DHAKA: Bangladeshi President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Tuesday dissolved the 12th Parliament, which was formed through the January 7 national elections amid the opposition boycott of polls.
Hasina Wajed became the prime minister of Bangladesh for a record fifth time as all the opposition parties boycotted the elections.
The student protesters’ body gave an ultimatum to the President and the Bangladesh Army to refrain from forming an interim government and set a 3 pm deadline to dissolve the parliament.
In a press release, Bangabhaban said, “The decision to dissolve the parliament was taken following the president’s discussions with chiefs of the three armed forces, leaders of different political parties, representatives of civil society, and leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.”
The press release also stated that BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was freed. Moreover, the process to release those arrested between July 1 and August has started, and many have already been released.
The announcement came hours after protesting student leaders set a deadline to dissolve parliament and warned a “strict program” would be launched if their deadline was not met.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s mainstream newspaper, quoting a reliable source, confirmed to The Daily Star that Muhammad Yunus has accepted the students’ nomination to lead the country’s interim government in the wake of Sheikh Hasina Wazed’s ouster and fleeing from Dhaka.
“When I was contacted on behalf of the students, I didn’t agree at first. I told them I had a lot of work to finish. But the students repeatedly requested me,” the source quoted Yunus as saying.
“Many people lost their lives in this movement, and many students and common people were killed. Now Bangladesh has the opportunity to run the country properly. And it is possible only if you take responsibility. If you don’t agree to take responsibility, it won’t be good for any of us. That’s why we’re asking you to take responsibility,” one of the students argued.
“I also considered that these students had protested so much; they had to pay so much for it,” Dr. Yunus was quoted as saying.
“If the students can sacrifice so much, if the people of the country can sacrifice so much, then I also have some responsibility. Then I told the students that I can take the responsibility,” he said.
Yunus went to Paris as a special guest at the invitation of the Olympic Committee. However, he is still abroad for his treatment. Dr. Yunus is expected to return to Bangladesh “as soon as possible.”
Read more: Bangladeshi ‘Hasina’ Escapes After Resigning Amid Countrywide Bloody Protests; Flees to India
