NEW DELHI, Aug 8 : Philipp Ackermann, Germany’s envoy to India, on Thursday said his country has followed “very closely” the situation in Bangladesh and that he was really keeping his fingers crossed that the military will guarantee a “peaceful transition” to a civilian government in Dhaka as quickly as possible.
In an interview to PTI at the German embassy here, he also said it is a “really good development” that Muhammad Yunus will be sworn in as the head of the interim government.
Yunus, 84, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his pioneering work on microlending, was appointed by President Mohammed Shahabuddin as the head of the interim government after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India following widespread protests against her regime over a controversial quota system in jobs.
Following the fall of the Hasina government, several police stations were attacked and set on fire, leading to many officers evacuating their stations due to the threat of more attacks. Over 500 people, including police personnel, have been killed in the violence centring the students’ movement.
“Let me say at the outset, we have followed very closely what has happened in Bangladesh. We have seen the recent developments. We have followed with concern the ….Casualties. But, I must say today is a day… Muhammad Yunus will be sworn in as the interim head of the government and I think that’s a really good development, and I really keep my fingers crossed that the military will guarantee a peaceful transition to a civilian government as quickly as possible,” Ackermann told PTI on the sidelines of an event at the embassy.
Asked what could be immediate fallout of this political crisis on the neighbourhood, he said, “any development like this has an impact on the region. But, as quick as… The better we go quickly back to civilian government there, and I see some hope for that.”
Yunus Thursday promised to deliver a government which assures safety to its citizens and urged them to assist him in rebuilding the protest-torn Bangladesh, as he described the ouster of Hasina as the country’s “second independence”. (PTI)
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