Bangladesh: From East Pakistan times to Hasina era, recap of a turbulent journey

Bangladesh is currently hogging headlines everywhere for all the wrong reasons. Its long-time leader Sheikh Hasina has just been overthrown, causing her to flee the country. The nation is not new to such violent political events. It has seen it all — assassinations, army rule, copious political bloodletting — at various points in its short history. Here follows a recap:

The creation of East Pakistan

In 1947, the Partition divided the Bengal province. In a manner dissimilar to the division of Punjab where it was quick and gory, this division left millions of Bengali Muslims in Indian territory and millions of non-Muslims in East Pakistan.

Conflicts over resource-sharing soon arose, followed by a dispute over the national language — whether it should be Urdu alone or include Bengali. This led to the 1952 Language Movement, or ‘bhasha andolon’, marked by violent uprisings that the Pakistani army brutally suppressed. While one dream was shattered, it sparked another: the quest for a secular, autonomous identity for the delta region. By 1956, even as Pakistan conceded to making both Urdu and Bengali state languages, the movement had evolved beyond language to issues of autonomy and resource inequities.

In the 1970 elections, the Awami League secured 167 out of 169 East Pakistani seats, gaining control of the National Assembly. Despite this, Yahya Khan postponed the session and, while negotiating with Mujibur Rahman, ordered the army to attack the core of the autonomy movement. Amid targeted killings across East Pakistan, the liberation war of 1971 began.

Birth of Bangladesh

In the 1971 war, India formally intervened, positioning itself as a champion of Bangladeshi self-determination. India provided military training to the freedom fighters and took in refugees, which Pakistan viewed as unacceptable interference. The Awami League leadership regrouped in India, establishing a government in exile. The Indo-Pak war of 1971 commenced on December 3, 1971, following Pakistan’s bombing of Indian airfields, and concluded on December 16 with the creation of the new nation of Bangladesh.

In January 1972, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman returned from captivity in Pakistan and took leadership, forming an Awami League government. Islamist parties were banned, and the new constitution was committed to democracy, socialism, secularism, and nationalism.However, Mujibur’s reliance on charismatic leadership and patronage failed to expand economic opportunities. The state suppressed opposition, and guerrilla groups emerged as disillusionment with the Awami League grew, particularly following the devastating famine in 1974.

Assassination of Mujibur

In 1975, Bangladesh declared an emergency, suspending all fundamental rights and establishing a single-party presidential system with Mujibur as president, aiming to initiate a top-down social revolution.

The army, resenting India’s credit-taking and Mujibur’s closeness to India, ended this ‘civilian autocracy.’ On August 15, 1975, three strike forces assassinated Mujibur and 40 members of his family. Following two more military coups, General Ziaur Rahman took control of Bangladesh until his assassination in 1981.

Imposition of army rule

General Ershad seized power in a 1982 coup and declared Islam the state religion. However, in 1990, a popular uprising overthrew and jailed him, returning Bangladesh to civilian rule.

Khaleda Zia, the widow of Ziaur Rahman and leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), won the subsequent election. The Constitution was amended to make the presidency a ceremonial role, with the prime minister holding the top executive position.

Khaleda Zia’s BNP governed from 1991-1996 and again from 2001-2006. Her main democratic rival was the Awami League, led by Sheikh Hasina, the eldest daughter of Mujibur Rahman, who had been abroad during her family’s assassination. Sheikh Hasina became prime minister in 1996 but lost to Khaleda Zia in 2001.

Hasina era

This two-party parliamentary democracy faced a major setback in 2006 when elections were postponed due to violence, leading to a military-backed interim government taking charge. In the 2009 elections, the Awami League won over 250 of the 300 seats in parliament, and Sheikh Hasina became prime minister for the second time. Shortly after assuming office, she established a war crimes tribunal, resulting in the execution of five former army officers for the murder of founding PM Mujibur Rahman.

Since the 1990s, Islamist groups had gained significant influence in politics and society. Jamat-e-Islami’s role grew substantially after 2001, when the BNP allied with it. In 2013, the execution of a Jamaat leader sparked violent protests by the opposition. The government responded with a crackdown, placing Khaleda Zia under house arrest. In 2014, Sheikh Hasina was elected virtually unopposed as the opposition alliance boycotted the election, calling it illegitimate. Khaleda Zia was later charged with corruption and jailed, with her release contingent on abstaining from political activity. In 2024, with the opposition boycotting another election and deeming it farcical, Hasina secured a fourth consecutive term, bagging 224 (out of 300) seats amid low turnout.

Article based on a Bangladesh history recap by ToI

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