Hours after Sheikh Hasina resigned as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh amid increasing violence in the nation, President Mohammed Shahabuddin announced the release of jailed opposition leader and former PM Khaleda Zia. The BNP chief was freed from the prison on Tuesday, a party spokesperson said.
According to a press release, it was "unanimously decided" to release the Begum Khaleda Zia, chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
TRACK: Bangladesh Protests LIVE
The meeting also decided to release all those who were detained in various cases related to the "student against discrimination movement". A strong consensus to ensure communal harmony is not disrupted in the nation in any way was also reached, it added.
Army Chief Waker-Uz-Zaman, heads of the Navy, Air Force and top opposition leaders including that of BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami were in attendance at the meeting.
Notably, Khaleda Zia was sent to jail in 2018 after she was sentenced to 17 years in prison in a graft case. The now 78-year-old leader is sick and confined to a hospital.
WHO IS KHALEDA ZIA
Born on August 15, 1945, Khaleda Zia is the chairperson of the leading opposition party in the nation, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Zia is considered a staunch rival of Sheikh Hasina and the duo's tiff is often termed as the 'Battle of Begums'.
Zia's political journey began after the assassination of her husband, Ziaur Rahman, who served as Bangladesh's President from 1977 to 1981. Rahman also founded the BNP n 1978.
Zia became the first female Prime Minister of Bangladesh in 1991 and the second woman to lead a Muslim-dominant nation after Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto. She again served as the nation's PM from 2001 to 2006.
After the end of her term, the 2007 January elections were delayed by the political unrest and violence in Bangladesh, leading to a military takeover of the interim government.
During this time, Zia and her two sons charged with corruption. She was sent to jail for 17 years in a graft case in 2018.
However now, owing to multiple health issues, Zia is admitted to a hospital and confined to its spaces. She reportedly travels abroad for medical treatment quite often.
BANGLADESH PROTESTS
Amid the increasing tensions and unrest in the nation Sheikh Hasina stepped down as the PM and fled Dhaka as protestors stormed her fortified house. Hasina is now in a safe house in India. The former PM is reportedly expected to seek asylum in the United Kingdom.
Notably, the Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin also announced the dissolving of the Parliament after Hasina's abrupt resignation.
The nation's army also noted that an interim government will be formed as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, the US, UN and many other countries are closely monitoring the situation in Bangladesh, with Washington urging for an end to the violence and forming of an interim government in a democratic and inclusive manner.
