Bangladesh Sees Another Coup as Sheikh Hasina Resigns
Pune, 6th August 2024: Amidst ongoing protests over reservation policies in Bangladesh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country. Following her resignation, the Bangladeshi military seized control, and the Parliament will be dissolved today to form an interim government. Sheikh Hasina’s departure on Monday amidst student protests and military pressure is not an isolated event; several leaders in Bangladesh’s history have been forced to flee under similar circumstances. This report explores Bangladesh’s turbulent political history, marked by coups and assassinations.
In 1971, Bangladesh emerged as a new nation following a brutal war with India. Independence hero Sheikh Mujibur Rahman became the first Prime Minister and later assumed the presidency in January 1975, introducing a one-party system. However, within a year, on August 15, a group of soldiers assassinated him along with his wife and three sons. Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad then took power with military support, but his tenure was short-lived. On November 3, a coup led by Army Chief of Staff Khaled Musharraf overthrew Ahmad, who was subsequently killed by rival insurgents. General Ziaur Rahman then assumed power on November 7.
Less than six years later, on May 30, 1981, Ziaur Rahman was assassinated during a coup attempt. His vice president, Abdus Sattar, became interim president with the backing of General Hussain Muhammad Ershad. However, Ershad ousted Sattar in a bloodless coup on March 24, 1982, imposing martial law and appointing Ahsanuddin Chowdhury as president. On December 11, 1983, Ershad declared himself the head of state, with Chowdhury leading a political party loyal to him.
In 1990, following a wave of protests demanding democracy, Ershad resigned on December 6. He was arrested on December 12 and imprisoned on corruption charges. Justice Minister Shahabuddin Ahmed became the interim leader until the elections the following year, and Ershad was released in January 1997.
Bangladesh held its first free elections in early 1991, with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) winning. Khaleda Zia, widow of Ziaur Rahman, became the first female Prime Minister. In 1996, Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League defeated the BNP, and Hasina, daughter of Mujibur Rahman, became Prime Minister. The BNP returned to power in 2001, with Zia once again becoming Prime Minister and completing her term in October 2006.
In 2007, amid anti-government protests, President Iajuddin Ahmed, supported by the military, declared a state of emergency. The military-backed government launched an anti-corruption campaign, imprisoning both Hasina and Zia on corruption charges, though they were released in 2008. Hasina returned as Prime Minister after her party’s victory in the December 2008 elections.
