The Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus who, as head of the caretaker government, has taken on the onerous responsibility of bringing back order to Bangladesh made a pitch for unity when visiting the Dhakeshwari National Temple and meeting the leaders and representatives of the Hindu community.
In saying that everyone’s rights should be ensured irrespective of religion, he has given voice to the most appropriate feelings when members of the minority communities in Bangladesh, including about 13 million Hindus, are living in fear after mobs ran amok and influenced a course of dramatic events that culminated in Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fleeing the country on August 5 and seeking refuge in India.
Tasked with bringing things under control after riots led to the killing of at least 450 people, Yunus and his Cabinet members, including two retired generals who have apologised to the Hindus for not being able to protect them during the riots, have been striving to get the police to take over fully the task of maintaining law and order by patrolling the streets and sending the students back to schools and colleges.
There is no denying the pressures the interim government is working under. With the feelings running high against Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League party, the interim Cabinet had to cancel the observation of August 15 as a “Day of Mourning” as Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, seen as the liberator of Bangladesh from Pakistan, and many members of his family were gunned down in Dhaka on this day.
Given the political divisions within Bangladesh society, it is on the cards that greater rein may be given to anti-India sentiments even as Sheikh Hasina continues to stay securely in a place near New Delhi. The return of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party is not to be ruled out in the prevailing atmosphere in which all symbols of the freedom movement are being targeted.
With his secular credentials and international exposure as the chairman of the Grameen Bank and microfinance guru to the poor of Bangladesh, Yunus is on the path of establishing peace. It is moot whether he can keep divisive Bangladeshi politics under wraps until elections are called. His country is on the mend quickly enough after the chaos, but the long-term future is a lot more uncertain.