National Desk: When Dr Muhammad Yunus returned to Bangladesh in August, he found a nation in turmoil. Streets were stained with blood and over 1,000 protesters, including children, lay dead in morgues, shot by police.
Dr Yunus said India hosting her would be tolerated, but “allowing her to use India as a platform for her campaign to try to undo everything we have done is dangerous. It destabilises the country.”
Sheikh Hasina had been overthrown by a student-led uprising after 15 years of authoritarian rule. As enraged civilians stormed her residence, she fled the country by helicopter.
Dr Yunus had long abandoned political ambitions after years of persecution by Hasina, who saw him as a threat. However, when student protesters urged him to lead an interim government to restore democracy, he agreed.
“The damage she had done was monumental,” Dr Yunus told The Guardian in an interview published on Monday (March 10), describing the state of Bangladesh when he took charge.
“It was a completely devastated country, like another Gaza, except it wasn’t buildings that had been destroyed but whole institutions, policies, people, and international relationships,” he said.
Hasina’s rule was marked by tyranny, violence, and corruption. In July and August, over 1,400 people were killed in protests against her oppressive regime. The UN said that the brutal police crackdown could be a “crime against humanity,” though Hasina denied using excessive force.
Dr Yunus’s return marked a new chapter for Bangladesh. In six months under his leadership, senior police officers have been prosecuted for extrajudicial killings, secret detention centres for Hasina’s critics have been shut down, and human rights commissions have been formed.
Hasina now faces numerous charges, which she denies. Dr Yunus has promised free and fair elections between December this year and March 2026, after which he will step down.
Dhaka feels on edge. While Dr Yunus remains widely respected, doubts have emerged about his leadership and the slow pace of reforms.
The BNP is eager to regain power, pressuring Dr Yunus to hold elections and questioning his legitimacy. Meanwhile, the student revolutionaries have formed their own party, National Citizen Party (NCP).
Dr Yunus attributes the country’s struggles to Hasina’s rule. “Hasina’s regime wasn’t a government; it was a family of bandits,” he said. Orders were blindly followed—opponents vanished, elections were rigged, and money flowed freely without accountability.
Hasina’s widespread corruption has crippled the economy and left the banking system vulnerable. Her niece, UK Labour MP Tulip Siddiq, was implicated in financial scandals and resigned from the Treasury amid allegations of ties to Hasina’s regime. She denies any wrongdoing.
Authorities in the UK, US, and Switzerland are working to recover over $17 billion allegedly stolen by Hasina’s allies. However, hopes for a swift return of the funds are fading.
“Banks were given full license to loot people’s money, with active participation from the government,” Dr Yunus said. “They would send their officials with guns to get it all signed off.”
Dr Yunus faces significant pressure from outside Bangladesh. Hasina, once closely allied with India, is now in hiding there as relations between the two countries deteriorate. India has shown little interest in restoring ties under Yunus’s leadership, recently accusing Dhaka of “normalising terrorism,” The Guardian reported.
Hasina is becoming increasingly vocal in her criticisms of Dr Yunus. She recently called him a “mobster” who was unleashing “terrorists” on the country.
Dr Yunus said India hosting her would be tolerated, but “allowing her to use India as a platform for her campaign to try to undo everything we have done is dangerous. It destabilises the country.”
To gain US support, Dr Yunus invited Elon Musk to introduce Starlink in Bangladesh. Sources say Musk may visit in April.
Dr Yunus hopes Trump will view Bangladesh as a “good investment opportunity” and trading partner, planning to pitch this to Musk during his visit. He added, “Trump’s a dealmaker, so I say to him: come, do deals with us.” While Bangladesh may face some challenges, Dr Yunus emphasised that the democratic process would continue.
