Yunus sworn in as head of interim government

Advisory council members

1. Professor Muhammad Yunus, chief adviser
2. Syeda Rizwana Hasan, chief executive of BELA; 
3. Farida Akhtar, women's rights activist; 
4. Adilur Rahman Khan, founder of Odhikar; 
5. AFM Khalid Hossain, Hefazat-e-Islam nayeb-e-ameer and Islami Andolan Bangladesh adviser; 
6. Nurjahan Begum, Grameen Telecom trustee; 
7. Sharmeen Murshid, freedom fighter; 
8. Bir Pratik Faruk-e-Azam; 
9. Nahid Islam, DU student and key organiser of the Anti-Discrimination Students' Movement;
10. Asif Mahmud, DU student and key organiser of the Anti-Discrimination Students' Movement; 
11. Salehuddin Ahmed, former governor of Bangladesh Bank; 
12. Prof Asif Nazrul, Dhaka University law professor; 
13. Hasan Arif, former attorney general and adviser of Fakhruddin Ahmed-led caretaker government; 
14. Brigadier General (retired) M Sakhawat Hossain; 
15. Supradip Chakma, chairman of Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board (CHTDB); 
16. Prof Bidhan Ranjan Roy, director of the National Institute of Mental Health & Hospital's Department of Psychiatry (not sure); 
17. Touhid Hossain, former foreign secretary.

Supradip Chakma, Bidhan Ranjan Roy, and Faruk-e-Azam are outside the capital, so they could not be sworn in today.

The interim government headed by Nobel Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus was sworn in today.

Yunus takes oath as head of interim government.

No one from Awami League was seen at Bangabhaban.

Photo: Star

Professor Muhammad Yunus reached Bangabhaban at 8:45pm. The oath-taking ceremony will be held at 9pm.

Photo: Star

BNP leaders Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Mosharraf Hossain, Amir Khosru, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Shamsuzzaman Dudu, Amanullah Aman, Barrister Kayser Kamal, Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie, Khairul Kabir Khokon, Sultan Salahuddin Tuku, Tabith Awal, and Mizanur Rahman Minu, are present.

Photo: Palash Khan/Star

Diplomats from UK, Japan, China, Philippines, Iran, Argentina, Qatar, The Netherlands and UAE are present.

Professor Muhammad Yunus started from his residence at around 8pm for oath-taking ceremony at Bangabhaban.  

Supradip Chakma, chairman of Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board (CHTDB), has confirmed about his inclusion in the council.

Photo: Palash Khan/Star

The oath-taking ceremony of the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government has been delayed by half an hour to 8:30pm, Bangabhaban sources said.

AFM Khalid Hossain, Nurjahan Begum and Sharmeen Murshid also confirmed about their inclusion in the council.

Hefazat-e-Islam Nayeb-e-Ameer AFM Khalid Hossain also confirmed that he is on the advisory council

Adilur Rahman Khan, founder of Odhikar, was also called to be on the advisory council, a reliable source said.

Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela) Chief Executive Syeda Rizwana Hasan and prominent women's rights activist Farida Akhtar today confirmed that they received phone calls from the authorities concerned inviting them to be on the advisory council of the new interim government.