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


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Yunus, who took oath as the head of the administration after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned from the top post, said that many foreign leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif, telephoned to congratulate him.


In a televised address, he said, "We want good relations with India and other neighbouring nations, but those relations should be on the basis of fairness and equality." The 84-year-old Nobel laureate took oath as the head of the interim government on August 8 after Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India following widespread protests against her government.


During the address, Yunus also 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.


Elaborating on the steps taken by the interim government in a bid to reform Bangladesh, he said that six commissions have been formed to overhaul in six key sectors, including the electoral system. The other sectors are police administration, judiciary, anti-corruption commission, public administration, and the constitution. The commissions are expected to start their functions on October 1, and they are likely to complete their work within the next three months, Yunus said.


Yunus also highlighted that the core aim of the reforms is to ensure equal rights for all. "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," he said.


(With PTI Inputs)