ALBAWABA- In a significant political development, the President of Bangladesh has ordered the release of former Prime Minister and opposition leader Khaleda Zia after years of detention.
This decision comes amidst a backdrop of widespread unrest that has reportedly left at least 56 people dead, according to police and medical sources.
Khaleda Zia, who served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006, was the country's first female prime minister and the second in the Muslim world after Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto.
She is the widow of former President Ziaur Rahman and has been the chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) since 1984, a party founded by her late husband in 1978.
Zia's political career faced a significant setback following the end of her government's term in 2006. The 2007 elections were delayed due to political violence and internal strife, leading to a military takeover by a caretaker government.
During this period, she and her two sons were charged with corruption. In 2018, Zia was sentenced to 17 years in prison for corruption related to the Zia Orphanage Trust and the Zia Charitable Trust cases, where she was accused of abusing her power as Prime Minister.
The recent unrest was sparked by student-led protests demanding the cancellation of the employment quota system and broader reforms.
These protests culminated in the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India after 18 years of ruling Bangladesh.
The protests have not only succeeded in pushing for reforms but have also resulted in a significant political shift in the South Asian Muslim-majority nation.
