Bangladesh, parliament dissolved: Yunus head of interim government

Bangladesh's president dissolved parliament, accepting a key demand of the students leading the demonstrations that led to the dismissal of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus was appointed head of Bangladesh's interim government by President Mohammed Shahabuddin. This was reported by the president's press secretary. The decision was taken during a meeting between President Shahabuddin and the coordinators of the Student Movement. The heads of the three armed forces were also present at the meeting.

The situation in the country of the Himalayan subcontinent is critical and changing. The army chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, has announced that Sheikh Hasina has resigned as prime minister and that the army will form an interim government. For her, at the moment, there is political asylum in India. Former premier and opposition leader Khaleda Zia was released after years of house arrest. "She has been freed," said A.K.M Wahiduzzaman, spokesman of the Bangladesh National Party, her party, a day after the release order issued following the military takeover. Parliament was dissolved as the toll of the violent protest that has been shaking the country since Monday 5 August worsens: the death toll now stands at 109. And the UN is calling for an investigation into the repression.

We will therefore be able to see Nobel Prize winner Yunus, who was also a guest at the last Festival of Economics in Trento. "We have decided that an interim government will be formed in which Dr Muhammad Yunus, an internationally renowned Nobel laureate, will be the chief advisor," Nahid Islam, the main leader of Students against discrimination (Sad), told a press conference.

"We took 24 hours to propose our interim government. Given the emergency situation, we are now announcing its outline. We have decided to form an interim government with Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus as its chief advisor, who is universally recognised internationally," the statement read. "We have already spoken to Dr Yunus and he has agreed to take on this crucial responsibility at the call of the student community to save Bangladesh."

The students urged Bangladesh President Mohammad Shahabuddin to announce the government. "We appeal to the President to quickly form an interim government with Dr Muhammad Yunus as the chief adviser. We will announce by this morning the names of the other members of this interim government," the statement read. "We want to see the formation of this government by this morning."