Interim govt will take oath 8:00pm on Thursday: Army chief
"The interim government will be comprised of 15 members. However, the number can change later," he also said
The interim government, which will be led by Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus will take oath at 8:00pm tomorrow, Army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman said today (7 August).
The Army chief made the announcement in a televised press conference this evening (7 August).
Responding to a query from journalists on the estimated members of the upcoming interim government, he said, "The interim government will be comprised of 15 members. However, the number can change later."
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He also praised the students' cleaning the streets of across the country and managing traffic in the absence of traffic police.
"The students are doing a great job. Since there were no traffic police, they were doing the work of controlling the traffic. Cleaning of roads, cleaning of various establishments.
"We are very glad that they are doing this. I request them to continue this work. We all want to bring back a normal environment."
General Waker also said Ansar-VDP members have also been deployed to control the traffic. Members of the Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC) are also working.
Dr Yunus was chosen to be the chief adviser of the upcoming interim government last night in a meeting between a 13-member team of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement leadership with President Mohammed Shahabuddin and the chiefs of three military forces, President's press wing confirmed at midnight.
"An interim govt will be announced within 24 hours," Nahid Islam, one of the coordinators of the student movement also told the media around 12.15am today (7 August).
The Nobel laureate, who was last known to be in France for a minor medical procedure, is scheduled to arrive at the Dhaka airport at 2:00pm tomorrow.
Meanwhile, in a separate development, the Labour Appellate Tribunal today (7 August) overturned the six-month jail sentence of Yunus in a case filed over the violation of the labour law.
The tribunal has also acquitted the Nobel laureate in the case, Yunus' lawyer Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun confirmed to The Business Standard.
Judge MA Awal of the tribunal passed the order after a hearing on an appeal today.
Refrain from violence
In the meantime, Dr Yunus today called on everyone to refrain from violence.
In a statement released by the Yunus Centre, he congratulated "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," he also said.
He called on all students, members of all political parties and non-political people 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," said the Nobel laureate.
"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," he urged.
"If we take the path of violence everything will be destroyed. Please stay calm. Help those around you to stay calm," said Dr Yunus.
