After Hanisa’s ouster, student protest leaders publicly proposed Yunus as the head of an interim govt.
A journalist working for French news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) acted as an intermediary between student leaders in Bangladesh and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus before Sheikh Hasina was forced from power in August 2024, according to a claim by Yunus’s former press secretary Shafiqul Alam.
In a Facebook post on October 28, Alam alleged that Qadaruddin Shishir, who was then with AFP’s fact-checking team in Dhaka, helped arrange initial discussions between Yunus and student leaders who wanted him to head an interim government after Hasina’s departure. The student-led protests began in July 2024 as an agitation against government job quotas before escalating into a wider movement against Hasina’s government. She fled Bangladesh on August 5 amid the unrest. Yunus’s interim administration governed Bangladesh until February 2026, when it handed over power following the election of Tarique Rahman as prime minister. Earlier reporting noted: Bangladesh’s former Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus was chosen for the top post in the country even before former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled Dhaka following violent student protests in 2024. Student leaders, who were planning a regime change in Bangladesh, reached out to the Nobel laureate to lead the interim government two days before Hasina’s ouster on August 5, 2024, according to Yunus’ former press secretary Shafiqul Alam.
Because the then prime minister’s security apparatus could have discovered the discussions, he claimed the secrecy was essential.
Alam said Shishir managed the discussions discreetly while working alongside him at the AFP bureau in Dhaka. The initial contact took place two days before Hasina’s departure, according to Alam. Alam also said Shishir had been collecting video evidence of violence during the crackdown on protesters. Earlier reporting noted: What Yunus Aide Said What Yunus Aide Said
Describing how the contact was established, Alam wrote: “When student leaders wanted to reach out to Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus and invite him to head the interim government in a post-Hasina scenario, they needed a trusted bridge-builder. Qadaruddin Shishir stepped up to fulfill that critical role. Hasina has since accused the Yunus administration of political persecution and failing to hold those responsible for violence accountable.
Earlier reporting noted: Hasina has accused the Yunus administration of allowing perpetrators of violence to escape accountability while pursuing politically motivated cases against Awami League members.
