Interim govt to run nation after Bangladesh PM resigns
DHAKA — Bangladesh Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman announced on Monday that an interim government, with the participation of all parties, will be formed, a local media outlet reported.
"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," he was quoted by Dhaka Tribune as saying.
It is reported that Waker-Uz-Zaman called for stopping all violence in the name of protest.
This happened soon after Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned amid protests on the same day.
Hasina, 76, took office for her fourth straight five-year term as the country's prime minister in January after her ruling Bangladesh Awami League, or AL, party won a landslide victory in the parliamentary elections.
According to CNN-News18, Hasina landed in India's northeastern city of Agartala later on Monday after leaving Dhaka.
Following weeks of violent demonstrations and clashes with security forces, thousands appeared to have entered Hasina's official residence in Dhaka on Monday.
The protests began peacefully as frustrated students demanded an end to a quota system for government jobs, but the demonstrations have since morphed into an unprecedented challenge and uprising against Hasina and her ruling AL party.
The government attempted to quell the violence, leaving nearly 300 people dead.
At least 95 people, including at least 14 police officers, died in clashes in the capital on Sunday, the country's leading Bengali language daily newspaper Prothom Alo reported. Hundreds more were injured in the violence.
At least 11,000 people have been arrested in recent weeks. The unrest has also resulted in the closure of schools and universities across the country, and authorities at one point imposed a curfew.
Over the weekend, protesters called for a "noncooperation "effort, urging people not to pay taxes or utility bills and not to show up for work on Sunday, a working day in Bangladesh. Offices, banks and factories opened, but commuters in Dhaka and other cities faced challenges getting to their jobs.
Hasina offered to talk with student leaders on Saturday, but a coordinator refused and announced a one-point demand for her resignation. Hasina had repeated her pledges to investigate the deaths and punish those responsible for the violence. She said she was ready to sit down whenever the protesters wanted.
Xu Weiwei in Hong Kong contributed to this story.
Agencies via Xinhua