Bangladesh President accuses Muhammad Yunus of conspiracy to destabilise the country

Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin has leveled serious allegations against former Chief Adviser and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, accusing him of conspiring to unconstitutionally remove the president from office.

In a recent interview with the Bengali daily Kaler Kantho at Bangabhaban, Shahabuddin claimed that during Yunus’s 18-month interim tenure, he was effectively made a palace prisoner and kept entirely in the dark regarding state affairs.

The President asserted that Yunus violated constitutional obligations by failing to brief him on 14 to 15 foreign visits and major state decisions, including the issuance of 133 ordinances and a significant trade agreement with the United States. Shahabuddin revealed that the interim administration blocked his own planned visits to Kosovo and Qatar. He further alleged that a plot was hatched to replace him with a former chief justice, though the plan failed when the judge refused to take the seat through unconstitutional means.

Shahabuddin described the night of October 22, 2024, as terrifying, noting that mobs attempted to loot the presidential residence before the military intervened. He credited the chiefs of the three armed services and the leadership of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) for supporting constitutional continuity during the crisis. The President claimed the military leadership vowed to prevent his defeat at any cost, viewing it as an institutional blow to the armed forces.

These charges come shortly after the inauguration of a new government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman following the 2026 general elections.

Shahabuddin also highlighted the deliberate isolation of his office, including the sudden withdrawal of his entire press wing, which he characterised as an attempt to handicap the presidency. Despite these challenges, the President maintained that he remained in office to ensure the country did not fall into a constitutional vacuum.