Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus on Friday paid tribute to Bangladesh’s martyred freedom heroes as the first step of his interim government following a student-led uprising that forced predecessor Sheikh Hasina into exile.
A day after returning home from Europe and taking the oath of office, vowing to “uphold, support and defend the Constitution,” Yunus, 84, began the difficult challenge of bringing democracy back to the country.
Hasina, 76, is accused of widespread human rights abuses, including jailing her political opponents. She fled by helicopter to neighbouring India on Monday as protesters took over the streets of Dhaka, bringing a dramatic end to her 15-year rule.
The military announced his resignation and then agreed to students’ demands that Yunus – who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his pioneering work in microfinancing – lead an interim government.
Yunus, who has taken over as “chief adviser” to a caretaker administration made up of civilians except a retired brigadier-general, has said he wants to hold elections “within a few months”.
It is not clear when the voting will take place.
Officials from Hasina’s former ruling party, the Awami League, have gone into hiding after revenge attacks that saw some of their offices torched, while former opposition groups such as the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) are rebuilding after years of repression.
‘victory Day’
The new administration faces a difficult task.
The veteran economist has called for the restoration of order in the South Asian nation after weeks of violence that has left at least 455 people dead. He called on citizens to protect each other, including minorities who have come under attack.
Amid heavy rain, Yunus on Friday stood silently with student and civil society leaders in the new “advisory” cabinet tasked with pushing forward democratic reforms.
The group together laid floral tributes in the red and green colours of the national flag at the main memorial and remembered millions of people who died in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War against Pakistan.
Yunus, upon arriving in Dhaka on Thursday, said Hasina’s ouster was as important as the struggle that brought Bangladesh into existence.
“Bangladesh has created a new Victory Day. Bangladesh has got a second independence,” he told reporters.
Many of Yunus’ advisers are affiliated with the BNP, which is led by Hasina’s longtime rival and former prime minister, Khaleda Zia, 78, recently released from years of house arrest.
These also include the student leaders who started the protests.
Yunus wrote in The Economist this week that his country needs a new generation of leaders “who are not preoccupied with revenge, as many of our previous governments were.”
However, Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy told The Times of India newspaper that his mother still hopes to contest for political office.
She said, “As soon as the interim government decides to hold elections, she will return to Bangladesh.”
‘law and order’
Hasina’s move abroad has increased animosity toward India, which played a decisive military role in ensuring Bangladesh’s independence but also gave Hasina unstinted support.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first to offer his “best wishes” to Yunus soon after he was sworn in on Thursday, and said New Delhi was “committed” to working with neighbouring Dhaka.
India’s arch-rival Pakistan also said on Friday it hoped to boost ties with Dhaka. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif wished Yunus “great success in leading Bangladesh towards a harmonious and prosperous future.”
China said on Friday it also welcomed the interim government and pledged to work with the country “to promote exchanges and cooperation.”
Farida Akhter, an adviser to the interim government, told AFP the group would also visit a memorial in Dhaka where student protests began last month.
“We are paying our homage there because the student movement started from there,” he said, before naming the most important task on his to-do list.
He said, “Our first priority is law and order.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
