Sheikh Hasina Flees; Bangladesh President Orders Release of Ex-PM Khaleda Zia

Bangladeshi President Mohammed Shahabuddin’s press team announced that a meeting chaired by Shahabuddin had “unanimously decided to release Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia immediately.”

On Monday, Bangladeshi President Mohammed Shahabuddin ordered the release of jailed former Prime Minister and prominent opposition leader Khaleda Zia, just hours after Sheikh Hasina was deposed and the military assumed control.

The president’s press team stated that a meeting chaired by Shahabuddin had “unanimously decided to release Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia immediately.”

The meeting was attended by Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, the heads of the navy and air force, as well as top leaders from several opposition parties, including the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami.

“The meeting also decided to release all individuals arrested during the student protests,” the statement continued.

Earlier on Monday, General Waker-Uz-Zaman announced on state television that Sheikh Hasina had resigned and that the military would establish a caretaker government.

“The meeting decided to form an interim government immediately,” the statement added.

Sheikh Hasina had been trying to address nationwide protests against her government since early July but was forced to flee the country following severe unrest on Sunday that resulted in nearly 100 deaths.

Khaleda Zia, 78, is in poor health and currently confined to a hospital following her 2018 conviction on graft charges, which resulted in a 17-year prison sentence.