84-year-old Muhammad Yunus takes helm as interim leader of Bangladesh
Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed the role of Bangladesh’s interim leader, pledging to “uphold, support, and protect the constitution.” The 84-year-old took his oath at the presidential palace in Dhaka, alongside over a dozen members of his newly appointed cabinet, committing to perform his duties “sincerely.”
Yunus arrived in Dhaka just days after Sheikh Hasina, who had ruled Bangladesh with an iron grip for 15 years, fled to India. Hasina resigned as prime minister following weeks of student-led protests that escalated into violent confrontations, leaving hundreds dead and leading to widespread calls for her to step down.
The decision to appoint Prof. Yunus as the chief adviser of the interim government came after consultations between President Mohammed Shahabuddin, military leaders, and student representatives. The students were adamant about rejecting a military-led government, insisting instead on Yunus’s leadership. Among those joining his cabinet are Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud, prominent student leaders who spearheaded the anti-government demonstrations.
Yunus, known globally as the “banker for the poor” for his pioneering work in microfinance, is now tasked with restoring democracy in a nation that has endured years of autocratic rule. “People are excited,” Yunus told the BBC shortly after his arrival in Dhaka from France on Thursday. He later declared that Bangladesh had “achieved a second independence,” calling for the restoration of law and order in the country of 170 million people.
Following Yunus’s swearing-in, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his “best wishes” via social media, affirming his government’s commitment to working with Bangladesh for “peace, security, and development.”
Prof. Yunus also paid tribute to those who lost their lives in the protests, acknowledging their role in “protecting the nation” and giving it “new life” after Hasina’s rule. Once seen as a champion of democracy, Hasina’s regime had grown increasingly autocratic, with critics silenced and prisons filled with dissenters. Yunus himself was targeted during her tenure, facing legal challenges he described as politically motivated.
Currently on bail and appealing a six-month jail sentence, Yunus called on Bangladesh’s youth to join him in rebuilding the nation. “Bangladesh can be a beautiful country, but we have destroyed its potential,” he said. “Now we must create a new foundation—a foundation that will be built by the young people,” he added, gesturing towards the students who had gathered to welcome him.
Yunus’s rise to interim leadership comes after weeks of unrest. Protests initially began as peaceful calls to abolish quotas in civil service jobs, which reserve a third of these positions for relatives of veterans from Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. Campaigners argued that the system was discriminatory and needed reform. Although the Supreme Court largely met the students’ demands by reducing the quotas, the protests evolved into a broader anti-government movement, exacerbated by harsh crackdowns.
The death toll soared to over 400, with Bangladeshi media and protesters blaming the police for the escalating violence. Officials, however, insisted that officers only used force in self-defense or to protect state property.
Plans for a student-led march on the prime minister’s residence were underway when news broke that Sheikh Hasina had fled the country and resigned as prime minister. She is currently in Delhi.
Now, the task of leading Bangladesh out of this turmoil falls to Prof. Yunus, the Nobel laureate who has been entrusted with guiding the nation back to stability.
Source: BBC
