Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus May Be Chief Advisor Of New Bangladesh Government: Report

Bangladeshi President Mohammed Shahabuddin late last evening chaired a crucial meeting to discuss the formation of a military-backed caretaker government. Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, along with the head of the navy and airforce, and top leaders of several opposition parties including the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami party, attended the meeting.

The student leaders - who spearheaded a movement against job quotas that turned into a call for Ms Hasina to resign - have said that they want a new interim government with Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus as its chief advisor.

Nahid Islam, one of the key coordinators of the students' movement in Bangladesh, said that Proffesor Yunus has agreed to take on this crucial responsibility at the call of the student community to save the country, local media reports said.

General Waker - in an address to the nation - yesterday announced that Sheikh Hasina had resigned and the Army would form an interim government. "The country has suffered a lot, the economy has been hit, many people have been killed -- it is time to stop the violence," said General Waker.

Sheikh Hasina - the daughter of Bangladesh's founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman - was given a 45-minute ultimatum to step down as the Prime Minister, it is learnt.

Ms Hasina, who started her fifth term as Prime Minister earlier this year, left state capital Dhaka in a military aircraft for India after resigning. The 76-year-old is accompanied by her younger sister, Sheikh Rehana. Sheikh Hasina met National Security Advisor Ajit Doval evening after landing at the Hindon Air Force base in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad - around 30 km from Delhi.

Sheikh Hasina is expected to leave for London later, sources told NDTV, where she may seek political asylum. However, there is no confirmation on whether the UK has offered asylum to her.

Foreign Minister S Jaishankar today chaired an all-party meeting to discuss the fall of Sheikh Hasina government and the Army's takeover in neighbouring Bangladesh amid violent protests. Mr Jaishankar briefed the leaders of all parties about the situation in the violence-hit nation and the steps taken by the Indian government.

Western powers called for calm in Bangladesh after Sheikh Hasina fled. The United States called on all sides to "refrain from further violence", while the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a "peaceful, orderly and democratic transition".

Sheikh Hasina had sought to quell nationwide protests against her government since early July but she fled the country after brutal unrest on Sunday in which nearly 100 people were killed, taking the death count since the anti-government demonstrations began to over 400.