Dhaka, March 12 -- In August, Muhammad Yunus returned to Bangladesh to find his country in turmoil. Following a student-led revolution that ousted Sheikh Hasina after 15 years of authoritarian rule, the streets were stained with blood, and morgues were filled with the bodies of over 1,000 protesters and children, victims of police violence. Hasina fled the country in a helicopter as civilians looted her residence, seeking retribution for her regime's atrocities.

At 84, Yunus, a Nobel laureate known for his pioneering work in microfinance, had distanced himself from politics due to years of persecution by Hasina, who viewed him as a threat. However, when student protesters requested his leadership to form an interim government and restore...