Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus sworn in as head of Bangladesh's transitional govt

Two students feature in 17-member transitional administration following deadly protests that led to Hasina’s ouster

DHAKA:

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was sworn in on Thursday as the head of a 17-member transitional government in Bangladesh. This development follows weeks of protests that led to the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the dissolution of her Awami League government.

The oath-taking ceremony was conducted by President Mohammed Shahabuddin at the presidential office in Dhaka. Yunus, at 84, assumes the role of "chief adviser" to the transitional government, which is primarily composed of technocrats.

The transitional administration includes 16 advisers, among them Saleh Uddin Ahmed, former governor of Bangladesh’s central bank; retired Brigadier General M. Sakhawat Hossain; Dhaka University professor Asif Nazrul; human rights advocate Adilur Rahman Khan; attorney and environmentalist Syeda Rezwana Hasan; and women’s rights activist Farida Akhtar. The team also features two student leaders from the protests that prompted Hasina’s resignation and subsequent departure to India.

The formation of the transitional government was announced by Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman after Hasina fled the country. Yunus, who was in France at the time, returned to Dhaka on Thursday and expressed gratitude for the role of students in the recent political upheaval. “Bangladesh has begun a new chapter. We are thankful to those who made this possible; they (students) saved the country,” Yunus said upon his arrival.

The protests, which began in July, were sparked by disputes over civil service job quotas and resulted in over 400 deaths. Following these events, President Shahabuddin dissolved the parliament elected in January, during which Hasina secured her fourth term as prime minister.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the main opposition group, has called for national elections within three months to ensure that power is returned to elected representatives.