Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman has announced that the interim government, headed by Nobel Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus, is likely to be sworn in tomorrow, The Daily Star reported on Wednesday. Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin dissolved Parliament on Tuesday and appointed Yunus as the head of an interim government, a day after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country following weeks of violent protests.
The decision was made in a meeting President Shahabuddin had with chiefs of the three services and a 13-member delegation of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement at Bangabhaban (presidential palace). The other members of the interim government will be finalised after consultations with various political parties, the president's press secretary said.
While the Army took charge on Monday, incidents of violence were reported overnight in many parts of the country, and the death toll due to the unrest since mid-July rose to 440. A number of Hindu temples, households, and businesses were vandalised, women assaulted and at least two Hindu leaders affiliated with the Awami League party headed by Hasina were killed in the violence in Bangladesh after she fled the country, according to two community leaders in Dhaka.
The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement that spearheaded the massive protests has earlier said that 84-year-old Yunus had agreed to head the interim government. Yunus is currently out of the country but welcomed the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s regime, describing the development as the “second liberation" of the country. Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his anti-poverty campaign through the Grameen Bank.
(With inputs from PTI)