Bangladesh Leader Of Interim Government, Muhammad Yunus has commended the students who led the protests that resulted in the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. “No doubt… the student-led revolution brought down the entire government,” Yunus asserted in a media briefing on Sunday after meeting with the students.
Highlighting the conversation he had with the students, Yunus said, “I told the students, ‘I respect and admire you… What you’ve accomplished is truly unmatched… and because you asked me to take charge of the interim administration. “I accept.”
Two of the student protesters, Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud, are among the 16-member advisory council that was inaugurated alongside Yunus.
The 84-year-old Nobel laureate further declared, “Finally, the moment has comeāthe monster is gone,” in reference to Hasina’s departure, marking the end of what critics had labeled as an autocratic regime that suppressed all dissent.
However, Yunus warned the interim government that public support is limited, and they will soon face numerous tough decisions.
He also highlighted that the recent wave of resignations among top public officials, including the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the head of Bangladesh’s central bank, was carried out “legally.”
The interim government was established after weeks of violence and clashes in Bangladesh, sparked by protests over a jobs quota, which led to Hasina, a five-time Prime Minister, resigning and fleeing. Seen as a key ally of New Delhi, Hasina is currently in an undisclosed location and is reportedly seeking political asylum, possibly in the United Kingdom.
After Hasina’s departure, Yunus, who faced multiple corruption charges under the previous administration and was in Europe during Hasina’s tenure, was chosen by the protesters to oversee democratic reforms.