Ziaur Rahman

**Ziaur Rahman**
President of Bangladesh (1977-1981)

Became President:	April 21, 1977
Predecessor:	Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem
Successor:	Abdus Sattar
Date of Birth:	1936
Place of Birth:	Gabtoli, Bogra, Bangladesh

Ziaur Rahman (Bangla: জিয়াউর রহমান) (January 19, 1936 – May 30, 1981) was an East Pakistani and Bangladeshi military officer who declared the independence of Bangladesh on March 27th, 1971, on behalf of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (he had declared the independence the earlier day) and served as the 6th President of Bangladesh from 1977 to his assassination in 1981. For his role in the Bangladesh Liberation War and as president, he was one of the most popular and influential, though controversial leaders in the history of Bangladesh.

Aa a sector commander and commander of Z-Force, he got Bir Uttom, the second highest military award of Bangladesh. Was elected as one of the greatest Bengalis in a list that was topped by Zia's predecessor, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The voting was managed by BBC Bangla Radio comprising of viewers responses.

Following the Pakistan Army's crackdown against Bengali civilians and the arrest of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country's founding leader, Ziaur Rahman sided with Bengali rebels and famously declared the independence of Bangladesh in Sheikh Mujib's name and proclaimed himself Head of the Republic. After independence in 1971, Rahman became a high-ranking officer in the Bangladesh Army. Following the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975, Rahman declared himself as Chief Martial Law Administrator in 1975 and later again in 1976, and assumed the presidency in 1977.

As president, Ziaur Rahman slowly restored multi-party democracy to Bangladesh and amended the constitution, removing the provision for secularism and separation of state from religion, to make Islam the state religion, and introduced Islamic principles in government law and policy (e.g., banning gambling and public consumption of alcohol). He provided a period of stable leadership to a country that had witnessed multiple coups and military dictatorship from 1975, though he himself faced at least 18 coup attempts until he himself fell victim to assassination by military colleagues. He also controversially reinstated the assassins of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and allowed political leaders who assisted the Pakistan Army in their effort to suppress the people of the region during the civil war from 1969 to 1971, to return to Bangladesh from Pakistan, obtain full citizenship and conduct political activities. Ziaur Rahman was also the founder of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party - one of the largest right-wing political parties in the country. The BNP espouses the pro-Islamic, nationalist ideals that Ziaur Rahman himself promoted. The present Prime Minister of Bangladesh and BNP chief, Begum Khaleda Zia, is his widow. Zia had two sons, Tareq and Arafat. Both are active today in Bangladesh society; Tareq Rahman as a political figure within the BNP, and Arafat as a businessman and sports activist.

Early life

Ziaur Rahman was born on 19 January 1936 at Bagbari in Bogra district in the province of Bengal, and what is now North-West Bangladesh. His father was Mansur Rahman, a chemist in public service in Kolkata. After the creation of Pakistan in 1947, his father moved to Karachi.

Rahman joined the Pakistani Army in 1953 as a cadet and was commissioned in 1955 to second lieutenant's post. Two years later, in 1957, he was transferred to East Bengal Regiment. Between 1959 and 1964, he worked with the military intelligence. In 1965, during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, he fought in the Khemkaran sector as the commander of the company that was awarded the maximum number of gallantry awards for war performance. He was then appointed as a professional instructor in the Pakistan Military Academy in 1966. Later, he was sent to the Staff College in Quetta, West Pakistan for attending a command course. In 1969, he joined the 2nd East Bengal Regiment as its second-in-command at Joydevpur, then in East Pakistan.After this, he was sent to West Germany for higher training. After returning in 1970, Ziaur Rahman was promoted to the rank of Major and was transferred to the 8th East Bengal Regiment at Chittagong, as the second in command.

Military revolt

After the military crackdown by the Pakistani army at 25 March in East Pakistan, Major Ziaur Rahman sided with the rebels and joined Mukti Bahini (freedom force). At that time, Awami League (AL) Chief, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was politically active in this movement and was arrested by the Central Government of Pakistan for various charges of conspiracy and treason against the West.

