Students want Nobel laureate Yunus to head Bangladesh's transitional gov't

DHAKA, Bangladesh

The key coordinators of the student movement that forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee Bangladesh proposed Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus as the chief advisor of the interim government on Tuesday.

In a video posted on social media, key coordinator Nahid Islam along with two other coordinators said “we have decided to outline the formation of an interim government with globally renowned and widely accepted Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus as its chief advisor.”

“We have spoken to Prof. Yunus, and he has agreed to take on this important responsibility to protect Bangladesh at the call of students,” he said.

They also warned that they won’t accept any government backed by the military.

They said that following the “student-civilian revolution,” supporters of Sheikh Hasina’s regime unleashed anarchy and unrest across the country to undermine the “victory” of the people.

They called on the country’s president to immediately implement their proposal to form the interim government to bring order to the country.

At least 112 people were killed Monday in clashes across the country after Hasina fled Bangladesh, according to the Daily Manab Zamin newspaper. Most of the dead suffered bullet wounds, it added.

Last month, students launched protests against discrimination in public job recruitment, which put renewed pressure on the government after a court reinstated controversial quotas for government jobs.

With the latest casualties, the death toll rose to at least 478 from July 16 until Aug. 5, including 100 on Sunday, according to local media reports. At least 266 occurred in July, according to the Daily Naya Diganta newspaper.

Bangladesh's President Mohammed Shahabuddin ordered the release of opposition leader Khaleda Zia late Monday, hours after Hasina fled the country amid widespread protests.

A statement from Shahabuddin’s office said that all political parties had agreed to dissolve parliament to form a transitional government as announced earlier by army chief Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman.

The decision came after leaders of opposition parties including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami party met Shahabuddin for talks.

Zia, the chairperson of the BNP and a two-term prime minister of Bangladesh (1991-1996 and 2001-2006), has been under arrest since 2018.

It added that all those detained during mass student protests will be released, while Zaman has pledged to investigate the deaths of protesters in recent days.

Shahabuddin later also addressed the nation, saying the families of the victims of the student movement will be compensated and the injured will be given the necessary assistance for medical treatment.

He also called on the political parties to restore law and order in the country and to stop looting and destructive activities.

“I am directing the armed forces to take strict action to protect the lives and property of the people and state assets,” he added.

A statement from the military said that all offices and schools will open starting Tuesday after weeks of violent demonstrations.

Earlier, student movement leaders blasted Hasina over alleged violations of human rights during her 15 years in power.

"We will bring Hasina to justice even if she has fled the country," key protest coordinator Nahid Islam told a reporter in the capital Dhaka.