Pakistan hopes for 'peaceful and swift' return to normalcy in Bangladesh

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday expressed solidarity with the people of Bangladesh and hoped for a “peaceful and swift return to normalcy” after deadly protests that toppled over a decade of Sheikh Hasina’s rule.

“The government and people of Pakistan stand in solidarity with the people of Bangladesh, sincerely hoping for a peaceful and swift return to normalcy,” Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a statement.

She also expressed confidence that the resilient spirit and unity of the Bangladeshi people would lead them to a harmonious future.

The Govt. & people of 🇵🇰 stand in solidarity with the people of 🇧🇩, sincerely hoping for a peaceful & swift return to normalcy. We are confident that the resilient spirit and unity of the Bangladeshi people will lead them towards a harmonious future.

Islamabad
7 August 2024

— Pakistan High Commission Bangladesh (@PakinBangladesh) August 7, 2024

Following weeks on unrest over quotas in government jobs, Hasina Wazed resigned as prime minister and fled to neighboring India on Monday.

The next day, President Mohammed Shahabuddin dissolved the parliament and tasked Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus to lead the transitional government.

The decision “to form an interim government with… Yunus as its chief” was taken at a meeting of President Mohammed Shahabuddin, military leaders and the heads of the Students Against Discrimination group, Shahabuddin’s press office said.

Nahid Islam, a leader of the student group, confirmed the decision to reporters after three hours of talks at the presidential palace.

“The president has asked the people to help ride out the crisis. Quick formation of an interim government is necessary to overcome the crisis,” Shahabuddin’s office said in a statement.

Shahabuddin also sacked the national police chief in the wake of deadly protests that sparked Hasina’s departure and named a replacement, his office said.