East Bengal Regiment under Major Zia captured one radio broadcast centre in Kalurghat, Chittagong (Shadin Bangla Betar Kendro) and Major Zia read the independence declaration on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, which officially started the Liberation War. There is an on-going political dispute as to whether this was a declaration or an announcement. Followers of Zia claim that he had made this declaration on 26 March 1971. This is highly refuted by Belal Mohammed who had brought Major Zia to Kalurghat before he made this declaration. Belal Mohammaed claims this had happened on 27th March,1971, not the 26th. It is important to note, in this controversy, that Zia never denied or protested the official version of events from the Bangladesh government during the 1972-75, in that he declared independence on 27th March. Major Ziaur Rahman declared the independence of Bangladesh and declared himself as temporary Head of the Republic and made a broadcast using Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s name:

This is Shadhin Bangla Betar Kendro. I, Major Ziaur Rahman, at the direction of Bangobondhu Mujibur Rahman, hereby declare that the independent People's Republic of Bangladesh has been established. At his direction, I have taken command as the temporary Head of the Republic. In the name of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, I call upon all Bengalis to rise against the attack by the West Pakistani Army. We shall fight to the last to free our Motherland. By the grace of Allah, victory is ours. Joy Bangla. ^*

Ziaur Rahman was offered the gallantry award of Bir Uttom for his bravery in the liberation war. After independence, he was appointed brigade commander in Comilla. In June 1972, he was made Deputy Chief of Staff of the armed forces of Bangladesh. He was later promoted to a Brigadier in 1973 and to a Major General by the end of the same year.

Coup of 1975 and its aftermath

On 15 August 1975, the then President of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was killed along with several of his family members in a military coup. Khandakar Moshtaq Ahmad replaced Mujibur Rahman and on 25 August 1975, Ziaur Rahman was made the chief of army staff. When Brigadier Khaled Mosharraf and Dhaka Brigade under Colonel Shafat Jamil made a counter-coup on 3 November 1975, Ziaur Rahman was forced to resign was put under house arrest by Khaled Mosharraf.

Colonel Abu Taher, a left-wing supporter, staged a third successful coup with the help of army soldiers who believed in socialism and a left-wing party, the National Socialist Party (Jatiyo Samajtantrik Dal), on 7 November, Brigadier Khaled Mosharraf was killed and Colonel Shafat Jamil was arrested. Colonel Taher freed Ziaur Rahman and restored him to the post of army chief. Zia proclaimed himself Chief Martial Law Administrator (CMLA) on 7 November 1975. On the same day, at a meeting in army headquarters, and interim government was created with:

Chief Martial Law Administrator - Justice Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem
Deputy Chief Martial Law Administrators - Major General Ziaur Rahman, Air Vice Marshal MG Tawab and Rear Admiral MH Khan

Zia is also held responsible for the arrest and subsequent hanging of Colonel Taher, who was instrumental in his release and restoration to Chief of Staff 21 July 1976. This action is regarded by many as a great betrayal. Colonel Taher was a handicapped man and hanging a handicapped person was seen very negatively.

Ziaur Rahman reinstated himself as Chief Martial Law Administrator on 19 November 1976, when Justice Sayem relinquished his position. When President Sayem resigned on 21 April 1977, Rahman declared himself as President of Bangladesh and ordered martial law in the country, which lasted until 1979.

Life as President

The Leader of The Bangladeshi People

After periods of struggle, still recovering from the devastation of the 1971 Liberation War, and a major famine in 1974, Bangladesh was an exhausted nation, struggling to keep its waning nationalism in piece; such was the time when Ziaur Rahman captured power. He introduced many economic reforms which many believe helped the Bangladesh to strengthen itself. He redefined nationalism and was projected by the state-controlled media as the hero of the ordinary people. He was famous for his discipline and honesty in his personal life and was seen to be applauded by the people for his development schemes. He was a leader who travelled to many different villages himself and asked the people about their troubles and he then took actions demonstrate his attempts to solve those. In his time, Dhaka grew considerably from a small underdeveloped city to a medium sized Asian city. Today Dhaka is a bulging metroplis of 12 million people, the 11th largest city in the world. This period of development, in contrast to the economic stagnation of the immediate post-Independence period, is almost universally associated with Major Zia and his leadership.

Foreign relations

After assuming office as head of the state, Ziaur Rahman began to reorientate the country's foreign policy with more attention towards Western countries and the Middle East, moving away from the Soviet bloc as well as India. The U.S. helped the country with wheat under PL 480 law and other economic aid; they had previously been reticent in assisting Bangladesh, due in part to Zia's predecessor Sheikh Mujib's outspoken stance in favor of Cuba and the Soviet bloc. Improved relations with the Muslim countries of the Middle East (who had all sided with the Pakistan occupation forces during 1971) came about largeley as a result of Zia's move towards Islamization; the major benefit was easier access to oil for Bangladesh. Relations with Pakistan, the former colonial ruler of Bangladesh, also became much closer under Zia's rule, free of the legacy of Sheikh Mujib who had insisted on an apology for genocide and reparations before diplomatic links could be normalized.

