Yunus takes charge of Bangladesh caretaker setup; Hasina's son vows she will return
World
Yunus, 84, was recommended for the role by student protesters
DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh's Nobel Peace Prize winning economist Muhammad Yunus was sworn in as the head of the country's caretaker government on Thursday, three days after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to quit and flee the country following violent protests.
But Hasina's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy said she will return to her country when the caretaker government decides to hold elections.
Yunus, 84, was recommended for the role by student protesters and returned to Dhaka earlier on Thursday from Paris, where he was undergoing medical treatment.
"The country has the possibility of becoming a very beautiful nation," an emotional Yunus told reporters at the airport.
"Whatever path our students show us, we will move ahead with that."
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Yunus will be the chief adviser in the interim government tasked with holding fresh elections in the South Asian country of 170 million people.
The student-led movement that ousted Hasina grew out of protests against quotas in government jobs that spiralled in July, provoking a violent crackdown that drew global criticism, although the government denied using excessive force.
The protests were fuelled also by harsh economic conditions and political repression in the country.
HASINA'S AMBITION
Hasina fled to neighbouring India on Monday after weeks of deadly protests forced her to quit.
Speaking to the Times of India daily, her son Joy, who is based in the US, said, "For the time being, she (Hasina) is in India. She will go back to Bangladesh the moment the interim government decides to hold an election."
Hasina's Awami League party does not feature in the interim government, following a student-led uprising against the long-time former prime minister whose exit came after nationwide violence killed about 300 people and injured thousands.
She is sheltering in a safe house in the New Delhi area. Indian media has reported that she plans to seek asylum in Britain, but the British Home Office has declined to comment.
India's foreign minister said on Thursday he spoke to his British counterpart about Bangladesh, but did not share any details.
Joy said that he will not refrain from joining politics if that is needed. "I am sure the Awami League will take part in the election and we might even win," he said.
