Dhaka, May 23 — A wave of uncertainty is sweeping through Bangladesh’s political landscape as Professor Muhammad Yunus, the head of the interim government, contemplates stepping down. The reason? A growing sense of helplessness in the face of stalled political unity.
Speaking to BBC Bangla late Thursday night, Nhid Islam, leader of the student-led National Citizen Party (NCP), revealed that Yunus is feeling increasingly cornered. “We’ve been hearing all day that sir might resign,” Islam shared after a face-to-face meeting with the Nobel laureate. “When I asked him directly, he admitted he’s thinking about it. He feels he simply can’t function in this climate.”
Yunus, widely respected for his integrity and leadership, reportedly voiced serious concerns. “Unless political parties come together, I can’t continue,” he told Islam.
The NCP leader, who rose to prominence earlier this year with Yunus’s support, urged him to hold firm. “I told him the country needs him — for our future, our stability. The people placed their hope in him after the mass uprising. We can’t afford to lose that now.”
Yet, Islam also acknowledged the reality: leadership without cooperation is futile. “If he can’t do the work he was entrusted with, and if he doesn’t have the trust or support of political forces, then what’s the point in staying?”
Yunus’s interim government has faced mounting pressure in recent days, especially from Bangladesh’s influential military. While the military had supported a peaceful transfer of power during last year’s student-led uprising — which saw the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government — tensions have since resurfaced.
The military had facilitated Hasina’s safe passage to India and backed Yunus’s appointment, a move championed by Students Against Discrimination (SAD), the force behind the mass protests and now the backbone of NCP.
But without political unity, Yunus’s path forward looks uncertain. His possible resignation raises a crucial question: in a time of national transition, who will carry the torch if the trust breaks down?
The people of Bangladesh — especially its youth — are watching, waiting, and hoping.
