Bangladesh unrest: Muhammad Yunus pledges to deliver govt which assures safety, calls change of regime "second independence"

Muhammad Yunus on Thursday promised to deliver a government which assures safety to its citizens and urged them to assist him in rebuilding Bangladesh as the Nobel laureate returned to the protesttorn country from Paris to head an interim government following the ouster of Sheikh HasinaYunus 84 who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his pioneering work on microlending was designated head of the interim government after President Mohammed Shahabuddin dissolved parliament on Tuesday after Hasina resigned as Prime Minister and fled to India following widespread protests against her regimeYunus was in Paris for the Olympic Games He returned to the country via DubaiAn Emirates flight EK582 carrying Yunus landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 210 pm local timeArmy chief General WakerUzZaman senior officials student leaders and civil society members welcomed him at the airportAt an emotional press conference at the airport Yunus expressed gratitude to the youth who made the protest movement against Hasina successfulToday is a day of our pride he saidYunus called the change of regime the countrys second independenceWe have got independence for the second time We have to protect this independence he saidYunus who is scheduled to be sworn in as the chief adviser who is equivalent to prime minister said his first task would be to bring back law and order controlling the anarchic activities and attacks on minority communities calling the incidents part of a conspiracyHe urged people from all walks of life to listen to him and he agreed to take charge of the interim administration responding to the call of the students and youthsWe have to form a government which assures safety to its citizens he saidHe asked the citizens to save the country from chaos created during the protestsIf you have faith in me you ensure that there will be no attack on anybody anywhere in the country This is our first responsibility Yunus saidIf I cant do it and you do not listen to me I dont have any utility here he saidYunus said the country was now in the hands of the young peopleThe nation is in your hands now Now you have to rebuild it as per your aspirations You have to use your creativity to build the country You have earned independence for the country he saidWe need to change our state structure and remove all elements of fear from it so that people look at it and think that the state has been formed to safeguard them Yunus addedHe also paid tribute to Abu Sayed a student activist who was among the first killed in police firing during the AntiDiscrimination Student MovementThe interim government will lead the country for a certain period and oversee the election to transition power to an elected governmentPresident Shahabuddin will administer the oath of office to the new government on Thursday eveningThe Army chief on Wednesday said the oathtaking ceremony will likely be held in the evening in the presence of some 400 dignitariesHe hinted that the interim government may have 15 members for now He however did not disclose their names and the possible tenure of the governmentThe Army chief hoped that normalcy would return within three to four days as the situation across the country is improving significantlyYunus whose name was first proposed for the top job by the coordinators of the student movement that led to Hasinas ouster on Wednesday congratulated the brave students who took the lead in making what he said our Second Victory Day possible and appealed to all students political parties and nonpolitical people to stay calmLet us not miss the chance by going into any senseless violence Violence is our enemy Please dont create more enemies Be calm and get ready to build the country he said in a statement If we take the path of violence everything will be destroyed Please stay calm Help those around you to stay calmHis successful antipoverty campaign through the Grameen Bank became a model which was replicated across continentsHe had been in a protracted row with Hasinas government due to obscure reasons while authorities initiated a series of investigations against him after she came to power in 2008Bangladesh authorities launched a review of the statutory Grameen Banks activities in 2011 and fired Yunus as its founding managing director on charges of violating the government retirement regulationYunus was charged under dozens of cases during Hasinas regime In January a court sentenced Yunus to six months in jail on charges of labour law violationMany people believe Hasina became enraged when Yunus announced that he would form a political party in 2007 when a militarybacked government ran the country and Hasina was in prisonThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in 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