Dhaka : Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus was approached to lead Bangladesh’s interim government two days before former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left the country on August 5, 2024, amid widespread student-led protests, according to revelations by a former senior official.

Shafiqul Alam, who previously served as press secretary to Bangladesh’s chief adviser, disclosed the details in a Facebook post on October 28, 2026, shedding light on the confidential discussions that preceded a major political transition in the country.

According to Alam, student movement leaders seeking to establish a new administration needed a trusted intermediary to contact Yunus while security forces remained active in the capital, Dhaka.

Alam identified Qadaruddin Shishir, then associated with Agence France-Presse’s (AFP) Dhaka fact-checking team, as the key link between student organisers and Yunus. He claimed that Shishir facilitated the initial discussions discreetly while also gathering video evidence of violence during the crackdown on protesters.

The former official alleged that the negotiations took place without the knowledge of state intelligence agencies. He further claimed that Shishir and his colleagues could have faced detention or imprisonment had the operation been discovered.

Sheikh Hasina left Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, following weeks of escalating student-led protests that brought an end to her government. Yunus subsequently assumed leadership of the interim administration on August 8, 2024.

Since leaving Bangladesh for India, Hasina has repeatedly accused the Yunus-led administration of political victimisation and failing to prevent violence against Awami League members and supporters. She was subsequently tried in absentia before a tribunal in Dhaka over alleged crimes committed during her rule.

The latest disclosure comes amid continued international scrutiny of Bangladesh’s 2024 political transition and the circumstances surrounding the formation of the interim government.

Political tensions have also surfaced overseas. During a recent visit to the United States, Yunus reportedly faced protests by Awami League supporters outside John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, where security personnel intervened as he left the terminal.

Alam’s account offers a perspective on the behind-the-scenes efforts that preceded Yunus’s appointment. However, the claims regarding the secret negotiations and the journalist’s role should be distinguished from independently verified findings.