Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has been appointed as the head of Bangladesh's interim government, Dhaka Tribune reported. Bangladesh President's Press Secretary Joynal Abedin made the announcement.
The decision regarding the appointment of Bangladesh's interim government head was made during a meeting between President Shahabuddin and the coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.
Joynal Abedin said that the remaining members of the interim government will be finalized after talks with various political parties, according to the Dhaka Tribune report.
Earlier, a 13-member team from the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement traveled to Bangabhaban to discuss Bangladesh's current situation and the outline of the interim government, Dhaka Tribune reported. They traveled to Bangabhaban on Tuesday at 6 pm (local time) to call on the President and the chiefs of the three armed forces
India evacuates non-essential staff and their families from Indian embassy in Bangladesh'
Bangladesh is facing a fluid political situation with Sheikh Hasina tendering her resignation from her post in the wake of mounting protests on August 5.
The protests, led mainly by students demanding an end to the quota system for government jobs, evolved into anti-government demonstrations.
A day after Sheikh Hasina resigned as Prime Minister of Bangladesh and left the country, President Mohammed Shahabuddin announced the dissolution of the country's parliament to make way for the formation of an interim administration, Dhaka Tribune reported.
Based on the decision from a meeting of President Shahabuddin with the heads of the three armed forces, leaders of various political parties, representatives of civil society, and leaders of the Students Against Discrimination movement, the national parliament was dissolved, a press release from the president's office stated.
It further said that Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson Khaleda Zia has been released from jail. The statement said that the process of releasing those detained in the student movement and various cases from July 1 to August 5 has begun, with many already being freed.
In a statement on Monday, the president's press team said that a meeting led by Shahabuddin had "decided unanimously" to free Khaleda Zia immediately.
Bangladesh’s former foreign minister Hassan Mahmud and ex-state minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak were detained on Tuesday at the Dhaka airport while attempting to flee the country, a day after prime minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country following deadly protests against her government.
Mahmud went to Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to "catch a flight en route to Delhi", an Airport Aviation Security (AVSEC) official was quoted as saying by the Dhaka Tribune newspaper.
He was detained at the airport while attempting to flee Bangladesh, the official added.
Mahmud served as the foreign minister in the deposed Hasina government.According to media reports, the former foreign minister earlier attempted to flee through a land port with India but was not allowed to cross the border.
His detention came hours after former state minister for post, telecommunication and ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak was barred from leaving the country by airport authorities.
Palak was detained at the airport and handed over to the Air Force authorities who are currently in-charge of handling the security system of the airport
Earlier reports claimed that several top leaders and lawmakers of Hasina's Awami League and cabinet ministers left the country ahead of her departure.
Awami League general secretary and road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader left the country on Sunday night.
Ex-law minister Anisul Huq left the country to unknown destination ahead of Hasina's resignation, his personal aide said.
The deposed premier's private industry and investment adviser and lawmaker Salman F Rahman also fled the country on Sunday night, according to his aides, who however, could not confirm which country he was heading to.
Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor and Hasina's nephew Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh left Dhaka on a Biman flight on Saturday morning with aviation sources saying he boarded a Singapore-bound aircraft. Controversial lawmaker Shamim Osman also fled the country last week.
Former education minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury and local government, rural development and cooperatives minister Md Tazul Islam left the country through the airport.
"The meeting has also decided to free all the people who have been arrested during the student protests," the president's statement added.
UK calls for UN-led probe into Bangladesh crisis; no mention of asylum to Sheikh Hasina
Foreign Secretary David Lammy says the UK wants to see a 'peaceful and democratic future' for the South Asian country
Black smoke rises from the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) during clashes between protesters and Awami League members, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. PT
The UK Government called for a United Nations-led probe into the unrest that led to the resignation of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the UK wants to see a “peaceful and democratic future” for the South Asian country as Hasina resigned and fled Bangladesh on Monday.
However, there was no mention of the asylum for Hasina, which the former Bangladeshi Prime Minister is seeking.
“The last two weeks in Bangladesh have seen unprecedented levels of violence and tragic loss of life... All sides must work together to restore calm under a transitional government,” David Lammy said in a statement on Monday.
“The people of Bangladesh deserve a full and independent UN-led investigation into the events of the past few weeks,” the UK Foreign Secretary said, adding that his country wants to “see action taken to ensure Bangladesh a peaceful and democratic future.”
“The UK and Bangladesh have deep people-to-people links and shared Commonwealth values,” he added.
Notably, India will offer comprehensive logistical support as Hasina pursues asylum in the UK. Her stay in India is approved only temporarily, pending her relocation to the UK.
On Monday, Hasina landed at the Hindon Air Base in Ghaziabad, hours after resigning from the post, as thousands of protesters stormed and vandalised 'Ganabhaban' - the official residence of the Prime Minister in Dhaka.
It was reported that over 100 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured in the clashes that took place between police and the protesters on Sunday.
The student-led non-cooperation movement put immense pressure on Hasina's government over the past few weeks.
The students had been protesting against a 30 per cent reservation in government jobs for relatives of freedom fighters who wrested independence for Bangladesh from Pakistan in a bloody civil war in 1971 in which, according to Dhaka officials, three million people were killed in the genocide by Pakistani troops and their supporters.
