Last updated on August 29th, 2024 at 04:18 pm
Dhaka: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina finally stepped down amidst violent clashes between supporters of the ruling party, Awami League, and protesters agitating for her resignation.
Army to Form Interim Government
Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman announced that a new caretaker government would be formed and also appealed to the agitators to maintain peace. The demonstrations intensified in the capital city of Dhaka. Sheikh Hasina, who started her fourth successive term as Premier since 2009, left the state capital Dhaka in an army helicopter, most likely bound for a safer destination in India. She is accompanied by her younger sister, Sheikh Rehana.
Rise of Demonstrations
Demonstrators demanding Hasina’s resignation broke into Gono Bhaban, the official residence-cum-office of the Prime Minister. According to reports in the local media, the Bangladesh Army has moved in to seize control, reportedly giving the Prime Minister an ultimatum of 45 minutes within which she had to resign. The shocking visuals of protesters vandalizing the statue of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina’s father and a major leader in Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan, were perhaps reflective of the nasty turn these protests have taken.
Origins of the Protests
The protests, which began last month, were originally against a quota system that reserves 30 percent of government jobs for family members of Muktijoddhas—veterans of Bangladesh’s 1971 independence war. Protesters argued this has been used to favour supporters of the ruling Awami League and instead demanded a merit-based system. The Awami League government has tried to crush the protests with violence, leading to the deaths of over 300 people.
With the resignation of Sheikh Hasina, this is a new chapter in Bangladesh’s politics that begins with military interference. While an interim government is getting in place, the future is not clear; unmistakably, there is an overt demand for peace and stability amidst tensions.
