The process of bringing Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus into Bangladesh’s interim government after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster involved a discreet outreach by student leaders, with a journalist playing a key role in facilitating the initial contact.

Shafiqul Alam, who served as press secretary to Yunus during the interim government, has recounted how AFP journalist Qadaruddin Shishir helped establish communication between the two sides.

In a Facebook post, Alam said the student leaders needed a trusted intermediary to approach Yunus. At the time, Shishir was the editor of AFP’s Dhaka Fact Check team and was working from the agency’s Dhaka bureau, where Alam said his desk was just a yard away.

Describing how Shishir became involved, Alam said the journalist took on the responsibility of approaching Yunus on behalf of the student leaders and initiating communication between them.

“When student leaders wanted to reach out to Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus and invite him to head the…