Unrest in Bangladesh – The Rise of Mujibur Rahman to the Fall of Sheikh Hasina: A Timeline in Bangladesh

Paris, France:

The dramatic escape of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh in a helicopter on Monday, under pressure from protesters and the army, is far from the first time in the South Asian country.

Since independence half a century ago, many of the country’s leaders have been forced to flee or have had their terms cut short by violent deaths.

AFP recalls five key points in Bangladesh’s turbulent history.

1975: Murders and coups galore

Formerly East Pakistan, Bangladesh emerged as a new nation in 1971 after a brutal war involving India.

Independence hero Sheikh Mujibur Rahman became the country’s first prime minister, before introducing a one-party system and taking office as president in January 1975.

Within a year he was murdered by a group of soldiers on August 15, along with his wife and three children. Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad, with the support of part of the army, then assumed power.

Ahmad’s tenure was short-lived. He was deposed in a coup instigated by Army Chief of Staff Khaled Mosharraf on November 3, who was in turn assassinated by rival mutineers.

After a series of coups and counter-coups, General Ziaur Rahman took power on 7 November.

1981-83: Bloody rebellion, bloodless coup

After less than six years in power, Rahman was assassinated during an attempted uprising on May 30, 1981.

His vice president, Abdus Sattar, took over as interim president with the support of General Hussain Muhammad Ershad.

But Ershad turned against Sattar within a year, ousting him in a bloodless coup d’état on March 24, 1982.

Immediately after the takeover, he imposed martial law and installed Ahsanuddin Chowdhury as president.

Then, on December 11, 1983, Ershad proclaimed himself head of state. Chowdhury, whose position was honorary, went on to lead a political party loyal to the general.

1990: Ershad resigns after protests

Following a wave of protests calling for democracy in Bangladesh, Ershad resigned as president on December 6, 1990.

He was then arrested on December 12 and jailed after being convicted of corruption.

Justice Minister Shahabuddin Ahmed took over as interim leader until elections could be held the following year.

Ershad would eventually be released in January 1997.

1991: First free elections

The country’s first free elections were held in early 1991, with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) emerging victorious.

Khaleda Zia, widow of General Ziaur Rahman, became Bangladesh’s first female prime minister.

She was succeeded by her archrival Sheikh Hasina, daughter of the country’s founder Mujibur Rahman, after Hasina’s Awami League defeated the BNP at the polls in 1996.

The BNP returned to power in 2001, with Zia again becoming prime minister and completing her term in October 2006.

2007: Anti-corruption purge

In 2007, with the support of the army, President Iajuddin Ahmed declared a state of emergency following anti-government demonstrations.

A military-led transitional government then launched an anti-corruption purge, arresting Hasina and Zia on corruption charges before their release in 2008.

Following her party’s victory at the polls in December 2008, Hasina again became prime minister.

(Except the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)