Bangladesh: Zia Dynasty Rises Again? From Mujib And Ziaur Rahman's Assassinations To Son Tarique's Historic Return

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Tarique Rahman has returned to Bangladesh. He is the son of former Bangladesh President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. His return is poised to trigger a significant shift in Bangladeshi politics, marking a resounding comeback for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

Tarique Rahman, who aims to become Bangladesh's next prime minister in the upcoming elections, is the heir to the BNP, one of the country's most powerful political parties.

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Having returned to his home country after 17 years in self-imposed exile, Rahman has now shouldered the responsibility of carrying forward the legacy of his father Ziaur and mother Khaleda Zia.

If the BNP wins the Bangladesh polls, Tarique Rahma is likely to become the country's next prime minister, almost 20 years after Khaleda Zia left the post.

Here's all you need to know about the rise and fall of the Zia dynasty:Rise of Ziaur Rahman

Ziaur Rahman was the founder of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). A“valiant freedom fighter”, Rahman had fought against the Pakistani Army during the 1971 Liberation War and had famously, or infamously, declared Bangladesh's independence on 27 March 1971.

Ziaur Rahman, fondly called Zia, was born in 1936 at Bagbari in Bogra (now northern Bangladesh). His father, Mansur Rahman, was a chemist who worked in a government department in Calcutta.

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After the partition in 1947, Zia's father was transferred to Karachi, which led Zia to leave the Hare School in Calcutta and become a student of the Academy School in Karachi. He completed his secondary education there in 1952.

In 1953, when Zia was 17 years old, he got himself enrolled at the DJ College in Karachi. In the same year, he joined the Pakistan Military Academy at Kakul as an officer cadet.

Zia's life in the military was not easy. He served in Pakistan for two years.

Like other Bengalis, he too was discriminated against in the Punjabi-dominated Pakistan Army, the Indian Express reported.

But he rose to the rank of second lieutenant in 1955, and then in 1957, he was transferred to the East Bengal Regiment.

In the India-Pakistan war of 1965, Zia fought in the Khemkaran sector as the commander of a company. His company had then received the maximum number of gallantry awards.

In 1970, Ziaur Rahman, then a major, was transferred to the Eighth East Bengal Regiment at Chittagong (then a port city in East Pakistan, now in Bangladesh) as its second-in-command. Now, it was the time for the 1971 Liberation War.

1971 Liberation War and Zia's rebellion

According to the BNP's account on its website, the Pakistani military forces had started“indiscriminately firing on the unarmed people” of the then East Pakistan and carried out the“worst genocide in history” in March 1971.

Zia had then rebelled against Pakistan on 25 March 1971. On the night of 26 March, he reportedly arrested and executed his commanding officer, Lt Col Abdul Rashid Janjua, and took charge of a motley group of Bengali mutineers.

On 26 March, he famously proclaimed Bangladesh's declaration of independence from the radio station in Kalurghat, Chittagong.

“I Major Zia, Provisional Commander-in-Chief of the Bangladesh Liberation Army, do hereby declare the independence of Bangladesh,” he said, according to the BNP.

But hours later, Zia backtracked, announcing that he had declared Independence on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman 's behalf.

Zia vs Mujibur

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, shortened as Sheikh Mujib or just Mujib, was the leader of the Awami League, the party that is now the rival of Zia's BNP.

Mujib was dubbed the“Father of the Nation” of Bangladesh after the declaration of Independence. He was considered the central figure behind the Bangladesh Liberation Movement and the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.

He led the Awami Leagu to victory in the 1970 general elections. He served as Bangladesh's first President after the country achieved independence. He later served as the second Prime Minister from 1972.

Zia was not happy with how he was treated. According to the Indian Express, he felt unrecognised for his contributions in the Liberation War.

In 1972, Mujib passed the post of Army Chief to Zia. The decision reportedly created much discord in the nascent Bangladeshi Army.

Meanwhile, resentment against Mujib grew amid allegations of corruption and mismanagement, as well as a sharp authoritarian turn.

Mujib was assassinated by a group of disgruntled army officials in August 1975, according to the information shared by the Consulate General of Bangladesh, Sydney.

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Mujib is the father of Sheikh Hasina, the now-ousted Bangladesh PM and current leader of the Awami League.

While Zia was well aware of the plot, he did not personally participate in it.

Maj Sayed Farooq-ur-Rahman, one of the main plotters, told The Daily Star in 2009,“I told him [Zia] that...the junior officers have already worked it [the plot] out. We want your support...he said, I am sorry, I would not like to get involved...the junior officers should do it themselves.”

Rise of Zia and BNP

Zia benefited greatly from Mujib's death. Almost three months after Mujib's killing, on 7 November 1975, Zia was reassigned as the army chief. He imposed martial rule and effectively took over the reins of the country.

Zia also became the Chief Martial Law Administrator, and ultimately the President of Bangladesh on 21 April 1977, when President Sayem resigned.

On 1 September 1978, Zia floated a new political party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP, with himself as its chairman.

His ideology shifted from secular Bengali nationalism to 'Bangladeshi Nationalism'.

As he moved to“democratise the polity” in Bangladesh, Zia allowed the“disbanded and disarrayed political parties” to be revived.

As a result, the Bangladesh Awami League regained the opportunity to engage in politics.

Like Mujib, Zia was assassinated in Chittagong on 30 May 1981 in an abortive army coup. He lies buried at Sher-e-Banglanagar, Dhaka.

'Battling begums'

Ten years after Zia's assassination, his wife, Khaleda Zia, took over the reins of the BNP and became the prime minister of Bangladesh in 1991.

Between 1981 and 1991, martial law was lifted, and the constitution was reinstated. A state of emergency was declared, Islam became the state religion, and then-President General Hussain Muhammad Ershad stepped down following mass protests. Khaleda Zia then became the prime minister.

Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina, called the“battling begums” for their intense political rivalry, ran the country alternately from 1991 to 2006.

Khaleda Zia served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh three times. Her first term lasted from March 1991 to February 1996, her second term was brief, occurring after February 1996, and her third term spanned from October 2001 to October 2006.

Sheikh Hasina also served as the PM three times - from 1996 to 2001, 2009 to 2014, and 2014 to 2024. Hasina returned to Bangladesh in 1981 after living in exile in India and became the leader of the Awami League.

Their time in office was significantly marred by violence and mass protests that led to their downfall.

In 2007, Khaleda Zia was arrested for corruption and placed under virtual house arrest in a clampdown by the caretaker government after a year of violent political unrest.

Sheikh Hasina was also sidelined back then because of corruption charges.

History repeats itself?

In 2024, Sheikh Hasina, who became the longest-serving prime minister in the country's history, was ousted on 5 August, following mass student protests. Like former PM Ershad, she also resigned following a mass upheaval.

This left the position vacant, with Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus taking charge of the interim government.

Now, it's time for the next national elections in Bangladesh. Khaleda Zia's son is bullish for the PM post, hoping to carry forward the BNP's league in the country's politics.

All eyes are on the Bangladesh national election, scheduled for 12 February 2026. Will Tarique Rahman become Bangladesh's next Prime Minister? Let the polling begin!

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