Dhaka: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has reportedly departed from the Dhaka palace for a “safer place”, amid rising unrest and increasing pressure on her administration. This development raises the possibility of her resignation, according to a source close to the leader.
On Monday, a senior advisor to Sheikh Hasina suggested that her resignation was a “possibility”, though the exact circumstances remain unclear. “The situation is such that this is a possibility, but I don’t know how it will happen,” the advisor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.
In response to the escalating protests, which have seen hundreds of thousands demanding her resignation, Sheikh Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, has called on the country’s security forces to prevent any takeover of her rule. “Your duty is to keep our people safe and our country safe and to uphold the constitution,” Joy, who is also an information and communications technology advisor, stated in a Facebook post. “It means don’t allow any unelected government to come in power for one minute, it is your duty,” he emphasized.
Joy warned that Bangladesh’s progress could be at risk if his mother were forced out of office. “Everything of our development and progress will vanish. Bangladesh would not be able to come back from there,” he cautioned. “I don’t want that and you also do not want that. Myself, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, will not let that happen as long as I can.”
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As the situation continues to develop, Bangladesh’s army chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, is expected to address the nation, according to a military spokesman who provided no further details. The protests, which began over civil service job quotas, have escalated into some of the most intense unrest of Hasina’s 15-year tenure and have broadened to include demands for her resignation.
This turmoil echoes past political crises in Bangladesh. In January 2007, the military declared an emergency amid widespread unrest and installed a caretaker government for two years.
As the nation stands at a critical crossroads, the uncertainty surrounding Sheikh Hasina’s leadership remains high, with the world closely watching Bangladesh’s next moves.
