Transitional government set to take oath as Nobel laureate Yunus returns to Bangladesh

DHAKA, Bangladesh

A transitional government is set to take oath as Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus returned to Bangladesh from France on Thursday.

After landing at the Shahjalal International Airport in the capital Dhaka on Thursday noon, Yunus said that Bangladesh has achieved independence for the second time under the leadership of young people.

“Bangladesh has started a new victory day. We have to move on. We are thankful to those who did it, they (students) saved the country,” he added, remembering the students who sacrificed their lives during the nationwide protests that toppled the government of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Since early July, Bangladesh witnessed large-scale student protests against controversial civil service job quotas that claimed over 400 lives.

Calling the attacks on minorities part of a conspiracy to bring distality in the country, he urged the people to be active in stopping every attack, including on minorities.

At the airport, army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman, student representatives, civil society members and security officials received Yunus, who will head the transitional government.

Earlier on Wednesday, Bangladesh army chief announced that a 15-member transitional government would be sworn in on Thursday.

Yunus, popularly known as Dr. Yunus, is Bangladesh’s lone Nobel laureate and the country’s most renowned “global citizen” who also had honors like the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the US.

In recognition of his contribution to economic development and poverty reduction, Yunus was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.

Earlier, Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin dissolved the national parliament after Hasina fled to India amid a student-civilian uprising.

Meanwhile, the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) held a big gathering in Dhaka on Wednesday where the party chairperson Khaleda Zia addressed the nation and called for restraint.

Addressing the rally, BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir demanded a national election in three months to hand over the power to people’s representatives.​​​​​​​

• Bangladesh
• Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)
• Muhammad Yunus