While Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leaders and their supporters are commending General Ziaur Rahman, founder of the party, for "introducing democracy," his birth anniversary serves as a critical moment for historians and researchers to re-examine a legacy riddled with contradictions and allegations of violence.
Lawrence Lifschultz, an investigative journalist and former South Asia correspondent for the Far Eastern Economic Review, painted a vivid picture of Rahman's rise to power. Lifschultz's investigations suggested that Rahman's path was marred by violence and betrayal.
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He emphasized the need for a deeper exploration into the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the subsequent political turmoil of 1975. According to Lifschultz, "The men behind the assassination would not move without Zia’s backing."
Rahman's journey to becoming Bangladesh's first military ruler was anything but peaceful. Termed the "path of blood" by Lifschultz, it was marked by a series of bloody coups and countercoups.
October 1977 witnessed what researchers term the "biggest purge" in the nation's armed forces history. Hundreds of officers, many of whom were freedom fighters, were executed without trial, their families left in the dark about their fate.
The executions carried out under Rahman's regime represent a severe blow to justice and human rights in Bangladesh. Not only did he sanction these extrajudicial killings, but he also protected the self-proclaimed killers of the Father of the Nation through an indemnity ordinance.
The families of these executed officers, numbering in the thousands, formed a group named “Mayer Kanna” (Tears of Mothers). For almost five decades, they have been seeking the remains of their loved ones and demanding justice for these illegal executions.
Zayadul Ahsan Pintu, a senior journalist and author of a book on this era, shed light on the hasty nature of these executions. He cited the testimony of judges from the military tribunals, who indicated that the orders for these executions came directly from Rahman. Pintu's revelations underscore Rahman's disregard for the rule of law and highlight the precarious state of human rights during his regime.
In his tenure, Rahman embarked on a mission to dismantle the ideals that led to the birth of Bangladesh. Sukharanjan Dasgupta, an Indian author and veteran columnist, noted that Rahman was keen on a Pakistan-style military rule. As the chief correspondent of Anandabazar Patrika, Dasgupta reported on the Liberation War by gathering information from freedom fighters in Bangladesh. He authored "Midnight Massacre," a best-seller on the 1975 Bangladesh coup.
Dasgupta pointed out that unlike Pakistan's military rulers, Bangladesh's military dictators — Rahman and later Hussain Muhammad Ershad — founded political parties to cement their control and ensure their legacy. Rahman's founding of the BNP and his legitimization of the pro-Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami, later allied by his wife Khaleda Zia, were key steps in this direction.
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The questionable referendum of May 30, 1977, is another critical aspect of Rahman's rule. Renowned journalist and author Syed Badrul Ahsan recounted this day when Rahman, less than two years after the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, sought to consolidate his grip on power. The regime claimed an improbable 98.8 percent support for Rahman, a figure that stands in stark contrast to the voting centers' emptiness and the overall lack of public enthusiasm. This event is often seen as a turning point, pushing Bangladesh into an era of darkness and setting the stage for Rahman's regime to undermine the country's foundational ethos.
Throughout his rule, Rahman's actions and policies left an indelible mark on Bangladesh's history. His regime was characterized by a blend of political maneuvering, allegations of human rights abuses, and a controversial approach to governance. The stark contrast between the public narrative of Rahman as a democratizer and the darker aspects of his rule as highlighted by researchers and journalists, paints a complex picture of a leader whose legacy continues to be a subject of intense debate and scrutiny in Bangladesh.