Dhaka, May 30 (PTI) Japan on Friday pledged to provide USD 1.06 billion to Bangladesh for budgetary support, railway upgradation and scholarships as it reiterated full support to Mohammad Yunus-led interim government’s reform initiatives amidst protests by political parties in Dhaka over policy issues and election deadline.
Japan and Bangladesh exchanged notes under which Tokyo will provide $1.063 billion to Dhaka as support for budget and railway upgradation and grants for scholarships, Yunus’ press wing said.
Of the total, Japan will provide USD 418 million dollars as a Development Policy Loan for Bangladesh’s economic reforms and climate resilience, USD 641 million for a particular railway track development and USD 4.2 million as a grant for human development scholarship.
Yunus witnessed the signing of the notes on the third day of his four-day Tokyo tour.
Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru promised Tokyo’s full support for the Yunus-led interim government in its nation-building efforts, reform initiatives, and endeavour towards a peaceful transition in Bangladesh as they met on Friday, state-run BSS news agency reported.
The two leaders reiterated their shared vision for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) to ensure peace, stability and shared prosperity for all.
The developments came as Yunus is facing outrage from former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s BNP and several other parties over the election deadline and his interim administration’ mandate.
BNP or Bangladesh Nationalist Party staged a huge youth rally this week, drawing younger supporters from across the county to mount pressures on Yunus to conduct the national election by December.
“The national election must be held by December. Preparations must begin immediately,” BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman said, joining the rally through a virtual platform from London, his current abode.
He alleged that the government’s “delay tactics” in staging elections and push for “so-called reforms” were part of a broader plan to derail democratic processes.
Speaking at the Nikkei Forum in Tokyo, Yunus responded to Rahman’s comments, saying “Just one particular party wants the national election to be held in December this year”.
Yunus, who became chief adviser after the August 5, 2024 ouster of then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League regime in a mass protest, told the Nikkei Forum “We don’t want to leave the country with the old institutions remaining as it is”.
“There are opinions that let’s get the election done, but it is not all, just one particular party,” he said, referring to the BNP.
He added that the election could wait for six more months to complete a “good job at the reforms”.
Political analysts said reform was a continued process while the next elected government even might scrap the reforms if it found it redundant making the interim government’s reform initiatives futile.
But BNP sharply reacted to Yunu’s comments in Tokyo with its senior standing committee member Mirza Abbas on Friday alleging “the chief adviser is the only person who does not want the national election to happen”.
“It is with deep regret that I say this — Dr Yunus is sitting in Japan and defaming the BNP. He should be ashamed of speaking against his own country while abroad,” said the BNP leader.
BNP, which is confident to win the next polls, said it was a pro-reform party and determined to ensure justice as well.
Hasina is currently staying in India while most leaders and officials of her now disbanded Awami League and ousted government are in jail or fled the country as they were accused of committing crimes against humanity for their attempts to tame last year’s uprising using brutal force.
