Key figures organizing the recent student protests in Bangladesh have expressed a desire for Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus to lead a temporary government following the resignation and departure of long-serving Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Nahid Islam, a 26-year-old sociology student who has been at the forefront of the protests against the quota system for public jobs, stated in a social media video that Yunus has agreed to take over leadership.
“We want to see the process initiated by tomorrow,” said Islam late Monday. “We urge the president to establish a temporary government led by Dr. Yunus as soon as possible.” Protest organizers were scheduled to meet with military officials on Tuesday, according to a statement from the army.
Islam emphasized that the students would not accept a military-led government. “We have shed our blood, been martyrs, and we have a commitment to build a new Bangladesh,” he stated. “No government that is not proposed by the students will be accepted. As we have said, neither a military government, a government supported by the military, nor a fascist government will be accepted.”
Yunus, who is 84 years old, received the Nobel Prize in 2006 for his work with microloans and is known as the “banker for the poor.” He has previously faced corruption charges in Bangladesh but has maintained that these allegations were politically motivated. A spokesperson for Yunus announced that he had accepted the students’ request to serve as an advisor for the temporary government and would return to Bangladesh “immediately” after a minor medical procedure in Paris.
Reports from Dhaka indicate that calm has partially been restored in the capital on Tuesday, although some tensions remain. The student movement “Students Against Discrimination” has called for peaceful protests but has made it clear that their core demands are non-negotiable. “Unless those names are accepted, students may have to take to the streets again,” said a spokesperson.
Following Hasina’s departure, the army chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, announced that he had temporarily taken control of the country while soldiers attempted to quell the growing unrest. He confirmed that a temporary government would be formed to hold new elections as quickly as possible, pledging to investigate the killings of at least 135 people in the country since mid-July.
The figurehead president, Mohammed Shahabuddin, stated that the temporary government would work towards holding new elections as soon as possible. He mentioned that it was “unanimously decided” to immediately release opposition leader Begum Khaleda Zia, who has been imprisoned in a corruption case since 2018.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk has stated that the transition of power in Bangladesh must be “in accordance with the country’s international obligations” and “inclusive and open to meaningful participation from all Bangladeshis.”
The protests began peacefully last month as frustrated students called for an end to the quota system for public jobs, which they believed favored those with connections to Hasina’s party. As the protests progressed, they became an unexpected challenge to Hasina, coinciding with a harsh crackdown by the police that underscored the economic distress the country faces.
On Monday, protesters defied a military crackdown and marched into the capital’s center, where they set fire to Hasina’s official residence and gathered in front of parliament. While Hasina landed at a military airfield near New Delhi, reports indicated that she met with India’s national security advisor.