Bangladesh Protests: On Monday, General Waker-uz-Zaman, the Chief of the Bangladesh Military, announced the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in response to escalating protests. However, this is not the first time the Army took Bangladesh’s administration into their own hands and formed an interim government.
While the Bangladesh Army and the interim government seems to have induced hope in Bangladeshis, there are fears of reprisal violence.
“For now the hope is that the army will ensure peace”, an expert told Al Jazeera, “it could be a while before we are out of the woods”, the expert added.
Bangladesh Army Chief Waker-Uz-Zaman, who has spent nearly 40 years climbing the ranks, stated on Monday that he was “taking full responsibility” following the ousting and flight of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
“Keep faith in the military, we will investigate all the killings and punish the responsible,” he said. “I have ordered that no army and police will indulge in any kind of firing.”
Ironically, Sheikh Hasina, who in 2009 rescued Bangladesh from a military takeover, has now been ousted by nationwide protests and replaced by the Bangladesh Army.
With Sheikh Hasina gone, what next in Bangladesh?
The Army Chief has announced an invitation to other political parties to form an interim government. He also pledged to conduct fair and free elections in Bangladesh, addressing major concerns about election integrity that have plagued Sheikh Hasina’s administration since 2009.
Waker-uz-Zaman met opposition politicians, including the head of the now-banned Jamaat-e-Islami party, and civil society members before making his statement, reported AP.
The Army chief noted that he would seek the president’s guidance on forming an interim government.
According to the news agency, the Bangladesh Army chief also said that there was no need for a curfew or any emergency in the country, adding that a solution to the crisis would be found by 5 August.
Zaman also requested the protesting students to stay calm and go back home. He promised that the military would launch an investigation into the deadly crackdown on student-led protests that fueled outrage against the government.
Army and interim govt in Bangladesh
Bangladesh suffered many years of military rule in the 1970s and 80s following the war that secured its independence from Pakistan in 1971, and many are wary of the danger of a return.
The military declared an emergency in January 2007 after widespread political unrest and installed a caretaker government for two years.
Hasina then ruled Bangladesh from 2009 and won her fourth consecutive election in January 2024 after a vote without genuine opposition.
Between 1991 and 2024, general elections held during caretaker governments were the ones where people could vote freely and fairly, unlike elections held under Hasina’s government, Executive editor of Dhaka Tribune Ahmad told Al Jazeera.