End of Sheikh Hasina's 15-Year Rule in Bangladesh with Resignation and Flight from the Country

After thousands of protesters defied martial law regulations and attacked the official residence of Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, she resigned from her position after 15 years in power. According to international news agencies, this news was confirmed on Monday, August 7, by military officials and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh. AFP reports that Sheikh Hasina fled her residence by helicopter and left Bangladesh. CNN-News 18 of India reported, citing military officials, that she has entered Indian territory. Reports indicate that thousands entered Sheikh Hasina's official residence in Dhaka on Monday after weeks of violent protests and clashes with security forces. General Waker-uz-Zaman, the commander of the Bangladesh Army, immediately announced that a temporary government would be formed following the Prime Minister's resignation and her flight from the capital. In a televised address confirming the Prime Minister's resignation, he stated, 'We will form a temporary government.' The new wave of clashes in Bangladesh has left over 90 dead and hundreds injured. The commander of the Bangladesh Army stated that 'the country has suffered greatly, the economy has been hit, many people have died, and it is time to stop the violence.' He mentioned that he had discussions with the President and major opposition parties to form a temporary government. Waker-uz-Zaman, who has served in the army for nearly four decades, added, 'If the situation improves, there will be no need for a state of emergency,' and committed that new officials would 'prosecute all murders' following weeks of deadly protests. He urged students, who were the main force behind recent protests in Bangladesh, to help 'maintain calm' in the country. Protests in Bangladesh began peacefully in late June as students sought to end the quota system for government jobs, but escalated into violence following clashes between protesters and police and government-supporting activists at Dhaka University. These quotas prioritize the employment of women, residents of underdeveloped areas, and other marginalized groups, but the most controversial aspect of these laws is the allocation of 30% of positions to the children of victims of the Bangladesh Liberation War against Pakistan in 1971. These laws were introduced in 1972 by Bangladesh's independence leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and were revised in 2018 under pressure from student protests. However, in June, the Bangladesh Supreme Court annulled these reforms and ordered the government to reinstate the quota for government jobs allocated to the relatives of veterans. According to the Associated Press, the government's efforts to suppress protests, impose martial law, and cut off the internet backfired, leading to increased anger as nearly 300 people were killed and calls for the end of Sheikh Hasina's 15-year rule intensified. During clashes between protesters and security officials and ruling party activists across the country on Sunday, nearly 100 people were killed. The 76-year-old Sheikh Hasina was elected for a fourth consecutive term in January this year in elections boycotted by the opposition. Reports indicate that thousands of opposition members were arrested before the elections, which the government deemed democratic. Ms. Hasina has the longest leadership tenure in Bangladesh's history, a predominantly Muslim country with a population of over 160 million located between India and Myanmar.