Bangladesh’s chief adviser Muhammad Yunus said on Wednesday that his country wants to have good relations with India and other neighbouring nations, but that they should be based on “justice and equality”.
Yunus, who was sworn in as head of the administration after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned from the top post, said many foreign leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif, had called him to congratulate him.
In a televised address, he said: “We want to have good relations with India and other neighbouring nations, but those relations must be based on justice and equality.” The 84-year-old Nobel laureate was sworn in as head of the interim government on August 8 after Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India following widespread protests against her rule.
During his address, Yunus also said that Bangladesh has already initiated high-level bilateral cooperation talks with India to deal with floods. “I have also taken the initiative to revive SAARC to enhance regional cooperation in South Asia,” he said. SAARC consists of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. “We want the world to recognise Bangladesh as a respected democracy,” he said.
Commenting on the steps taken by the interim government to reform Bangladesh, Yunus said six commissions have been formed to reform six key sectors, including the electoral system. The other sectors are police administration, judiciary, anti-corruption commission, public administration and the constitution. The commissions are expected to start their functions on October 1 and are likely to complete their work in the next three months, he said.
Yunus also stressed that the main goal of the reforms is to ensure equal rights for all. “We have a lot of work ahead of us. We want to move forward together towards the same goal. We want to create a structure that will allow the untapped talents within us, especially in the new generation, to express themselves unhindered, with the support of the state and society,” he said.
(With PTI inputs)
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