Born on January 19, 1936, Ziaur Rahman was the second child in his family. His father was a chemist, and his mother would occasionally sing for Radio Pakistan. Yet, the kid who hated to be dominated by anyone chose to join the army to serve the nation. Hardly anyone could imagine in those days that he will be leading the country someday, as The Guardian reported on December 31 1979, ‘from the front’.
Zia at war
As a soldier of the nation, Ziaur Rahman holds a unique record of receiving the most prestigious gallantry awards for his services in two separate armies. The first, Hilal-i-Jur’at for defending Lahore with the Pakistan Army in 1965, and the second, Bir Uttam liberating the nation in 1971 as a senior officer of the Bangladesh Army.
The most decisive moment of Ziaur Rahman’s life as a soldier came in the early hours of March 26, 1971, when he publicly led the revolt against the Pakistan Army for the creation of an independent Bangladesh.
His Declaration of Independence over the radio came in the context where the leadership of the Awami League failed to deliver any guidance on the conduct of resistance against the Pakistan Army. Particularly, there was no decision regarding the role of the Bengali officers in the army who were keen to participate in the liberation struggle. For example, Rehman Sobhan, in his book Untranquil Recollections: The Years of Fulfilment, narrates that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman asked senior Bengali officers to refrain from any pre-emptive military actions, even though such actions might have saved thousands of lives.
When Pakistan launched its crackdown called the Operation Searchlight, key Awami League leaders were nowhere to be found, with many leaving for India to save themselves while others being in Pakistani custody. The nation was left rudderless. It was Ziaur Rahman who stepped up to lead the nation, and publicly addressed the world with a Declaration of Independence from the Kalurghat Radio Station of Chattagram, identifying himself as the provisional head of the government.
Thus, the War of Independence began.
The first few months of the War were about preparing the people. Zia attended the Teliapara Conference in April 1971, a week before the Government-in-Exile took shape, with his comrades from other units formed a strategy to continue with the resistance. He was put in charge of the war effort around Chattagram.
Later, he realized the need for the formation of a regular force to conduct military operations against the Pakistani occupiers. This resulted in the establishment of the first brigade of Bangladesh Army in August, named Z-Force after Zia’s initial. Z-Force was then based in the operational area of Sector 11, which was commanded by Zia until then.
By August, Ziaur Rahman had liberated the Roumari area and set up the administration of independent Bangladesh. Z-Force also formed a very strong defensive position in the Ghashipur area which was very close to the strategically important Kamalpur Border Outpost of Pakistan Army. The Pakistan Army was chased away from that area on September 10.
Later, Z-Force received an order to move to the operational area of Sector 5. Together with other units, Z-Force liberated Sylhet part-by-part, with the whole region being liberated by the time of the final victory in December.
Ziaur Rahman’s valiant acts as a freedom fighter are remembered by the officials of the Indian army as well. On June 19, 2020, in a talk with Deutsche Welle Bangla, Lt Gen Utpal Bhattacharyya said he personally knew Zia and he was a great warrior. In Fort William, the headquarters of the Eastern Command of the Indian Army, a portrait of Ziaur Rahman was placed to commemorate his acts in the freedom movement of Bangladesh.
Nation building and Zia
Having led the War effort from the very first hours of resistance, Ziaur Rahman returned to the barrack with his troop, leaving the politicians to run the country. Little did he, or anyone else, know that his services would be required again to rescue a rudderless nation in only a few years. Zia’s leadership saved Bangladesh from becoming a failed state, and then laid the foundations for sustainable development.
The process in which Ziaur Rahman had to take the matter of state into his hands has parallels in Napoleon Bonaparte’s establishment of Le Consulat after the months of the Reign of Terror.
In 1972, with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman running the country as the Prime Minister, anarchy prevailed across newborn Bangladesh. In an editorial published on October 8, 1972, The New York Times labelled Bangladesh a “Basket Case” and wrote ‘the most serious threat to Bangladesh today arises not so much from any lack of external aid as from internal corruption. Foreign food donated for the hungry children of Bangladesh has turned up in large quantities in the markets of neighboring India, diverted there by greedy merchants and corrupt officials.’
Matters continued to worsen, with a famine in 1974 claiming hundreds of thousands of lives, while Sheikh Mujib’s militia Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini and Awami League cadres killed thousands of civilians and political opponents, including many freedom fighters.
Instead of taking steps to stop the plundering of resources by Awami League men and ending political violence, Sheikh Mujib declared a one-party-state in January 1975 and assumed dictatorial powers. All but four newspapers were banned, civil liberties were curtailed, and thousands of dissenters were put in jail, all the while a cult of personality was being built around Mujib. In this circumstance, some serving and retired military officials staged a coup, killing Mujib and many of his family in the process, with the support of a faction of the Awami League led by Khondkar Moshtaque Ahmed in August 1975.
