Bangladesh political row deepens as Jamaat chief, Shafiqur Rahman, questions president Mohammed Shahabuddin over Sheikh Hasina's resignation

Shafiqur Rahman, the chief of Bangladesh’s Jamaat-e-Islami and the current opposition leader in Parliament, has sharply criticised President Mohammed Shahabuddin over his recent remarks concerning the dramatic political transition of August 5, 2024. The dispute follows an interview the President gave to the Bangla daily Kaler Kantho, in which he discussed the treatment he allegedly faced during the interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus after Sheikh Hasina stepped down and left the country.

Rahman, reacting in a Facebook post, accused the president of failing to disclose the full truth about the circumstances surrounding Hasina’s resignation. According to Rahman, Shahabuddin’s present comments do not align with what he reportedly told political leaders on the day Hasina resigned. He questioned why the President’s latest version of events differs from the statements broadcast to the nation at the time. Rahman also pressed the president to clarify inconsistencies regarding the controversial resignation letter, which remains at the centre of public debate.

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He argued that citizens are fully aware of the sequence of events and described any lack of transparency from the head of state as unacceptable. Rahman’s remarks come shortly after Shahabuddin alleged that Muhammad Yunus had attempted to remove him from office through unconstitutional means during his tenure as chief adviser. The president claimed that efforts were made under the interim administration to undermine constitutional order and create instability. The renewed clash has revived long-standing accusations from Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League that Yunus’s interim government emboldened Islamist factions in the aftermath of the August uprising.

Controversy continues to swirl around the question of Hasina’s resignation. On August 5, shortly after she left the country, Shahabuddin publicly stated that he had received her resignation letter. Such documentation was essential to formalise the establishment of the interim government.

However, in an October 2024 interview with Janatar Chokh, the President appeared to contradict his earlier statement, saying he had only been informed of her resignation and had been unable to obtain the letter despite repeated attempts. That apparent reversal sparked calls for his impeachment, though he ultimately retained his position.

Shahabuddin has since maintained that there were multiple attempts during the Yunus-led administration to pressure him out of office.