From her hospital bed, former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia congratulated the nation, stating that it has been "liberated" through the efforts of "our valiant children." After being released from prison following Sheikh Hasina's resignation and departure, Zia also expressed gratitude to those who prayed for her health and freedom.

"This victory has brought us to a new beginning. We have to build a new country, a prosperous Bangladesh, from the wreckage of democracy and corruption. The students and youth are our future. We will realize the dreams for which they sacrificed their lives," she said in a video message posted on social media.

She expressed heartfelt thanks to the "brave children" who fought and died to achieve what seemed impossible and paid respect to the hundreds of martyrs.

Zia, a two-time Prime Minister and leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, was released by order of President Mohammed Shahabuddin just hours after Sheikh Hasina's ouster. Convicted of corruption in 2018 and sentenced to 17 years, Zia had been in hospital for much of her imprisonment due to ill health.

Despite Hasina's departure, violence continues to plague the country, with twenty bodies of Awami League leaders discovered since she left Dhaka. Nobel laureate and microfinance pioneer Muhammad Yunus, now heading the army-backed interim government, has called for calm.

Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Bangladesh's founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, stepped down and fled after a 45-minute ultimatum from the army. Currently in India, she is being given time to "recover" before discussing her next steps, according to Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar.

Jaishankar explained to the Lok Sabha that Hasina's request for entry to India was granted promptly, and flight clearance was simultaneously received from Bangladeshi authorities.