BENGALURU: Nobel laureate and the head of the caretaker government in Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus, is flying back to his country on Thursday. A day before his departure from Paris, he asked the students in Bangladesh to shun violence and remain calm.
In his first public statement after accepting to head the caretaker government, which was published by the Yunus Centre on Wednesday, Prof Yunus addressed the students and said, “I congratulate the brave students who took the lead in making our Second Victory Day possible and to the people for giving your total support to them.
Let us make the best use of our new victory. Let us not let this slip away because of our mistakes. I fervently appeal to everybody to stay calm. Please refrain from all kinds of violence. I appeal to all students, members of all political parties and non-political parties to stay calm. 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.
“Our youth is ready to give this leadership in creating a new world. 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. If we take the path of violence, everything will be destroyed. Please stay calm. Help those around you to stay calm,” he added.
The 84-year-old was appointed a day after former prime minister Shaikh Hasina resigned and fled the country following weeks of deadly student protests that led to her ouster. Yunus was in Paris with the country’s Olympic contingent.