Ziaur Rahman

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	Mashiur Rahman Shah Azizur Rahman
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	(1936-01-19)19 January 1936 Bagbari, Bengal, British India
Died	30 May 1981(1981-05-30) (aged 45) Chittagong, Bangladesh
Manner of death	Assassination
Resting place	Mausoleum of Ziaur Rahman
Nationality	Bangladesh (from 1971) Pakistan (1947–1971) British subject (1936–1947)
Political party	Bangladesh Nationalist Party
Spouse	Khaleda Zia ​ (m. 1960)​
Children	Tarique Arafat
Relatives	See Majumder–Zia family
Alma mater	D. J. Science College Pakistan Military Academy Command and Staff College
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] Service number: BA-69[2]
Unit	East Bengal Regiment
Commands	Commander of the Sector I Commander of the Sector XI Brigade Commander of Z Force MS of Army Headquarters Chief of Army Staff
Battles/wars	Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Bangladesh Liberation War

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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]

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