Pushed into corner, Bangladesh's Yunus cites 'foreign conspiracy' behind poor governance
Yunus chaired a two-hour long unscheduled meeting of the Advisory Council at the Planning Commission office in Dhaka on Saturday afternoon amid increasing political tensions and growing speculation over the stability and continuity of the interim government which had also reportedly led to him offering resignation from the post of Chief Advisor.
"Despite all obstacles, the Interim Government continues to fulfil its responsibilities by putting national interests above group interests. However, if — under the instigation of defeated forces or as part of a foreign conspiracy — the performance of these responsibilities becomes impossible, the government will present all reasons to the public and then take the necessary steps with the people," read a statement issued by the Advisory Council after the meeting.
"The Council discussed how unreasonable demands, deliberately provocative and jurisdictionally overreaching statements, and disruptive programmes have been continuously obstructing the normal functioning environment and creating confusion and suspicion among the public," the statement detailed.
The meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council included detailed discussions on three primary responsibilities entrusted to the interim government – elections, reforms, and justice.
"The Advisory Council believes that a broader unity is essential to maintain national stability, organise a free and fair elections, justice, and reform, and permanently prevent the return of authoritarianism in the country. On this matter, the Interim Government will listen to the views of political parties and clarify its own position," it added.
Several political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and even the newly-formed National Citizen Party (NCP) on Saturday demanded that the interim government announce a clear roadmap for upcoming national elections.
As pressure increased on Yunus, he had also expressed his desire to resign out of frustration - a development that had created a huge buzz in political circles across the country.
"The Interim Government upholds the public expectations of the July Uprising. But if the government's autonomy, reform efforts, justice process, fair election plan, and normal operations are obstructed to the point of making its duties unmanageable, it will, with the people, take the necessary steps," the statement issued by the Advisory Council added.
Speaking to local media after the meeting, Planning Advisor Wahiduddin Mahmud stated that the interim government would not quit until completing its assigned responsibilities.
"We are not going anywhere till our job is done. The future of the country for many years will depend on it. We cannot leave this responsibility," he added.
In a separate development, BNP and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami leaders stated that they will hold meetings with Yunus at his official residence Jamuna, on Saturday evening, a development which has been confirmed by the Chief Advisor's press wing.
Reports suggest that the meetings are being conducted as part of Yunus's efforts to defuse political tensions.
'We have been invited by the Chief Advisor's office to hold a meeting over the latest political situation,' Bangladeshi media outlet UNB quoted a BNP standing committee member as saying.
The BNP leader further said that they would request Yunus to announce a roadmap for the election within 2025, and complete the reform process as soon as possible.
Protests, political uncertainty and increasing incidents of crime and violence have gripped Bangladesh since the Yunus-led interim government assumed power, last August.
Parties like the BNP had repeatedly been warning of street protests if the interim government fails to provide an electoral road map.
Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman also stated that the next national election should be held by December and an elected government should be in power by January 1, 2026 after concluding "free and fair" polls.
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India Today
6 hours ago
- India Today
Dasheri, Langra, Haribhanga and diplomacy: The many flavours of mango
Amid Dhaka's strained relations with New Delhi, Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser to Bangladesh's interim government, sent 1,000 kg of Haribhanga mangoes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The gesture came about a month after PM Modi extended Eid al-Adha greetings to Yunus and the people of Bangladesh. The gift might be a signal of continuity as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who's now in self-imposed exile, too sent mangoes. Mangoes, a fruit that is native to the Indian subcontinent, have played a juicy role in diplomacy, including one involving China's Mao Zedong and consignment of Haribhanga mangoes – a premium variety from northern Bangladesh – was dispatched to PM Modi last weekend, according to the Dhaka Tribune. Not just the Prime Minister, the mangoes will also be shared with PMO dignitaries, diplomats, and other Dhaka-based newspaper added that the interim government is also sending mangoes to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, continuing the long-standing relationship between Bangladesh and the state. Last Thursday, Yunus sent 300 kg of Haribhanga mangoes to Tripura CM Manik Saha, said the Dhaka Hasina would send mangoes