DHAKA: Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country on Monday, ending 15 years in power as thousands of demonstrators defied a nationwide curfew and stormed her official residence.
In a televised address, Bangladesh Army Chief Walker Oz Zaman announced that he was taking over at a “critical time for our country” and confirmed that Hasina had left Dhaka for a “safe place”, as the media reported. Locals in neighboring India reported him as him. primary destination
He said: I accept responsibility now and we will go to the president and ask for the formation of a temporary government to lead the country.
Zaman said the army would step down and an investigation into the deadly crackdown that fueled anger against the government would begin.
“Have faith in the army, we will investigate all the killings and punish those responsible… I have ordered that no army or police should engage in any firing,” he said.
Now the duty of the students is to stay calm and help us.”
After Hasina's resignation was confirmed by the army, thousands of people joyfully poured into the streets of the capital and chanted slogans. Television footage showed crowds storming Hasina's official residence in the capital, throwing punches, making victory signs and taking out furniture and other belongings.
Hasina has ruled Bangladesh since 2009 and was elected to a fourth consecutive term in a vote in January that was boycotted by her main opponents and raised concerns about the free and fair nature of the vote.
He was forced to leave after weeks of protests that began peacefully but turned into deadly clashes with security forces that led to communications cuts, curfews, and about 300 deaths.
The students were the ones who led earlier protests that began in July demanding reforms to the government job quota system, which was eventually curtailed by the Supreme Court. But as the demonstrations turned deadly and the authorities tried to quell the violence by force, the movement turned into a campaign to oust Hasina.
At least 11,000 people have been arrested in recent weeks, as the unrest has led to the closure of schools and universities across the South Asian nation, and at one point authorities have declared a curfew at gunpoint.
Student activists have called for a march to Dhaka on Monday in defiance of the latest curfew to demand Hasina's resignation. It comes after nearly 100 people, including more than a dozen police officers, were killed on Sunday in a fresh wave of deadly clashes across the country.
“The Second Revolution”
Hasina, 76, was one of the world's longest-serving female leaders and has played a central role in the politics of Bangladesh, a country of about 170 million people that declared independence in 1971.
She is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country's charismatic founding leader, who was killed in a military coup in 1975 when Ms. Hasina was 28 years old. He served as Prime Minister from 1996 to 2001 and regained power in 2009.
Under his leadership, Bangladesh became one of the fastest growing economies in the region, and World Bank estimates show that more than 25 million people in the country have been lifted out of poverty in the past two decades.
But critics say he has become increasingly autocratic, calling him a threat to the country's democracy, and many say the recent unrest reflects broader discontent against his rule.
“Bengalis have witnessed the second revolution in their 52-year history since independence,” Professor ASM Amanullah, professor of sociology at Dhaka University, told Arab News.
Amanullah said that the students have demanded “complete reforms” in the country, saying that all institutions in the country are corrupt and that the government of the past 15 years is to blame.
“This is the power of the people. This is a voice for the rest of the world. Amanullah said: This is a voice for the rest of the Indian subcontinent.
“If you work against your own people, whoever you are, whoever you are, you cannot survive in the long run.”
