BD Premier Hasina Wajid quits, flees to India

KABUL (Pajhwok): Amid deadly protests against the job quota system, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid stood down and left the country on Monday, media reports say.

Reuters quoted a government source as saying Hasina and her sister had been taken to a "safe shelter" away from her official residence in Dhaka.

Law Minister Anisul Huq told the UK-based media outlet: "You see, the situation is very volatile. What is happening, I myself don’t know."

In disregard of a curfew imposed last evening, tens of thousands of protesters entered Hasina’s residence in Dhaka. She was not even allowed to record a speech, a Pakistani TV channel reported.

According to Reuters, armoured personnel carriers and troops patrolled Dhaka streets, where little civilian traffic was seen.

Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman is expected to speak on the situation after concluding talks with some stakeholders, outside the military.

An aide to the premier told AFP: "The situation is such that this (resignation) is a possibility, but I don’t know how it will happen."

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s private TV channel Geo News reported the embattled prime minister had flown to neighbouring India.

Her resignation comes after more than 100 people lost their lives in anti-government protests across the South Asian nation on Sunday and Monday.

PAN Monitor/mud