Amidst relentless unrest in Bangladesh over government job quotas, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country.
Hasina, the longest-serving female premier globally, initially arrived in Agartala and then moved to New Delhi with support from the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.
As the daughter of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, she is expected to fly to Europe as her final destination rather than seeking refuge in India.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Army Chief Waker-Uz-Zaman announced in Dhaka that an interim government would be formed, including representatives from all political parties.
He plans to meet President Mohammed Shahabudin tonight to decide on the structure of the interim government.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus might lead the caretaker government, guiding the election commission to conduct a national election within a few months to transfer legitimate power.
Other names being considered include Salehuddin Ahmed, former governor of the Bangladesh Bank; Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, a retired three-star general of the Bangladesh Army; and Sara Hossain, a prominent lawyer.
The chief of the Bangladeshi armed forces also appealed to everyone to refrain from violent activities. The South Asian nation has seen massive protests since last month.
In mid-July, nearly 200 protesters died in violence allegedly instigated by police and many supporters of Hasina’s party, the Awami League.
This is not the first time Bangladesh has had an interim arrangement following the abrupt end of a regime. The Bangladesh constitution previously included a provision for a caretaker government, which was scrapped by Hasina’s Awami League government in 2011. The system, introduced in 1991 through the 13th amendment to the constitution, was designed to hold democratic elections after military dictator Hussain Muhammad Ershad was removed from power through a mass uprising.
Under the now-scrapped system, the interim arrangement lasted 90 days, during which the transition between elected governments was to be completed. The caretaker government was only mandated to hold parliamentary elections. One does not know what kind of interim arrangement the current military chief plans for the country.
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