‘For the sake of Bangladesh…’: Muhammad Yunus 'not going to step down', says minister

Bangladesh Cabinet member and a special adviser to Muhammad Yunus on Friday said that the chief adviser “needs to remain” in office as interim leader. His statement came as Muhammad Yunus threatened to step down if he did not get the backing of parties after a massive rally of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in Dhaka. The Cabinet leader said Yunus needs to stay in power to ensure a peaceful transition.

The South Asian nation has been in political turmoil since the student-led revolt that toppled then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, with parties protesting on the streets over a string of demands.

“For the sake of Bangladesh and a peaceful democratic transition, Professor Yunus needs to remain in office,” Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb said in a Facebook post, adding, “The Chief Adviser is not going to step down. He does not hanker after power.” He later deleted the post.

Bangladesh has been witnessing growing unrest in recent days. While Muhammad Yunus has assured that elections will take place no later than June 2026, BNP supporters are pressing for a specific election date to be announced. Also Read | Will Muhammad Yunus call it quits amid political turmoil? Key challenges Bangladesh's chief advisor is facing

Yunus's relationship with the military has also reportedly deteriorated.

According to local media and military sources, army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman said on Wednesday that elections should be held by December, warning that Bangladesh was in a “chaotic phase” and that the “situation is worsening by the day”.

Taiyeb issued a warning to the Army on Friday. “The army can't meddle in politics. The army doesn't do that in any civilised country. By saying that the election has to be held by December, the military chief failed to maintain his jurisdictional correctness,” he said.

(With AFP inputs)