Dhaka: Chief Advisor to Bangladesh’s interim government Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday published his first post as the country’s acting head of state from a new account on social media platform X, thanking Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for his support for Dhaka.
The 84-year-old Nobel laureate took office as prime minister on August 8, replacing Sheikh Hasina, who abruptly resigned and fled to India. The country was in turmoil after deadly protests against her government over a controversial job quota system.
“Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim spoke on the phone with Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus. During the call, he said Malaysia is ready to support Bangladesh in its quest to become a prosperous and truly democratic nation,” said the post from Yunus’ handle “@ChiefAdviserGoB.”
“Professor Yunus thanked the Malaysian Prime Minister for the call and also hoped that more Bangladeshis will find job opportunities in Southeast Asian countries in the near future,” it said.
Responding to the post, he said, “Prime Minister Ibrahim expressed his desire to visit Bangladesh as soon as possible. He paid rich tributes to the young people who led a revolution to overthrow the dictatorship of Sheikh Hasina earlier this month.” The new and not yet verified username has been found on Elon Musk’s own X account since this month and simply follows Yunus’ separate personal X account.
Yunus was sworn in as chief adviser – a position equivalent to that of prime minister – last week after the fall of the Hasina-led Awami League government. Shortly after, he announced the portfolios of his 16-member advisory panel.
After the overthrow of the Hasina government on August 5, more than 230 people were killed in nationwide violence in Bangladesh. This brings the death toll to 560 since the anti-quota protests began in mid-July.
Published 14 August 2024, 13:52 IS
