Editor's Pick | Yunus-led Bangladesh interim govt. sworn in

Under the leadership of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, a 17-member interim Bangladesh government was sworn in on Thursday, three days after Sheikh Hasina stepped down as Prime Minister and left the country amid mass protests. President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath to the 84-year-old as the Chief Adviser of the interim government, and the Cabinet members at 9.20 p.m. local time at a ceremony held in Bangabhaban, the official residence of the President. Military officers, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam, Jamaat-e-Islami amir Shafiqur Rahman, Jatiya Party chairman Ghulam Muhammed Quader as well as foreign diplomats from the U.K., Japan, China, the Philippines, Iran, Argentina, Qatar, the UAE and the Netherlands were present at the ceremony. No one from the Awami League, Ms. Hasina’s party, was seen at Bangabhaban. After Dr. Yunus, 13 of the 16 advisers of the interim government were sworn in. As Gonobhaban, the Prime Minister’s Office and official residence, remains in a shambles after protesters stormed it following the resignation of Ms. Hasina, the state guesthouse Jamuna will be the office and residence of the Chief Adviser. Sources said a committee will be formed to assess the damage to these two important installations, and renovation will begin soon afterwards. Earlier on Thursday, after landing in Dhaka from a trip to France, Dr. Yunus gave an emotional speech, recalling the sacrifices made by students who were met with a heavy-handed response from the Hasina-led government. In his speech, he addressed the people of Bangladesh as “one big family” and said the young protesters had given them a “new birth”. However, he condemned the recent violence directed against the country’s religious minorities. “My first word to you is to protect the country from disorder. Protect it from violence so we can follow the path our students have shown us,” he said. Restoring stability and stopping anarchy have become immediate priorities as attacks, looting, and destructive activities persisted on Thursday in many parts of the country, in the absence of government and enforcement agencies. However, the Bangladesh Army, alongside other law enforcement agencies, said they would take strict action to stop the ongoing attacks across the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed his best wishes to Dr. Yunus and urged him to ensure the “safety and protection” of minority communities. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is in touch with the post-Hasina administration to ensure safety for the remaining officials in Indian missions as well as Indian citizens who are scattered across Bangladesh, a Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday. “My best wishes to Professsor Muhammad Yunus on the assumption of his new responsibilities. We hope for an early return to normalcy, ensuring the safety and protection of Hindus and all other minority communities. India remains committed to working with Bangladesh to fulfil the shared aspirations of both our peoples for peace, security and development,” the Prime Minister said, in his message to Dr. Yunus. Expressing cautious optimism about the newly appointed government, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the wishes of the people of Bangladesh were paramount. Taking note of attacks against minority communities, Mr. Jaiswal reminded Dhaka that it is the task of “every government” to protect all its citizens. The High Commission of India in Dhaka has been operating emergency helpline services to evacuate Indian nationals who want to leave in view of the unstable situation, including some Indians working on various projects. Sources said that it was necessary to evacuate some Indian personnel across the land border as “some of these situations were life threatening”. Some of those evacuated were working with IRCON Khulna, L&T, RITES, Tata Projects, Afcons, and Transrail Sirajganj. In an editorial, The Hindu noted that “while securing Ms. Hasina’s safety and well-being, in a manner accorded to a leader who has always upheld India’s interests, the government must not waste time in engaging with the next regime and work to assist a peaceful transition to a more inclusive process for democracy in Bangladesh.” Several BJP leaders and party Chief Ministers in the Northeast differ on letting in violence-hit Bangladeshi minorities. The BJP is in a fix over repeated demands within the party to protect members of the Hindu community facing violence in Bangladesh. The Border Security Force (BSF), however, is denying entry to all undocumented immigrants, irrespective of religion; more problematically for the party, its own leaders in northeastern India do not want a major influx of Bangladeshi immigrants into their States. Ever since the Sheikh Hasina government fell in Dhaka, and reports of violence — including against minority Hindus — have surfaced, leaders of the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have appealed to the Union government to ensure protection for the embattled community. These sentiments were not, however, echoed by the BJP’s own Chief Ministers in northeastern States that border Bangladesh. Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday that after this week’s events in Bangladesh, the border between his State and the neighbouring country has been “fully secured” and that “no one has yet entered our borders”. Manik Saha, CM of Tripura — a State that had witnessed a massive influx of Bangladeshi refugees in 1971, during the war that preceded the formation of that country — also said that the border would be kept secure, and batted for strict measures. 