The Bangladesh government has announced disciplinary measures against Harun Al-Rashid, the recently recalled ambassador to Morocco, following a controversial Facebook post in which he criticized the administration of interim leader Muhammad Yunus.
According to the foreign ministry, Harun’s post implied a “hidden agenda” and was intended to “gain sympathy abroad.”
In an official statement released on Friday, the ministry stated that Harun disregarded direct orders to return to headquarters and instead traveled to Ottawa.
The statement accused him of attempting to misrepresent Bangladesh’s situation under the interim government, alleging that he painted a distorted picture of the country’s reality.
Strongly condemning his remarks, the ministry stated: “His Facebook post completely misrepresents the reality of present-day Bangladesh under the interim government and is deeply concerning. It reflects a hidden agenda with ulterior motives.”
The ministry also alleged that Harun tried to portray himself as a “persecuted diplomat” and a “secular victim” in an effort to gain foreign support.
As a consequence, the government has taken steps to cancel his and his family’s passports and initiate disciplinary proceedings.
The ministry further warned that it will not tolerate similar conduct from any other officials in the future.
HARUN’S FACEBOOK POST
In a lengthy Facebook post titled “A Plea for Bangladesh—and for Myself,” Harun sharply criticized Chief Advisor Yunus’s leadership, claiming that Bangladesh had descended into anarchy under his rule.
His post was subtitled “Bangladesh’s Descent into Anarchy under Yunus — The World’s Silence Is Painful.”
Harun alleged that terrorist groups like Hizb ut-Tahrir, ISIS, and Al-Qaeda were openly displaying their red and black flags while calling for an Islamic theocracy.
He claimed that religious minorities and secular individuals were living in fear due to persecution.
Furthermore, he accused the interim prime minister of protecting and empowering extremists.
“His government includes terrorists as ministers, and those he couldn’t install, he patronized—allowing them to form a political party,” he wrote.
Harun also directly named Information Advisor Mahfuj Alam as a “terrorist,” citing past allegations linking him to banned extremist groups.
However, official sources have dismissed these claims as false and misleading.
Harun compared the current interim government under Yunus with the previous Awami League administration led by Sheikh Hasina.
He claimed that within just 15 days, Yunus’s government had surpassed Hasina’s 15-year tenure in terms of human rights violations.
Harun also alleged that his diplomatic career was sabotaged because he had written a novel about Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s early years, which, according to him, the Yunus administration found unacceptable.
“As Bangladesh’s Ambassador to Morocco, I was singled out. My ‘crime’? Writing a Bengali novel about Bangabandhu’s early years (1920–1942)—entirely unrelated to later events,” he stated.
CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL INTERVENTION
In his post, Harun urged the international community to act against Yunus.
“I could cite hundreds of examples of the terrors Yunus unleashed. Yet, this is no rhetoric—every claim here is public and provable. Ignoring the truth won’t erase it.”
He also warned that continued Western support for Yunus would be viewed negatively by history.
“History will remember Yunus, but not as a hero—only as a swindler who deceived the world and descended into terror.”
Harun concluded by describing himself as:
“A silenced, persecuted diplomat and an exiled novelist.”
He warned that global silence on Yunus’s alleged actions would be condemned by history.
WHO IS HARUN AL-RASHID?
A career diplomat from the 20th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) batch, Harun served in foreign missions in Rome, Cairo, Mexico City, and Madrid.
Before his appointment as ambassador to Morocco in October 2023, he was the deputy high commissioner in Canada.
Following the government transition in August 2024, Harun was among the officials accused on social media of being a “collaborator of fascism.”
His novel on Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib was also mentioned in allegations against him.
According to the foreign ministry, Harun was ordered to return to Bangladesh in December but failed to comply.
Instead, he resigned from his post on February 27 and traveled to Ottawa without ministry approval.
Although he was scheduled to return to Dhaka on March 6, he did not board his flight.
