DHAKA: Bangladesh President Mohammad Shahabuddin resigned on Friday citing deteriorating health and inability to continue the constitutional duties of the office, ending his five-year term early in April 2028. Shahabuddin oversaw the country during a turbulent period following the “rebellion” against the Sheikh Hasina government, which led to his stepping down as Prime Minister.Shahabuddin’s departure comes amid growing pressure on the BNP government from the Jamaat-e-Islami-led opposition demanding that constitutional posts should no longer be held by people “appointed” during the previous Hasina-led Awami League administration.In his resignation letter addressed to Jatiya Sangsad (Parliament) Chairman Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, who has assumed the responsibility of the Speaker, Shahabuddin said, “I am suffering from heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and kidney complications. I have had coronary artery bypass surgery. I have also been diagnosed with Autonomic Neuropathy. Due to this disease I lose consciousness again and again. “Due to the progression of the disease, it has become impossible for me to properly discharge the important constitutional responsibilities of the President.”Shahabuddin, a veteran of the 1971 liberation war and a former lower judiciary judge, was sworn in in April 2023. He was elected to the highest post by the previous Parliament and was the only person to retain his constitutional post long after the violent ‘revolt’ of July–August 2024.