On Thursday, the 84-year-old Yunus was appointed as the head adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh just days after student-led protests terminated Sheikh Hasina’s fifteen years of reign. Known worldwide for his work in micro-finance, Yunus was sworn in at a ceremony held at the presidential palace in Dhaka where he took an oath to protect the constitution before prominent politicians, representatives from civil society, exemplarily military officers and diplomats.
Yunus leads a 16-member advisory council in this caretaker administration, which will steer Bangladesh through a period of transition and oversee upcoming elections. The cabinet is composed entirely of civilians, with the exception of one retired brigadier-general, highlighting the civilian nature of this interim government.
Key members of the advisory council include Brigadier General (Retd.) M Sakhawat Hossain, women’s rights activist Farida Akhtar, and AFM Khalid Hossain, deputy chief of the right-wing party Hefazat-e-Islam. Other notable figures include Grameen Telecom trustee Nurjahan Begum, freedom fighter Sharmeen Murshid, and Supradip Chakma, chairman of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board. Additionally, Prof. Bidhan Ranjan Roy, former foreign secretary Touhid Hossain, and prominent activists like Md Nazrul Islam, Adilur Rahman Khan, and Syeda Rizwana Hasan are part of the council. The advisory team also includes Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud, leaders of the Students Against Discrimination group, which spearheaded the protests against the Hasina government.
The formation of the interim government follows weeks of violent unrest in Bangladesh, where clashes between students and police resulted in over 450 deaths. The protests began after the High Court reinstated a controversial 30% quota in government jobs for families of freedom fighters from the 1971 War of Independence. The situation escalated, leading to Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and eventual flight to India.
With Bangladesh at a critical juncture, the Yunus-led interim government faces the challenging task of restoring order and guiding the nation towards a fair and transparent election.
