- By Aashish Vashistha
- Tue, 22 Oct 2024 08:22 AM (IST)
- Source:PTI
Bangladeshi President Mohammed Shahabuddin has claimed that he did not have any documentary evidence of Sheikh Hasina’s resignation as the prime minister, adding that she probably did not have the time to do so. In an interview with the Dhaka Tribune, Shahabuddin recalled the tense events leading up to Hasina's unexpected departure.
He detailed a scheduled meeting with Hasina that was abruptly cancelled just an hour before she fled, describing the day as significant ‘unrest’. “Within an hour, another call came, saying she was not coming,” he said.
Shahbuddin said that he and the army chief General Waker had "heard" about Hasina's resignation but there was no documented evidence of it. “When everything was under control, one day, the cabinet secretary came to collect a copy of the resignation letter. I told him I was also looking for it,” he said.
"There was news of unrest everywhere. I did not know what was going to happen. I could not just sit around relying on rumours. So I asked my military secretary, General Adil (Major General Mohammad Adil Choudhury), to look into it. He also had no information. We were waiting and checking the TV scrolls. There was no news anywhere. At one point, I heard that she had left the country without informing me. I am telling you the truth as it is," he added.
“Anyway, when the army chief, General Waker, came to Bangabhaban, I tried to find out whether the prime minister had resigned. The answer was the same: he heard she had resigned but probably did not get the time to inform us.," he further added.
Meanwhile, Hasina's son Sajeeb Wazed earlier said that Hasina never "officially resigned" as she did not have the time to do so. “My mother never officially resigned. She didn’t get the time,” Wazed said from Washington.
“She had planned to make a statement and submit her resignation. But then the protesters started marching on the prime minister’s residence. And there was no time. My mother wasn’t even packed. As far as the constitution goes, she is still the prime minister of Bangladesh,” he further said.