Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus-led interim government is set to take oath in Bangladesh at around 8 pm today amid the political chaos and unrest in the nation. Ahead of the swearing-in, Yunus urged citizens to stay calm and "refrain from all kinds of violence" to make the best use of their "new victory".
Currently in Paris, Yunus will return to Dhaka today for the oath-taking ceremony. Meanwhile, Army chief General Waker Uz-Zaman said that the advisory council may have 15 members.
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INTERIM GOVT'S OATH
The interim government, set to be headed by Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus, will take oath at around 8 pm today. The 84-year-old Yunus, whose name was first proposed by the coordinators of the students movement, congratulated the "brave students" who took the lead in making what he said, "our Second Victory Day possible".
Yunus appealed to all the students, political parties and citizens to stay calm and not "miss the chance by going into any senseless violence".
"Violence is our enemy. Please don't create more enemies. Be calm and get ready to build the country," he said in a statement.
"If we take the path of violence everything will be destroyed. Please stay calm. Help those around you to stay calm," Yunus added.
The Nobel laureate urged everyone to not let anything slip away because of "our mistakes", appealing "to everybody to stay calm and please refrain from all kinds of violence".
He said that Bangladesh is a "beautiful country" with many exciting possibilities and that they must protect and make it a wonderful nation for themselves and their future generations.
Meanwhile, Army chief General Waker Uz-Zaman said that the advisory council may have 15 members. He asserted that the armed forces will provide all possible support to Yunus.
FEAR OF UNREST STILL LOOMS OVER NATION
Law and order situation continued to remain somewhere in the middle as businesses demanded immediate restoration of it to ensure the safety of their production units amid attacks on factories since Sheikh Hasina's resignation as Prime Minister on Monday.
Business owners said though the factories reopened on Wednesday, but many couldn't properly run it due to the fear of unrest and vandalism.
Dhaka Tribune reported that students as volunteers looked after traffic management for the second consecutive day on Wednesday in the absence of police officials from their duty.
Yunus' appeal to keep calm and refrain from violence also comes in the backdrop of incidents of looting and anarchy acknowledged by Army chief Uz-Zaman.
In chaos following Sheikh Hasina's ouster, the Army chief said the police forces became "totally dysfunctional" and it was not possible on the part of the military along with the navy and air force troops to "fill up the void".
"But we will do everything possible to bring the culprits to justice," the chief said.
BODIES OF AWAMI LEAGUE LEADERS
The bodies of at least 20 leaders from former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League Party were recovered from across the violence-hit Bangladesh on Tuesday, taking the overall death toll since mid-July to 460.
Houses and business establishments of several Awami League leaders were vandalised and set on fire.
Meanwhile, a top police official said the casualties of policemen i the recent violence occurred due to human rights violation by some unprofessional and overly ambitious officials.
The newly-appointed Inspector General of Police Md Mainul Islam said some unprofessional officers did not follow the set principles of applying force and violated human rights.
"It is because of them (unprofessional officials) that this ongoing violence and casualties have occurred," Daily Star newspaper cited him as saying.
Islam added that several police officials have been injured, killed and tortured because of some unprofessional and overly ambitious officials.
Additional Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidur Rahman, appointed as the focal person of the Bangladesh Police to handle the crisis at hand, requested all police officers to ignore rumours and return to their duties in a phased manner, ensuring that security arrangements are in place.
Rahman has now been appointed as the Director General of elite anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in a reshuffle on Wednesday, as per the home ministry.
KHALEDA ZIA'S ADDRESS AFTER RELEASE
Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia made her first public statement on Wednesday, a day after her release from jail.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief echoed Yunus' views and urged everyone to maintain calm. She thanked the people for their "struggle to make possible the impossible".
"Youths are our future. We need to build a democratic Bangladesh to fulfil their dream, and for which they shed their blood...No destruction, no anger and no revenge, we need love and peace to rebuild our country," the 79-year-old said.
She added, “I vow to uphold democracy, not revenge politics."
After Sheikh Hasina's resignation from the PM post, President Mohammed Shahabuddin announced the release of Zia, who had been jailed in 2018 in a graft case. Zia was in house arrest owing to her several ailments, including that of heart, lung and kidney.
