Global InformationZiaur Rahman information
Lieutenant General Ziaur Rahman Bir Uttom, Hilal-i-Jur'at | |
|---|---|
জিয়াউর রহমান | |
 Rahman in 1979 | |
| 6th President of Bangladesh | |
| In office 21 April 1977 – 30 May 1981 | |
| Prime Minister |
|
| Vice President | Abdus Sattar |
| Preceded by | Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem |
| Succeeded by | Abdus Sattar |
| 1st Chairman of Bangladesh Nationalist Party | |
| In office 1 September 1978 – 30 May 1981 | |
| General Secretary | A. Q. M. Badruddoza Chowdhury |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Abdus Sattar |
| 2nd and 4th Chief of Army Staff | |
| In office 24 August 1975 – 3 November 1975 | |
| President | Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad |
| Prime Minister | None |
| Preceded by | K. M. Shafiullah |
| Succeeded by | Khaled Mosharraf |
| In office 7 November 1975 – 28 April 1978 | |
| President | Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem Himself |
| Prime Minister | None |
| Preceded by | Khaled Mosharraf |
| Succeeded by | Hussain Muhammad Ershad |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 January 1936 Bagbari, Bengal, British India |
| Died | 30 May 1981 (aged 45) Chittagong, Bangladesh |
| Manner of death | Assassination |
| Resting place | Mausoleum of Ziaur Rahman |
| Nationality |
|
| Political party | Bangladesh Nationalist Party |
| Spouse |
Khaleda Zia (m. 1960) |
| Children |
|
| Relatives | See Majumder–Zia family |
| Alma mater |
|
| Awards |  Bir Uttom  Independence Award  Hilal-i-Jur'at Maroon Parachute Wing  Order of the Nile  Order of the Yugoslav Star |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Pakistan (before 1971) Bangladesh |
| Branch/service |  Pakistan Army Bangladesh Army |
| Years of service | 1955–1978 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant general [1]
|
| Unit |  East Bengal Regiment |
| Commands |
|
| Battles/wars | Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Bangladesh Liberation War |
Ziaur Rahman[a] (19 January 1936 – 30 May 1981) was a Bangladeshi military officer and politician who served as the President of Bangladesh from 1977 until his assassination. He was the founder of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and served as its chairman until his assassination. He previously served as the second chief of army staff from 1975 to 1978 with a minor break.
Ziaur, sometimes known as Zia, was born in Gabtali and trained at the Pakistan Military Academy in Abbottabad. He served as a commander in the Pakistan Army in the Second Kashmir War against the Indian Army, for which he was awarded the Hilal-e-Jurrat from the Pakistani government. Ziaur was a prominent Bangladesh Forces commander during the country's Independence war from Pakistan in 1971. He originally broadcast the Bangladesh declaration of independence on 27 March from Kalurghat radio station in Chittagong. After the war of Independence, Ziaur became a brigade commander in Bangladesh Army and later the deputy chief of staff and then chief of staff of Bangladesh Army.[3] His ascent to leadership of the country resulted from a conspiracy that had begun with the killing of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding president of Bangladesh, in a military coup d'état followed by a coup and counter-revolt within the military to gain control at the helm.[citation needed] Ziaur Rahman gained de facto power as head of the government already under martial law imposed by the Mushtaq government. He took over the presidency in 1977.
As president in 1978, Ziaur Rahman founded the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (popularly known by its abbreviation BNP). He reinstated multi-party politics, freedom of the press, free speech and free markets and accountability. He initiated mass irrigation and food production programmes, including social programmes to uplift the lives of the people. His government initiated efforts to create a regional group in South Asia, which later became SAARC in 1985. He improved Bangladesh's relations with the West and China, and departed from Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's close alignment with India. Domestically, Ziaur Rahman faced as many as twenty-one coup attempts for which military tribunals were set up, resulting in thousands of Army and Air Force officers being executed, earning him a reputation of being 'strict' and 'ruthless' amongst international observers. Throughout his military career, Ziaur Rahman was awarded two gallantry awards for two campaigns he participated in; he was awarded the Hilal-i-Jurat for the Indo-Pak War in 1965, and Bir Uttom in 1972 for the Bangladesh Liberation War. He retired from the Bangladesh Army with the rank of Lt. General in 1978.[4][5]
Ziaur Rahman's death created a divided opinion on his legacy in Bangladeshi politics. Awami League supporters vilify him for alleged connections to Mujib's assassination and controversial actions during his presidency.[6][7][8][9] Critics argue that the current authoritarian regime politically motivated the negative portrayal of Ziaur's legacy.[10][11][12][13] Nevertheless, Rahman is generally credited for his role in the Liberation War, stabilizing Bangladesh, industrializing agriculture, and fostering regional cooperation.[14][15][16] His political party, the BNP, remains a major force alongside its rival, the Awami League, with his widow, Khaleda Zia, leading the party and serving two terms as prime minister.[17]
- ^ "List of Chief of Army Staff". Bangladesh Army.
- ^ "Part III: Notifications issued by the Ministry of Defence other than those included in Part I". The Bangladesh Gazette. Government of Bangladesh. 19 April 1979, reproduced between pages 90 and 91 of Mascarenhas, Anthony (1986). Bangladesh: A Legacy of Blood. Hodder and Stoughton. ISBN 0-340-39420-X.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Former Presidents, Lt. General Ziaur Rahman". Bangabhaban.gov.bd. Archived from the original on 5 June 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
- ^ Mascarenhas, Anthony (1986). Bangladesh: A Legacy of Blood. Hodder and Stoughton. p. 126. ISBN 0-340-39420-X.
- ^ "'Zia tried to undo all of Bangabandhu's work'". Dhaka Tribune. 20 August 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ "BNP founder Ziaur Rahman was involved in the 1975 carnage that killed Sheikh Mujib: Bangladesh PM". South Asia Monitor. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ "Ziaur Rahman to be stripped of 'Bir Uttam' title". The Business Standard. 10 February 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ "45 years on, families of army and air force officers executed by Gen Zia still await justice". The Business Standard. 12 December 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ "AL bent on falsely implicating Zia for August 15". businesspostbd.com. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- ^ "Questioning Zia's role in war is loquacity: BNP". New Age. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ "Bangladesh's authoritarian shift". East Asia Forum. 17 January 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ "In Dhaka, a prime minister's 'vendetta' is shaping politics". Financial Times. 13 January 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ Ledbetter, Les (31 May 1981). "Ziaur Rahman was strict leader who tried to give nation direction". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Franda 1981 357–380was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Remembering Ziaur Rahman, the Leader that "lifted the nation to its feet"". South Asia Journal. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
- ^ Rahman, Tahmina. "From Revolutionaries to Visionless Parties: Leftist Politics in Bangladesh". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
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