Bangladesh: Interim leader Yunus appeals for calm

Muhammad Yunus issued a statement to the people of Bangladesh on Wednesday as he prepared to become the country's temporary leader. 

"I fervently appeal to everybody to stay calm. Please refrain from all kinds of violence," said the Nobel laureate and microfinance pioneer.

"Be calm and get ready to build the country. If we take the path of violence everything will be destroyed.

"I congratulate the brave students who took the lead in making our Second Victory Day possible, and to the people for giving your total support to them," he added.

Yunus oath expected on Thursday

Yunus, 84, is expected to return to the capital, Dhaka, from Europe on Thursday, having answered a call by student protesters to lead Bangladesh's interim government.

The military said he would be sworn in as interim leader on Thursday. 

Yunus "is very eager to do this," said army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman. "I am certain that he will be able to take us through a beautiful democratic process and that we will benefit from this."

Bangladesh has been without leadership since its increasingly authoritarian Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India on Monday.

Hasina stepped down following weeks of violent protests against her rule, in particular, a quota system for government jobs that benefited the country's elite.

Yunus conviction overturned

A court in Bangladesh overturned a conviction against Yunus on Wednesday, a day before he was set to take charge of the interim government.

He was convicted in January on a labor violation but was immediately granted bail. He subsequently left the country.

Three other colleagues of Yunus also saw their convictions overturned. All four had denied the charges.

The court's decision came off the back of accusations that other courts had been used to rubber-stamp decisions by Prime Minister Hasina before her ouster.

Authorities had hit Yunus with more than 100 criminal cases, but only the labor charges were able to stick.

Hasina rivals speak out

Former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, a longtime rival of Hasina who has also been accused of authoritarianism, spoke via videolink after being released from house arrest. She urged the country to "uphold democracy, not revenge politics."

Tarique Rahman, Zia's son and acting president of the former opposition Bangladesh National Party who is living in exile in London, called on the country's temporary leaders to hold free elections as soon as possible.

He also called for people to "resist taking the law into your own hands" after reports of mob violence.

Bangladesh's economy slowly got back into gear on Wednesday after days of violent unrest and military-imposed curfews.

The country's garment factories, which account for 90% of its exports, reopened their doors to workers.

es/wmr (AP, AFP, Reuters)