and Hilsa fish to CMs of Bengal and some Northeast states due to their proximity to the mangoes were routed to India through the Akhaura land gesture is significant against the backdrop of India-Bangladesh tensions since Hasina's August 2024 ouster. Her seeking asylum in India following student-led protests stirred anti-India sentiments in Yunus government, too, has shown signs of leaning toward China, with Beijing ramping up investments and loans under its Belt and Road this move by Yunus mirrors Hasina's balancing act, tiptoeing between Indian and Chinese this is not the first time mangoes have been used as a diplomatic gift. It's been in practice for decades, especially in the Indian subcontinent. Here are the instances when mangoes sweetened ties between MANGO DIPLOMACY IN THE 1950sIn the 1950s, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru leveraged mangoes as a diplomatic tool to foster goodwill with foreign reportedly gifted mangoes to dignitaries during their state visits to India. When travelling abroad, Nehru carried mangoes as gifts.A report in The Indian Express narrates a notable instance from 1955 when Nehru gifted eight saplings of Dasheri and Langra mangoes to then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai. The saplings were meant for planting in Guangzhou's People's mangoes were a return gift for Zhou, who, in November 1954, had showered Nehru with a slew of exotic and precious gifts, that included a pair of spotted deer, a pair of red crested cranes, and 100 goldfish, according to the reports suggest that Nehru also gifted mangoes to Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev during his 1955 visit to instances established mangoes as a soft power tool in India's early MANGO GIFT TO MAO ZEDONGIn August 1968, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Mian Arshad Hussain gifted a crate of mangoes to Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong during a diplomatic reported by the BBC, Mao, uninterested in the fruit himself, redistributed the mangoes to factory gift arrived at a time when Mao was seeking to reassert his authority amid factional struggles, and the mangoes became an unexpected propaganda at Beijing's Tsinghua University, where Mao sent one mango, preserved it in formaldehyde and created wax replicas for display across the weren't common in China replicas were paraded in processions, with one factory even placing a mango replica on an altar, where workers paid daily BBC notes that a worker ignorant of the fruit's significance was executed for comparing a mango to a sweet imagery also appeared on posters, badges, and household gesture seemingly strengthened Pakistan-China ties, as Pakistan sought to counterbalance India's regional influence, particularly after the 1965 India-Pakistan UL-HAQ'S GIFT OF MANGOES TO INDIRA GANDHIIn 1981, Pakistan's military ruler Zia ul-Haq sent mangoes to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as a goodwill gesture, as per a report in the news agency the gesture did not resolve deep-seated conflicts between India and Pakistan, it was seemingly a gift that Indira Gandhi appreciated, as per mangoes gifted by Zia to Indira Gandhi was known as Anwar Rataul in Pakistan and Rataul in India. Named after a Uttar Pradesh village, it sparked a cultural tug-of-war between the two nations over its activist and mango aficionado Sohail Hashmi told PTI that soon after the gift, mango enthusiasts and experts said Ratauls only grew in India and what was gifted to Indira were "fakes". Hasmi said farmers from Rataul presented their case to Gandhi, asserting the mango's Indian roots.'The mango is called Rataul because it was developed here,' Hashmi told PTI. 'Some people who migrated to Pakistan took cuttings and began cultivating the variety in Multan.'Though both countries claim it, its role as a diplomatic gift between two arch-rivals shows how important mangoes have been in India-Pakistan diplomacy since the TIES WITH THE USDuring his visit to India in March 2006, US President George W Bush reportedly expressed a keen desire to taste Indian mangoes. At the time, a nearly two-decade-long ban had barred Indian mango exports to the interest prompted a deal with then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, leading to the launch of the "mango initiative".As a result, Indian mangoes re-entered the American market. On April 27, 2007, a shipment of 150 boxes arrived at New York's John F Kennedy Airport in what The New York Times called "probably the most eagerly anticipated fruit delivery ever".US officials reportedly said the export marked the commitment of both nations to deepen trade relations and create fresh economic opportunities for their SHARIF TO NARENDRA MODIIn July 2015, Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif sent a box of mangoes to PM Modi, as well as then-President Pranab Mukherjee, former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, in a gesture aimed at fostering goodwill, The Dawn Modi and other recipients acknowledged the gift, it did little to ease tensions between India and the decades, mangoes have served as a form of diplomatic currency across Asia, especially within the Indian subcontinent. Though such gestures may not have notably eased India-Pakistan tensions, Yunus' continuation of Hasina's tradition might be a signal from Bangladesh to India.- EndsMust Watch
The Print
15 hours ago
- The Print
By reviving Hasina-era mango diplomacy with India, Yunus govt signals ‘business as usual'