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[View in browser]( [More newsletters]( Yunus-led Bangladesh interim govt. sworn in Under the leadership of [Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus]( a 17-member interim Bangladesh government was sworn in on Thursday, three days after Sheikh Hasina stepped down as Prime Minister and left the country amid mass protests. President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath to the 84-year-old as the Chief Adviser of the interim government, and the Cabinet members at 9.20 p.m. local time at a ceremony held in Bangabhaban, the official residence of the [President](. Military officers, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam, Jamaat-e-Islami amir Shafiqur Rahman, Jatiya Party chairman Ghulam Muhammed Quader as well as foreign diplomats from the U.K., Japan, China, the Philippines, Iran, Argentina, Qatar, the UAE and the Netherlands were present at the ceremony. No one from the Awami League, Ms. Hasina’s party, was seen at Bangabhaban. After Dr. Yunus, 13 of the 16 advisers of the interim government were sworn in. As Gonobhaban, the Prime Minister’s Office and official residence, remains in a shambles after protesters stormed it following the resignation of Ms. Hasina, the state guesthouse Jamuna will be the office and residence of the Chief Adviser. Sources said a committee will be formed to assess the damage to these two important installations, and renovation will begin soon afterwards. Earlier on Thursday, after landing in Dhaka from a trip to France, Dr. Yunus gave an emotional speech, recalling the sacrifices made by students who were met with a heavy-handed response from the Hasina-led government. In his speech, he addressed the people of Bangladesh as “one big family” and said the young protesters had given them a “new birth”. However, he condemned the recent violence directed against the country’s religious minorities. “My first word to you is to protect the country from disorder. Protect it from violence so we can follow the path our students have shown us,” he said. Restoring stability and stopping anarchy have become immediate priorities as attacks, looting, and destructive activities persisted on Thursday in many parts of the country, in the absence of government and enforcement agencies. However, the Bangladesh Army, alongside other law enforcement agencies, said they would take strict action to stop the ongoing attacks across the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed his best wishes to Dr. Yunus and urged him to ensure the “safety and protection” of minority communities. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is in touch with the post-Hasina administration to ensure safety for the remaining officials in Indian missions as well as Indian citizens who are scattered across Bangladesh, a Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday. “My best wishes to Professsor Muhammad Yunus on the assumption of his new responsibilities. We hope for an early return to normalcy, ensuring the safety and protection of [Hindus and all other minority communities](. India remains committed to working with Bangladesh to fulfil the shared aspirations of both our peoples for peace, security and development,” the Prime Minister said, in his message to Dr. Yunus. Expressing cautious optimism about the newly appointed government, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the wishes of the people of Bangladesh were paramount. Taking note of attacks against minority communities, Mr. Jaiswal reminded Dhaka that it is the task of “every government” to protect all its citizens. The High Commission of India in Dhaka has been operating emergency helpline services to evacuate Indian nationals who want to leave in view of the unstable situation, including some Indians working on various projects. Sources said that it was necessary to evacuate some Indian personnel across the land border as “some of these situations were life threatening”. Some of those evacuated were working with IRCON Khulna, L&T, RITES, Tata Projects, Afcons, and Transrail Sirajganj. In an editorial, [The Hindu]( noted that “while securing Ms. Hasina’s]( safety and well-being, in a manner accorded to a leader who has always upheld India’s interests, the government must not waste time in engaging with the next regime and work to assist a peaceful transition to a more inclusive process for democracy in Bangladesh.” [Several BJP leaders and party Chief Ministers in the Northeast]( on letting in violence-hit Bangladeshi minorities. The BJP is in a fix over repeated demands within the party to protect members of the Hindu community facing violence in Bangladesh. The Border Security Force (BSF), however, is denying entry to all undocumented immigrants, irrespective of religion; more problematically for the party, its own leaders in northeastern India do not want a major influx of Bangladeshi immigrants into their States. Ever since the Sheikh Hasina government fell in Dhaka, and reports of violence — including against minority Hindus — have surfaced, leaders of the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have appealed to the Union government to ensure protection for the embattled community. These sentiments were not, however, echoed by the BJP’s own Chief Ministers in northeastern States that border Bangladesh. Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday that after this week’s events in Bangladesh, the border between his State and the neighbouring country has been “fully secured” and that “no one has yet entered our borders”. Manik Saha, CM of Tripura — a State that had witnessed a massive influx of Bangladeshi refugees in 1971, during the war that preceded the formation of that country — also said that the border would be kept secure, and batted for strict measures. The Hindu’s Editorials [Arrow][Up but out: On Vinesh Phogat’s Olympic campaignÂ]( [Arrow][​Guilty on search: On the antitrust case verdict against Google Â]( The Hindu’s Daily Quiz Tim Walz, selected by presidential candidate Kamala Harris as her running mate, is the governor of which American State? - Minnesota - Mississippi - Michigan - Maine To know the answer and to play the full quiz, [click here.]( [Sign up for free]( Today’s Best Reads [[India defeats Spain 2-1 to clinch second consecutive bronze medal at Paris Olympics] India defeats Spain 2-1 to clinch second consecutive bronze medal at Paris Olympics]( [[Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus takes oath as head of Bangladesh's interim government] Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus takes oath as head of Bangladesh's interim government]( [[Waqf Bill referred to joint parliamentary panel after Opposition calls it ‘draconian’ and an attack on the Constitution] Waqf Bill referred to joint parliamentary panel after Opposition calls it ‘draconian’ and an attack on the Constitution]( [[Paris Olympics: Sreejesh walks off into the sunset in glorious style] Paris Olympics: Sreejesh walks off into the sunset in glorious style]( Copyright© 2024, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. 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