Bangladesh’s President alleges conspiracy by Yunus-led interim govt to overthrow him

Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin alleged exclusion from key discussions during Muhammad Yunus’s interim government, claiming conspiracies to destabilise the country and create a constitutional vacuum, and asserting that he was kept unaware of foreign trips, ordinances, and state agreements

Dhaka: Bangladesh’s President Mohammed Shahabuddin asserted that he was excluded from key discussions during the one-and-a-half-year tenure of the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, alleging that conspiracies were hatched to overthrow him and that attempts were made to destabilise the country and create a constitutional vacuum.

In an interview with Bangladeshi Bengali daily Kaler Kantho at Bangabhaban, his official residence in Dhaka, the President said, “During those one and a half years, I have not been in any discussion, yet various conspiracies are being hatched against me. There have been many attempts to permanently destroy the peace and order of the country and create a constitutional vacuum.”

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When asked if those efforts were successful, he said, “I was steadfast in my decision. That is why no conspiracy succeeded. Especially the numerous plots to overthrow the President through unconstitutional means have failed. As a result, the experience of one and a half years at Bangabhaban cannot be said to be good. I don’t know whether anyone else had the strength to withstand the storm that has passed over me.”

Responding to a question on whether the former chief advisor Yunus coordinated with the President on state decisions, including the issuance of 133 ordinances, Shahabuddin said that although some ordinances may have been necessitated by the circumstances, there was no justification for issuing such a large number.

Shahabuddin further alleged that although the former chief advisor made a number of overseas trips, he neither called on the President upon return nor provided any written updates, which the latter described as a “constitutional obligation”.

“The Chief Advisor did not follow any provision of the Constitution. The Constitution states that whenever he goes on a foreign trip, he should meet the President after returning from there and inform me of the output. He is supposed to inform me in writing about what was discussed, what happened, whether any agreement was made, what kind of talks were held. So, he must have gone on foreign trips 14 to 15 times. He never told me. He never came to me,” he said, speaking to Kaler Kantho.

According to Shahabuddin, he remained “completely in the dark” during the tenure of the interim government and claimed that two of his proposed foreign visits — to Kosovo and Qatar — were blocked.

On being asked whether he had been aware of the last agreement concluded with the United States by the interim government ahead of the elections, the President said he had no knowledge of it, and such developments should have been formally communicated to him.

“No, I do not know anything. Such a state agreement should have been informed to me. Be it small or big, of course, the previous heads of government informed the President. And this is a constitutional obligation. But he (Yunus) did not do it. He did not inform me verbally, nor in writing. He didn’t come. And he was supposed to come anyway!” the President told Kaler Kantho.