Bangladesh President Orders Immediate Release of Jailed Opposition Leader Khaleda Zia Following Sheikh Hasina's Resignation

Just hours after Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post of Prime Minister and left the country, Bangladesh President Mohammad Shahabuddin has taken a big decision. He ordered the release of jailed opposition leader and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.

According to the press release, this decision was taken in a meeting with the opposition party members. The press release said, "The President has unanimously decided to release Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) President Begum Khaleda Zia immediately."

The meeting in which the decision to release Zia was taken was attended by Army Chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman, Navy and Air Force chiefs and top leaders of several opposition parties including BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami Party.

The President said, "It has also been decided in the meeting to release all those arrested during the student protests."

78-year-old Khaleda Zia considered a strong opponent of Sheikh Hasina, is the head of the main opposition party Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Khaleda Zia became the first woman prime minister of Bangladesh in 1991. Her political career began after the assassination of her husband Ziaur Rahman. Khaleda Zia was sent to jail in 2018 after being sentenced to 17 years in a corruption case. Currently, Khaleda is unwell and hospitalized.

Khaleda Zia is the head of the main opposition party Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which is the main opposition party of Hasina's Awami League. This jailed leader is considered a staunch opponent of Sheikh Hasina. The Awami League, which describes itself as a party with liberal and secular ideology, often accused the BNP of supporting radical militants.