A series of coups and countercoups followed in the aftermath, killing a number of freedom fighter officers as well as members of the wartime government-in-exile including the country’s first prime minister Tajuddin Ahmed. Eventually on November 7, 1975, in the words of the U.S. State Department official Stephen E. Eisenbraun, ‘the enlisted men in the army came to a general named Ziaur Rahman […] and they asked him, essentially, to lead them. The country was in chaos. More bloodshed had happened after the assassination of Sheikh Mujib and so the army stepped in and there was martial law.’
A Le Consulat-like body was soon formed with President Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem in charge, where Ziaur Rahman was given the portfolios of Finance, Home and Information. President Sayem kept the Foreign ministry for himself and within a year the people who were accused of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s murder were posted to Bangladeshi missions in different capacities.
Ziaur Rahman brought discipline to monetary and fiscal policies, which saw an end to inflation that had been raging under Mujib. He initiated the process of privatization and lifted the bar on private investment. The foundation of Bangladesh’s export-led growth strategy was laid at this time. By relying on competent professionals (instead of political cadres, as was the case in the Mujib years) Zia improved the law-and-order situation dramatically. He also recruited female police officials for Police and encouraged women to join the force.
President Sayem was diagnosed with problems in his prostate and prostatectomy was prescribed in April 1977. He decided to resign from his office, and after consulting with his assistants, handed over the presidency to Ziaur Rahman on April 21. Zia promised a presidential election within a year. He was elected as President on 3 June 1978, defeating Gen MAG Osmani, who was his commander-in-chief during the Liberation War.
Ziaur Rahman restored multi-party politics and held parliamentary elections in 1979. The newly formed Bangladesh Nationalist Party won the election on a platform of 19 points that continued Zia’s policies. Crucially, Zia allowed the revival of the Awami League, which was disbanded by Mujib, and facilitated the return from exile of Kamal Hossain and Hasina Wajed, Mujib’s daughter, to lead the opposition. The elections were widely hailed as free-and- fair, a rare occasion in the developing world where a military ruler transformed himself into a genuinely elected politician. With electoral democracy restored, Zia turned his focus on laying the foundations for development. He initiated a politics of synthesis whereby pragmatism replaced dogmas and doctrines, and ideologues were eschewed in favor of pluralism and meritocracy. Zia’s concept of Bangladeshi nationalism recognized and respected the country’s unique historical and geographic roots as well as its ethnic, religious, political and cultural pluralism.
President Ziaur Rahman inherited a war torn, famine ravaged country. Reconstruction was his first priority. The economy returned to the pre-war level by the end of the 1970s. Further, Zia initiated a series of far reaching steps that included: further liberalization of the economy; revitalizing rural irrigation and waterways through grass roots effort with the aim of achieving a ‘green revolution’ and ensuring that country is never again hit with a famine; an all out effort to improve maternal and infant health and a comprehensive and participatory family planning policy to stabilize the country’s population; the beginning of the construction of an effective and modern communication system; the development of an inclusive and participatory rural government; the establishment of educational institutions; the electrification of rural areas and so on.
Ziaur Rahman understood the need to end bitterness among South Asian countries so that the people of the region could devote their resources to prosperity and development. He believed that the best way to achieve this would be for the countries to congregate as equals, without hegemonic dominance by anyone, in a regional body. He took efforts to create such a body, whose needs are still felt today even though its potential remains unfulfilled.
Besides, President Zia made special efforts to build strong relationships with the West and Middle East. He was invited to the White House, 10 Downing Street, and Élysée Palace to discuss Bangladesh’s development and role in global politics. During the Hostage Crisis in Iran, Zia played a pivotal role in ensuring the safety of American diplomats. He was made a member of the prestigious Al-Quds Committee of the Organization of Islamic Countries.
Ziaur Rahman had the unique ability to link foreign relations and economic affairs. His two achievements that changed the face of Bangladesh’s economy were the readymade garments (RMG) industry and labor export.
It was his effort that gave birth to the RMG sector in Bangladesh. He tagged the chief of South Korea’s Daewoo Corporation with local entrepreneurs and made sure that all the obstacles would be dealt with by the highest levels of the government. Back-to-back LCs and bonded warehouse systems allowed Bangladesh’s RMG sector to flourish. He also founded Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority and directed it to establish a number of export processing zones across the country. These efforts would go on to create jobs for millions of people in the country.
Zia utilized his personal relationship with the rulers of the Gulf countries and Middle Eastern countries to enable Bangladeshis to work in the region. One after one, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iran started inviting workers from Bangladesh. Studies suggest this initiative had far-reaching consequences for the rural economy of Bangladesh. As the remittance reached the ultra-poor communities in the villages, poverty and income inequality decreased.
On the fateful night of May 30, 1981, Ziaur Rahman was assassinated by a handful of disgruntled and drunk soldiers. His guard regiment fought fiercely but were overpowered, and eventually died with honor to save their President’s life.
Ziaur Rahman’s funeral, which was attended by millions, made headlines around the world including The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Times etc.
President Zia was termed a martyr, shaheed, in an OIC resolution which was adopted after his death. Hence to the people of Bangladesh, he remains the Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman.