The mango shipments were coordinated by Bangladesh's Ministry of External Affairs and followed an earlier exchange of Eid greetings between the two governments. PM Modi had extended wishes to Muhammad Yunus, his counterpart in Dhaka, who reciprocated the wishes. While consignments of mangoes were also sent to other South Asian countries, and states in India, including key political figures in West Bengal and Tripura, one notable omission stood out: Assam. New Delhi: Earlier this week, Dhaka dispatched 100 kg of its prized Haribhanga mangoes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, continuing a tradition of 'mango diplomacy' that began under Bangladesh's deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The seasonal exchange came at a time of considerable political and diplomatic tensions between the two countries. Earlier Thursday, Yunus sent 300 kg of the popular mangoes as a gift to Tripura CM Manik Saha. Each year, the Bangladesh government sends seasonal gifts to the Tripura state government and prominent individuals. In a reciprocal gesture of goodwill, Tripura sends Bangladesh its renowned Queen variety pineapples, known for their sweetness and juiciness. On the surface, the gift baskets appeared to signal a thaw in ties, which turned frosty following Sheikh Hasina's ouster in August 2024. But the timing of the gesture gives it deeper, more strategic undertones, particularly the omission of Assam from the list of recipients. In June, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma had told the state Assembly that authorities 'pushed back [into Bangladesh] almost 330 people' who they suspected of being foreigners. Also Read: Yunus initiates 'mango diplomacy' in bid to strengthen ties with China. 50-yr water sharing plan soon 'Business as usual' Even as it revives Hasina-era mango diplomacy, the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus is recalibrating its regional strategy and moving decisively to deepen ties with China and Pakistan. Beijing, already a major player in Bangladesh, had announced a $1 billion economic package during Hasina's final months in office. The interim government has signaled its intent to build on that investment. In a parallel move, relations with Pakistan have also warmed considerably. In April, Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch visited Dhaka in what marked the first high-level engagement between the two countries in over 15 years. Since Hasina's departure, both nations have resumed military dialogues, reactivated trade agreements, and relaxed visa requirements. Notably, Bangladesh maintained a neutral stance during the most recent flare-up between India and Pakistan, a move interpreted by many as a signal that Dhaka is seeking to expand its strategic flexibility in the region. Last month, China hosted the first-ever trilateral meeting between Bangladesh, China, and Pakistan in Kunming, in the southwestern province of Yunnan. In a statement released after the meeting, the Chinese foreign ministry said the three nations had 'reaffirmed their commitment to genuine multilateralism and open regionalism,' emphasizing—apparently with India in mind—that the cooperation 'is not directed at any third party'. Analysts say these developments point to a quiet but unmistakable shift in Bangladesh's foreign policy outlook. 'Bangladesh is signaling that it's business as usual,' Mubashar Hasan, Bangladeshi political analyst and researcher at the University of Oslo, told ThePrint. Adding, 'While the country takes pride in its mangoes, the gesture also reflects a broader shift—unlike during Hasina's tenure, Dhaka no longer views India as its primary regional ally. India maintained a realist foreign policy and aligned with Hasina's rhetoric while she was in power. Although India's stance remains largely unchanged, Bangladesh's political outlook has clearly evolved.' By engaging with China and Pakistan while keeping diplomatic courtesies alive with India, Bangladesh appears to be walking a careful tightrope while asserting greater autonomy. As for mango diplomacy, while symbolic, has a history in the subcontinent. In 1986, Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi famously gifted mangoes to Philippine President Corazon Aquino. In 2008, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari sent a crate to then-Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as a gesture of goodwill. Bangladesh has also used mangoes as a soft power tool. In 2023, Hasina sent a similar consignment to Indian leaders to encourage progress on the long-stalled Teesta water-sharing agreement. Now, the Yunus administration is actively pursuing the extradition of Hasina, living in exile in India, to face charges stemming from the brutal crackdown on student-led protests in 2024. She has been accused of crimes against humanity and has now been indicted as well. Authorities in Dhaka have also begun freezing the assets of Hasina and her family. Justice Minister Asif Nazrul and Foreign Affairs Adviser Towhid Hossain confirmed that formal extradition requests have already been sent to New Delhi. India has so far not responded to any of the requests. (Edited by Amrtansh Arora) Also Read: Indian mangoes land in America and become 'ticking time bombs'
United News of India
17 hours ago
- United News of India
Bangladesh interim government to convert PM House into a museum
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