LAHORE:A resolution has been presented for establishment of a postdoctoral scholarship in the name of Prof. Dr. Muhammad Yunus, an academician, humanitarian and now a statesman.
Dr. Aurangzeb Hafi, Senior Principal Investigator for postdoctoral research in Asia and Oceania presented the resolution in conjunction with the 2024 postdoctoral awards by the NPA and Asia and Oceania Post-Doctoral Academia (AOPDA), according to a press release issued here Monday.
Prof. Yunus, a distinguished academician and economist, was the first leader of an interim government in Bangladesh to receive such high academic recognition on his first day in office. “I hope that, as an academic, he will play a pivotal role in fostering peace not only in Bangladesh but also in the broader region,”
Prof. Hafi emphasized that the global academic community has high expectations of Prof. Yunus, not only for his achievements as an academician and Nobel laureate but also for his humanitarian efforts. Prof. Yunus was the first Nobel laurea
te to advocate for the Rohingyas, the most persecuted minority on the planet. In August 2017, a brutal crackdown by Myanmar’s military forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas to flee to Bangladesh, a situation the United Nations later labeled as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing.”
In January 2020, the International Court of Justice ordered Myanmar to protect the Rohingya community from genocide. Described by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as “one of, if not the, most discriminated people in the world,” the Rohingya are one of Myanmar’s many ethnic minorities.
In response to the crisis, two open letters were written in 2017 to the UN and other global authorities calling for an end to the systematic genocide of the Rohingyas in Burma. These letters, drafted by Prof. Yunus and Prof. Hafi, were presented to the UN Security Council by Dr. Maleeha Lodhi and garnered numerous signatures from esteemed members of the academic community.
The press release highlights that Prof. Yunus is the first leade
r emerging from the Gen Z revolution of the 21st century to successfully assume leadership of a state. Helen Regan of CNN reports that this movement in Bangladesh is being described as a Gen Z revolution-a protest largely led by young student demonstrators challenging a 76-year-old leader who has ruled with increasing authoritarianism for decades.
The current leader’s rule has been marked by rising authoritarianism, including the suppression and arrest of opposition figures, particularly from the Bangladeshi Nationalist Party (BNP). Reports of extrajudicial killings have surfaced, and journalists have expressed fear of reporting on the government due to potential repercussions. Her separatistic policies and alignment with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s contentious measures have contributed to regional unrest, fueling the Gen Z revolution.
In response, Dr. E.M. Nawaratne, Senior Provost at AOPDA, has endorsed Prof. Hafi’s resolution, expressing hope that it will foster and enhance a constructive acade
mic culture within political spheres.
Dr. Zafar Saeed, former Vice Chancellor of Karachi University and Senior Postdoctoral Thematic Moderator at AOPDA, also supported the resolution and praised the new Bangladeshi leader. He commended Prof. Yunus for his commitment to ending violence immediately upon assuming office.
Prof. Yunus had previously called for an end to all forms of violence, including communal attacks on minorities. In a video message, he warned student leaders that if violence against minorities did not cease, he would resign. “If you trust me to lead your country, the first step is to stop all attacks on people, especially minorities. Without this, my efforts will be in vain, and it would be better for me to step aside,” Yunus stated.
Prof. Aurangzeb Hafi expressed appreciation for Prof. Yunus’s prompt and clear stance on minority protection, noting, ‘It is highly commendable that the academician has immediately demonstrated his core concerns for minorities within the first few hours of taki
ng office.’