'Trapped in the same cycle'

Bangladesh has a long history of military coups.

While it was Waker who took charge after Hasina fled by helicopter to India on August 5, he had also urged the people to back Nobel Prize-winning microfinance pioneer Muhammad Yunus.

Yunus, 84, vows to institute far-reaching democratic reforms and hold general elections in late 2025 or in early 2026, and Waker had sworn in the interim government.

"At the beginning, I said it would take 18 months to hold an election," Waker said.

"We are on that path. Professor Yunus is doing his best to keep us united. Let's help him."

Key student protest leader Nahid Islam resigned on Tuesday from the government cabinet -- where he headed the telecoms ministry -- ahead of the expected launch of a new political party on Friday.

Yunus has said he inherited a "completely broken down" system of public administration and justice that needs a comprehensive overhaul to prevent a future return to autocracy.

Waker said security forces accused of a raft of allegations "of enforced disappearances, murder, and torture must be investigated".

"Punishment must be ensured," he said. "Otherwise, we will be trapped in the same cycle."

The armed forces were granted judicial powers like the police -- including making arrests -- after the revolution.

But Waker, a career infantry officer who has spent nearly four decades in the military, serving two tours as a UN peacekeeper, said he just wanted a break.

"I just want to bring the country and the nation to a stable point and then take a vacation", he said. "After that, we will return to our barracks."

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