Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus is set to hold dialogues with the country’s major political parties and religious leaders to call for national unity amid the ongoing situation in Bangladesh.
As part of the initiative, he will meet political parties tomorrow (4 December), followed by a meeting with religious leaders tomorrow.
“The purpose of these two meetings is to call for national unity. He [the CA] will call for national unity to everyone,” Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said in a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital today (3 December).
In line with this goal, the chief adviser met student leaders, including the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, this evening at the State Guest House Jamuna.
During the meeting, leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement suggested forming an anti-propaganda cell.
“We discussed several issues, including recent tensions, Bangladesh’s relations with India, communal issues, rising commodity prices, the ground reality, public sentiment, and the education reform commission with the chief adviser,” the movement’s convener Hasnat Abdullah told journalist in a brief press conference in front of the chief adviser’s residence.
“Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has taken notes from us,” he added.
Hasnat also said the discussions emphasised revealing all the unjust agreements made by the previous fascist government with India, ensuring fair water-sharing and holding the perpetrators of border killings accountable.
Hasnat said, “Those who are conspiring here need to be reminded clearly that we will fight together – Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and Christians – for the sovereignty and integrity of Bangladesh.”
Following the removal of Sheikh Hasina on 5 August due to a mass uprising, Yunus took charge as the head of the interim government.
Since then, tensions have been high between Bangladesh and India, particularly regarding the treatment of the Hindu minority in Bangladesh, which has sparked significant media attention in India.
The Bangladesh government has described this coverage as “exaggerated” and part of a “coordinated smear campaign.”
Several statements and counter-statements have been exchanged between the governments of both countries on the issue of minority persecution. Tensions have escalated further after the arrest of former Iskcon leader Chinmoy Krishna Das on charges of sedition.
The situation worsened when, on the day his bail was denied, a clash between police and his supporters led to the killing of lawyer Saiful Islam in Chattogram, prompting several parties to blame Iskcon and the deposed Awami League for the incident.
