Staff Correspondent

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus is not resigning, said the interim government Planning Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud today (24 May). 

"He [Yunus] didn't say he will leave. He said that while we face many obstacles in carrying out the work and responsibilities assigned to us, we are overcoming them. He is definitely staying," Wahiduddin told reporters.He made the remarks while responding to queries after a closed-door meeting of the Advisory Council, which discussed various ongoing issues, at the National Economic Council (NEC) conference room in Dhaka's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

The chief adviser presided over the meeting that started at 12:20pm, shortly after the weekly Ecnec meeting. 

The planning adviser said, "We are not going anywhere. The responsibility entrusted to us is a significant one; we cannot abandon this duty."

As many as 19 advisers were present at the closed-door meeting.

They include Wahiduddin; Asif Nazrul, adviser of law, justice and parliamentary affairs; Md Touhid Hossain, foreign affairs adviser; Lt General (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, home affairs adviser; Adilur Rahman Khan, industries adviser; Ali Imam Majumder, food adviser; Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, adviser of power, energy and mineral resources; Syeda Rizwana Hasan, environment, forest and climate change adviser; Faruk E Azam, disaster management adviser; Sharmeen S Murshid, social welfare adviser; Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, cultural adviser and Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, youth and sports adviser. 

Adviser Rizwana, however, left the meeting midway at around 2:05pm due to an urgent commitment.As she left, the adviser told reporters that discussions were ongoing regarding the national election, reforms, and the July Charter.

She said a press briefing will be held after the meeting to share key outcomes with the media, but declined to comment when asked about the chief adviser's resignation rumours.

Earlier, at a discussion with the Advisory Council on Thursday (22 May), Yunus expressed frustration with the country's ongoing situation.

During a four-hour-long unannounced meeting with the council, which took place after the one-hour-long regular meeting, he said the government cannot function due to various obstacles and non-cooperation from political parties.

The chief adviser also discussed with his colleagues whether there was any necessity for him to remain in his position at the meeting, according to Samakal – which sourced three advisers, two officials of the CA's Office, and student leaders without naming them.