Yunus Sarkar has cancelled my overseas trip.

The President of Bangladesh, Md. Sahabuddin, has publicly alleged that the previous administration, led by Yunus, deliberately obstructed his participation in official foreign events. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Kaler Kantho at Banga Bhaban on Friday night, the President claimed that despite invitations from several countries, officials of the former government acted as barriers to his international engagements.

The President revealed that he had received confirmed invitations from at least two countries, including Kosovo. In December last year, he was invited to present a “keynote paper” on behalf of the Bangladeshi government at an assembly in Kosovo. However, he was ultimately prevented from attending the event.

Later, the Emir of Qatar extended a personal invitation for the President to attend a summit, where he was expected to deliver a speech, and no one else could participate in his stead. According to President Sahabuddin, the government employed a different strategy to block this engagement.

The President explained that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent him a draft letter, prepared entirely by the ministry, stating that due to pressing state affairs, he could not attend the summit and expressing regret. He alleged that he was pressured to sign this pre-prepared letter, which also included a copy of the original invitation.

“There was no prior discussion or consultation with me before drafting the letter,” the President said.

Upon receiving the letter, he learned that the invitation from Qatar had indeed arrived, and the letter was effectively a pre-emptive refusal crafted without his consent. President Sahabuddin questioned the logic behind claiming that a head of state could be so occupied with “state affairs” as to be unable to participate in a significant international summit.

In response, he added a question mark to the letter and returned it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, sharply criticising the ministry’s behaviour as “discourteous and arrogant” and warning the foreign affairs adviser not to repeat such actions. He stated that no response was ever received. Following this episode, he was never informed whether further invitations were extended on his behalf.

The President believes the primary motive behind these restrictions was to obscure his presence and identity from the international arena. “The government did not want my name mentioned anywhere or the public to recognise me,” he remarked, adding that this deliberate marginalisation caused him deep personal distress.

He also alleged that similar obstructions occurred domestically, preventing him from attending key national events. Notably, he said his participation in university convocation ceremonies—a long-standing state protocol—was also blocked.

Summary of Blocked Invitations