Yunus meets with the Apostolic Nuncio, looks at minorities

Archbishop Kevin S. Randall communicated to the new Chief Counselor the pope’s concerns for Christians and Rohingya refugees. In just over a month, the interim government has initiated several reforms, but order has not been restored everywhere and it is still unclear when elections will be held.

Dhaka () – The Apostolic Nuncio in Bangladesh, Msgr. Kevin S. Randall, met on 9 September with Muhammad Yunus, chief advisor to the interim government created after the flight to India of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

At the Rashtriya Guest House Jamuna in Dhaka, the two discussed various issues, including the protection of religious minorities in the country. The nuncio proposed the creation of an institution for interreligious dialogue between the Vatican Delegation for Interreligious Dialogue and Bangladeshi Islamic scholars. He then insisted on the need to increase humanitarian aid for the more than one million Rohingya refugees living in the camps of Cox’s Bazar. To which the Chief Counsellor responded by asking for the support of the Vatican. After the meeting, Mgr Randall told that he had told Yunus “that Pope Francis is always concerned about the plight of displaced people. The Church in Bangladesh, through Caritas, has been helping the Rohingya since 2017.”

The archbishop also mentioned the Pope’s call for an international treaty on artificial intelligence launched in June on World Peace Day. Present at the meeting were Lamiya Morshed, UN Secretary General for Sustainable Development Goals Affairs, and Kazi Russel Pervez, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Yunus, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for promoting the development of microcredit in Bangladesh, stressed that the main objective of the interim government is to improve security after last month’s protests (There are still strikes and demonstrations in some peripheral areas) and implement major reform programmes.

In just over a month, the situation in the capital, Dhaka, has returned to almost normal. Particular attention has been paid to the financial sector: new boards of directors have been created to free banks from the control of large debtors. Proposals have been approved to reduce corruption and eliminate money laundering schemes by creating a committee to investigate irregularities in the capital market.

Laws restricting press freedom were repealed and an international convention on enforced disappearances, which were used by the police to repress opposition and dissent under the previous government, was signed.

The interim government has also started negotiations with political parties. Expert Al Masud Hasanuzzaman noted some positive developments: “The deadlock in the administration has been reduced. The government has been internationally accepted and is pursuing an independent foreign policy.”

“The government has brought some relief, but law and order is yet to be fully restored. The police are still in disarray. Those who are not willing to cooperate should be sacked and their posts filled by competent people,” said political scientist Dilara Chowdhury. To restore democracy, we need to return to the political party system. This process cannot drag on indefinitely. The government must present a roadmap with a clear timetable of what will be achieved and when. It may not all be done on time, but a roadmap is essential.”