President Claims No Documentary Proof on Sheikh Hasina’s Resignation
President Md. Sahabuddin said he “had heard” that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had resigned, but “he did not have any documentary proof or documents” in this regard. He said these in a special interview given to Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, chief editor of the national daily Manab Zamin newspaper. This interview was published in ‘Janatar Chokh’, the political magazine edition of Manab Zamin newspaper on Saturday (October 19).
About the resignation of Sheikh Hasina, in the words of Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, “If the prime minister’s resignation letter has really been submitted, then someone should have a copy of it. But after three weeks of searching in different places, no one could find it. Even the Cabinet Division, where the resignations of the President, Prime Minister, and ministers are usually kept, has been contacted. However, nothing was found there either.”
As a last resort, he sought out to President and got the chance to know the answer directly from the President. On August 5, the then prime minister Sheikh Hasina left the country in the face of student movement and mass protests. Article 57(a) of the Constitution states that the resignation of the prime minister must be submitted to the President. However, the President said “no resignation letter of Sheikh Hasina or any related evidence has reached him”.
In the words of the President, “I have tried many times to collect the resignation letter but failed. Maybe she did not get any time.” In the interview, the President said, “At 10:30 am on August 5, a call came from the Prime Minister’s residence to Bangabhaban, saying that the Prime Minister would come to meet the President. After that, preparations started at Bangabhaban. But within an hour, another call came saying that she (Sheikh Hasina) was not coming.”
“There is news of instability all around. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I can’t sit around depending on the rumours. So, I asked Military Secretary General Adil to inquire. But he said he had no news either. We were waiting. I was also watching news scrolls on TV. No news anywhere. At one point, I heard she (Sheikh Hasina) left the country. She didn’t tell me anything,” he said.
The President said, “When Chief of Army Staff General Waker came to Bangabhaban, I tried to find out whether the prime minister had resigned or not. Same answer. He told me that he heard she resigned. It seems that she did not have time to tell.” “When everything came under control, one day the Cabinet Secretary came to collect the copy of the resignation letter. I told him – I am also looking,” he said.
At one stage of the conversation with Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, the President said, “There is no room for debate on this matter. The prime minister is gone and that is the truth. However, I have sought the opinion of the Supreme Court to ensure that this question never arises again.”
In view of the reference sent by the President, the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Obaidul Hasan gave their opinion in this regard on August 8. It said that “an Interim Government may be formed to fill Constitutional vacuums in situations that may arise and to carry out the executive duties properly”. The Appellate Division opined that the President can administer the oath to the Chief Adviser and advisers of the Interim Government.
However, in his Address to the Nation on August 5, the President said, “Dear countrymen, Assalamu Alaikum, you know that prime minister Sheikh Hasina has submitted her resignation letter to the President and I have accepted it.” The Students Against Discrimination (SAD) Movement’s long march to Dhaka was on August 5 to succeed the ongoing all-out non-cooperation movement demanding the government’s resignation. Prior to this, this student body was formed around the Quota Reform Movement had announced a new two-day program. This movement continues throughout July. At one point, the government reformed the quota.
However, due to the loss of lives and violence surrounding the Quota Reform Movement, there was a strong demand for Sheikh Hasina’s resignation. After 11:00 am on August 5, people poured on the road to Dhaka. They started coming from different places “breaking the curfew”. At one point, important points including Shahbagh and Central Shaheed Minar became crowded.
Awami League president Sheikh Hasina was forced to leave the country after resigning from the post of prime minister due to the mass uprising led by the masses-students. On that day, AFP reported that Sheikh Hasina and her younger sister Sheikh Rehana had left the Ganabhaban to a safe place. Later, it is learned that she flew to India.
