Pakistan seeks to ‘deepen cooperation’ with Bangladesh under Yunus

ISLAMABAD/ISTANBUL (AA) – Pakistan has said that it wants to “deepen cooperation” with Bangladesh, a day after Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was sworn in to lead a 17-member transitional government in Dhaka.

Extending “heartiest felicitations” to Yunus, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said: “I look forward to working with him to deepen cooperation between Pakistan and Bangladesh in the days ahead.”

“Wishing him great success in guiding Bangladesh towards a harmonious and prosperous future,” Sharif added.

Bangladesh and Pakistan had been established together as one independent Muslim nation in 1947, separated into two wings divided by thousands of miles. In 1971, after an attempt by West Pakistan to wrest power over both wings rather than share it equitably with the Eastern wing, the country separated into two: Bangladesh and Pakistan.

The appointment of Yunus came after weeks of protests which led to the fall of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath to Yunus, 84, and his team at the presidential office in the capital Dhaka.

The position of the head of the transitional government is officially called “chief adviser.”

Most members of the transitional government are technocrats.

Army chief Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman had announced the formation of a transitional government early this week on Monday after Hasina escaped to neighboring India.

Bangladesh witnessed large-scale student protests since July against controversial civil service job quotas that killed more than 400.

Shahabuddin dissolved the parliament Tuesday, which had been elected in January when Hasina became the prime minister for a fourth time.

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party has demanded a national election within three months to hand power to the people’s representatives.