Zia also later proposed a South Asian organization which includes seven South Asian nations. This organization was created in 1985 as the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, more popularly known as SAARC.

Changes to defence

Zia started to make changes to the country's infrastructure with this aid. He also actively strengthened the police by taking the number of officers from 40,000 to 70,000 and arranging for re-training. The armed forces' size was also boosted from less than 50,000 in 1974-75 to about 90,000 in 1976-77, partly by integrating the elite presidemtial guards (Rakhkhi Bahini) into the regular army. Zia also raised the defence budget as a proportion of GDP and actively encouraged recruitment from the peasantry, something Mujib had resisted for fear of giving the military too much strength.

Promotion of Bangladeshi nationalism

Until Ziaur Rahman's arrival, Bengali nationalism overwhelmingly dominated the political scene. Ziaur Rahman took the step of promoting a Bangladeshi nationalism, and justified his redefinition of state policy both to emphasize differences between Bengali-speakers in India and Bangladesh, and in the light of the fact that all Bangladeshis were not Bengalis (roughly 1-2% are non-Bengalis, mainly ethnic minorities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Urdu-speaking "Biharis" and other aboriginal groups such as the Santals, Garos, Manipuris and others). Zia's role in militarizing the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the only part of Bangladesh with a non-Bengali majority, and his policy of initiating mass settlement by plains Bengalis and drastically altering the population balance (Chakmas were reduced from 97% to just over 50% of the population ) have not endeared him to the non-Bengali population he claimed to be addressing with his new nationalism.

Move away from secularism

As Head of the state, Ziaur Rahman carried out several changes to the Constitution, to move away from secularism:

Insertion of Bismiliah-ir-Rahmanir Rahim (In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful) in the preamble of the Constitution;
Addition of absolute trust and faith in the Almighty Allah to Articles 8(1) and 8(1A);
Redefinition of socialism as economic and social justice in Article 8(1); and
Provision that the state shall endeavour to consolidate, preserve and strengthen fraternal relations among Muslim countries based on Islamic solidarity in Article 25(2).

Rehabilitation of alleged war criminals

Zia sought to neutralize the pro-Mujib forces which were regrouping after the events of August 15th 1975, and encouraged right-wing forces to organize and come to public prominence. He also allowed the hitherto banned Jamaat-e-Islami, to start its activities for the first time in independent Bangladesh. This was accompanied by legislation lifting the ban on use of religion in politics, that had been a cardinal principle of the state since independence in 1971. Jamaat-e-Islami (JIB), which is frequently associated with the abetters of Pakistani occupying army in 1971 war, was banned along with several other parties soon after independence on grounds of secularism and abolition of all religious parties, and because of the controversial role they had played as alleged collaborators of the occupying Pakistan army.

Golam Azam, the exiled chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami, was allowed to come back in July, 1978 with a Pakistani passport on a visitor's visa, and he remained in Bangladesh illegally following its expiry. He was not tried for either war crimes or staying in the country without a visa. 16 years later in 1994, Begum Khaleda Zia's government gave Azam his Bangladeshi citizenship following a court order. Such moves are held against Khaleda Zia and his party, BNP, by The Bangladesh Awami League (BAL).

Other controversial figures rehabilitated by Zia included Shah Azizur Rahman, who during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, had traveled around the world to appeal against support to the Bengalis (including an infamous address to the United Nations) as late as December, as the war was drawing to a close. Shah Azizur Rahman was not only reinstated in public office with a government salary, he later was appointed Prime Minister of Bangladesh by Zia in a move that was seen by his opponents as one of the most glaring examples of his fall from grace as a valiant freedom fighter.

A 2005 High Court ruling, though suspended, made most of the actions taken between 1975-1979 unlawful. This ruling came despite threats and intimadation of the judges involved in the ruling. However, the current BNP-led government has contested the ruling, and it is alleged they are extending severe pressure for the case to be dropped or delayed indefinitely.

