🗳️ Bangladesh’s interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, resigned in a farewell broadcast on Monday, formally ending the caretaker administration he led as “chief adviser” and handing power to an elected government 136. Yunus urged Bangladeshis to keep “the practice of democracy, freedom of speech, and fundamental rights” going as the country moves from a post-uprising transition back to regular governance 16.
The handover follows elections last week in which the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its leader Tarique Rahman won a “landslide victory,” which Yunus publicly congratulated 1.
In his farewell remarks, Yunus cast his tenure as an effort to restore Bangladesh’s foreign-policy “sovereignty, national interests, and dignity.” Some coverage also highlighted his pointed references to regional geopolitics, including China and India’s northeast (“Seven Sisters”) 425.
Sources
- Bangladesh’s Yunus announces resignation, end of interim govt [dawn.com] (2026-02-16)
- Under Fire At Home, Muhammad Yunus Brings Up China, India's '7 Sisters' In Exit Speech [ndtv.com] (2026-02-17)
- Bangladesh's Yunus Announces Resignation, End Of Interim Government [ndtv.com] (2026-02-16)
- Bangladesh no longer a ‘submissive country’: Yunus in farewell address [thehindu.com] (2026-02-17)
- Yunus refers to India’s 'Seven Sisters' as separate entity in final address, hails ties with China [firstpost.com] (2026-02-17)
- Bangladesh’s interim leader Yunus steps down as new gov’t set to take over [aljazeera.com] (2026-02-16)
Highlights
- Path to power: Yunus returned from self-imposed exile in August 2024 and took charge after Sheikh Hasina was overthrown in a student-led uprising and fled by helicopter to India, according to Dawn’s account of the transition 1.
- Foreign policy tone: The Hindu reported Yunus said his roughly 18-month tenure rebuilt three “fundamental foundations” of Bangladesh’s foreign engagement — “sovereignty, national interests, and dignity” — and that the country is no longer “submissive” 4.
- India-China remarks: NDTV and Firstpost highlighted that Yunus’s exit speech touched on China and India’s northeast (“Seven Sisters”). Firstpost said he referred to the “Seven Sisters” as a separate entity and linked it to broader regional economic ambitions involving Nepal and Bhutan, while NDTV characterised the references as indirect but provocative 25.
- Election as benchmark: Dawn quoted Yunus praising last week’s vote and saying it “set a benchmark for future elections,” while commending voters, parties, and institutions involved in the process 1.
Let the practice of democracy, freedom of speech, and fundamental rights that has begun not be halted.
— Muhammad Yunus — Dawn
Perspectives
Muhammad Yunus: He urged Bangladeshis not to let newly restarted democratic practices—especially free speech and fundamental rights—be interrupted as he stepped down.
Muhammad Yunus (via The Hindu): He said his roughly 18-month tenure rebuilt three “fundamental foundations” of foreign engagement — “sovereignty, national interests, and dignity” — and argued Bangladesh is no longer “submissive.”
NDTV: NDTV framed the farewell address as coming while Yunus was “under fire at home,” and said he used it to project defiance abroad through indirect but provocative references touching on India’s northeastern region.
Firstpost: Firstpost emphasised Yunus’s positive references to China and said he described India’s “Seven Sisters” as a separate entity, casting the remarks as part of a pitch about Bangladesh’s economic potential and regional ambitions involving India’s Northeast, Nepal and Bhutan.
Historical Background
Bangladesh gained independence in 1971 after a war that followed political upheaval in what was then East Pakistan [common]. In August 2024, a student-led uprising toppled the government of Sheikh Hasina. Yunus then returned from exile and led an interim administration as “chief adviser” to oversee a transition back to elected rule 1.