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People gather around the residence of Bangladeshi prime minister in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 05 August 2024. In an address to the nation, Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman announced that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned after weeks of unrest and an interim government will be formed to run the country. Dhaka authorities have imposed a new curfew starting 06:00 p.m. local time on 04 August. As casualties mounted and law enforcement struggled to contain the unrest, the Bangladeshi government on 20 July 2024 had imposed an initial nationwide curfew and deployed military forces after violence broke out in Dhaka and other regions following student-led protests demanding reforms to the government's job quota system. EPA-EFE/STR
A statement from President Mohammed Shahabuddin’s office also said that Hasina’s arch rival, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, a former prime minister, had been freed from house arrest.
Student protesters had threatened more demonstrations if parliament was not dissolved.The decision was taken following meetings with the heads of defence forces, leaders of political parties, student leaders and some civil society representatives, the presidential statement said.
Hasina’s flight on Monday ended her 15-year second stint in power. She had ruled the country for 20 of the last 30 years, having inherited the political movement of her father, state founder Mujubur Rahman, who was assassinated in 1975.
Bangladesh’s army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman was due to meet student leaders to discuss the formation of an interim government that is expected to hold elections soon after it takes over.
Zaman announced Hasina’s resignation on Monday. Hasina flew to India and is staying at a safe house outside New Delhi.
(Reporting by Ruma Paul in Dhaka, Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai and Kanjyik Ghosh in Bengaluru; Writing by Shivam Patel; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan, YP Rajesh, Peter Graff)
