India's High Commission to Bangladesh is expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the country's new interim prime minister, Muhammad Yunus, scheduled for later today, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in his weekly media briefing.
“I saw reports that the swearing-in ceremony is to be held this evening. I don't know the exact time, somewhere around 8'o clock. Diplomatic community members have been invited. It is likely that our High Commissioner will participate,” he said, according to newswire ANI.
Muhammad Yunus, Nobel laureate economist, arrived home Thursday from Paris and will take office later in the day as he looks to restore calm and rebuild the country following an uprising that ended the 15-year, increasingly autocratic rule of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Yunus landed at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Thursday afternoon. He was welcomed by the country’s military chief, Gen. Waker-Uz-Zaman, who was flanked by navy and air force heads.
Some student leaders who led the uprising against Hasina were also at the airport to welcome him. They had earlier proposed Yunus as interim leader to the country's figurehead president, currently acting as the chief executive under the constitution.
In his first comments after his arrival, Yunus told a news briefing that his priority would be to restore order. “Bangladesh is a family. We have to unite it,” Yunus said, flanked by the student leaders. “It has immense possibility.”
He urged all to stop violence and promised not to resort to any repressive measures against anyone.
Security was tight at the airport to ensure Yunus’ safe arrival. The country has experienced days of unrest following Hasina's downfall on Monday. President Mohammed Shahabuddin will administer the oath-taking ceremony on Thursday night when Yunus is expected to announce his new Cabinet.
Before leaving Paris, Yunus appealed for calm in Bangladesh amid tensions over the country's future.
Meanwhile, Hasina's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, who acted as her adviser, vowed Wednesday that his family and the Awami League party would continue to be engaged in Bangladesh's politics — a reversal from what he'd said earlier in the week after Hasina stepped down Monday and fled to India.
Yunus was named interim leader after talks among military officials, civic leaders, and student activists who led the uprising against Hasina. On Wednesday, he made his first public comments in the French capital before boarding a plane to return home.
Yunus congratulated the student protesters, saying they had made “our second Victory Day possible.” He appealed to them and other stakeholders to remain peaceful while condemning the violence that followed Hasina’s resignation.
“Violence is our enemy. Please don’t create more enemies. Be calm and get ready to build the country,” Yunus said.
Bangladesh’s military chief, Gen. Waker-Uz-Zaman, said in a televised address on Wednesday that he expected Yunus to usher in a “beautiful democratic” process.
Yunus, awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his work developing microcredit markets, told reporters in Paris: “I’m looking forward to going back home and seeing what’s happening there, and how we can organize ourselves to get out of the trouble that we are in.″
When asked when elections would be held, he raised his hands as if to indicate that it was too early to say. “I’ll go and talk to them. I’m just fresh in this whole area,” he said.
A tribunal in Dhaka earlier on Wednesday acquitted Yunus in a labor law violation case involving a telecommunication company he founded. He had been convicted and sentenced to six months in jail. He had been released on bail in the case.
The president dissolved Parliament on Tuesday, clearing the path for an interim administration expected to schedule new elections.
