The General and His Sins: A Reflection on General Ziaur Rahman's Regime
General Ziaur Rahman, Bangladesh’s first military dictator, died in a putsch in Chittagong on 30 May 1981. All these decades on, it is important to survey the damage inflicted on the nation’s social and political fabric, not to mention the history of the Bengali nation, by the regime he headed. Simply put, the Zia regime was symbolic of darkness, of truth being sidelined by forces inimical to the concept of Bangladesh.
Prising Out of Two Fundamental Principles of the Constitution: Secularism and Socialism
The five and a half years of Zia's military regime remain noted for the regressive politics, or patently anti-politics, it inaugurated in Bangladesh. The Constitution was brazenly tampered with when General Zia, yet to take over as President from Justice Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem but clearly the strongman of the regime following the so-called sepoy-janata biplob (soldier-people revolution) of 7 November 1975, prised out two of the four fundamental principles enshrined in the document. Socialism and secularism were removed by dictatorial fiat, to be replaced with concepts of social justice and belief in Allah.
'Nara-e-Takbir' and 'Bangladesh Zindabad'
The trends were clear, indeed had been evident on 7 November when Zia’s loyalist troops raised the Islamic slogan of "nara-e-takbir." For the first time since the emergence of Bangladesh as a secular state nearly four years earlier, slogans with a clear right-wing twist were being heard. Worse was the replacement of the Bengali nationalist slogan of "Joi Bangla" with "Bangladesh Zindabad," a clear hearkening back to the discredited "Pakistan Zindabad" cry of pre-1971 times. The Zia regime took the slogan forward, making it part of policy, thus indicating a regression in the nation’s ideological foundations.
For Zia, consolidating his authority meant shaping a strategy that would break from Bengali nationalism, which had been the guiding principle of the state's formation. The secular nationhood, ensuring equality for all citizens of all faiths and political persuasions under the law, was now under threat. Bengali nationalism, a clear repudiation of the communal politics of Pakistan, was being replaced by "Bangladeshi nationalism," a term introduced by Khondokar Abdul Hamid, a senior journalist loyal to the regime. This shift aimed to push the secular nation of Bangladesh into a political straitjacket reminiscent of Pakistan.
Revocation of the Collaborators Act
As General Zia strengthened his hold on power, he turned on benefactors like Col Abu Taher and the young leaders of the Jatiyo Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) who had helped him ascend to power, carting them off to prison. The engineering of the decline of the secular state went on apace. Towards the end of December, the Collaborators Act, implemented since 1972 to identify and try Bengalis who had directly assisted the Pakistan occupation army in the 1971 genocide, was revoked by the regime. This act further highlighted the regime's regressive agenda.
Encouraging Right-Wing Sentiments
Air Vice Marshal M.G. Tawab, brought over from West Germany to succeed Air Vice Marshal A.K. Khondokar as chief of air staff, presided over a 'seerat conference' at Suhrawardy Udyan. The new rulers encouraged right-wing elements, including those who had gained notoriety as collaborators with Pakistan’s Yahya-Tikka-Niazi regime, to congregate in support of the regime. The Zia regime was not stealthy about its actions; it openly whipped up Islamic sentiments, undermining the secular republic.
Despite being a freedom fighter himself, Zia undermined the objectives realized through the War of Liberation in 1971. His rise to power marked the beginning of colossal damage to the spirit of 1971 and ensured the elimination of fellow officers who had fought in the war. The regime did little to investigate the murder of Khaled Musharraf and other officers killed by rogue soldiers on 7 November. Instead, it pursued a goal of eradicating the values of the War of Liberation with unprecedented determination.
About the Author
Afzal Hosen Mandal is a historian and political analyst specializing in South Asian history. His extensive research on Bangladesh's political evolution provides critical insights into the country's turbulent past and the lasting impact of its leaders.
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