M Arafat questions neutrality of Yunus’ commissions, kangaroo courts

Former State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat accused Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus of stacking investigative commissions with anti-Awami League partisans, rendering their findings “predetermined” and unworthy of public trust.

In a post on X on Monday, Arafat, a prominent Awami League leader who served in Sheikh Hasina’s cabinet until her ouster in August 2024, declared that none of the commissions formed or reconstituted under Yunus operate with genuine independence.

“Similar to Yunus and his administration, these commissions seem openly hostile toward the Awami League and appear determined to produce findings that are unfavourable to the party and its members,” he wrote. “Yunus’ bias against the Awami League is so evident that it hardly requires elaboration. For this reason, any report released during his tenure by any commission should not be taken at face value—it’s as simple as that.”

Arafat’s post comes amid a flurry of high-profile probes under Yunus’ watch, including the controversial National Independent Investigation Commission report on the 2009 Pilkhana BDR mutiny, released earlier today, which implicated Hasina and senior Awami League figures in orchestrating the massacre to “weaken the military.” The Awami League swiftly dismissed it as a “fabricated” hit job by the “illegal Yunus clique,” echoing Arafat’s broader indictment of the reform process.

Since taking power following the deadly student-led uprising that toppled Hasina, Yunus has established at least 11 reform commissions tasked with overhauling key sectors like the judiciary, electoral system, police, public administration, anti-corruption measures, and constitutional amendments.

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These bodies, headed by figures with the status of Appellate Division justices, were announced in September 2024 to address grievances from Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule, including allegations of authoritarianism and graft. A separate National Consensus Commission has engaged political parties on reforms, though progress has been uneven, with elections now slated no later than June 2026.

Arafat’s salvo extends beyond the commissions, charging the Yunus regime with “selective targeting” that has “eroded public confidence in the rule of law.” He highlighted the dismissal of cases against pro-government stalwarts, including BNP chief Khaleda Zia, her son Tarique Rahman, and Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam—a convicted 1971 war criminal—as evidence of a two-tiered justice system where allies are “treated as if they were above the law.”

In stark contrast, Arafat alleged, Awami League affiliates and perceived Yunus critics—spanning film artists, writers, journalists, academics, human rights defenders, lawyers, civil society members, and even former High Court judges—face a barrage of “fabricated murder cases” and prolonged pretrial detention.

“Numerous Awami League figures are being selectively charged and kept in jail for months without trial,” he wrote, framing it as a systematic purge.

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The remarks align with Arafat’s pattern of outspoken opposition to the interim administration, which he has repeatedly branded “unconstitutional and illegitimate.” In October, he accused Yunus of fostering a “reign of extremists” where murderers evade punishment while human rights violations run rampant.

Last month, he decried the government’s “Islamist-backed” stance on India ties, warning it undermines Bangladesh’s post-1971 secular legacy. Earlier this year, Arafat dismissed coup rumours while insisting free elections under Yunus are “impossible” without a neutral caretaker setup.

The Awami League, banned in April 2025 under anti-terrorism laws and barred from elections, has echoed Arafat’s sentiments in recent statements, portraying the commissions as tools to “legitimise unlawful power” and shield BNP-Jamaat “conspirators.” Party officials claim over 3,800 murders and widespread extortion have marred Yunus’ tenure, with 26 Awami League members dying in custody since August 2024 without accountability.

Yunus’ office and the commissions’ heads have not immediately responded to Arafat’s allegations. As Bangladesh navigates stalled reforms – including a proposed “July Charter” for consensus-building – critics like Arafat warn that perceived bias risks deepening divisions in a nation still reeling from last year’s upheaval. With elections looming and tensions with India escalating, the neutrality of Yunus’ institutions remains a flashpoint in the push for a “new Bangladesh.”