DHAKA–Bangladesh’s Nobel laureate, Muhammad Yunus, will lead the country’s interim government, the presidency declared Wednesday, following a meeting with military leaders, student demonstrators, and civil society activists. The declaration came after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled amid a huge revolt sparked by student protests.
Bangladesh’s Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus will lead the country’s temporary government after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country after a huge movement against her leadership, primarily driven by students.
The news was made early Wednesday by Joynal Abedin, President Mohammed Shahabuddin’s communications secretary. Abedin spoke with the Associated Press over the phone.
The leaders of the student protests, the commanders of the country’s three military divisions, civil society members, and some business leaders met with the president late on Tuesday for more than five hours to decide who would lead the temporary administration.
Bangladesh’s president dissolved Parliament on Tuesday, paving the door for new elections to replace the country’s longtime prime leader, who resigned and fled after weeks of violent protests against her authority.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin has also ordered the release of opposition leader Khaleda Zia from home imprisonment. Zia, a longtime adversary of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was convicted of corruption by Hasina’s government in 2018.
On Tuesday, some high military roles were reshuffled. The student demonstrators stated that they would not tolerate any military-backed government.
The streets of Dhaka, the capital, were calmer Tuesday, with no reports of new violence as joyous protestors flocked to the ousted leader’s mansion. Some took selfies with soldiers guarding the building, which had been plundered by enraged protestors the day before, including furniture, paintings, flowerpots, and chickens.
Dhaka’s major airport has resumed operations following an eight-hour shutdown.
The Bangladesh Police Association claimed it was initiating a strike across the country due to a lack of protection after many police stations were attacked on Monday, killing “many” policemen, though it did not specify how many.
It stated that cops would not return to work until their safety was secured. The group also apologized for violent police attacks on student protestors, claiming cops were “forced to open fire” and were portrayed as the “villain.”
As the country waited for a new administration to form, a senior student leader stated that demonstrators wanted Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus to lead an interim government. Yunus, who is presently in Paris for the Olympics, referred to Hasina’s resignation as the country’s “second liberation day.” He could not be reached for comment immediately, but Nahid Islam, a key organizer of the protests, confirmed Yunus’ agreement.
Islam predicted that demonstrators would offer additional candidates for the Cabinet, making it harder for those in power to disregard their wishes.
On Monday, Hasina fled to India by helicopter as protesters broke military curfew orders and marched on the city, finally attacking her official mansion and other party and family-related structures.
Protests against a quota system for government positions, which critics claimed favored people with party ties, turned into a broader challenge to her 15-year rule, which was marred by human rights violations, corruption, and suspicions of fraudulent elections, as well as a ruthless crackdown on her opponents.
A deadly crackdown on demonstrations resulted in conflicts that killed scores of people, motivating the movement even more.
After Hasina resigned, military chief Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman announced that he was taking temporary charge of the country, and he and the country’s figurehead president vowed that an interim government would be constituted soon to oversee new elections.
However, the instability that followed Hasina’s removal has created a power vacuum, and it is unknown what this means for the South Asian nation, which has a history of military control and complex politics that has plunged the country into numerous crises.
The military wields substantial political power in Bangladesh, which has seen over 20 coups or attempted coups since gaining independence from Pakistan in 1971.
It was unclear whether Hasina’s resignation or the military chief’s demands for calm would be sufficient to end the unrest, or whether the army would play any part in the interim administration or try to influence it from outside. The student demonstrators have stated that they will not tolerate any military-backed government.
Zaman announced that the military would investigate all killings and punish those involved, giving in to the demonstrators’ weeks-long demand.
Earlier Tuesday, protest organizer Sarjis Alam told reporters that they had urged the president to dissolve Parliament by 3 p.m., and that if Parliament was not dissolved, they would resume their marches to “repair the state.”
“We proposed the name Muhammad Yunus with his permission. “If someone else comes from among the MPs, we will not let that happen,” he stated.
Yunus, a lifelong opponent of the deposed leader, was accused of corruption by her regime and tried on allegations he claimed were motivated by revenge. He got the Nobel Prize in 2006 for his pioneering work in microlending. During the celebrations, student Juairia Karim described it as a momentous day. “Today, we are receiving what we deserve.she said. “Everyone is happy, everyone is cheerful.”
But the country was still counting the toll of weeks of violence that produced some of its worst bloodshed since its 1971 war of independence. Many fear that Hasina’s departure could lead to even more instability in the densely populated nation, which is already dealing with high unemployment, corruption and climate change.
Violence just before and after Hasina’s resignation left at least 109 people dead, including 14 police officers, and hundreds of others injured, according to media reports which could not be independently confirmed.
In the southwestern district of Satkhira, 596 prisoners and detainees escaped from a jail after an attack on the facility Monday evening, the United News of Bangladesh agency reported, as police stations and security officials were attacked across the country.
“Hindus are very afraid,” Charu Chandra Das Brahmachari, the chief of the Hindu movement’s Bangladesh chapter, told IANS. “Hindus are frightened of being attacked at any time. This is because when the government fails, minorities suffer.
Charles Whitley, the EU ambassador to Bangladesh, stated on the social media platform X (previously known as Twitter) that European diplomats were “very concerned” about anti-minority rioting.
Opposition politicians have publicly urged people not to assault minority communities, while student leaders have begged supporters to protect Hindu temples and other sites of worship.
The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party asked citizens on Tuesday to maintain caution amid what it described as a “transitional moment on our democratic path.”
“It would defeat the spirit of the revolution that toppled Sheikh Hasina’s illegitimate and autocratic regime if people decided to take the law into their own hands without due process,” Tarique Rahman, the party’s interim chairman, said on the social networking site X.
Volker Türk, the United Nations’ human rights chief, stated on Monday that the transition of power in Bangladesh must be “in line with the country’s international obligations” and “inclusive and open to the meaningful participation of all Bangladeshis.”
The kids stated that they hoped to improve the country.
“I think the next leader of the country should learn from the students that if anyone becomes corrupt, a traitor, or takes any action against the country, they will face the same fate,” said Mohammad Jahirul Islam, a Dhaka student.
Hasina, 76, was elected for a fourth consecutive term in January elections that her main opponents boycotted. Thousands of opposition members were imprisoned prior to the vote, and the US and UK criticized the outcome as untrustworthy, despite the government’s defense.
According to the Indian Express, Hasina arrived at a military airbase near New Delhi on Monday after leaving Dhaka and spoke with Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. It stated that Hasina had been taken to a safe home and intended to travel to the United Kingdom.
S. Jaishankar, the Indian External Affairs Minister, confirmed her presence in the country but did not say whether she plans to stay.
He informed Parliament that Hasina had “at very short notice requested approval to come for the moment to India.”
On Tuesday, the US issued a fresh travel recommendation for Bangladesh, warning citizens to avoid the nation due to “civil unrest, crime, and terrorism.”
