After days of unrest and political turmoil in Bangladesh, Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus was on Thursday sworn in as chief adviser to the country’s interim government.
Yunus’ swearing-in as head of the caretaker government comes three days after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to step down and leave the country following violent protests.
The interim government has been tasked with holding fresh elections in Bangladesh, a country of 170 million people.
The 84-year-old economist received support for the role from student protesters and returned to Dhaka on Thursday from Paris, where he was undergoing medical treatment.
“The country has the potential to become a very beautiful nation. We will move forward on whatever path our students show us,” Yunus told reporters at the airport.
In his speech after being welcomed by the protesting students, Yunus said that the country has the potential to become a very beautiful nation.
He said that the student protesters have saved the country and this freedom must be protected. He said that whatever path the students show, he will move forward on that path.
“We have exhausted those possibilities, now we have to stand up again. We have to tell the government officials and defence chiefs here that we are a family, we should move forward together,” the economist said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Muhammad Yunus on his appointment as Chief Adviser to the Interim Government of Bangladesh.
“My best wishes to Professor Muhammad Yunus on assuming his new responsibility. We hope for a return to normalcy soon, ensuring the safety and security of Hindus and all other minority communities. India remains committed to working with Bangladesh to meet the shared aspirations of the people of both countries for peace, security and development,” PM Modi wrote on Twitter.
Known as the “banker to the poor”, Yunus was awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for founding a bank that played a leading role in the fight against poverty by making small loans to needy borrowers.
Meanwhile, the mystery continues over the resignation of ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and his wife. She fled to India with her sister. She is hiding in an undisclosed location. Sources told India Today TV that the Indian government is working to secure asylum for the Awami League party chief in a European country.
The student-led movement that ousted Hasina from power stemmed from protests in July against reservation in government jobs that led to a violent crackdown that drew global criticism, though the government denied using excessive force.
The protests were also fueled by harsh economic conditions in the country, such as low wages and rising unemployment.
With inputs from Suryaagni Roy
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