Rakhine corridor a challenge for Yunus

Bangladesh's decision to provide a humanitarian corridor for the Rohingya refugees has raised controversy.

- SMRUTI S PATTANAIK

Both political parties and the Army have questioned the decision of the Chief Adviser of the interim government, Muhammad Yunus, to allow the opening of a corridor without consultations. It appears that this proposal for a humanitarian corridor was mooted in New York and later when Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, met Yunus on his visit to Dhaka in February.

On April 7, the newly appointed National Security Adviser, Khalilur Rahman, spoke of the humanitarian corridor to supply aid to the Rakhine State (a state in Myanmar, formerly known as Arakan State). Since then, this proposal has drawn widespread criticism, often prompting the government to issue clarifications. Adding to this controversy is the government's decision to give the management of Chittagong Port, the country's main seaport, to a foreign company.

Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus became the head of the interim regime in Bangladesh after Sheikh Hasina's ouster last year. Although the six reform commissions that have been constituted have submitted their reports, the Yunus government is struggling to implement the necessary reforms. The government has appointed a consensus committee to reach a consensus with the political parties regarding the contours of the reform through dialogue.

Unfortunately, a consensus has eluded the commission. As the second round of discussions began with political parties, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) saw this as a tactic to delay the national elections. Interestingly, the commission also said it would reveal the key unresolved issues and political parties' stance on them while discussing 166 critical recommendations from the five commissions, except for the Police Reform Commission, with 38 political parties spanning over 45 sessions.