Hussain Muhammad Ershad (
Hussein Muhammad Ershad) born (February 1, 1930) is a
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a country in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
i politician who previously served as
Chief of Army StaffThe Chief of Army Staff or Chief of Staff of the Army is the most senior officer in the command structure of many armies. The title comes from the fact that the officer is the chief army aide to the Commander-in-Chief, who is usually the head of state...
of
Bangladesh ArmyThe Bangladesh Army is the land forces branch of the Military of Bangladesh. It was formed on 15 April 1971 following the oath of the Bangladesh Government at Meherpur, Kushtia during Bangladesh Liberation War under which the Bangladesh Forces originally consisting of Bengali soldiers and...
and later as
CMLACMLA may refer to:* Chief martial law administrator* Collegiate Middle Level Association...
1982 -1986. His rise to the Presidency was in the exact same manner of his predecessor
Major GeneralMajor General or Major-General is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of Sergeant Major General. A Major General is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of Lieutenant General and senior to the ranks of Brigadier and Brigadier General...
Ziaur RahmanLieutenant General Ziaur Rahman, Bir Uttam, Hilal-i-Jurat was a charismatic Bangladeshi war hero, politician and statesman. He was the President of Bangladesh from 1976 until 1981 and founded the Bangladesh Nationalist Party , one of the two largest political parties in the country...
; H M Ershad being elected
President of BangladeshSince 1991, the President of Bangladesh is the head of state, a largely ceremonial post elected by the parliament. Since 1996, the President's role becomes more important after the term of the government has finished, when his executive authority is enhanced as laid down in the constitution of the...
1986 - 1991.
He is a
United NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and the achieving of world peace...
LaureateIn English, the word laureate has come to signify eminence or association with literary or military glory. It is also used for winners of the Nobel Prize.-History:...
and won the parliamentary elections three times after being toppled from the presidency. Although commonly termed as an
autocratic military dictator his popularity remained; even when in prison awaiting trial, Ershad won the Parliamentary Elections from five different constituencies twice - in the elections of 1991 & 1996. In 2009 he formed a "Grand Alliance" against the
Bangladesh Nationalist PartyThe Bangladesh Nationalist Party , commonly referred to as the BNP, is the mainstream center-right political party in Bangladesh. It is currently the largest opposition party in the Jatiyo Sangshad, the Parliament of Bangladesh....
's (BNP) Four-Party Alliance and became the first Bangladeshi politician to apologize publicly for all wrong doings of the past and asked for forgiveness. The Grand Alliance (
Mohajote) won the elections in December 2008 and HM Ershad became a
Member of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators. Members of...
once again.
Despite of all the ethical dilemma and corruption surrounding him, Hussain Muhammad Ershad did manage to leave behind a legacy of developments in infrastructure, socio-economic growth and brought stability to Bangladesh's Armed Forces. The former
Chief of Army StaffThe Chief of Army Staff or Chief of Staff of the Army is the most senior officer in the command structure of many armies. The title comes from the fact that the officer is the chief army aide to the Commander-in-Chief, who is usually the head of state...
& President,
Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Hussain Muhammad Ershad is currently a Member of Parliament & Chairman of Jatiya Party - the second largest party in Bangladesh's Coalition Government known as Grand Alliance (
Mohajote) as of January 2009.
Early life and military career
Hussain Muhammad Ershad was born in Rangpur in 1930. He graduated from the
University of DhakaThe University of Dhaka is the oldest and the largest university in Bangladesh with more than 32,000 students and 1,600 teachers....
in 1950 and was commissioned into the
Pakistan ArmyThe Pakistan Army is a branch of the Pakistan military that protects the state borders and territories.The Pakistan Army, combined with the Navy and Air Force, makes Pakistan's armed forces the sixth largest military in the world. The Army is modelled on the United Kingdom armed forces and came...
in 1952. Between 1960 and 1962, he was an
adjutantAdjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Commonwealth Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer....
in the East Bengal regimental depot in
ChittagongChittagong is Bangladesh's main seaport and its second-largest city. The capital of the eponymous district and division, it is situated in the southeastern portion of the country, and was built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, which ends nearby, in the Bay of Bengal. The city has a...
