Yunus Planning Resignation Due To Differences With Bangladesh Army Chief? What We Know About Their 'Feud'

NCP leader Nahid Islam confirmed that Bangladesh's interim government chief Professor Muhammad Yunus has been mulling resignation because he is not getting the desired support from political parties.

Muhammad Yunus is reportedly planning to resign as Bangladesh's interim chief amid 'feud' with Army chief.

Source : PTI,X

Bangladesh's interim government chief Professor Muhammad Yunus is mulling resignation as he is facing difficulties in working due to lack of support from political parties to reach a common ground, National Citizen Party leader Nahid Islam said.

The development comes amid his rift with the country's Army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman and after thousands of supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party rallied in Dhaka to protest against the interim government for the first time since the Sheikh Hasina-led government was toppled following violent student protests.

Amid the buzz surrounding his resignation, Islam met Yunus at his official residence Jamuna on Thursday evening (May 22). Talking to BBC Bangla after the meeting, Islam said: "We have been hearing news of sir’s (Yunus) resignation since this morning. So I went to meet sir to discuss that issue . . . He said he is thinking about it. He feels that the situation is such that he cannot work."

The NCP leader further stated that Yunus voiced his concern over not being able to work in the present situation of the country. "I won't be able to work unless the political parties can reach a common ground," he said.

According to an AFP report, Yunus has apprised his Cabinet that he will quit from his post if he does not receive full support from the political parties.

Islam, however, stated that there was no point in Yunus staying if he could not do his work. "If the political party wants him to resign now . . . why he will stay if he does not get that place of trust, that place of assurance?" he added.

Yunus's 'Feud' With Army Chief

Tensions between the interim government and Bangladesh’s army have been simmering, with Yunus being blamed for not making enough efforts for the country’s betterment following Hasina's ouster last year.

According to a report by News18, Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman has slammed the interim government for not involving the military in important decision-making processes. He has claimed that numerous actions are being taken without adequate consultation with the Army.

He further stressed the urgent need to conduct inclusive elections, raising questions on the legitimacy of an unelected interim government in making significant decisions without a public mandate and engaging with powerful external actors.

Zaman had reportedly asked Yunus to hold elections by December. The Army chief also shut down the interim government's proposed "humanitarian" corridor to Myanmar's Rakhine State, calling it a "bloody corridor" and a threat to Bangladesh's sovereignty, Dhaka Tribune reported.

"The Bangladesh Army will never be involved in any activity that is harmful to sovereignty. Nor will anyone be allowed to do so," Zaman said, according to Dhaka Tribune. "National interest must come first in any action. Whatever is done must be guided by political consensus."

Discontent has also been increasing among other political groups over the proposed humanitarian corridor, which has been a point of significant contention.

Meanwhile, the interim government chief has promised that polls will be held by June 2026. However, BNP supporters have demanded that he fix a date. "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.