Hours after Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled Bangladesh amid unrest in the country, President Mohammed Shahabuddin ordered the release of jailed opposition leader Khaleda Zia, the former prime minister, in the face of escalating violence.
The decision was made at a meeting with opposition party members, according to a statement. Shahabuddin “decided unanimously to free BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia immediately.”
The meeting was attended by army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman, the heads of the navy and air force, and top leaders from opposition parties, including the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami.
Here’s glimpse at Begum Khaleda Zia political journey:
Begum Khaleda Zia, is a prominent Bangladeshi politician who served as the country’s first female prime minister from March 1991 to March 1996 and again from June 2001 to October 2006.
As the widow of former President Ziaur Rahman, she has been the chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) since 1984, a party founded by her husband in 1978.
Zia played a key role in the anti-military coup movement against General Hussain Muhammad Ershad in 1990 and led her party to victory in the 1991 general elections.
Her tenure saw her re-elected in 2001, but her administration faced significant corruption allegations, contributing to a military-backed caretaker government taking over in 2007.
In 2018, she was sentenced to 17 years in prison on corruption charges. The U.S. State Department and Amnesty International raised concerns about the fairness of her trial. She was released on humanitarian grounds in March 2020 and faced a total of 36 legal cases.
Bangladesh violence
Fresh violence erupted in Bangladesh on Monday, resulting in at least 300 deaths as the country experienced a resurgence of student-led protests following a deadly government crackdown last month. The government has responded by imposing nationwide curfews and restricting mobile internet access.
Protests reignited on Sunday, with demonstrators calling for the resignation of Sheikh Hasina from prime minister’s post. The unrest began when students demanded the abolition of a quota system in government jobs reserved for families of veterans from Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence against Pakistan. In response to the renewed violence, Hasina denounced the protesters involved in “sabotage” and destruction as criminals rather than students.
The Ministry of External Affairs in India has advised its citizens to avoid traveling to Bangladesh and urged those currently residing there to exercise extreme caution, limit their movements, and stay in contact with the High Commission in Dhaka.