Yunus claims former PM Hasina destroyed all Bangladeshi institutions.

DHAKA: Bangladesh’s interim government chief Muhammad Yunus on Sunday accused deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina of destroying every institution of the country in her efforts to stay in power, as he promised to hold a free, fair and participatory election as soon as his government completes the “mandate” of carrying out “vital reforms.”

Hasina, 76, resigned and fled to India on August 5 following a massive protest by students against a controversial quota system in government jobs. After Hasina’s ouster, 84-year-old Yunus took oath as the Chief Adviser of the interim government on August 8.

“In their efforts to stay in power, Sheikh Hasina’s dictatorship destroyed every institution of the country. The judiciary was broken. Democratic rights were suppressed through a brutal decade-and-a-half-long crackdown,” United News of Bangladesh quoted Yunus as saying through his press secretary, Shafiqul Alam.

His comments came as he briefed diplomats stationed in Dhaka for the first time since the interim government’s inception.