Interim Government Formation Expected Today Following Sheikh Hasina’s Removal

1. Bangladeshi President Mohammed Shahabuddin held a crucial meeting late last evening to discuss the establishment of a military-backed caretaker government. Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, along with the leaders of the navy and airforce, and prominent figures from various opposition parties including the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami party, were present at the meeting.

2. President Shahabuddin also authorized the release of jailed former prime minister and prominent opposition figure Khaleda Zia, shortly after her long-standing rival Sheikh Hasina was deposed.

3. Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman – in a televised address yesterday – declared that Sheikh Hasina had resigned and the Army would establish an interim government. “The nation has endured significant hardships, the economy has been impacted, numerous individuals have lost their lives — it is time to end the violence,” stated General Waker.

4. Sheikh Hasina – the offspring of Bangladesh’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman – was given a 45-minute ultimatum to relinquish her position as the Prime Minister, reports indicate.

5. Ms Hasina, who commenced her fifth term as Prime Minister earlier this year, departed the capital city of Dhaka in a military plane bound for India after resigning. The 76-year-old is accompanied by her younger sibling, Sheikh Rehana.

7. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been briefed on the situation in Bangladesh by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. It is currently unknown if Mr Modi will engage with Mrs Hasina.

8. International powers urged for calm in Bangladesh following Sheikh Hasina’s departure. The United States called upon all parties to “abstain from further violence”, while the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres advocated for a “peaceful, orderly, and democratic transition”.

9. Sheikh Hasina had tried to suppress nationwide demonstrations against her administration since early July but she fled the nation after severe unrest on Sunday resulting in nearly 100 casualties, bringing the death toll since the commencement of the anti-government protests to over 300. 

10. Demonstrations began in June following student organizations’ demands for the elimination of a controversial quota system in governmental positions which escalated into a movement seeking an end to her governance.

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