Dhaka, Aug 12: The head of Bangladesh’s interim government, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, says the high-profile resignations of authorities close to ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina are legal after student leaders who organized protests against Hasina’s government issued ultimatums for them to quit. “Legally … all the steps were taken,” Yunus, 83, told a group of journalists Sunday night.
The country’s chief justice, five justices and central bank governor have all resigned in the past few days, part of a dramatic transformation after weeks of protests against a quota system for government jobs turned into a mass uprising. Hasina resigned and fled to India last week.
Yunus said a key priority of the interim government is to restore the independence of the judiciary. He called former chief justice Obaidul Hassan “just a hangman.” Syed Refaat Ahmed was appointed the new chief justice on Sunday after his name was proposed by student leaders of the protests.
Students vow to cleanse the political system of Hasina’s rule, which they have denounced as autocratic.
Two deputy guvs of Bangladesh Bank resign
Days after the resignation of the Bangladesh Bank governor, two deputy governors and the head of the Financial Intelligence Unit (BFUI) have resigned following the directives from the interim government, a media report said on Monday.
Additionally, an adviser to the central bank has also submitted his resignation to the governor, The Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.
On Friday, Bangladesh Bank Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder tendered his resignation, citing personal reasons. His resignation was part of a broader wave of departures from various institutions of the country following the recent fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government. It was reported that the Ministry of Finance informed them on Sunday that they must submit their resignation letters by 1 pm on Monday.
Following this directive, deputy governors Kazi Saidur Rahman and Md Khurshid Alam submitted their resignation letters in the morning. Masud Biswas, the head of the BFIU, the government agency responsible for investigating money laundering and suspicious transactions, also submitted his resignation to the secretary.
Similarly, Bangladesh Bank’s adviser, Abu Farah Md Nasser, submitted his resignation to the governor.
After the ouster of Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government on August 5 following widespread protests over a controversial quota system in jobs, a group of agitated officials and employees demanded the resignation of the central bank’s governor, four deputy governors and the head of the BFUI during a protest march last week. (PTI)