Elections

As President, Zia announced a 19-point programme of economic reform and began dismantling the MLA. In February 1978, Jatiyatabadi Ganatantric Dal (Nationalist Democratic Party) was created with Vice President Justice Abdus Sattar as its head. Ziaur Rahman himself became the nominee of the Nationalist Front consisting of six political parties in the presidential election and won after securing 76.67% of the votes. These polls in subsequent years were found to be staged and secured with the help of the Military.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party

On 1 September 1978, Ziaur Rahman launched a party named the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) with himself as the head. In November 1978, remaining restrictions on political party activities were removed in time for parliamentary elections in February 1979.

Parliamentary elections

Parliamentary elections were held in February 1979 and Zia's party, the BNP, won 207 seats out of 300. Considerable doubt was raised about the validity of this election. In his book, "The Generals of Pakistan and Bangladesh," the author a civil servant details the rigging of this election. The first session of the National Parliament was held on 1 April. On 9 April, martial law was lifted.

After having a two-thirds majority in parliament, Zia passed a bill called Indemnity Bill, which stated that no trial will happen and no case can be made for the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. In doing so, he effectively legitimized the murder of the elected former head of state. Zia also gave Major Dalim, Major Rashid, and Major Faruk, alleged assassins of Sheikh Mujib, jobs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in subsequent years, they all became ambassadors of Bangladesh in Africa and the Middle East; again, these moves are held against Ziaur Rahman's regime by his critics. This was the proverbial quid pro quo - General Zia rewarding plotters who had murdered many and had helped him (Zia) to gain power. Many argue that the passing of the Indemnity Bill institutionalized the culture of coups and political assassination in Bangladesh, something that Zia himself fell victim to, ironically.

Last days

Many attempted coups occurred against Zia’s rule but Zia brutally suppressed them and several thousand military personnel were hanged under his regime. Most of them were former Mukti Bahini (freedom fighters) who joined the military after the liberation war. 1,800 military recruits including several hundred air force officers were executed under his regime in 1977 alone, as a result of a failed coup initiated by some members of Bangladesh Air Force. The Air Force never again regained its strength and organization in the need of skilled senior officers for many years. Some of those who were hanged were just recruits as young as 17, who were denied a trial or court martial, and their crime was by association or belonging to Units that were led by Officers in the attempted coup. Amnesty International repeatedly protested these hangings, but in vain. Many also linked Zia in the coup and the murder of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family. It has later been proven that Zia had foreknowledge of the coup, but did not directly organize it; this itself is a questionable stance since, as a senior military officer he had pledged allegiance to the government and President. It is also ironic, since mere knowledge of coup attempts was enough of a crime for Zia himself to hang several thousand military personnel while he himself was President.

Zia was assassinated in Chittagong on 30 May 1981 by a small army group, alleged to have been ordered by Major General Monjur, head of Chittagong division army. Later, Monjur was captured in a tea garden in Chittagong hilly area and killed by army personnel. It has been later alleged by General Zia's widow, Khaleda Zia, that then Army Chief General Ershad was behind this last coup against General Zia. Like Zia in the days leading up to Mujib's assassination, it is quite likely that Ershad was aware of, if nothing else, rumours concerning attempts to remove the President by disgruntled army officers.

Zia was buried at Chandrima Uddan in Sher-e-Banglanagar, Dhaka. Bangladesh's former president Ziaur Rahman, the brain behind the SAARC grouping, was honoured posthumously with the grouping's award during the Dhaka summit in 2005. His widow and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Khaleda Zia handed this award to her son Tareq Rahman who received it on behalf of his late father. The award includes 25,000 dollars, a gold medal and a certificate. The international airport in Dhaka has been named in his honour as Zia International Airport. The Chittagong Circuit House, where Zia was assassinated, has been converted to a museum to preserve his memory.

Following Zia's death, some of his family members took advantage of his popularity as a strongman. His widow, Khaleda Zia, became leader of Bangladesh Nationalist Party and was one of the leaders of the movement against military ruler and despot, General Ershad, who following the footsteps of Zia, declared himself president and formed his own political organization, the Jatiyo Party. Her strong stance (including the boycot of elections held under Ershad's regime, which other opposition leaders participated in) brought her into the limelight and gave her immense popularity and later took her to power as the elected prime minister after the fall of Ershad. She became prime minister during 1991-1996 and later from 2001-present.

In 2005, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh in a verdict declared General Zia's military rule as unconstitutional. However, the BNP-led government has appealed the decision, and no final ruling has been reached.

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