Muhammad Yunus has been sworn in as head of a new caretaker government in Bangladesh in a ceremony that began with a minute’s silence to remember those who were killed in the recent protests.
Yunus, 84, was recommended for the role by student protesters and returned to Dhaka earlier on Thursday from Paris, where he was undergoing medical treatment.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath at the Durbar Hall of the Bangabhaban here.
Out of 16 other members of the council of the interim government, 13 took oath as remaining three members will take oath later.
Dr. Muhammad Yunus first took oath as the chief advisor of the interim government. Later, he signed the oath of secrecy.
The President then administered oath to the 13 advisers of the council. The advisers also signed the oath of secrecy.
The members of the advisory council are: Dr Saleh Uddin Ahmed, Dr. Asif Nazrul, Adilur Rahman Khan, Hasan Arif, Towhid Hossain, Syeda Rezwana Hasan, Md Nahid Islam, Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan, Brigadier General (Retd) M Sakhawat Hussain, Farida Akhter, AFM Khalid Hasan, Nurjahan Begu and Sharmin Murshid.
Cabinet Secretary Md. Mahbub Hossain conducted the oath-taking ceremony.
Leaders of political parties, judges, representatives of various organizations, chiefs of the three services, inspector general of police (IGP), senior military and civil officers, diplomats, freedom fighters, senior journalists and other dignitaries were present.
Bidhan Ranjan Roy, Farooqi Azam and Suprodip Chakma could not take the oath as they were outside of the capital Dhaka.
Meanwhile, on the occasion, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the opportunity to wish the new head well in his new venture.
“My best wishes to Professor Muhammad Yunus on the assumption of his new responsibilities. We hope for an early return to normalcy, ensuring the safety and protection of Hindus and all other minority communities. India remains committed to working with Bangladesh to fulfill the shared aspirations of both our peoples for peace, security and development,” PM Modi tweeted on X.
My best wishes to Professor Muhammad Yunus on the assumption of his new responsibilities. We hope for an early return to normalcy, ensuring the safety and protection of Hindus and all other minority communities. India remains committed to working with Bangladesh to fulfill the…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 8, 2024
