Bangladesh Parliament Dissolved

DHAKA: Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Tuesday dissolved parliament to make way for the formation of an interim administration.

Based on the decision from a meeting of Bangladesh 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 has been dissolved, says a press release.

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It adds that BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has been released.

The release also says 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.

Earlier Bangladesh’s protesting students leaders demanded on Tuesday that parliament be dissolved and warned of a “strict programme” if their deadline was not met, a day after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country.

Nahid Islam, one of the key organisers of the student movement against Hasina, said in a video on Facebook with three other leaders that parliament should be dissolved by 3 pm (0900 GMT) on Tuesday and asked “revolutionary students to be ready” if that did not happen.

Bangladesh’s army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman was due to meet student leaders at 0600 GMT to discuss the formation of an interim government that is expected to hold elections soon after it takes over. Zaman had announced Hasina’s resignation on Monday.

It was not immediately clear if the meeting had taken place and if the students’ deadline to dissolve parliament came after the meeting.