On Monday, President Mohammed Shahabuddin ordered the release of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, just hours after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted and the military took control of the government.
The president’s press team announced that a meeting, led by Shahabuddin, had unanimously decided to free Khaleda Zia, the leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The meeting included Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, the heads of the navy and airforce, and top leaders from several opposition parties, including the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami.
In a statement, the president’s office said, “The meeting has also decided to free all the people who have been arrested during the student protests.”
Earlier on Monday, General Waker-Uz-Zaman addressed the nation on state television, announcing that Sheikh Hasina had resigned. He stated that the military would form a caretaker government. “The meeting decided to form an interim government immediately,” he added.
Sheikh Hasina, who had been facing nationwide protests against her government since early July, fled the country after violent unrest on Sunday, which resulted in nearly 100 deaths.
Khaleda Zia, 78, has been in poor health and confined to a hospital since being sentenced to 17 years in prison for graft in 2018. Her release marks a significant shift in the political landscape of Bangladesh, as she has been a key opposition leader for many years.
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