Muhammad Yunus takes over as interim government in Bangladesh

Photo: Munir Uz Zaman Agence France-Presse Muhammad Yunus, upon his arrival at Dhaka airport, for the swearing-in ceremony

Shafiqul Alam – Agence France-Presse to Dhaka

Posted at 1:39 p.m.

• Asia

Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus was sworn in Thursday as head of the interim government in Bangladesh, where he is expected to lead “a democratic process” toward elections after the 15-year rule of ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

“I will defend, support and protect the constitution,” Yunus said at the ceremony, adding that he would “sincerely” carry out his duties as “chief adviser,” his official title, an AFP journalist noted.

Other members of the interim government, all of whom are titled “advisers” rather than “ministers,” include Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud, leaders of the student movement that began in early July and ousted Sheikh Hasina.

The government also includes former foreign minister Touhid Hossain; former attorney general Hassan Ariff; and Syeda Rizwana Hasan, an environmental lawyer; and Asif Nazrul, a prominent law professor and writer.

Upon his arrival in the country at midday from Paris, the 84-year-old economist greeted the press and his supporters as a “glorious day” and “a second independence” for the country, in reference to the country’s independence in 1971 following the third war between Pakistan and India.

“Restoring democracy”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi immediately sent his best wishes to Muhammad Yunus, stressing that his country remained “determined to work […] for peace, security” in the two neighboring countries.

The return of Ms. Hasina’s former bête noire, forced into exile after a conviction earlier this year that was considered political by her defenders, has sparked much controversy. hope in the country, after violence that left more than 455 dead and the helicopter flight on Monday of the former leader accused of repression and human rights abuses.

“I think he can restore democracy” and “rebuild our country,” said a euphoric Suleiman Islam Russell, a 25-year-old street vendor who came to greet the economist on his arrival at Dhaka airport on Thursday.

Mr. Yunus assured that he would focus on restoring “law and order” as a priority. “If you trust me, make sure there is no attack on anyone, anywhere in the country,” he said.

Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman backed Mr Yunus, saying he was “certain” in a televised speech on Wednesday that the Nobel laureate would be “capable of leading a beautiful democratic process.”

The Nobel Prize winner issued a “vibrant appeal for calm” to his compatriots, urging students to avoid any act of revenge.

On Monday, millions of Bangladeshis took to the streets of Dhaka. Protesters stormed parliament, torched pro-government TV stations and destroyed statues of the ousted prime minister's father, independence hero Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

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Offices of Hasina’s Awami League party have been torched and looted across the country. Shops and homes belonging to Hindus — a group considered by some to be close to the former leader — have also been attacked.

Since then, “several hundred Bangladeshi nationals, mostly Hindus, have gathered at different locations along the border” with India, said Amit Kumar Tyagi, deputy inspector general of India’s Border Security Force (BSF).

In India’s Jalpaiguri district, more than 600 Bangladeshis have traveled to the border no man’s land, Tyagi said. “Since there is no fence here, BSF personnel formed a human shield to keep them at bay,” he told AFP.

Tarique Rahman, acting president of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the main opposition to Ms Hasina, called for elections to be held “as soon as possible” on Wednesday in a video address from his London exile to a huge crowd in Dhaka.

Mr Yunus' return was helped by his acquittal on Wednesday in an appeals trial on labour law charges. His six-month prison sentence at first instance in January, the only one handed down against him in more than 100 cases, was considered political by his defenders.

The economist, known for having lifted millions of people out of poverty through his pioneering microfinance bank, had attracted the enmity of Ms Hasina, who accused him of “sucking the blood” of the poor.

President Shahabuddin dissolved parliament on Tuesday, as student protesters and the BNP had demanded, after ordering the release of those arrested during the protests and political prisoners.

Police and army reshuffled

In another sign of appeasement, the new police chief Mainul Islam promised on Wednesday an “impartial” investigation into the protests and apologized for the conduct of his predecessors, who were dismissed by the president.

The army has also reshuffled its command, including demoting some senior officers considered close to Ms Hasina.

The protests began after the reintroduction of a system reserving nearly a third of civil service jobs for descendants of war veterans. Human rights groups accused Hasina’s government of trying to harness the institutions to stamp out dissent.

Hasina, 76, was prime minister from 1996 to 2001 before returning to power in 2009. She won a fifth term in January in an election without any real opposition. Disowned by the military, she fled to India by helicopter on Monday.