Dhaka, April 11 — Several left-wing organisations in Bangladesh on Saturday condemned a trade agreement with the United States as “unequal and anti‑national” and demanded its immediate cancellation, local media reported. The pact was signed on February 9 — three days before national elections — during the tenure of the Muhammad Yunus‑led interim government, and has since provoked sharp criticism from the groups.
Members of Bangladesh Chhatra Union, Bangladesh Jubo Union and Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigosthi held a joint protest outside the National Museum in Dhaka, describing the deal as a “treaty of servitude” and calling for its withdrawal. Protesters warned of a supposed conspiracy to lease strategic national assets, particularly ports, to foreign entities and urged citizens to resist the move, the Dhaka Tribune reported.
Bahauddin Shuvo, central secretary general of Chhatra Union, questioned whether recent government steps — including moves to import oil from Russia amid the global energy crisis — required or had obtained US approval. He said it was unacceptable for a sovereign nation to permit another country such influence over its trade and foreign policy, and urged mass mobilisation to force the agreement’s rescission, warning that inaction could deepen Bangladesh’s economic, commercial and diplomatic troubles.
Khan Asaduzzaman Masum, president of Jubo Union, alleged that Yunus came to power after a “bloody mass uprising” in 2024 and has since acted in American interests, saying it took roughly 18 months to fulfil those aims. Masum accused Yunus of arranging a large tax waiver for a New York‑based nonprofit microfinance organisation and of finalising agreements he said placed the country under “imperialist control.” “We reject this treaty of subjugation with utter contempt,” he told reporters.
Udichi general secretary Amit Ranjan Dey said the interim government signed 14 agreements during its 18‑month tenure that, he claimed, ran counter to the people’s interests. He warned the trade pact would hurt everyday life, asserting, “We are being forced to buy poor‑quality wheat at inflated prices, and now we’re hearing that even fuel imports require American approval. What is that, if not enslavement?” (IANS, reporting and Dhaka Tribune)
Original Source: https://theshillongtimes.com/2026/04/12/left-groups-in-bangladesh-oppose-us-trade-pact/
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Publish Date: 2026-04-12 05:46:00
