Dhaka, July 23, 2026
In yet another major development in Bangladesh’s rapidly changing political landscape, President Mohammed Shahabuddin is likely to resign soon, several local media outlets reported on Thursday, citing multiple sources familiar with the matter.
Shahabuddin, who assumed office in April 2023, is the only top constitutional office holder to have remained in the post since the July 2024 demonstrations.
Citing sources, Bangladesh’s leading newspaper ‘The Daily Star’ reported that Shahabuddin held a telephonic conversation with the country’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina while he was in London for medical treatment in May this year.
The report said that intelligence agencies subsequently learned about the conversation, following which the President was asked to step down.
However, a senior Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader claimed that the reported phone conversation was not the sole reason behind the anticipated resignation, terming the matter as “more complex”.
According to the ‘Times of Bangladesh’, a source close to the President said he is expected to resign by July 31 and relocate to his Gulshan residence afterwards.
Meanwhile, speaking to the ‘Times of Bangladesh’, President Shahabuddin did not rule out the possibility of his resignation but refused to provide further details over the phone.
This development comes amid the BNP-led government’s growing crackdown on leaders associated with the Awami League. It also followed Shahabuddin’s recent claims that attempts had been made to overthrow him from office during the tenure of the previous Muhammad Yunus-led interim government
Earlier this year, in an interview with Bangladeshi Bengali daily ‘Kaler Kantho’ at Bangabhaban, his official residence in Dhaka, Shahabuddin asserted that he was excluded from key discussions during the one-and-a-half-year tenure of the interim government, alleging that conspiracies were hatched to overthrow him and that attempts were made to destabilise the country and create a constitutional vacuum.
“During those one and a half years, I have not been in any discussion, yet various conspiracies are being hatched against me. There have been many attempts to permanently destroy the peace and order of the country and create a constitutional vacuum,” he stated.
When asked if those efforts were successful, he said, “I was steadfast in my decision. That is why no conspiracy succeeded. Especially the numerous plots to overthrow the President through unconstitutional means have failed. As a result, the experience of one and a half years at Bangabhaban cannot be said to be good. I don’t know whether anyone else had the strength to withstand the storm that has passed over me.”(Agency)
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