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DHAKA — Muhammad Yunus on Thursday promised to deliver a government which assures safety to its citizens and urged them to assist him in rebuilding Bangladesh, as the Nobel laureate returned to the protest-torn country from Paris to head an interim government following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina.
Yunus, 84, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his pioneering work on microlending, was designated head of the interim government after President Mohammed Shahabuddin dissolved parliament on Tuesday after Hasina resigned as Prime Minister and fled to India following widespread protests against her regime.
Yunus was in Paris for the Olympic Games. He returned to the country via Dubai.
An Emirates flight (EK-582) carrying Yunus landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 2:10 pm local time.
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Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, senior officials, student leaders and civil society members welcomed him at the airport.
At an emotional press conference at the airport, Yunus expressed gratitude to the youth who made the protest movement against Hasina successful.
“Today is a day of our pride,” he said.
Yunus called the change of regime the country’s “second independence”.
"We have got independence for the second time. We have to protect this independence," he said.
Yunus, who is scheduled to be sworn in as the chief adviser who is equivalent to prime minister, said his first task would be to bring back law and order controlling the anarchic activities and attacks on minority communities, calling the incidents “part of a conspiracy”.
He urged people from all walks of life to listen to him and he agreed to take charge of the interim administration responding to the call of the students and youths.
"We have to form a government which assures safety to its citizens," he said.
He asked the citizens to save the country from chaos created during the protests.
“If you have faith in me, you ensure that there will be no attack on anybody, anywhere in the country. This is our first responsibility,” Yunus said.
“If I can’t do it and you do not listen to me, I don’t have any utility here,” he said.
Yunus said the country was now in the hands of the young people.
"The nation is in your hands now. Now you have to rebuild it as per your aspirations. You have to use your creativity to build the country. You have earned independence for the country," he said.
“We need to change our state structure and remove all elements of fear from it, so that people look at it and think that the state has been formed to safeguard them," Yunus added.
He also paid tribute to Abu Sayed, a student activist, who was among the first killed in police firing during the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.
The interim government will lead the country for a certain period and oversee the election to transition power to an elected government.
President Shahabuddin will administer the oath of office to the new government on Thursday evening.
The Army chief on Wednesday said the oath-taking ceremony will likely be held in the evening in the presence of some 400 dignitaries.
He hinted that the interim government may have 15 members for now. He, however, did not disclose their names and the possible tenure of the government.
The Army chief hoped that normalcy would return within three to four days as the situation across the country is improving significantly.
Yunus, whose name was first proposed for the top job by the coordinators of the student movement that led to Hasina's ouster, on Wednesday congratulated the "brave students" who took the lead in making, what he said, "our Second Victory Day possible", and appealed to all students, political parties and non-political people to stay calm.
"Let us not miss the chance by going into any senseless violence. Violence is our enemy. Please don’t create more enemies. Be calm and get ready to build the country," he said in a statement. "If we take the path of violence everything will be destroyed. Please stay calm. Help those around you to stay calm."
His successful anti-poverty campaign through the Grameen Bank became a model which was replicated across continents.
He had been in a protracted row with Hasina’s government due to obscure reasons while authorities initiated a series of investigations against him after she came to power in 2008.
Bangladesh authorities launched a review of the statutory Grameen Bank's activities in 2011 and fired Yunus as its founding managing director on charges of violating the government retirement regulation.
Yunus was charged under dozens of cases during Hasina's regime. In January, a court sentenced Yunus to six months in jail on charges of labour law violation.
Many people believe Hasina became enraged when Yunus announced that he would form a political party in 2007 when a military-backed government ran the country and Hasina was in prison.