Sheikh Hasina, 77, feted chief of the Awami League and three-time Prime Minister of Bangladesh, stepped down today amid a 45-minute ultimatum of the army and took a flight out of the violence-torn nation for an unknown destination. It would probably be familiar territory for a leader who started her political journey with an exile after the assassination of her father by officers of the Bangladesh army.
Sheikh Mujibur Rehman — whose statue was desecrated in today’s violence — was the charismatic leader who led East Pakistan to Independence and the birth of a new nation.
Sheikh Hasina, only 28 when Mujibur Rehman was assassinated, remained in exile from 1975 to late 1980s. While in exile, she rose through the ranks to head the party her father founded and on her return, dived into politics.
In 1996, she steered Awami League to victory in the national election, becoming the first woman Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
The initial years of her stewardship brought a phase of huge growth to Bangladesh in terms of both economy and infrastructure that led to rapid change in the living standards in what once was one of the world’s poorest nations.
But her strained relationship with the judiciary and handling of an earlier series of protests gave rise to a generation of critics who accused her of totalitarianism and autocracy. Her victory in two subsequent elections saw widespread allegations of rigging – adding layers of controversy to one of the country’s most prominent leaders of the time.
Sheikh Hasina’s efforts to bring peace after 25 years of conflict in the Chittagong Hill Tracts was recognised by the UNESCO with the Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize in 1998.
The current wave of student protests – which had started weeks ago as one about quota in government jobs to the families of freedom fighters – had unexpectedly snowballed into demands for her resignation.
As the violence continued, the army took action today, scripting what some see as the last chapter of the political career of the leader whose life has mirrored the ups and downs of the nation since her birth in 1947.
In her tumultuous career, Sheikh Hasina has faced grenade attacks and assassination attempts. She had been placed thrice under house arrest by the army, once over her opposition to the coup and assumption of power by. Lt. Gen. Hussain Muhammad Ershad. Many believe it is still too premature to compose her political epitaph.
