Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Quits and Flees Country

UPDATED: Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus will lead Bangladesh‘s interim government following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina‘s flight from the country amid mass protests.

Joynal Abedin, press secretary to Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin, announced the decision early Wednesday after a meeting involving military chiefs, student protest organizers, business leaders and civil society members.

Yunus, 84, a longtime political opponent of Hasina, is expected to return soon from Paris, where he has been undergoing a minor medical procedure. The economist and banker, awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his microcredit work, founded Grameen Bank in 1983, helping thousands escape poverty through small loans.

President Shahabuddin dissolved parliament on Tuesday, paving the way for the interim administration and new elections. He also ordered the release of opposition leader Khaleda Zia from house arrest, a longtime Hasina rival convicted on corruption charges in 2018.

Yunus, who had previously faced corruption charges he claimed were politically motivated under Hasina’s rule, called her resignation the country’s “second liberation day.”

PREVIOUSLY: Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned and left the country. This development follows weeks of intense protests and violent clashes across the nation.

Hasina, who had led Bangladesh since 2009, landed in Ghaziabad, in neighboring India.

Military and Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials, speaking anonymously, confirmed the resignation to AP earlier.

Bangladesh’s army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman announced the formation of an interim government in a televised address to the nation.

In his address, Waker-uz-Zaman stated he would meet with President Mohammed Shahabuddin, expressing hope for a “solution” by day’s end. The army chief also revealed he had already communicated with the country’s opposition political parties.

“Justice” for all Bangladeshi people was promised by Waker-uz-Zaman, addressing a key demand of protesters following the deaths of hundreds over recent weeks. The identity of the interim government’s leader remains unclear at this time.

The situation in Dhaka remains volatile, with thousands of protesters in the streets and more expected to join. Reports indicate demonstrators have entered Hasina’s official residence.

The unrest began as student protests against a quota system reserving up to 30% of government jobs for relatives of 1971 independence war veterans. Protesters argued the system is discriminatory and instead seek a merit-based alternative. It since evolved into a broader anti-government movement with demonstrators calling for an end to Hasina’s 15-year rule.

Recent clashes between protesters and security forces intensified the crisis. The BBC reports at least 90 people were killed in confrontations on Sunday, with the death toll over the past month reaching approximately 300.

Government attempts to quell the demonstrations through force, curfews and internet restrictions have largely backfired, fueling further public outrage.

The military has imposed a curfew as the situation continues to unfold.

Hasina’s departure comes just months after her fourth consecutive election victory in January. That vote was boycotted by her main opponents, raising questions about its legitimacy. In the lead-up to the polls, thousands of opposition members were jailed, though the government maintained the election was democratically held.

In late July, the internet had been shut down and mobile services severely disrupted in Bangladesh amid student protests.

Bangladesh’s most feted filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki described the events to Variety as “amazing” and Monday as the “second independence for Bangladeshi people.” The country had gained independence from Pakistan in 1971. “The most beautiful part of this movement is that people from all walks of life participated, led by Gen Z youth,” Farooki said. “English medium, Bangla medium, Arabic medium, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, all participated in the movement.”

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Farooki added. “People are enjoying. I hope we move towards a beautiful, democratic society where there is freedom of expression, fair justice for all and no corruption. And where there will be artistic freedom and people can make whatever films they want without barriers and not have to worry from the script stage, ‘Can I show this?’”

Farooki’s “Saturday Afternoon” had considerable festival play, winning awards at Fukuoka, Moscow and Vesoul. It takes its cue from the brutal terrorist attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka in 2016, which took place on a quiet Saturday afternoon and left more than 20 people dead. It

The film was initially banned and had finally been cleared for release in January after a four year struggle with the Bangladesh Film Censor Board. However, Bangladesh’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting took a U turn subsequently.