Will Bangladesh plunge into deeper crisis if Muhammad Yunus quits? Army chief says...

Will Chief Adviser to Bangladesh's interim government, Muhammad Yunus quit office soon and return to the US? Is he upset with the worsening political and economic conditions of the country and wants to quit in desperation? Has Muhammad Yunus used the "resignation threat" as a ploy to put pressure on Bangladesh Army Chief General Wakar-uz Zaman? Will the South Asian country be further plunged into chaos and uncertainties? 

NCP leader Nahid Islam drops bombshell

Chief of the newly-formed National Citizen Party, Nahid Islam dropped a bombshell on Thursday. Talking to BBC Bengali, he said that the chief adviser wants to quit and he has gone to meet him to know the reason. He said, "Sir said you have brought me from that place after a people's movement. The country needs changes, and reforms...but the movement and the situation have reached such a pass and I am held responsible. I can not work like this, you politicians can not reach a common ground." 

(Nahid Islam, Chief, National Citizen Party)

Supporting Muhammad Yunus, Nahid Islam said that all political parties must rally behind the chief adviser. He also said that if Yunus can not deliver, there is no point in remaining in the office. 

Does Muhammad Yunus not want elections?

Muhammad Yunus' reported desire to resign has come a day after Bangladesh Army chief General Wakar-uz Zaman openly demanded that the general elections must be held by December this year, as earlier promised by the interim government. It was General Wakar, who promised to hold elections in three months when he took over after the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to leave the country on August 5, 2024. 

(General Wakar-uz-Zaman, Chief of Staff, Bangladesh Army)

Political analysts believe, that General Wakar thinks that Muhammad Yunus does not want elections now, he wants to remain in office as long as he can. Analysts also believe the chief adviser is under the pressure of the Islamists and the NCP. It became evident when he banned the main opposition party Awami League after the NCP activists rallied and carried out blockades across Dhaka demanding the ban. It is interesting to note that Awami League's main rival the Bangladesh Nationalist Party has distanced itself from the demand to band Sheikh Hasina's party. 

Muhammad Yunus Vs General Wakar uz Zaman 

The simmering tensions between Muhammad Yunus and General Wakar uz Zaman also came out when the army chief opposed the move to open a corridor to Myanmar's Rakhine province at a time when the Arakan Army had captured the province, beating back the Myanmar Army. Earlier on many occasions, the Bangladesh Army chief made his displeasure apparent and indirectly criticized the interim government. He has become more vocal nowadays. It is believed that Muhammad Yunus used the resignation threat as a ploy to push him back and score a point.