Dhaka: Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus is all set to head interim government on Thursday, amid an appeal for calm and non-violence. As the country grapples with widespread unrest following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and departure, Yunus has called on all citizens to seize this opportunity for positive change and unity.
As authorities scrambled to bring the law and order situation under control, Army chief Gen Waker-Uz-Zaman on Wednesday announced that the interim government will take oath around 8 pm on Thursday. He said the advisory council may have 15 members. Gen Zaman further said that the armed forces will provide all possible support to 84-year-old Yunus after Sheikh Hasina resigned as prime minister and fled the country following violent anti-government protests spearheaded by the Students Against Discrimination movement. Yunus is now in Paris and was headed to Dhaka.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party(BNP) chairperson and ex-premier Khaleda Zia, who was freed from house arrest on Tuesday, echoed the views of Yunus, saying it is not “anger” or “revenge” but “love and peace” which will rebuild the nation.
Businesses demanded immediate restoration of law and order to ensure the safety of their production units amid attacks on factories over the last two days. They said factories were reopened on Wednesday, particularly the garment units, but many cannot run properly fearing unrest and vandalism, the Daily Star newspaper reported.
With police absent from their duty to keep law and order or manage traffic, students carried out traffic management as volunteers for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper said. There were reports of attacks on police stations and facilities across the country on Tuesday, resulting in numerous police casualties, it added.
Yunus, whose name was first proposed for the top job by the coordinators of the students movement, congratulated the “brave students” who took the lead in making, what he said, “our Second Victory Day possible”, and appealed to all students, political parties and non-political people to stay calm.
“Let us not miss the chance by going into any senseless violence. Violence is our enemy. Please don’t create more enemies. Be calm and get ready to build the country,” he said in a statement.
“If we take the path of violence everything will be destroyed. Please stay calm. Help those around you to stay calm.”
“Let us make the best use of our new victory. Let us not let this slip away because of our mistakes,” the economist said. “I fervently appeal to everybody to stay calm. Please refrain from all kinds of violence.”
Bodies of at least 29 supporters of Hasina’s Awami League party were recovered across the country through Tuesday, taking the overall death toll to 469 in almost three weeks since the protest first started in July, according to local media reports. Sheikh Hasina flew to Hindon air base, near Delhi, by a Bangladesh military aircraft on Monday.
Yunus’ appeal comes as the Army chief acknowledged there were incidents of looting and anarchy after Hasina’s ouster. He said the police forces became “totally dysfunctional” and it was not possible on the part of the military along with the navy and air force troops to “fill up the void”.
“But we will do everything possible to bring the culprits to justice.”
In his statement, Yunus also called Bangladesh a “beautiful country with lots of exciting possibilities. We must protect and make it a wonderful country for us and for our future generations.”
