Khaleda Zia, 78, was sentenced to 17 years in prison for corruption in 2018. (File)
Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Monday ordered the release of jailed former prime minister and prominent opposition leader Khaleda Zia, hours after his arch-rival Sheikh Hasina was ousted and the military seized power.
The president’s press team said in a statement that a meeting led by Shahabuddin “unanimously decided to immediately release Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairwoman Begum Khaleda Zia.”
Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, along with the chief of the navy and air force, and top leaders of several opposition parties, including the BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islami party, attended the meeting.
“The meeting also decided to release all people who were arrested during the student protests,” the statement added.
On Monday morning, Waker-Uz-Zaman said in a broadcast to the nation on state television that Sheikh Hasina had resigned and that the military would form an interim government.
“The meeting decided to immediately form an interim government,” he added.
Sheikh Hasina has tried to suppress nationwide protests against her rule since early July, but fled the country after brutal riots on Sunday in which nearly 100 people were killed.
Khaleda Zia, 78, is in poor health and confined to hospital after being sentenced to 17 years in prison for corruption in 2018.
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