Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus took charge of Bangladesh’s Interim Government on Thursday, hoping to help heal the country as it faces a dire situation by going through weeks of violence, forcing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to quit and flee the country. Hasina is currently in India.
Known as the banker to the poor, Yunus is the pioneer of the global microcredit movement. The Grameen Bank he founded won him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for helping millions of farmers out of poverty by providing tiny loans to rural poor who are way beyond the Below poverty line and can’t afford the big bank loans from traditional banking institutions.
As chief advisor to the caretaker government, he is tasked with a more vital role of bringing stability back in the country. Bangladesh has been witnessing its worst civil protest in its history after the independence war of 1971 that resulted in the formation of the country, according to experts.
There is bloodbath going on since a period of 2 months that started from a simple student protest in Dhaka, the country’s capital that turned into a violent civil protest against the Hasina Regime spreading to all parts of the country finally resulting in a killing spree by the armed forces and military after which she was forced to resign and flee the country after getting a 45 minute ultimatum from the BDR, Bangladesh’s army.
“The brutal autocratic regime is gone”, Yunus was seen speaking these words in a televised telecast while addressing the nation. “Tomorrow, with the rising sun, democracy, justice, human rights and full freedom of fearless action will be enjoyed by all, regardless of party affiliation.”
Upon his arrival in Dhaka from Paris where he was treated, Yunus said he would govern the nation with the guidance of the students who backed him for the role of the caretaker of the interim government.
Many hindu homes and temples were vandalised and members brutally killed after Hasina’s departure, along with other minorities such as christians and buddhists. Hundreds of Bangladeshi minorities, especially Hindus tried to flee the country but were stopped at the Indian borders. The tension is intense in the neighbouring border regions in India as the killing spree continues in her neighbourhood.
