A day after Sheikh Hasina resigned as Prime Minister of Bangladesh and left the country, President Mohammed Shahabuddin on August 6, announced the dissolution of the country’s parliament to make way for the formation of an interim administration, Dhaka Tribune reported.
Based on the decision from a meeting of President Shahabuddin with the heads of the three armed forces, leaders of various political parties, representatives of civil society, and leaders of the Students Against Discrimination movement, the national parliament was dissolved, a press release from the president’s office stated.
It further said that Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson Khaleda Zia has been released from jail.
The statement said that the process of releasing those detained in the student movement and various cases from July 1 to August 5 has begun, with many already being freed.
Earlier in the day, BNP chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia was also released.
In a statement on August 5, the president’s press team said that a meeting led by Shahabuddin had “decided unanimously” to free Begum Khaleda Zia immediately.
“The meeting has also decided to free all the people who have been arrested during the student protests,” the president’s statement added.
Zia, 78, a former Bangladeshi Prime Minister, is confined to a hospital due to poor health. In 2018, she was found guilty of corruption and given a 17-year prison sentence.
She and Hasina had a long-standing feud, and she was accused of abusing her position of authority by stealing almost USD250,000 in donations intended for a trust for an orphanage, according to Al Jazeera.
The BNP has claimed that the cases were made up to prevent Zia from entering politics; Hasina’s administration, however, refuted these claims.
Bangladesh is facing a fluid political situation with Sheikh Hasina, who, on August 5, is tendering her resignation from her post in the wake of mounting protests. The protests, led majorly by students demanding an end to a quota system for government jobs, took the shape of anti-government protests.
Hasina arrived in India on August 5 evening and it is not clear if she will stay in Delhi or move to another location.
Meanwhile, in Dhaka, leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement have proposed an interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, in a bid to address Bangladesh’s ongoing challenge.
