Islamabad, 7 August 2024 (TDI): Pakistan on Wednesday expressed solidarity with the people of Bangladesh and hoped for a “peaceful and swift return to normalcy” after deadly protests led to the exit of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s two days ago.
The statement comes as a caretaker government is likely to be formed under the leadership of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus after student protest leaders urged him to do so.
The movement that toppled Hasina rose out of demonstrations on the issue of public sector job quotas, seen by critics as a means to reserve jobs for allies of the ruling Awami League party.
The government and people of Pakistan stand in solidarity with the people of Bangladesh, sincerely hoping for a peaceful and swift return to normalcy, the Foreign Office said in a statement.
We are confident that the resilient spirit and unity of the people of Bangladesh will lead them towards a harmonious future, it added.
Over 400 people have died since July as security forces sought to quell the unrest but the demonstrations grew and Hasina finally quit and fled to India on a helicopter on Monday after the military turned against her.
“Confident that […] unity of Bangladeshi people will lead them towards a harmonious future,” FO says after violent protests end Hasina’s rule.https://t.co/I4czoHB2AN
— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) August 7, 2024
She is staying at a safe house outside New Delhi.
Bangladesh’s army chief General Wakeruz Zaman announced on Monday that the military would set up an interim government, saying it was “time to stop the violence”.
The next day, President Mohammed Shahabuddin dissolved parliament — a major demand of the student leaders and the main opposition Bangladesh National Party (BNP), which has demanded elections within three months.
Hasina’s arch-rival, BNP chairperson and ex-prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia, was also freed from years of house arrest.
Bangladesh’s Interim Government
Meanwhile, protest leaders have said they expect members of an interim government, headed by Yunus, to be finalised today.
Bangladesh’s president appointed Yunus as the head of the interim government late on Tuesday and said the remaining members should be finalised soon to overcome the current crisis and pave the way for elections.
Yunus called for calm and urged Bangladeshis to use the opportunity to build a better nation.
