Hasina ‘destroyed everything’, will hold election after ushering in reforms: Yunus

Dhaka: Bangladesh interim government’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has said the Sheikh Hasina regime “destroyed everything”, as he pledged to hold general elections only after ushering in constitutional and judicial reforms, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha reported on Wednesday citing an interview he gave to a Japanese newspaper.

The 84-year-old Nobel laureate, in an interview with Nikkei Asia, said, "We need comprehensive reforms in the economy, governance, bureaucracy and judiciary (before holding elections)." Yunus also reiterated that India should extradite Hasina once her trial in the International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh concludes.

"Once the trial concludes and a verdict is reached, we will formally request India to hand her over," Yunus said, adding that under an international law signed by both countries, "India would be obligated to comply." The chief adviser also said the Indian government’s concern about the safety of Hindus is not based on facts as much of what’s being said is “propaganda”.

The relations between the two neighbours have deteriorated ever since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina as prime minister in August with India expressing concern over Hindus and other minorities being targeted in Bangladesh and aggravated further with the arrest of the Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das last week.

Yunus said he also proposed reviving the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) which he said has been largely dormant due to strained relations between India and Pakistan.

Bangladesh on Tuesday summoned the Indian envoy to its Foreign Office while announcing the suspension of consular services at its mission in Tripura’s Agartala, a day after the premises were breached by protesters.

Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das’s bail plea in a sedition case at a court in Chattogram was deferred to January 2 after no lawyer appeared for him and his supporters later claimed that his advocates are under threat.

Yunus in the interview said Bangladesh's interim government has established several commissions to promote reforms in areas such as the electoral system, constitution and judiciary.

He said the government would implement full-scale reforms by January after receiving recommendations from those commissions.

"Implementing these reforms will take time, as we are essentially building a new Bangladesh from scratch," he said.

Yunus ruled himself out from contesting the elections. "No, I'm not a politician. I've always stayed away from politics," he said in the interview.

"The country's governance structure has been completely destroyed during Hasina's 15-year rule, and a huge task has fallen on us to rebuild it by restoring democracy, economic stability and public trust," he said.

"Under her rule, democratic principles were entirely disregarded. She orchestrated sham elections with no voter participation for three consecutive terms, declaring herself and her party the winners unopposed and operated as a fascist ruler," he added.