Bangladesh's president orders release of opposition leader Khaleda Zia

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) — Bangladesh's president late on Monday ordered the release of opposition leader Khaleda Zia hours after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country in the face of widespread protests.

A statement from Mohammed Shahabuddin’s office said that all political parties had agreed to dissolve parliament to form a transitional government as announced earlier by military chief Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman.

The decision comes after leaders of opposition parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami, met Shahabuddin for talks.

Zia, founder of the BNP, has been under arrest since 2018.

It added that all those detained during mass student protests will be released, while Zaman has pledged a probe into the deaths of protesters in recent days.

A statement from the military said all offices will open starting Tuesday, after weeks of violent demonstrations in which some 300 students died.

Earlier, student movement leaders blasted Hasina over alleged violations of human rights during her 15 years in power.

"We will bring Hasina to justice even if she has fled the country," Nahid Islam, a key coordinator of the protests, told a reporter in the capital Dhaka.

Islam said the outline of the transitional government will be formulated in the next 24 hours.