Protests in Bangladesh | The prime minister fled the country, the president dissolved parliament, more than 100 dead

Bangladesh’s president, Mohammed Shahabudin, dissolved parliament on Tuesday (6 August). This was a key demand of the protesters after the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

China is closely following developments in Bangladesh. As a friendly neighbor and comprehensive strategic partner of Bangladesh, China sincerely hopes that social stability will soon be restored in the country.

CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY

Hasina, 76, resigned and left the country on Monday, August 5. It landed at a Hindon military airfield near Delhi, India, Reuters said, citing two Indian government officials. India’s National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval, welcomed Hasina there.

Students in Bangladesh began a demonstration in early July against a quota system that reserves some government jobs for the families of veterans of the country’s 1971 war of independence. However, the Supreme Court overturned the decision on job quotas on July 21. The protests continued after the authorities’ response was very violent and led to deaths. Justice began to be demanded for those killed in the protests and they called on Hasina to resign.

The police headquarters in Dhaka and other government buildings were attacked and set on fire. The protesters tried to tear down a statue of the leader of the independence movement, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina’s father.

In July at least 150 people were killed and thousands more were injured in clashes with law enforcement.

Liu Zongyi, director of the Center for South Asian Studies (Shanghai Institute of International Studies) told the Global Times that “the protests started more for good economic reasons and not so much for political reasons.”

Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, around 170 million on an area of almost 148,000 square kilometers (half the area of Romania), with a young population (34% under 15 years old) and a low level of economic development.

Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Institute of Strategy at Tsinghua University, said the unrest in Bangladesh has highlighted the challenges facing many developing countries.

After Hasina’s resignation on Monday, the military chief announced in a televised speech that he was temporarily taking control of the country and that soldiers would try to stop the unrest. Zaman has held talks with the leaders of major political parties, with the exception of Hasina’s Awami League, The Guardian reported. It is quite possible that the opposition, through the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), will form the future government.

Hasina’s resignation could affect diplomatic ties between India and Bangladesh, due to New Delhi’s close ties with Hasina and her family. Some analysts believe that India also has the ability and motivation to show restraint, to avoid growing anti-India attitudes in Bangladesh and may not offer asylum to Hasina. The Indian television channel Times Now reported that Hasina will leave for London.