New Delhi: The interim government of Bangladesh has said media reports on a rift between the army and Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus are “false” amid a renewed political churn in the country.
The statement, posted on the social media platform X from the official account of the chief adviser of the Bangladesh government, said reports by “Indian mainstream media outlets…involving the Bangladesh Army and the Chief Adviser of the interim government” are “wholly inaccurate”.
Tuesday’s statement further said, “No conflict exists between Dr. Muhammad Yunus and Army Chief General Waker Uz Zaman.”
The clarification comes amid renewed political turmoil in recent weeks, with the country’s chief opposition party taking to the streets against the interim administration and calling for elections, rumblings that Yunus was considering resigning.
Bangladesh has been in turmoil since August last year when student protests against a quota system turned into a wider anti-government movement, bringing an end to the 15-year rule of Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League government.
Since then, an interim government, led by Nobel laureate Yunus, has taken over. Yunus has said that the general elections may be delayed until the end of 2025 or early 2026 because of the challenges in implementing democratic reform.
Tuesday’s post specifically linked three reports, two by News18 and FirstPost, that it said were making the “baseless claim” that Army Chief Waker uz Zaman was attempting to remove Yunus from power, as well as an opinion article by India Today on the widening rift between the two leaders.
It further named several other Indian media organisations, which, it said, “also echoed these unsubstantiated reports”. It said the “narrative is entirely fictional and divorced from reality”.
“It is crucial to stress that no conflict exists between Dr. Muhammad Yunus and Army Chief General Waker Uz Zaman. The Bangladesh Army has officially stated that there is no disagreement or division between the military and the interim government led by Professor Yunus,” the statement read.
The statement also stressed that Bangladeshi media had already clarified that both the Army and the interim administration were working together towards a smooth governmental transition in the country.
Recently, several Indian mainstream media outlets have been persistently spreading false and misleading propaganda involving the Bangladesh Army and the Chief Advisor of the interim government. This disinformation campaign has also proliferated widely on social media platforms,… pic.twitter.com/IpTkVrQ2kW
— Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh (@ChiefAdviserGoB) May 27, 2025
It emphasised that the Bangladesh Army had previously officially denied all rumours of a coup. including on 20 May. The army further reiterated the importance of rejecting misinformation circulating in the public domain three days later.
The statement further cited a report by Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo, which said that, during a high-level meeting on 21 May, Waker Uz Zaman declared, “We are cooperating with the interim government. We will continue to cooperate.”
On Monday, at a press conference in Dhaka, Brigadier General Md Nazim-ud-Daula, director of the military operations directorate, said, “This is our country. Its welfare and sovereignty concern us all. If we want to protect it, we must do it ourselves—and if anything goes wrong, we are equally accountable”, The Daily Star reported.
This comes after Nahid Islam, chief of the newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP), claimed that Yunus is contemplating resignation, expressing frustration during an advisory council meeting over criticism of his government’s performance. The party is led by the students behind last year’s protests in Bangladesh.
Speaking to BBC Bangla Sunday, Nahid, who was previously an adviser in the interim government, confirmed Yunus was weighing his options, citing ongoing protests and the lack of political consensus as reasons for his dissatisfaction.
“I feel held hostage by the unrest. I can’t work without political unity,” Yunus reportedly said, BBC Bangla reported.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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