Caretaker or overreach? 'Safe exit' whispers follow Yunus aide’s sudden departure amid Bangladesh power transition

Outgoing Chief advisor of Bangladesh's interim government Muhammad Yunus - File Photo

Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, aide to Muhammad Yunus, unexpectedly left Bangladesh for Germany after election results. Despite speculation of mass exits, most Yunus advisers plan to stay as power transitions to the BNP-led government, with no evidence of wider departures.

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Just over a day after early results from Bangladesh’s February 12 elections emerged, The Daily Star reported that Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, special assistant to Muhammad Yunus on the International Crimes Tribunal and telecommunications, booked a flight and left the country for Germany in what it called a “surprise departure” from Dhaka.

Many on social media platform X immediately speculated that this could signal a flurry of hasty exits by Yunus’s aides as the interim government winds down ahead of the transition to the incoming Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government. India Today quoted unnamed sources saying Taiyeb’s departure was unexpected and raised anxieties about other advisers seeking “safe exits”.

However, sources in Dhaka told India Today that apart from Taiyeb, most of Yunus’s aides and interim officials are not planning sudden departures and are choosing to stay as a smooth transfer of power takes place. The handover to the BNP-led government, with Tarique Rahman set to be sworn in as prime minister on February 17, marks the formal end of Yunus’s interim role.

The issue of “safe exits” had been raised earlier by National Citizen Party leader Nasiruddin Patwari, who warned advisers to declare their assets and account for their actions before thinking of leaving Bangladesh. “We are hearing that many advisers are thinking about securing a safe exit. We appeal to the people of the country, and to the advisers themselves: before seeking a safe exit, present a full account of your assets,” Patwari said, adding, “Tell the public what you have done all this time and place your performance transparently before the nation.” India Today attributed these comments to Patwari.

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Talk of safe exits gained traction months ago in October 2025, when NCP convenor Nahid Islam claimed that some advisers were negotiating with political parties to secure escape routes from government. “It was a big mistake to trust many members of the advisory council. We were betrayed after placing our confidence in them,” Islam said, alleging advisers had liaised with different parties and were now thinking of their own exits. Another NCP leader, Sarjis Alam, ominously declared, “the only exit that remains open for advisers is death.” India Today reported these claims at the time.

Critics have long questioned the legitimacy of Yunus’s interim setup, noting that Bangladesh’s Constitution contains no clear provisions for installing such a regime, which was put in place after months of turmoil and the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Many legal experts described the arrangement as “extra-legal” and “extra-constitutional”, arguing that sweeping decisions and agreements made by the government should have been left to elected authorities rather than an interim body without an explicit constitutional mandate.

The interim government’s tenure has also been marred by reports of political violence and governance challenges, with observers noting that election-related tensions persisted even as the vote was held, raising doubts about Yunus’s pledge to ensure a peaceful process.

Despite the speculation, the source India Today spoke to indicated that most of Yunus’s advisors are not currently planning to leave Bangladesh and will remain through the power transition to the BNP government. For now, only Taiyeb’s departure stands out, and there is no confirmed evidence of a broader exodus of Yunus’s associates.