Bangladesh nobel laureate to be sworn in as interim leader

The sudden resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has left a dangerous power vacuum in a country of 170 million people.

Muhammad Yunus is escorted by French police as he arrives at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport near Paris on Wednesday. Picture: AFP

Bangladesh Nobel peace prize laureate Muhammad Yunus has called for calm and an end to weeks of deadly violence ahead of his expected swearing-in late on Thursday as the head of the country’s new interim government.

The 84-year-old economist, known as the “banker to the poor”, issued the appeal before boarding a flight from Paris to the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka where weeks of anti-government protests has ended the 15-year rule of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who on Monday resigned and fled to India.

In a statement released by his office, Professor Yunus congratulated the “brave students who took the lead in making our Second Victory Day possible”, and the public who supported them.

“Let us make the best use of our new victory. I fervently ­appeal to everybody to stay calm. Please refrain from all kinds of ­violence,” he said.

“ This is our beautiful country with lots of exciting possibilities. Let us not miss this chance by going into any senseless ­violence.”

Professor Yunus had been in Paris for medical treatment while on bail pending an appeal of his January conviction and six-month jail sentence by a Bangladesh court for failing to create a welfare fund for employees of Grameen Telecom, which he founded. On Wednesday, the long-time opponent of Ms Hasina was acquitted of the charge, which he had insisted was politically motivated.

Newly released Khaleda Zia addresses a rally in Dhaka. Picture: AFP

As one of the country’s most respected figures, the founder of the Grameen microfinance bank is now being called upon by Bangladeshis to help steer the country through uncharted territory.

The sudden resignation of Ms Hasina and her Awami League government has left a dangerous power vacuum in a country of 170 million people that was already grappling with an economic crisis now exacerbated by weeks of civil unrest.

Even before this week’s dramatic events, industry groups estimated the protests, government curfews and internet blackouts had cost the Bangladesh economy some $US10bn ($15.25bn) in losses.

The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s ailing leader, Khaleda Zia, also called for calm on Wednesday after her release from house arrest on corruption charges that she too maintained were politically motivated.

“No destruction, no anger, and no revenge – we need love and peace to rebuild our country,” the former prime minister told rallying supporters by video link as she called for swift fresh elections.

A burn-out Awami League party office in Dhaka. Picture: AFP

Her exiled eldest son Tarique Rahman also addressed the crowd after being introduced as the country’s next prime minister – an outcome many Bangladeshis would see as a perpetuation of a corrosive political cycle that has stymied the country for decades.

Known colloquially as the “battling begums” (widows), Ms Hasina and Ms Zia are political rivals who have alternated power since the early 1990s.

While Ms Hasina’s resignation has sparked jubilation it has also triggered an outpouring of pent-up rage against former MPs and any perceived supporters of a government widely accused of crushing all dissent.

At least 400 people were killed in the state’s violent crackdown on protests, which were first called as a response to new civil service job quotas for relatives of Bangladesh independence fighters but morphed into a mass opposition movement after the state turned its guns on student demonstrators. More people have since died in violent reprisal attacks, including police and members of the Hindu minority who largely supported Ms Hasina’s secular Muslim government.

Ms Hasina was seen to be close to India’s Modi government which has said she is welcome to shelter in the country for as long as she needs. An angry backlash by some groups has forced New Delhi to temporarily evacuate non-essential embassy staff and families from Dhaka.

Her US-based son, Mujeeb Wazed Joy, has said she will never return to Bangladesh, though “no decision has been made” about where she will live. There has been speculation the US has revoked her visa and that she would also not be welcome in the UK, though neither government has confirmed those rumours.

Mujeeb blamed Pakistan and the US for fanning the protests that ultimately pushed his mother out, despite admitting he had no evidence of interference.