Bangladesh crisis: Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus takes oath as head of country's interim govt

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took oath as the head of Bangladesh’s interim government on Thursday. This comes three days after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country on August 5 amid violent protests. Yunus was administered the oath of office by President Mohammed Shahabuddin at a ceremony at the presidential palace 'Bangabhaban' in Dhaka. 

84-year-old Yunus was recommended for the role by student protesters and returned to Dhaka earlier on Thursday from Paris, where he was undergoing medical treatment. According to the information, Yunus will be the chief adviser in



the interim government tasked with holding fresh elections in the South Asian country of 170 million people. Sixteen other people have been included in the interim Cabinet with members drawn mainly from civil society and including two of the student protest leaders.

The key tasks for Yunus now are restoring peace in Bangladesh and preparing for new elections following weeks of violence in which student activists led an uprising against what was considered Hasina’s increasingly autocratic 15-year rule. The President had dissolved Parliament on Tuesday, clearing the path for the interim administration.