Violence against Sheikh Hasina’s government resulted in her resignation as prime minister of Bangladesh and her departure from the nation.
Following Sheikh Hasina’s resignation as prime minister and her departure from the nation amidst violent demonstrations against her government, Bangladesh is currently experiencing a severe political crisis. Wider calls for her removal emerged from the protests over the contentious job quota directive. When Hasina arrived in Ghaziabad, India, HT informed her that she might take a plane to London.
In a televised speech announcing Hasina’s resignation, Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman stated that he would speak with President Mohammed Shahabuddin and that a transitional administration would be constituted.
The daughter of Bangladesh’s founder, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina, was elected to a fourth consecutive term in January of this year following a contentious general election that was boycotted by opposition parties, notably Begum Khalida Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
Now that Hasina has resigned and the army has taken control of the coup-prone nation, what does the future hold for Bangladesh?
Sheikh Hasina’s resignation would leave a “major vacuum,” according to Michael Kugelman, head of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Centre in Washington, D.C., who told AFP that Bangladesh was in “uncharted territory.”
The next several days will be crucial as we hopefully approach a peaceful transition. Moving the process forward, establishing the temporary setup, reducing uncertainty, and lowering the likelihood of more volatility are now crucial, he continued.
Using sticks and knives, demonstrators and supporters of the Awami League engaged in combat on Sunday, resulting in about 100 fatalities.
As a result of the most recent violence, at least 320 people have died since the protests started in early July, according to an AFP count based on information from police, government representatives, and hospital physicians.
Unlike during the previous month’s protests that frequently resulted in violent crackdowns, soldiers and police in many instances did not step in to quell Sunday’s demonstrations.
Army Chief of Staff Zaman said that the armed forces will look into every killing and bring charges against those who did it. “I have issued an order prohibiting any form of fire by the army or police. Now, the kids need to support us and maintain their composure,” he continued.
According to Naomi Hossain, a research professor at London’s SOAS University with expertise in Bangladesh, “We saw the increasing authoritarianism of the regime during the last few weeks, but it also brought about a lot of development,” she told AP. The nation has already seen temporary administrations. The army is expected to maintain peace for the time being.”
“If the army isn’t able to diffuse the situation and calm people down, things could get ugly.” Before we get out of the woods, it can take some time, Hossain continued.
