Rabat – Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus returned to Bangladesh on Thursday to head a new interim government after intense student protests led to the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has fled to India.
Yunus arrived to Dhaka from Paris, where he had been receiving medical treatment, to take on the role following endorsements by student leaders.
He was welcomed at the Hazarat Shahajalal International Airport by senior military officers and student representatives. Upon his arrival, he told reporters at the airport: “Today is a glorious day for us. Bangladesh has created a new victory day. Bangladesh has got a second independence.”
Born in 1940 in Chittagong, Yunus holds a PhD in economics from Vanderbilt University in the United States. He also won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his pioneering microfinance work with Grameen Bank to help the impoverished.
Yunus is set to be sworn in as the head of a team of advisers later today. The interim government, devoid of Hasina’s Awami League party, will oversee the organization of new elections.
Hasina’s resignation on Monday came after weeks of violent protests that resulted in approximately 300 deaths and thousands of injuries. She fled after protestors, defying a national curfew, stormed her official residence.
Hasina, who ruled Bangladesh for 20 of the last 30 years and secured a fourth consecutive term in January, is now in India, sparking some anti-India sentiments in Bangladesh.
The weeks-long protests, which began in early July, stemmed from long standings grievances and calls for reforms. This includes widespread frustration over recruitment practices for government jobs.
Protesting students criticized the perceived lack of fairness and transparency in the recruitment process, arguing that it favored a select few and marginalized the majority of applicants.
