Bangladesh Students Body That Spearheaded Protests Leading To Sheikh Hasina’s Ouster Set To Launch Political Party

Bangladeshi students, who spearheaded last year’s protests that eventually led to the ouster of then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, are set to launch a political party this week, Reuters reported, citing two sources with direct knowledge of the development.

The group – Students Against Discrimination (SAD) – was at the forefront of the protests that initially began as a student-led movement against job quotas but soon turned into a nationwide uprising that forced Hasina to flee to India as the unrest spread in August.

The new party is expected to be launched during an event that will likely take place on Wednesday, the sources told the agency on the condition of anonymity, adding that Nahid Islam, a student leader and adviser to the interim government in Bangladesh, is expected to lead the party as convener.

Bangladesh has been reeling under political unrest since Hasina left following weeks of protests during which ovver a thousand people are believed to have been killed.

According to the UN human rights commission, government officials from Hasina’s tenure had “systematically committed serious human rights violations” against the protesters during the uprising.

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