Dhaka: Newly sworn-in Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus vowed to crack down on conspirators as Bangladesh struggles to return to normalcy following weeks of violent protests and the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
In his first address to the nation, Yunus warned that those who spread anarchy would face the full force of law enforcement agencies.
“The conspirators have created an atmosphere of anarchy and fear in the country to thwart our second independence through the uprising of the student-masses. Anarchy is our enemy, and it must be defeated quickly,” he said.
A 16-member council of advisers also took oath on Thursday to assist Yunus in running the caretaker government, which will lead the country for a certain period and oversee the election to transition power to an elected government.
The council of advisers includes Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud, student leaders who played key roles in the anti-quota protests that escalated into a national movement against the erstwhile Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina.
Yunus, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his pioneering work on microlending, expressed gratitude to the youth who made the protest movement against Hasina successful. “Today is a day of our pride,” he said, calling the change of regime the country’s “second independence.”
Yunus’s call for an end to violence was welcomed by the United States. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller expressed readiness to work with the interim government to chart a democratic future for Bangladesh.
