Nobel laureate and globally acclaimed economist Prof Muhammad Yunus was sworn-in as the chief adviser of the interim government on Thursday night bringing hope for a new journey towards Bangladesh’s democratic future.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath of office to the interim government. It came four days after a student-led mass upsurge forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee the country.

Advisers of the interim government are former governor of Bangladesh Bank Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, Prof of Dhaka University law Department Dr Asif Nazrul, right activist Adilur Rahman Khan, former attorney general AF Hassan Arif, former foreign secretary M Touhid Hossain, Chief Executive of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Chief Executive Officer of Brotee and freedom fighter Sharmeen Murshid, Faruq-e-Azam, Bir Protik, former Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain, chairman of Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board (CHTDB) Supradip Chakma, Director cum Professor, Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health & Hospital Prof Dr Bidhan Ranjan Roy, Hefazat-e-Islam’s Nayeb-e-Ameer and Islami Andolan Bangladesh adviser A F M Khalid Hossain, women’s rights activist Farida Akhter, Grameen Telecom trustee Nurjahan Begum, student coordinators M Nahid Islam, Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan.

Among them, Prof Dr Bidhan Ranjan Roy, Faruq-e-Azam and Supradip Chakma could not attend the swering-in ceremony as they are outside Dhaka. They will swear-in later, said the Cabinet Secretary.    

Chiefs of Bangladesh Army, Navy and Air Force, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, senior BNP leader Dr Moyeen Khan, Jatiya Party Chief GM Quader and other political leaders except Awami League, civil society members and journalists, among others, were present at the swearing-in ceremony that began with national anthem.

A one-minute silence was observed in honour of those who died during the anti-discrimination students’ movement.

Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain conducted the ceremony after 9pm.

Right after landing in Dhaka amidst a warm welcome, surrounded by students, Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus on Thursday said restoring law and order in the country would be his first task.

“If you have faith in me, if you have confidence in me, make sure nobody will be attacked. That would be our first task. If I cannot do this, if you don’t listen to me, I don’t need to be here. You must demonstrate that you are listening to me. Rescue the country from disorder and violence,” said Dr Yunus.

He referred to the attacks, violence, destruction of properties, including attacks on minorities, and said these are part of conspiracy but their job is to protect everyone.

“Violence and disorder are the biggest enemies towards progress. It is the biggest enemy of our journey that has just begun. Restoring law and order is our priority. Until law and order are restored, we cannot take steps to proceed,” he said.

Dr Yunus said the revolution through which Bangladesh created a “second Victory Day” should be kept in front and strengthened while moving forward.

Remembering Abu Sayeed, he said the incredibly brave young man, standing in front of the gun, ignited a spark and no young man has given up since then, which led to the revolution.

“This freedom has to reach every home, otherwise this freedom has no meaning; being free means change for everyone,” Dr Yunus said.

He said the interim government’s job is to carry out what the people have achieved. “People do not trust the government, seeing it as an instrument of repression—something to be manipulated. The government cannot be like this, it must be something that will make people’s hearts swell and be a place of trust.”

Talking about attackers, he said, “Let these enemies understand, hand them over to law, they have to be punished—not beaten. You have to bring that trust.”

Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan and Chief of Naval Staff Admiral M Nazmul Hassan welcomed Dr Yunus upon his arrival at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

Before leaving Paris, where he had been attending the Olympics, Dr Yunus appealed for calm in Bangladesh amid tensions over the country’s future.

Yunus was named as interim leader following talks among military officials, civic leaders and the student activists who led the uprising against Sheikh Hasina.

He made his first public comments in the French capital on Wednesday before boarding a plane to return home.

Yunus congratulated the student protesters, and he appealed to them and other stakeholders to remain peaceful, while condemning the violence that followed Hasina’s resignation Monday.

“Violence is our enemy. Please don’t create more enemies. Be calm and get ready to build the country,” Yunus said.

The Nobel laureate known as the “banker to the poor” urged the people of the country to get ready to build the country, shunning any violence which he considers as an enemy.

“This is our beautiful country with lots of exciting possibilities. We must protect and make it a wonderful country for us and for our future generations,” he said in a statement on Wednesday, a day before his arrival in Dhaka.

Dr Yunus, 84, who won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, said the youth is ready to give leadership in creating a new world.

Bangladesh’s incoming interim leader Muhammad Yunus appealed for calm Wednesday and urged all parties to help the country rebuild after weeks of violence that killed hundreds and prompted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee to India.

Yunus, a Nobel peace laureate, was in Paris for the Olympics when he was named interim leader following talks among military officials, civic leaders and the student activists who led the uprising against a prime minister seen as increasingly autocratic. Yunus made his first public comments in the French capital Wednesday before boarding a plane to return home.

He congratulated the student protesters, saying they had made “our second Victory Day possible,” and appealed to them and other stakeholders to remain peaceful, while condemning any violence since Hasina’s resignation Monday.