Govt to take legal action over Yunus harassment attempt

Bangladesh’s government is to initiate legal proceedings over an alleged attempt to harass Muhammad Yunus, the former chief adviser to the interim administration, at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Information Adviser Dr Zahed Ur Rahman announced on Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference at the Secretariat on 13 October, Dr Zahed denounced the episode as an act of “Awami terror” and insisted that the pursuit of Sheikh Hasina’s return was driven by the principles of justice rather than political retribution. Furthermore, he contended that Professor Yunus had been singled out primarily because he assumed responsibility for governing the country after Hasina’s departure. Similar attempts at intimidation, he added, had allegedly been directed at the state minister for primary and mass education, as well as the actress Azmeri Haque Badhan.

Consequently, the adviser argued that these incidents should not be dismissed as isolated acts by pressure groups, but rather as evidence of a broader pattern of politically motivated intimidation. He maintained that legal proceedings had already begun in connection with some of the cases. Moreover, he pledged that further action would follow wherever it was warranted.

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Turning to the prospects of reconciliation with the Awami League, Dr Zahed expressed scant optimism, claiming that the party had shown no tangible remorse for its alleged crimes against humanity. Instead of acknowledging wrongdoing or seeking forgiveness, he alleged, its members had persisted in issuing threats and inciting violence. Accordingly, he concluded that genuine reconciliation would remain unattainable unless those responsible for serious criminal offences were brought to justice, and he warned that the government would not allow alleged acts of intimidation by Awami League-affiliated individuals to go unchallenged.