Bangladesh wants good relation with India but it should be on basis of 'fairness and equality', says Muhammad Yunus

Dhaka: Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday said his country wants good relations with India and other neighbouring nations but it should be on the basis of "fairness and equality".

In a televised address, Yunus said after he took oath as the head of the administration, many foreign leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif, telephoned to congratulate him.

"We want good relations with India and other neighbouring nations, but that relations should be on the basis of fairness and equality," he said.

The 84-year-old Nobel laureate took oath as the head of the interim government on August 8 after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India following widespread protests against her government.

Yunus said Bangladesh has already started high-level bilateral cooperation talks with India to deal with floods.

"I have also taken the initiative to revive SAARC to enhance regional cooperation in South Asia,” he said.

SAARC comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

"We want the world to recognise Bangladesh as a respected democracy," he said.

Yunus said the interim government has taken steps to form six commissions to overhaul in six key sectors, including the electoral system, in a bid to reform Bangladesh.

The other sectors are police administration, judiciary, anti-corruption commission, public administration, and the constitution.

The commissions are expected to start their functions from October 1 and they are expected to complete their work within the next three months, Yunus said.

Underlining that the core aim of the reforms is to ensure equal rights for all, he said, "We have a lot of work ahead of us. We want to move forward together toward the same goal. We want to create a structure that enables the untapped talents within us, especially within our new generation, to be expressed without obstacles, with the support of the state and society."