The first batch of 14 Bangladeshi migrants, who were granted pardon by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is set to return to Bangladesh tonight, 7 September. According to the Chief Adviser’s Office, they are expected to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka and Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram between 7 PM and 10 PM.

This follows the UAE president’s decision on 3 September to pardon 57 Bangladeshi citizens who had been convicted by the UAE Federal Court. Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus later confirmed that these individuals would be deported to Bangladesh soon.

During a meeting, Dr. Yunus explained that Bangladesh had formally requested the UAE to release the imprisoned nationals, emphasizing that their protests were not directed against the UAE government but rather aimed at authorities in Bangladesh.

In accordance with the president’s directive, UAE Attorney General Dr. Hamad Al Shamsi ordered the cessation of sentences and the initiation of deportation procedures for the pardoned individuals. He also urged all UAE residents to respect the nation’s laws, noting that while the right to free expression is protected by the state, it must be conducted within the legal framework to avoid harm to national interests.

Earlier, on 22 July, the UAE’s official news agency, WAM, reported that three Bangladeshi expatriates were sentenced to life imprisonment, 53 others received 10-year sentences, and one individual was sentenced to 11 years for participating in alleged protests on 19 July. These individuals were accused of inciting riots in various parts of the UAE and were slated for deportation after serving their prison terms.

The UAE, home to a large expatriate population, including Bangladeshis who represent the third-largest expatriate group after Pakistanis and Indians, enforces strict laws prohibiting unauthorized protests and criticism of its rulers. The country also criminalizes speech that could incite social unrest or damage international relations, with severe penalties for defamation and insults.

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus visited the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital today, where he checked on several individuals critically injured during the recent student-led uprising.

“He (Prof Yunus) personally observed the condition of four students currently receiving treatment in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit,” said hospital director Kazi Deen Mohammad during a briefing with the press.

The director added that the students had sustained gunshot wounds to the head but were showing signs of recovery.

Professor Yunus also expressed concern for others who suffered severe injuries at the hands of security forces during the uprising that took place between July and August.

In total, at least 11 people, including eight students from various universities and colleges, have been admitted for treatment at the Agargaon-based hospital. The chief adviser was accompanied by joint director Badrul Alam and other senior physicians during his visit.

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has said that former prime minister Sheikh Hasina making political remarks from India is an “unfriendly gesture”, asserting that she must remain silent to prevent discomfort to both countries until Dhaka requests her extradition.

“If India wants to keep her until the time Bangladesh (government) wants her back, the condition would be that she has to keep quiet,” he said.

In an interview with the Press Trust of India at his official residence in Dhaka, Yunus, who was appointed the country’s Chief Adviser after Hasina’s ouster, stressed that while Bangladesh values strong ties with India, New Delhi must move “beyond the narrative that portrays every other political party except Awami League as Islamist and that the country will turn into Afghanistan without Sheikh Hasina.”

“No one is comfortable with her stance there in India because we want her back to try her. She is there in India and at times she is talking, which is problematic. Had she been quiet, we would have forgotten it; people would have also forgotten it as she would have been in her own world. But sitting in India, she is speaking and giving instructions. No one likes it,” he said.

Yunus was apparently referring to Hasina’s statement on August 13 in which she demanded “justice”, saying those involved in recent “terror acts”, killings and vandalism must be investigated, identified and punished.

“It is not good for us or for India. There is discomfort regarding it,” he told PTI.

Following unprecedented anti-government protests that peaked on August 5, Hasina resigned as prime minister and fled to India. Her presence in India for nearly four weeks has fuelled speculation in Bangladesh.

When asked whether Bangladesh has communicated its stance to India, Yunus said it has been conveyed verbally and quite firmly that she should keep quiet.

“Everyone understands it. We have said quite firmly that she should keep quiet. This is an unfriendly gesture towards us; she has been given shelter there and she is campaigning from there. It is not that she has gone there on a normal course. She has fled following a people’s uprising and public anger,” he said.

Yunus stated that the interim government is committed to ensuring justice for the people of Bangladesh against the atrocities, and justice requires that she be brought back to the country.

“Yes, she has to be brought back or else the people of Bangladesh won’t be at peace. The kind of atrocities she has committed, she has to be tried in front of everyone here,” he emphasised.

Discussing the future of the India-Bangladesh relationship, Yunus expressed a desire for good ties with India but insisted that New Delhi must abandon the narrative that only Hasina’s leadership ensures the country’s stability.

“The way forward is for India to come out of the narrative. The narrative is that everybody is Islamist, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is Islamist, and everyone else is Islamist and will make this country into Afghanistan. And Bangladesh is in safe hands with Sheikh Hasina at the helm only. India is captivated by this narrative. India has to come out of this narrative. Bangladesh, like any other nation, is another neighbour,” he said.

Referring to the recent incidents of alleged attacks on Hindu minorities in the country and India raising concerns about it, Yunus said this is just an excuse.

“The issue of trying to portray the conditions of minorities in such a big way is just an excuse,” he said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day address on August 15, expressed hope that the situation in violence-hit Bangladesh would return to normal soon and stated that 1.4 billion Indians are concerned about the safety of Hindus and minorities in the neighbouring country.

Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel laureate emphasised the need for India and Bangladesh to work together to improve their currently strained relationship.

When asked about ways to improve the Indo-Bangla relations, Yunus said both the countries need to work together, and that it is at a low presently.

“We need to work together to improve this relationship, which is now at a low,” he said.

Speaking about the future of bilateral treaties with India, Yunus said there are demands for a relook at certain treaties such as transit and the Adani electricity deal.

“Everybody is saying that it is needed. We will see what is on paper and, second, what is actually happening on the ground. I can’t answer it specifically. If there is any need to review, we will then raise questions about it,” he said.