BANGKOK, 9th August, 2024 (WAM) -- The first priority of Bangladesh's caretaker government is to improve law and order in the strife-torn country by restoring the morale of law enforcement agencies, its newly-appointed interior ministry adviser told Reuters on Friday.
Retired Brig. Gen. M. Sakhawat Hossain said the administration was "very concerned" about reports of vandalism, adding that some were "slightly exaggerated".
"Yes, there is a problem because law enforcement agencies are not there," he said. "They have to be given confidence so that they can come back."
Caretaker government
Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge of Bangladesh's caretaker government on Thursday, hoping to help heal the country that was convulsed by weeks of violence, forcing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to quit and flee to neighbouring India.
Known as the "banker to the poor", Yunus is the pioneer of the global microcredit movement. The Grameen Bank he founded won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for helping lift millions from poverty by providing tiny loans to the rural poor who are too impoverished to gain attention from traditional banks.
As chief adviser of the caretaker government, he is, however, tasked with bringing stability back to the country and then hold fresh parliamentary elections.
Yunus said in a televised address to the nation after taking charge, "Tomorrow, with the rising sun, democracy, justice, human rights, and full freedom of fearless expression will be enjoyed by all, regardless of party affiliation. That is our goal."
Earlier on Thursday, on his arrival in Dhaka following medical treatment in Paris, Yunus said he would govern it with the guidance of students who backed him for the role in the caretaker government.
Power vacuum
Yunus' swearing-in plugged the power vacuum in the South Asian country of 170 million people with the fourth-largest Muslim population in the world, created after Hasina resigned and flew to India on Monday.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath of office to Yunus and 13 advisers who will help him govern, at a brief ceremony in the official presidential residence.
Three more advisers will be sworn in at a later date, officials said. Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud, two student leaders who are both in their mid-20s and led the protests, were among the 13 who joined the caretaker government.
Hasina's Awami League party does not figure in the interim government. In a Facebook post, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy said the party had not given up, and was ready to hold talks with opponents and the interim government.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Yunus and said New Delhi was committed to working with Dhaka to fulfil the "shared aspirations" of the people of both countries for "peace, security and development".