New Delhi:
Sheikh Hasina, 77, the feted head of the Awami League and three-time prime minister of Bangladesh, resigned today amid a 45-minute ultimatum from the army and took a flight out of the violence-ravaged nation to an unknown destination. It would likely be familiar territory for a leader who began her political journey in exile following the assassination of her father by Bangladeshi army officers.
Sheikh Mujibur Rehman – whose statue has been desecrated by today’s violence – was the charismatic leader who led East Pakistan to independence and the birth of a new nation.
Sheikh Hasina, just 28 when Mujibur Rehman was assassinated, remained in exile from 1975 until the late 1980s. In exile, she rose through the ranks to head the party founded by her father and, upon her return, immersed herself in politics.
In 1996, she led the Awami League to victory in national elections, becoming Bangladesh’s first female prime minister.
The first years of his administration brought a phase of enormous growth to Bangladesh, both in terms of economy and infrastructure, which led to rapid changes in living standards in what was once one of the poorest nations in the world.
But her tense relationship with the judiciary and her handling of a previous series of protests gave rise to a generation of critics who accused her of totalitarianism and autocracy. Her victory in two subsequent elections resulted in widespread allegations of fraud – adding layers of controversy to one of the country’s most prominent leaders at the time.
Sheikh Hasina’s efforts to bring peace after 25 years of conflict in the Chittagong Hill Tracts were recognized by UNESCO with the Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize in 1998.
The current wave of student protests – which began weeks ago over quotas in public jobs for the families of freedom fighters – has unexpectedly turned into demands for their dismissal.
As the violence continued, the army took action today, defining what some consider to be the final chapter in the political career of the leader, whose life has reflected the nation’s ups and downs since her birth in 1947.
In her tumultuous career, Sheikh Hasina faced grenade attacks and assassination attempts. She was placed under house arrest three times by the army, once because of her opposition to the coup and seizure of power. Lieutenant General Hussain Muhammad Ershad. Many believe that it is still premature to compose her political epitaph.
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