New Delhi: The power struggle within Bangladesh’s interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus has begun spilling into the bureaucratic corridors, with diplomatic reshuffles and controversial policy decisions revealing deepening fault lines between the government and the top officials and foreign service.
In a sudden reversal last week, Bangladesh’s foreign affairs ministry cancelled the transfer order of Shabab Bin Ahmed, currently serving as the minister (local) at the Bangladesh Embassy in The Hague, who was set to assume duties as Deputy High Commissioner in Kolkata by 2 June. Instead, Ahmed has been ordered to return to the ministry headquarters in Dhaka.
A senior official told United News of Bangladesh that the ministry has issued a new transfer order, effectively cancelling the earlier directive dated 21 November, 2024.
According to local media reports, the decision was influenced by a series of events, including Ahmed’s alleged verbal directive, issued before formally taking up the position at the Kolkata mission, instructing the staff there to discontinue the long-standing tradition of performing Qurbani (ritual animal sacrifice) on Eid-ul-Adha. He reportedly cited religious sensitivities, noting the presence of Hindu personnel at the mission, sanitation issues, and local laws restricting public animal slaughter in West Bengal. His remarks highlighted the desire to respect the host country’s cultural and religious norms, according to a Prothom Alo report.
ThePrint has reached out to Ahmed via text message for a comment on the development. This report will be updated if and when response is received.
Bangladesh is facing fresh unrest as government employees protest the controversial Public Service (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, which allows civil servants to be dismissed without due process.
Issued by presidential order on 25 May, the ordinance allows authorities to fire or suspend officials through a simple show-cause notice, bypassing formal inquiries or hearings. It also expands executive control over civil servants, limits appeal rights and introduces vague grounds for punishment, such as “disloyalty” or “conduct prejudicial to public interest”.
According to protesting civil servants, the ordinance strips away job security and opens the door to political targeting. There have already been cases of sudden reversals of transfers and callbacks of diplomats.
On Thursday, the interim government recalled the ambassador to Myanmar, Monowar Hossain, in what was described as an “administrative decision”, amid growing speculation about tensions between the two nations.
Hossain, who had been serving in Naypyidaw since mid-2023, was ordered to return to Dhaka immediately, without elaborating on the reasons, Reuters reported.
Addressing rumours circulating on social media, Interim Adviser Yunus firmly denied that Hossain had been declared “persona non grata” by Myanmar’s military regime or expelled from the country. “There has been no such statement from Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” Yunus posted on X, clarifying that the ambassador’s recall was initiated solely by Bangladesh and not prompted by any diplomatic fallout.
This also comes in the wake of reports that Bangladesh’s interim government acknowledged establishing contact with the Arakan Army, a rebel group fighting Myanmar’s military junta. These reports could not be verified by ThePrint independently.
The recall also follows a broader diplomatic reshuffle by the administration, which removed five ambassadors, including the envoy to India, in October as part of efforts to replace key figures appointed by the Sheikh Hasina-led government.
Backlash, critique and a removal
The row around Ahmed’s callback has triggered backlash from within diplomatic circles.
Critics argue that the diplomat acted unilaterally and prematurely, disregarding established tradition and proper consultation. For over three decades, the Qurbani ritual at the Kolkata mission has symbolised interfaith harmony and goodwill, with meat distributed to local orphanages and among Muslim communities.
Former Bangladesh army officer Hussain Chowdhury posted a message on Facebook, slamming him and calling for strict action.
“Most likely he was brainwashed by some foreign intelligence agencies during his tenure as junior diplomat in New Delhi. I humbly request Foreign Ministry and Chief Adviser to call back Shabab Bin Ahmed immediately to Bangladesh and sack him after taking proper legal action against him,” he wrote in his post.
More than just a question of religious practice, Ahmed’s recall appears to be intertwined with a broader bureaucratic rift emerging over Bangladesh’s foreign policy direction, particularly the controversial “humanitarian corridor” proposal along the Myanmar border.
A NorthEast News report suggested that Ahmed’s recall was also linked to his alleged support for Foreign Secretary Mohammad Jashim Uddin, who has come under pressure for opposing the interim government’s push for establishing the cross-border corridor to facilitate aid flows to the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group fighting Myanmar’s junta.
Jashim Uddin reportedly took a strong stance against the policy, warning that it would violate Myanmar’s sovereignty and endanger diplomatic personnel, a concern that gained traction following the expulsion of Bangladesh’s Defence Attaché in Yangon, Brigadier General Mohammad Aftab Hossain.
Despite presenting a principled argument, Jashim Uddin was reportedly sidelined on grounds of an unrelated financial issue, widely seen as a pretext. He has since gone on leave, and efforts are underway to prevent his continued involvement in decision-making, according to the report.
According to officials, Ahmed’s social media activity, where he allegedly criticised the government’s position on the humanitarian corridor and expressed solidarity with Jashim Uddin, may have further fuelled his abrupt recall. Sources familiar with the matter, however, told ThePrint that Jashim Uddin was removed due to his “inability” to get deals from China for Yunus, and that it had nothing to do with the corridor.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)