Bangladesh is limping back to normalcy with Muhammad Yunus landing in Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Thursday. The Nobel laureate is likely to be sworn in as the head of the interim government later in the day.
Yunus is expected to meet with representatives from the Student Against Discrimination (SAD) group, which spearheaded the anti-Sheikh Hasina movement and proposed Yunus as the leader of the interim government.
An interim government was necessitated after Hasina, the former prime minister of Bangladesh, resigned and fled the country. Bangladesh has been grappling with violent protests, led by students, for more than a month, resulting in over 500 deaths.
In this situation, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) hoped Yunus’ interim government would be able to take Bangladesh out of the current crisis.
“As an internationally acclaimed person, Yunus is ideal to lead Bangladesh right now and restore the country’s image before the world,” said Asaduzzaman Ripon, a BNP spokesperson, to THE WEEK.
Opposition parties such as BNP and activists, civil society members and students had accused Hasina of running an authoritarian regime without holding proper elections.
The BNP is now optimistic that Yunus’ administration will fulfill its constitutional responsibilities by organising elections within 90 days of its establishment, ensuring a democratic transition of power.
Ripon said, “We want people to be given a fair chance to select their government. Only a transparent election can give us a stable government and ensure democracy in Bangladesh.”
The Khaleda Zia-led party believes Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank and a pioneer in the world of economics, can revive Bangladesh’s economy with his wisdom and policies.
The BNP also took a dig at the growth story of Bangladesh’s economy under Hasina. Ripon said the former regime overlooked the economic inequality, high unemployment and inflation that affected the majority of the Bangladeshi population.
Bangladesh is gradually returning to normalcy following the unrest and lawlessness that ensued after Hasina’s resignation and departure. “Right now the police administration is not working. As a result, we are seeing violence and vandalism,” Ripon added. “Once the interim government takes charge, peace will return.”
The change was reflected at the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal’s Petrapole. Due to the unrest in Bangladesh, cross-border movement of people and trade was disrupted. But from Thursday, the number of immigrating people has increased.
In Petrapole, the largest land port in Southeast Asia which sees over 30 per cent of land trade between India and Bangladesh, export and import of cargos have started.
