Army chief opposed Yunus as CA: Adviser Asif
This claim appeared in a 28-second video, titled “Cantonment Intervention Trailer-1,” shared on social media by Hasnat Abdullah, the Chief Organiser (Southern Region) of the National Citizen Party (NCP). The footage, recorded on 15 March, was posted on Friday.
“The main veto [objection] from the Army Chief was: Why Dr Muhammad Yunus? Why not any other person? There are legal cases against Dr Yunus. He is a convicted person. How can a convicted individual become the Chief Adviser of a country?” Asif Mahmud stated in the video.
Asif Mahmud urged the public to remain united despite concerns about possible election delays.
On Friday afternoon, March 21, writing on his personal Facebook profile, he reassured citizens that the government remained committed to holding the election between December and February, as consistently stated by Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus. “There is no uncertainty about the election timeline,” he affirmed.
Beyond election concerns, Asif Mahmud reiterated the call for banning the Awami League, describing it as a party responsible for genocide. He cited a UN report supporting this claim and ended his post with a call to maintain public unity, declaring, “Long live the unity of the people!”
The debate over Awami League’s future intensified on Friday night when Hasnat Abdullah, Chief Organiser (Southern Region) of Jatiya Nagorik Party (NCP) accused a vested group of attempting to reinstate the party in power.
”We are ready for the second chapter of the struggle. This fight will continue until the genocidal Awami League is banned,” echoed Sarjis Alam, Chief Organiser (Northern Region) of NCP, in a Facebook post.
Meanwhile, Chief Coordinator of NCP Nasiruddin Patwary posted, and later deleted, a statement criticising past political actions that allegedly enabled Jamaat-e-Islami’s rehabilitation. He accused former President Ziaur Rahman of integrating Jamaat into politics against public will.
“In the past 53 years, there have been repeated attempts to rehabilitate Jamaat-e-Islami in politics. This unlawful act was carried out with General Zia’s help,” Nasiruddin wrote. He also claimed that last year’s 5 August student uprising was nearly derailed by forces linked to the military.
He warned of renewed conspiracies to bring Awami League back into politics, saying, “Currently, these conspirators from the cantonment are trying to rehabilitate the murderer Sheikh Hasina and her party, the Awami League, in an attempt to shut the path of democracy for the country’s student citizens.” Calling for resistance, he urged, “Patriotic students must unite to resist this anti-national conspiracy.”
In his Facebook post, Hasnat Abdullah claimed that India was orchestrating a new political strategy named the “Refined Awami League,” fronted by prominent figures such as former minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury, ex-state minister Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, and former member of the parliament Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh.
He stated that on 11 March at 2:30 PM, a proposal was presented to him and two others at Dhaka Cantonment. “We were offered a seat-sharing arrangement in exchange for accepting this proposal. We were informed that multiple political parties had already agreed to rehabilitate Awami League,” he revealed.
According to Hasnat, those involved in forming the “Refined Awami League” would soon begin publicly disowning Sheikh Hasina while pledging to revive Bangabandhu’s Awami League. However, when he and his associates rejected the plan, they were warned of potential consequences. “We were told that if we obstructed Awami League’s return, we would be held responsible for the crisis that would emerge in the country,” he stated.
Hasnat described his firm resistance, asserting, “If Awami League is to return, it will have to be over our dead bodies.” He linked this latest pressure to the tactics used against him during the July Movement, reiterating that he trusted the public’s support over political forces.
As political tensions escalate, Hasnat Abdullah made a final appeal against Awami League’s return, declaring that any compromise would undermine the sacrifices made during the July Movement. “As long as there is a single drop of blood in our bodies, we will not let the sacrifices of our martyrs go in vain. Awami League must be permanently banned,” he asserted.
With growing divisions, allegations of foreign influence, and uncertainty over the upcoming elections, Bangladesh’s political landscape remains volatile. The coming months may determine whether these tensions result in further unrest or a definitive resolution.
