Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Bangabandhu* Sheikh Mujibur Rahman The Father of the Nation, declared the independence of Bangladesh on March 25, 1971. He was elected the President of the provisional Mujibnagar government through a Proclamation of Independence issued on 10 April 1971. The formal inauguration ceremony, however, took place at the mango grove of village Baidyanathtola (renamed Mujibnagar) under the present Meherpur district on 17 April 1971. Mujib remained President in absentia until his return to Bangladesh from Pakistan (where he was interned) on 10 January 1972. On 12 January 1972, he stepped down from the office of President to become the Prime Minister of the country. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman once again became President on 25 January 1975 with the amendment of the Constitution from Parliamentary to Presidential form of government.
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had an eventful political carrier. Born on 17 March 1920 at village Tungipara under Gopalganj sub- division (now a district), he graduated from Islamia College, Kolkata in 1947. In 1946, he was the general secretary of the Islamia College Student's Union. After the creation of Pakistan, he took part in the Language Movement and suffered imprisonment. Sheikh Mujib was elected one of the joint secretaries of the East Pakistan Awami Muslim League in 1949. From 1953 untill 1966, he held the post of General Secretary of East Pakistan Awami League. In 1954, he was elected a member of the East Bengal Legislative Assembly and was appointed a Minister of the United Front Government (the youngest Minister of the Huq Government). In 1955, he was elected member of the second Constituent Assembly of Pakistan. He was again appointed a Minister when AL formed the provincial cabinet under Ataur Rahman in 1956. But he voluntarily left the cabinet in July 1957 to reorganize his party.
On the proclamation of Martial Law by General Ayub Khan in October 1958, Mujib was imprisoned for fourteen months, and again suffered imprisonment in 1962. He placed his historic Six Point programme at a political conference in Lahore in February 1966. This programme called for a federal state structure for Pakistan and full autonomy for East Pakistan with a parliamentary democratic system. Mujib became President of Awami League in March 1966. However, he was arrested under the Defence of Pakistan Rules on 8 May 1966, and in 1968 charged with sedition to make East Pakistan independent with the help of India. The case is known as the Agartola Conspiracy Case. In the face of mass upsurge, President Ayub Khan was compelled to withdraw the case in February 1969 and release Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. In the general elections to the National Assembly that took place in 1970 and in January 1971, AL won an absolute majority. On 7 March, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman addressed a mammoth public meeting at the then Ramna Racecourse and delivered a historic address. In his speech, he advised the Pakistani authorities to immediately withdraw Martial Law, send the military personnel to barracks, and transfer power to the elected representatives of the people. He also alerted the Bengalis to remain vigilant and be prepared for independence struggle, if need be. But the West Pakistani vested interest groups were determined not to hand over power to Mujib and conspired to sabotage the results of the polls. When talks in March 1971 between the AL and Pakistani authorities failed to bring fruitful results, genocide was launched on the midnight of 25 March 1971. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was arrested and taken to Pakistan as a prisoner. A liberation war ensued that continued for nine months leading to the emergence of Bangladesh as a sovereign and independent state on 16 December 1971. Although Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was in Pakistan jail during the liberation war, he remained the main inspiration throughout. After release from prison, he arrived in Dhaka via London and India and assumed Presidency on 10 January 1972.
Sheikh Mujib was at the helm of affairs after independence but took control of a country where Indian troops were still stationed. He convinced Indian authorities to withdraw their troops from Bangladesh, which they did by 15 March 1972. The Government of Sheikh Mujib repatriated the stranded Bangladeshis from Pakistan. A Constitution for the country was also framed within a record time of one year (which came into effect from 16 December 1972). The Government restored the ruptured Communication system and cleared the port of mines and sunken vessels The Bangladesh Shipping Corporation was established in February 1972 in view of the importance of inland water and overseas communication. By the Islamic Foundation Act of March 1975, the Baitul Mukarram Society and the Islamic Academy were integrated into one organization. For greater integration and development of the country, Sheikh Mujib declared general amnesty to collaborators (earlier the Bangladesh Collaborators Special Tribunal Order of 24 January 1972 decided to try them) on 16 December 1973. In the sphere of foreign affairs, Bangladesh obtained membership of the Commonwealth on 18 April 1972, that of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in 1973, of the United Nations and that of the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) in 1974.
He changed the Constitution from the parliamentary to the presidential system, formed one party Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League (BAKSAL) in February 1975 for the whole country. On 15 August 1975, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated in a military coup along with most members of his family at his Dhanmondi residence.* His two daughters, Seikh Hasina and Seikh Rehana however, survived. The elder, Sheikh Hasina is presently the Prime Minister of the country as she was in the regime from 1996-2001. She is also the President of Bangladesh Awami League the ruling party of Bangladesh Government.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was posthumously awarded the highest national honour- the Swadhinata Puraskar (Independence Award) in 2003. The award was given to this great nationalist leader for his contribution and role in the pre-independence struggle for realizing the right to self-determination in the fight against Pakistani rule, exploitation and repression and for establishing a constitutional government in the post-independence war ravaged country.
