Sheikh Hasina’s ouster was planned days in advance in ‘complete secrecy’: Yunus aide

Former interim government spokesperson Shafiqul Alam has claimed that student leaders reached out to Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus through a news agency journalist just two days before then prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled Dhaka on August 5, 2024, suggesting that plans to bring Yunus to power may have taken shape before Hasina's sudden departure from Bangladesh.Plan to bring Yunus to power began before Hasina’s ouster, said an aide of Yunus. (HT_PRINT)In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Alam said Qadaruddin Shishir, who was then the editor of a prominent international news agency's Dhaka fact-check team, acted as a link between the student leaders and Yunus. According to Alam, Shishir made the initial approach to the Nobel Peace Prize laureate on behalf of the students and facilitated the first discussions about his possible role in leading an interim government. There was no immediate response from Shishir on Alam's Facebook claim.ALSO READ | Ex-Bangladesh Air Force officer linked to Sheikh Hasina fleeing video found dead in riverHow Yunus was approachedAlam said student leaders needed a trusted intermediary to contact Yunus and invite him to lead the country in a post-Hasina scenario.“When student leaders wanted to reach out to Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus and invite him to head the interim government in a post-Hasina scenario, they needed a trusted bridge-builder. Qadaruddin Shishir stepped up to fulfill that critical role,” Alam wrote.He said Shishir handled the sensitive operation in complete secrecy, with only a handful of trusted individuals aware of the discussions. “It was Shishir who first approached the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner on behalf of the student leaders and facilitated the initial talks between the two parties,” Alam added.“Hasina would remain in power for two more days, yet her brutal security machine—notorious for mass killings and abductions—never caught a whisper of it. Had they discovered what was happening, the Yunus-era diplomat wrote, adding that Shishir and our the entire news agency team would likely have ended up in an Aynaghar (house of mirrors secret prison)," the post read.ALSO READ | 'They can kill, arrest or torture me': Sheikh Hasina says she's ready for Bangladesh return despite risks involvedAynaghar is the name associated with a secret detention facility in Bangladesh linked to allegations of enforced disappearances during Hasina’s rule. Alam also praised Shishir for remaining calm during the political turmoil. He claimed the journalist had quietly begun collecting video evidence of killings allegedly committed by the government.How Hasina was oustedBangladesh plunged into unrest in July 2024 after student and youth-led protests against government job quotas grew into a movement challenging Hasina’s rule. A deadly crackdown on protesters fuelled public anger, leading to weeks of demonstrations and mounting pressure on the government.Hasina fled Dhaka on August 5, 2024, ending her 15-year tenure in power. Three days later, Yunus was sworn in as chief adviser of the interim government after student leaders proposed his name for the post.The interim administration was tasked with restoring stability, implementing reforms and preparing the country for elections. Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Tarique Rahman was elected prime minister in February this year, following his party’s victory in the general election.Hasina’s allegations against YunusHasina, who has been living in India since her government fell, has repeatedly criticised the interim administration, accusing it of political repression and undermining democratic rights.In an interview with HT in November 2025, she blamed the policies of Yunus’s administration for worsening relations between India and Bangladesh. She also accused Yunus of supporting extremist elements, a charge that has not been independently established.“If there is friction between India and Dr Yunus’s unelected administration, that has nothing to do with me and everything to do with the chaotic, violent and extremist policies that are taking shape under Dr Yunus’s rule,” she said at the time.ALSO READ | Indian envoy on giving shelter to Sheikh Hasina: 'It was our duty...she was still Bangladesh PM'Hasina also opposed the ban on the activities of her Awami League party, describing it as a violation of Bangladesh’s Constitution and the democratic rights of its citizens. Her own government, though, faced years of criticism over its treatment of political opponents, suppression of dissent and allegations of enforced disappearances.The interim administration also pursued legal proceedings against Hasina in Bangladesh. In 2025, a tribunal sentenced her to death in absentia in a case related to the crackdown on protesters in 2024. She is set to return home in December this year.Yunus also faced protests from Awami League supporters abroad. During a visit to the US earlier this month, he was heckled by a group of Bangladeshi expatriates at New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport. The protesters accused him of undermining democracy and blamed him for deaths in Bangladesh.The Bangladesh government condemned the incident and said legal action would be pursued against those involved.