The government will take necessary measures over the harassment of former interim government Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus in the United States, said Prime Minister’s Information and Broadcasting Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman on Tuesday.

Any attempt by Awami League leaders or activists living abroad to engage in such acts would not go unchallenged, he said at a press briefing on the progress of various government activities at Secretariat.

Dr Yunus is currently in the US where an attempt was made to harass him at an airport, he said adding the incident is believed to be linked to Dr Yunus taking responsibility for running the state after Sheikh Hasina fled the country.

There may be rational criticism of the activities of Dr Yunus’s government but such harassment is unacceptable, the adviser said.

Similar attempts were  made to harass an important minister of the current government and an actress who expressed solidarity with the July movement also faced harassment, he said.

The government views such behaviour against people associated with the movement as acts of “Awami League terrorism”, he said.

The government will also examine whether there were any shortcomings in ensuring Yunus’s security and state protocol in the US, considering the status he is entitled to as a former chief adviser, he added.

Asking about Sheikh Hasina’s possible return in December, Zahed said the government wants her to return to the country.

If Sheikh Hasina returns to Bangladesh in December, the government has no problem with that, Zahed said.

Regarding media coverage of the harassment of Dr Yunus, the adviser said the government has taken note of how some media outlets are presenting the news.

He said the matter is being monitored as part of the responsibilities of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.