Bangladesh Army Chief Announces Interim Govt Soon As PM Shekh Hasina Flees Country

Hundreds of people were killed and wounded during the protests since July, which first called for the abolition of quotas in government jobs and later the resignation of the Hasina, who had been in power since 2009.

The 76-year-old is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding leader of Bangladesh.

In an address to the nation after meeting political party leaders, Zaman called for peace and said there would be “no need” of martial law if normalcy returns to the South Asian nation. He pledged to probe deaths of the protesters.

 “After holding a fruitful discussion with all political parties, we have decided to form an interim government. We will speak with President Mohammed Shahabuddin now to resolve the situation,” the Army chief was quoted as saying in the Dhaka Tribue.

He called for a halt to all violence in the name of protest and promised that the new government will ensure justice for all the deaths that took place during the Anti-Discriminatory Student Movement, it said.

Hasina’s forced exile followed a 45-minute ultimatum given to her by the Army chief, a day after clashes killed nearly 100 people across the country, said media reports.

The PM, departed from her residence on Monday afternoon on a military helicopter for an undisclosed destination, The Dhaka Tribune reported.

She was accompanied by her younger sister, Sheikh Rehana, as they left for a "safer place", the report said.

Hasina, took office for her fourth straight five-year term as the country's Prime Minister in January this year after her ruling Bangladesh Awami League (AL) party won a landslide victory in the parliamentary elections.

Over 300 people have died in the unrest, making this one of the deadliest periods of civil unrest in Bangladesh's history, said media reports.

The quota unrest began in June 2024 when the High Court reinstated a 30 per cent quota for the descendants of freedom fighters from the 1971 war of independence, reversing a 2018 decision that had abolished such quotas.