's proposed "humanitarian corridor" to Myanmar's Rakhine State, calling it a "bloody corridor" and a threat to national sovereignty.
“The Bangladesh Army will never be involved in any activity that is harmful to sovereignty. Nor will anyone be allowed to do so,” Zaman was quoted as saying by the Dhaka Tribune.
“National interest must come first in any action. Whatever is done must be guided by political consensus,” he said.
The corridor plan, unilaterally announced in April by foreign adviser Touhid Hossain, was intended to route humanitarian aid through Chattogram Division, where over a million Rohingya refugees already reside. The plan, backed by the UN and reportedly supported by the United States, faced swift backlash from opposition parties, including the BNP and Left groups, who condemned it as “unilateral and illegal.”
Meanwhile, a cabinet member and special adviser to Yunus said on Friday that Yunus "needs to remain" in office as interim leader to ensure a peaceful transition of power.
"For the sake of Bangladesh and a peaceful democratic transition, Professor Yunus needs to remain in office," Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, a special assistant to Yunus, and head of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, said in a post on Facebook.
"The chief adviser is not going to step down," he said adding, "He does not hanker after power."
Interim government undermining freedoms, says Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch has also put pressure on Yunus-led interim government by accusing it of undermining fundamental freedoms, citing its recent political crackdowns, including the banning of the former ruling party, the Awami League.
The country, home to roughly 170 million people, has been in political unrest since a student-led uprising ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. Protests have continued as various parties press for democratic reforms and swift elections.
The organisation warned that Yunus’s administration risks repeating the authoritarian practices of his predecessor.
“Instead of pursuing its pledge to reform the criminal justice system and bring accountability for serious abuses, the government… is attempting to suppress the rights of supporters of the deposed leader,” it said in a statement.
The rights group condemned the government's use of “newly introduced powers under a draconian amendment to the Anti-Terrorism Act” to suppress opposition voices.
The Awami League was officially banned on May 12, just days after mass protests outside Yunus’s residence. The ban remains in place pending trials of Sheikh Hasina and other senior party leaders, many of whom are accused of human rights violations during her tenure.
As pressure mounts from political parties, military, and international rights groups, Muhammad Yunus now finds himself cornored from all sides. What was once seen as a moral and democratic reset under a Nobel laureate’s leadership is now mired a growing crisis of confidence. Now only time will tell whether Yunus will hold his ground or make an early exit.