——– Student leaders have proposed Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus as the chief adviser to the interim government
DM Monitoring
DHAKA: Bangladesh’s parliament was dissolved on Tuesday after protesting student leaders demanded it, warning of a “strict programme” if their deadline was not met, a day after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled following a violent uprising.
Nahid Islam one of the key organisers of the movement against Hasina, said on Facebook with two other student leaders that parliament should be dissolved by 3 pm (0900 GMT) on Tuesday and asked “revolutionary students to be ready” if that did not happen.
The demands came amid ongoing political unrest in Bangladesh, which has seen over 300 deaths and thousands of injuries as protests against government job quotas evolved into a broader campaign against Hasina’s 16-year rule.
The unrest culminated in Hasina’s resignation and departure from the country on Monday.
Amid reports of Hindu temples being targeted during the unrest and chaos that ensued following Sheikh Hasina’s escape, Islam blamed members of the former primer minister’s Awami League party of orchestrating the attacks to defame the studenrts movement. Bangladesh’s army chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, was scheduled to meet with student leaders at 0600 GMT to discuss forming an interim government, expected to oversee upcoming elections. Zaman announced Hasina’s resignation, marking a significant shift in the nation’s political landscape.
While some normalcy returned to Dhaka, with lighter traffic and a few schools reopening, the capital remained tense.
Student leaders have proposed Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus as the chief adviser to the interim government, a role Yunus has reportedly agreed to accept.
Earlier, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned following prolonged student protests and has departed for India, but her challenges have only increased. The Awami League leader’s challenges have deepened as the United States has cancelled her visa and the United Kingdom has refused her request for asylum.
According to Indian media, upon her arrival in India, Sheikh Hasina’s next stop was London, where she was likely to seek political asylum or consider Finland as her next destination.
It was anticipated that Sheikh Hasina would stay at a secure location in India until she received a British visa, allowing her to apply for asylum in the UK. However, Indian media now claim that the newly elected British Prime Minister, Kier Starmer, has declined to grant her asylum upon arrival due to the country’s policies.
Under this new policy, asylum seekers must temporarily reside in another country where their con-duct and reasons for seeking asylum are assessed before being granted political asylum in the UK.
As a result, the UK has currently refused to provide asylum to Sheikh Hasina.
Indian media also reported that in the meantime, the United States has cancelled Sheikh Hasina’s visa. However, there has been no official comment from the US on this matter.
Yesterday, a US State Department spokesperson clarified in a press briefing that their government stands with the people of Bangladesh.
The Modi administration, maintaining the friendship with Sheikh Hasina’s former government, has permitted her to stay in India until she secures political asylum in another country.
