Dhaka, February 23 – Bangladesh’s President Mohammed Shahabuddin stated that he was excluded from key discussions during the one-and-a-half-year tenure of the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, alleging that conspiracies were hatched to overthrow him and that attempts were made to destabilize the country and create a constitutional vacuum.
In an interview with the Bangladeshi Bengali daily, Kaler Kantho, at Bangabhaban, his official residence in Dhaka, the President said, “During those one and a half years, I have not been involved in any discussions, yet various conspiracies are being hatched against me. There have been many attempts to permanently disrupt the peace and order of the country and create a constitutional vacuum.”
When asked if these efforts were successful, he said, “I remained steadfast in my decision. That is why no conspiracy succeeded. Especially the numerous plots to overthrow the President through unconstitutional means have failed. As a result, the experience of one and a half years at Bangabhaban cannot be said to be positive. I don't know whether anyone else had the strength to withstand the situation that has passed over me.”
Responding to a question on whether the former chief advisor coordinated with the President on state decisions, including the issuance of 133 ordinances, Shahabuddin said that although some ordinances may have been necessitated by the circumstances, there was no justification for issuing such a large number.
Shahabuddin further alleged that although the former chief advisor made a number of overseas trips, he neither called on the President upon return nor provided any written updates, which the latter described as a “constitutional obligation.”
“The Chief Advisor did not follow any provision of the Constitution. The Constitution states that whenever he goes on a foreign trip, he should meet the President after returning from there and inform me of the outcome. He is supposed to inform me in writing about what was discussed, what happened, whether any agreement was made, what kind of talks were held. So, he must have gone on foreign trips 14 to 15 times. He never told me. He never came to me,” he said, speaking to Kaler Kantho.
According to Shahabuddin, he remained “completely in the dark” during the tenure of the interim government and claimed that two of his proposed foreign visits – to Kosovo and Qatar – were blocked.
On being asked whether he had been aware of the last agreement concluded with the United States by the interim government ahead of the elections, the President said he had no knowledge of it, and such developments should have been formally communicated to him.
“No, I do not know anything. Such a state agreement should have been informed to me. Whether it was small or big, of course, the previous heads of government informed the President. And this is a constitutional obligation. But he did not do it. He did not inform me verbally, nor in writing. He didn't come. And he was supposed to come anyway!” the President told Kaler Kantho
