Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus Heads Bangladesh's Interim Government Amid Political Unrest

Seventeen members of Bangladesh's interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, were sworn in at a ceremony in Dhaka. The US expressed hope for a democratic future as international attention focused on the crisis following Sheikh Hasina's resignation.

Seventeen members of Bangladesh's interim government took their oaths at a ceremony in Dhaka on Thursday, the Dhaka Tribune reported. Nobel laureate economist Muhammad Yunus, 84, was sworn in as the country's chief advisor. The new interim government includes Muhammad Yunus, Salehuddin Ahmed, Brigadier General (Retd) M Sakhawat Hossain, Md Nazrul Islam (Asif Nazrul), Adilur Rahman Khan, AF Hassan Ariff, Md Touhid Hossain, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Supradip Chakma, Farida Akhter, Bidhan Ranjan Roy, Sharmeen Murshid, AFM Khalid Hossain, Farooq-e-Azam, Nurjahan Begum, Nahid Islam, and Asif Mahmud.

Yunus was sworn in as the head of Bangladesh's interim government on Thursday night, three days after Sheikh Hasina resigned from her position as Prime Minister and left the country amid widespread unrest. The political crisis in Bangladesh has drawn international attention, with US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller stating that the US hopes the new interim government will pave the way for a democratic future.

Miller mentioned that the US has been in communication with the interim government and attended Yunus's swearing-in ceremony. "There has been communication with the interim government. Our charge d'affaires attended Yunus's swearing-in today. I don't know if she spoke to him at the swearing-in, but she did attend communication with the interim government, not necessarily him personally," Miller said in a press briefing.

"One of the things that we have made clear is that we want to see the interim government chart a democratic future for the people of Bangladesh," he added. Bangladesh's figurehead President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath to Yunus, who now serves as the chief advisor, equivalent to the Prime Minister.

The ceremony was attended by foreign diplomats, civil society members, top businessmen, and former opposition party members at the presidential palace in Dhaka. Notably, no representatives from Sheikh Hasina's party, the Awami League, were present.