Bangladesh headed to a coup? Why Muhammad Yunus is backing Army chief Waker-uz-Zaman's pro-Pakistan rival

Bangladesh interim leader Muhammad Yunus has extended support to a rival of Army Chief Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman's rival Lieutenant General Faizur Rahman who is seen as anti-India, according to reports

Zaman had earlier urged Yunus to declare elections soon while the latter is inclined to hold the elections only by 2026. Yunus came to power following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who was forced to flee to India in August 2024.

Bangladesh headed to a coup?

Lieutenant General Faizur Rahman, who is the Quarter-Master General of the army, recently met with Bangladeshi National Security Advisor (NSA) Khalilur Rahman, reported News18. He also had meetings with ISI director general Asim Malik, who was recently appointed Pakistan's NSA during Operation Sindoor.

It is believed that Khalilur Rahman is planning to remove Zaman as army chief and put Faizur Rahman at the helm, according to reports. 

This comes amid Zaman's call for an urgent meeting to decide on election dates, reports News18. "(Zaman's) biggest worry is instability due to foreign interference, which may be a possibility because of Yunus who is perceived as a puppet of foreign agencies," the outlet quoted sources from the Army as saying.

The Yunus regime has already banned the Awami League, the party founded by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of Hasina.

He has also openly supported Islamists who have taken over the administration. He has also released extremists, including Jashimuddin Rahmani Hafi, who heads the Ansarullah Bangla Team, an affiliate of the Al Qaeda.

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