Dr Yunus faces arrest warrant

A labor court in Dhaka has issued a warrant for the arrest of Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr Muhammad Yunus as he failed to appear for a scheduled hearing over sacking of three employees of an ICT company he heads as its chairman.

"Dhaka 3rd Labor Court chairman Rohibul Islam issued the warrant as he (Yunus) failed to appear as the hearing was scheduled today (Wednesday)," court clerk Nuruzzaman told BSS. Nuruzzaman said Yunus was asked to appear along with Grameen Communications' Mana-ging Director Naznin Sultana and Deputy General Manager Khandaker Abu Abedin over sacking of those  employees for forming union at their workplace.

The two others, however, were present at the court while all of them were summoned on July 10 this year. The court, however, granted them bail accepting their pleas. Grameen Communications does not have any link with Grameen Bank.

"We filed three cases challenging our sacking from the company for forming union at our workplace," one of the complainants Abdus Salam told newsmen. Another complainant, Emranul Haque, alleged the three employees were first transferred somewhere, exposing them to intimidation and eventually they were terminated from the service for their attempts to float the trade union.

The two along with Shah Alam were sacked in June, 2019. Dr Yunus floated a political party -- Nagarik Shakti -- during the 2007-08 Army-backed caretaker government when mainstream political parties faced different forms of restrictions.

The caretaker government arrested Awami League President Sheikh Hasina, now the prime minister, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and many other senior political leaders on corruption allegations.

In a statement last year, the economist claimed the Army Chief in 2007 General Moeen U Ahmed phoned him requesting him to be the head of the caretaker government but he turned down the proposal.

He said that later Lieutenant General Masud Uddin Chowdhury and several other Army officers met him at his residence with the same request and he again declined to accept it.

Finally, former Bangladesh Bank Governor Fakhruddin Ahmed was picked as the chief of the caretaker government as per his advice, Dr Yunus claimed.