Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus was named chief adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government on Tuesday, a day after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country following a violent crackdown on a student-led uprising.
Yunus was appointed to the post by Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin after he held meetings with student leaders and chiefs of the three military services, local media reported late on Tuesday, citing a statement and officials from the president’s office.
Yunus, 84, and his Grameen Bank, a microcredit organization, won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for work to lift millions out of poverty by granting small loans of under $100 to the rural poor of Bangladesh.
The student leaders had said they wanted Yunus as the chief adviser to the interim government and a spokesperson for Yunus said he agreed. Yunus is in Paris for a medical procedure and is expected to return to Dhaka soon.
‘SECOND LIBERATION DAY’
Yunus, who was indicted by a court in June on charges of embezzlement that he denied, told Indian broadcaster Times Now that Monday marked the “second liberation day” for Bangladesh after its 1971 war of independence from Pakistan.
But he said Bangladeshis were angry with neighbour India for allowing Hasina to land there after fleeing Dhaka.
“India is our best friend … people are angry at India because you are supporting the person who destroyed our lives,” Yunus said.
Protests against Hasina were fueled in part by poverty. After years of strong economic growth as the garment industry expanded, the $450 billion economy struggled with costly imports and inflation, and the government had sought a bailout from the International Monetary Fund.
Hasina was accused of becoming increasingly authoritarian, with many of her political foes jailed. Her resignation was greeted by jubilant crowds, who stormed unopposed into the opulent grounds of her residence and carried away furniture and TVs after she fled on Monday.
Hasina flew to India and is staying at a safe house outside Delhi. Indian media reported that Hasina may travel to Britain, where she has family including a niece who is a government minister.
Reuters could not confirm her plans. Britain’s Home Office declined to comment.
