Bangladesh army chief and president seek calm after prime minister flees country
Bangladesh’s army chief and president are working to install an interim government and calm deadly protests that led Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee the country.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin said in a televised address that he ordered the release of jailed protesters, as well as ex-prime minister and opposition leader Khaleda Zia. He also said businesses should reopen on Tuesday after authorities lift a curfew at 6 a.m. and that elections will be held “as soon as possible.”
The head of the army, Waker-Uz-Zaman, said earlier that a new government will be formed in consultation with Shahabuddin before a new vote.
“An interim government will be formed,” the army chief said, adding that it could happen as soon as overnight. “Justice will be served for each death. Keep faith in the army.”
Hasina, 76, left Bangladesh for India shortly before the army’s announcement and was seeking to head to London, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing private information. India will allow her safe passage on her way to the U.K., the people said.
Hasina’s location was unclear late Tuesday night. The U.K. Foreign Office and India’s Ministry of External Affairs both declined to comment on her travel. Separately, U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy called for a U.N.led investigation into the unrest in Bangladesh.
“The U.K. wants to see action taken to ensure Bangladesh a peaceful and democratic future,” Lammy said.
Hasina had faced pressure to resign for weeks as the demonstrations turned deadly. Local TV channels showed protesters storming her official residence on Monday afternoon and ransacking the building, taking away furniture and food.
At a press conference late Monday, protest organizers said they will meet with political parties and propose an interim government in 24 hours and demanded the release of all those arrested in relation to the protests. Nahid Islam, a protest organizer speaking at the briefing, didn’t clarify if Hasina’s Awami League party would be involved in the discussions.
What started out in late June as peaceful protests seeking to abolish a quota system for government jobs turned into deadly unrest in recent weeks with demonstrators seeking to oust Hasina. Her resignation follows a weekend of student-led clashes with pro-government supporters that pushed the death toll arising from the violence since mid-July to about 350 people, according to news reports and data from local hospitals and police stations.
U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Monday that Washington welcomes the forming of an interim government and that all decisions “should be made with respect to democratic principles, rule of law and the will of the Bangladeshi people.”
“We are focused now on supporting an end to the violence and accountability,” Miller said.
Earlier Monday, thousands of students defied a government-imposed curfew to march through Dhaka, chanting “We will not go back.” TV channels showed troops trying to control huge crowds of people who had walked through the night to the capital to take part in the protests. A few jubilant demonstrators were seen hugging soldiers as they awaited the army chief’s speech.
Hasina was the world’s longest serving female head of a government, winning a fourth term as prime minister in an election in January that was boycotted by her opponents and voters. The U.S., the biggest buyer of Bangladesh’s exports, had criticized the polls, and imposed visa curbs on members of Hasina’s party and law enforcement officials in September.
While her ruling Awami League party controls nearly 80% of seats in parliament, the army chief invited none of its members to talks on forming an interim government. The constitution, if it were followed, requires any prime minister to command a majority support in parliament. Hasina didn’t make any public comments Monday, and officials in her party didn’t answer calls made to seek comment.
Hasina’s father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was killed in a coup in 1975 when he was prime minister. TV footage Monday showed protesters taking hammers to a statue of the independence leader in Dhaka.
The political turmoil is a setback for the economy, which is reliant on financial aid from the International Monetary Fund and other donors and earns most of its foreign exchange from exports of garments. Major clothing brands like Hennes & Mauritz, Adidas, Wal-Mart and Gap have operations in the country.
Bangladesh has taken a $10 billion hit to the economy from the curfews and the internet blackouts, according to an industry group. The unrest has made it difficult for garment manufacturers to operate, curtailing the country’s foreign exchange earnings. Reserves dropped to $21.8 billion in
June.
While Hasina had overseen rapid growth in the economy and helped lift millions out of poverty, those achievements were often overshadowed by what critics contend was her authoritarianism, and by accusations she used state institutions to stamp out dissent and stifle the news media.
Unemployment in the country has become more acute since the pandemic, especially among young people, with the private sector struggling to expand.