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Muhammad Yunus has made it clear that the interim government that he heads has no intention of banning the Awami League.
But the chief adviser said its leaders accused of grave crimes, including murder and crimes against humanity, would face trial in the country’s courts.
Yunus made the remarks during a meeting at the State Guest House Jamuna with a delegation led by Comfort Ero, the president and chief executive of the International Crisis Group (ICG) on Thursday, bdnews24.com reports.
His comments were later echoed in a press statement issued by the Chief Adviser’s Office.
During the meeting, Yunus told the delegations that general elections would proceed on schedule, dismissing any possibility of delays.
“There is no reason to change our election schedule,” Yunus said, adding that the government had drafted two possible timelines.
If minor political reforms were pursued, elections could be held in December 2025.
Should broader structural reforms be necessary, the vote would be postponed to June 2026, the statement said.
Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India in the immediate aftermath of her government’s collapse on August 5, 2024.
Following her departure, Bangladeshi authorities initiated legal proceedings against Hasina, along with several of her former ministers and senior policemen, for their alleged roles during the July Uprising.
At the meeting, Yunus told the ICG delegation that if crimes against humanity were committed during the July Uprising, based on the report of the UN fact-finding mission, the government will consider putting Awami League leaders on trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
“It is still on the table,” he said, according to the press statement.
At the end of his meeting with the delegation, Yunus expressed his desire to strengthen bilateral ties with India.
However, he claimed that most of the misinformation against Bangladesh was being spread by Indian media.
The ICG delegation welcomed the arrest of Ataullah Abu Ammar Jununi, the leader of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).
Delegates also urged Bangladesh to engage more actively with the Arakan Army, which now holds significant control over Myanmar’s Rakhine state.
Yunus assured the delegation that Dhaka remains committed to addressing the Rohingya refugee crisis, saying that his government aims to draw renewed international attention to the plight of the displaced community at an upcoming United Nations special conference.
Ero, the ICG president, pledged support in countering misinformation campaigns targeting the interim government, underscoring his organisation’s broader commitment to stability in the region.