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[Global Times Pakistan correspondent Cheng Shijie, Global Times correspondent Chen Xin] The President of Bangladesh announced on the 7th that Yunus, a pioneer of "microcredit" and Nobel Prize winner, will lead the country's interim government. In this regard, the 84-year-old Yunus expressed his willingness to accept the position and issued a statement saying that "trust in the government must be restored as soon as possible." He called for calm and urged people to use this opportunity to build a "better country." Bloomberg said that Yunus is one of the most famous faces in Bangladesh and has considerable influence among Western elites. After weeks of turmoil and former Prime Minister Hasina's resignation and departure for India, Bangladesh hopes that the country's most acclaimed intellectual can bring stability to the country. Some analysts also believe that it will not be easy for Yunus to return Bangladesh to normal, and politics is still largely an unknown area for him.

On the 7th, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party held a rally in the capital Dhaka. (Visual China)

Long talks

According to the Dhaka Tribune of Bangladesh, on the evening of the 6th, protest representatives, heads of the army, navy and air force, two teachers from Dhaka University and President Mohammad Shehabuddin Chup held a long meeting. During the meeting, protest representatives proposed the establishment of an interim government led by Yunus, and the president agreed.

The news was announced by Bangladesh Presidential Press Secretary Joynal Abedin on the 7th. According to AFP, the Presidential Office said in a statement: "The President has asked the people to help overcome the crisis. The rapid formation of an interim government is necessary to overcome the crisis." According to protest representatives who attended the talks, Yunus will be given the title of chief adviser.

According to the Dhaka Tribune on the 7th, Bangladesh Army Chief of Staff Wake-Uzi Zaman announced on the same day that the interim government will include 15 members and the inauguration ceremony will be held at 8 pm on the 8th. According to Reuters and the Associated Press, the interim government is expected to hold elections shortly after taking office. The President of Bangladesh dissolved the parliament on the 6th, paving the way for an interim government and new elections.

According to AFP, Yunus is currently in Paris, providing advice to the organizers of the Olympics. He told the media on the 6th that he is willing to lead the interim government, "If Bangladesh needs to take action, I will do it for the courage of my country and people." On the 7th, he issued another statement, calling for calm and preparing to build the country. "If we take the path of violence, everything will be destroyed." The Dhaka Tribune said that Yunus will return to Bangladesh from France on the 8th.

Reuters reported on the 7th that after the chaos, order in Bangladesh has gradually returned to normal. In Dhaka and other cities, most schools that were closed due to protests have reopened, and people can take buses and other means of transportation to go to the office. Large garment factories that have been closed for several days began to resume work on the 7th. According to Bangladesh's Business Standard, on the 7th, the Bangladesh International Chamber of Commerce held a press conference in Dhaka, asking the Bangladesh military to protect factory assets from damage and protect the personal safety of entrepreneurs.

The Dhaka Tribune reported that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party held a rally in the capital Dhaka on the 7th, with thousands of people appearing around the party's central office. The party's chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia delivered a video speech, calling for the construction of a modern Bangladesh based on peace, progress and equality.

Yunus once said he was "very uncomfortable with politics"

Yunus, 84, is a doctor of economics from Bangladesh. He has taught at the University of Chittagong and the University of Middle Tennessee in the United States and has extensive research on poverty issues in the country. He believes that relying on agricultural skills will not allow farmers without assets to get rich. They need start-up capital to build a small business model suitable for their own development. The Grameen Bank he founded has been providing small loans to farmers and handicraftsmen in rural areas since 1976, exploring a series of banking operating models to promote the development of rural economy and people's livelihood by establishing a credit system. He won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for this.

"He is the voice of the abandoned." Bloomberg quoted former Unilever CEO Paul Polman as describing Yunus, "He is a moral leader. He doesn't like to talk about himself, he likes to talk about the people he serves." The report said that this reputation has won him the support of many people in Bangladesh. After winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, thousands of Bangladeshis flocked to the venue just to listen to his speech. Many people still bow to him when they see him.

However, Yunus had basically not been involved in politics before. Bloomberg said that in 2007, the Bangladeshi government was divided and the military seized power. Yunus, who had never run for public office, considered forming a new party to restore order, but eventually gave up the idea within a few weeks. "I feel very uncomfortable with politics," he said in an interview earlier this year. It is not clear whether Yunus intends to get involved in politics or just fill the vacancy before the election, the report said.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported that Yunus is still entangled in more than 100 lawsuits. In January this year, he was sentenced for violating labor laws and is currently on bail. In June, he and 13 other people were charged with embezzlement. In addition, he faces other charges dating back to 2011, when he was accused of defaming Bangladeshi politicians. He was also accused of tax evasion and was forced to resign from his position at Rural Bank because he worked beyond the statutory retirement age. But Yunus insisted that these were unfounded accusations. Bloomberg said that Yunus and his supporters said that the Hasina government was behind the legal pressure, perhaps thinking that Yunus posed a threat to her power. But Hasina denied this.

And India's 'golden age' over?

"With Hasina's sudden resignation, the 'golden age' of India-Bangladesh relations may end." The chief correspondent of Singapore's Straits Times in India wrote that Hasina is the longest-serving prime minister of Bangladesh and is considered an old friend of India. Both sides emphasized that the bilateral relations entered a "golden age" during her tenure. Analysts believe that under the leadership of the new Bangladeshi government, the relationship between the two countries may change.

India's First Post quoted "informed sources" as saying that Hasina arrived at India's Hindon Air Force Base on a military transport plane a few hours after resigning as prime minister on the 5th, and was later transferred to an unknown location and was under tight security. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar confirmed on the 6th that Hasina was already in India. The BBC said that although Hasina is still in India, it is not clear whether this is her final destination. Analysts believe that although she is a close ally of Indian Prime Minister Modi, she is unlikely to stay in India because India is reluctant to alienate the new government in Dhaka. According to Reuters on the 7th, Yunus said that Bangladeshis were angry that India allowed Hasina to go to the country. However, he also said in an article published in the British "Economist" that there will be many opportunities to bridge the rift and quickly restore the bilateral alliance and close friendship.

Reuters quoted Indian government sources on the 7th as saying that India has evacuated all non-essential staff and their families from its embassy and four consulates in Bangladesh.