Nobel Laureate Yunus to lead Bangladesh's interim govt

Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus has been appointed to lead Bangladesh’s interim government after the country’s long-standing Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, fled amid widespread protests that have plunged the nation into chaos.

The announcement was made early Wednesday by Joynal Abedin, the press secretary of President Mohammed Shahabuddin, following a high-stakes meeting involving military chiefs, student protest organizers, business leaders, and civil society members.

Yunus, an economist renowned for his pioneering work in microcredit and founder of the Grameen Bank, is expected to return from Paris, where he is currently advising Olympic organizers, to assume his new role.

The 2006 Nobel laureate has been a vocal critic of Hasina and has previously faced politically motivated corruption charges under her administration.

The interim government will be tasked with stabilizing the country and preparing for new elections.

Other cabinet members will be chosen after consultations with political parties and stakeholders, according to Abedin.

In a significant move, President Shahabuddin has dissolved parliament and ordered the release of opposition leader Khaleda Zia, Hasina’s long-time rival, who has been under house arrest since her conviction on corruption charges in 2018.

The upheaval began with student protests against job quota systems favoring descendants of 1971 independence war freedom fighters, escalating into a nationwide movement demanding Hasina’s resignation.

The situation reached a boiling point when the army, led by Chief Gen Waker-Uz-Zaman, refused to enforce a curfew against the protesters, leading to Hasina’s resignation and subsequent flight to India.

The protests resulted in a tragic toll of over 300 deaths, with the deadliest day claiming 91 lives in clashes across the country.

The army’s decision not to fire on civilians marked a pivotal moment, ultimately leading to the prime minister’s departure.

In the wake of these events, Yunus has declared Hasina’s resignation as the country’s “second liberation day.”

Protest leader Nahid Islam confirmed Yunus’s agreement to head the interim administration and emphasized the protesters’ influence in shaping the new government.