‘Americans have their man in charge’: Expert as Muhammad Yunus agrees to become top adviser to Bangladesh’s caretaker government

Top Indian security experts see Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus, who is likely to take over as the chief adviser to the caretaker government, as America’s man in Dhaka. “The Americans have their man in office. The regime change operations have been successful,” Sushant Sareen said, commenting on a report that Yunus would be the chief adviser.

In the post, author Sandip Ghosh said Yunus’s likely appointment was part of a script or toolkit. “No prizes for guessing whose choice is Mohammed Yunus – the original deep state asset. No wonder his name has been suggested ever since Sheikh Hasina’s resignation. But can he buy BNP’s respect?” he asked.

Vijay Patel, an activist, said Muhammad Yunus was one of the main architects of the regime change in Bangladesh. He said Yunus is a recipient of the famous Ramon Magsaysay Award, which is funded by the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation. “He becomes an advisor to the new government of Bangladesh.”

However, Kaushik Basu, a former chief economic adviser, supported the students’ decision to appoint Mohammad Yunus as chief adviser. He said Yunus had three qualities that were essential for a leader in a modern democracy — “he is not vindictive, he will not cling to power when the time comes to leave office, and finally he is inclusive and secular.”

While the troubles in Bangladesh began with student protests, experts believe that foreign forces such as Pakistan’s ISI and China got involved. It has also emerged that Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS), the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, was the main architect of the student protests and the subsequent chaos in Bangladesh.

India Today, citing intelligence reports, reported that the operational regime change project was designed in London in collaboration with the ISI and implemented in Bangladesh. Bangladeshi officials claim to have evidence of meetings between acting BNP chairman Tarique Rahman and ISI officials in Saudi Arabia. Bangladeshi authorities also had evidence of Tarique Rahman’s collusion and meeting with ISI agents.

The coordinators of the Students Anti-Discrimination Movement announced on Tuesday that Yunus will be the chief advisor to the interim government of Bangladesh. In a video posted on social media, Nahid Islam, one of the chief coordinators of the movement, said Prof. Yunus agreed to take up this crucial responsibility at the call of the student community to save the country.

“We needed 24 hours to announce the framework for the transitional government. But given the emergency situation, we are announcing it now,” Nahid said. “We have decided that a transitional government will be formed with the internationally recognized and widely accepted Nobel laureate Dr. Mohammad Yunus as its chief advisor,” Nahid said.

Meanwhile, President Mohammed Shahabuddin has dissolved parliament, and the process of forming a caretaker government is still ongoing. Former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who had been under house arrest after being convicted in several cases, has also been released.

Nahid called on the president to take steps at the earliest to form an interim government under the leadership of Dr Yunus.

Bangladesh was plunged into chaos on Monday when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country in a warplane, while the army moved in to fill the power vacuum. As news of Hasina’s departure spread, hundreds of people broke into her official residence, vandalizing and looting the interior.

Hasina’s residence Sudha Sadan and other establishments were attacked, vandalized and set on fire in the capital after her departure. The residences and business establishments of ministers, party MPs and leaders of Hasina’s Awami League government were also attacked in Dhaka and outside Dhaka.

(With tips from PTI)