AFP journalist contacted Yunus even before Hasina's exit

30-Oct-2026

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The 2024 protests in Bangladesh that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina were a pre-planned regime-change operation involving student agitators, army officers, and Islamists. AFP journalist Qadaruddin Shishir secretly facilitated communication between protest leaders and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who was set to head the interim government before Hasina's forced exile in India. 

Yunus arrived days after Hasina fled, leading a transitional government including former protest leaders. Despite internet blackouts, AFP's Dhaka bureau transmitted critical news globally amid political turmoil and covert operations.