Bangladesh interim govt chief Yunus makes first post from new X account after assuming charge

Dhaka: Bangladesh's interim government Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday made his first post from a new account on social media platform X as the country's acting leader, thanking Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for his support to Dhaka.

The 84-year-old Nobel laureate took oath as the head of the interim government on August 8, replacing Sheikh Hasina, who abruptly resigned and fled to India, leaving the country in turmoil following deadly protests against her government over a controversial quota system in jobs.

"Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim made a phone call to Bangladesh Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus. During the phone call, he said Malaysia was ready to be a partner of Bangladesh in its endeavour to become a prosperous and truly democratic nation," said the post by Yunus' handle -- '@ChiefAdviserGoB'.

"Professor Yunus thanked the Malaysian Prime Minister for the call, and he also hoped that more Bangladeshi people will find work opportunities in the South East Asian nations in the near future," it said.

Replying to the post, he said," Prime Minister Ibrahim expressed his desire to visit Bangladesh at the earliest. He paid rich tributes to the young people who led a revolution to topple the dictatorship of Sheikh Hasina earlier this month." The new and not-yet-verified handle has been on the Elon Musk-owned X from this month and only follows Yunus' separate personal X account.

Yunus was sworn in as the chief advisor - a position equivalent to prime minister after the fall of the Hasina-led Awami League government last week. He announced the portfolios of his 16-member council of advisors soon after.

Over 230 people were killed in Bangladesh in the incidents of violence that erupted across the country following the fall of the Hasina government on August 5, taking the death toll to 560 since the anti-quota protests first started in mid-July.