. He also completed advanced courses from the prestigious
Command and Staff CollegeThe Command and Staff College was established in 1907 at Quetta, Balochistan, India, now in Pakistan, and is the oldest and the most prestigious institution of the Pakistan Army. It was established in 1905 in Deolali and moved to its present location at Quetta in 1907 under the name of Quetta Cadet...
in
Quetta) is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. It is known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan", due to its diversity in plant and animals wildlife. The city has been a major stronghold along the western frontier of the country. It is situated at an average...
in 1966. After serving with a
brigadeA brigade is a military unit that is typically composed of two to five regiments or battalions, depending on the era and nationality of a given army. Usually, a brigade is a sub-component of a division, a larger unit consisting of two or more brigades; however, some brigades are classified as a...
in
SialkotSialkot is a city situated in the north-east of the Punjab province in Pakistan at the feet of the snow-covered peaks of Kashmir near the Chenab river. It is the capital of Sialkot District and, formerly, it has been the winter-capital of the State of Kashmir...
, he was given command of the 3rd East Bengal Regiment in 1969 and the 7th East Bengal Regiment in 1971. During the
Bangladesh Liberation WarThe Bangladesh Liberation War
was a civil war in Pakistan resulting in the separation of Bangladesh and West Pakistan . The war broke out after Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared Bangladeshi independence on 26 March 1971...
, he was interned along with other Bengali officers stationed in West Pakistan as a
Prisoner of WarA prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a combatant who is held in continuing custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
at the outbreak of the 1971 Liberation War and repatriated to Bangladesh in 1973 in accordance with the Simla Agreement between India's
Indira GandhiIndira Priyadarshini Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi ( Indirā Priyadarśinī Gāndhī; née: Nehru; (19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was the Prime Minister of the Republic of India for three consecutive terms from 1966 to 1977...
and Pakistan's Zulfiquar Ali Bhutto. He arrived back to his homeland - the new state of Bangladesh in 1973, and was appointed
Adjutant GeneralAn Adjutant General is a military chief administrative officer.-Imperial Russia:In Imperial Russia, the General-Adjutant was a Court officer, who was usually an army general. He served as a personal aide to the Tsar and hence was a member of the Svita...
of the
Bangladesh ArmyThe Bangladesh Army is the land forces branch of the Military of Bangladesh. It was formed on 15 April 1971 following the oath of the Bangladesh Government at Meherpur, Kushtia during Bangladesh Liberation War under which the Bangladesh Forces originally consisting of Bengali soldiers and...
by Prime Minister
Sheikh Mujibur RahmanSheikh Mujibur Rahman was a Bengali politician and the founding leader of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, generally considered in the country as the father of the Bengali nation. He headed the Awami League, served as the first President of Bangladesh and later became its Prime Minister...
. After attending advanced military courses in
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
, Ershad was appointed Deputy chief of army Staff in 1975 by Major General
Ziaur RahmanLieutenant General Ziaur Rahman, Bir Uttam, Hilal-i-Jurat was a charismatic Bangladeshi war hero, politician and statesman. He was the President of Bangladesh from 1976 until 1981 and founded the Bangladesh Nationalist Party , one of the two largest political parties in the country...
when Zia became the Deputy
CMLACMLA may refer to:* Chief martial law administrator* Collegiate Middle Level Association...
following Justice Sayem's elevation to the presidency on November 19, 1976.
Ershad remained loyal to
Ziaur RahmanLieutenant General Ziaur Rahman, Bir Uttam, Hilal-i-Jurat was a charismatic Bangladeshi war hero, politician and statesman. He was the President of Bangladesh from 1976 until 1981 and founded the Bangladesh Nationalist Party , one of the two largest political parties in the country...
, Major General Zia had been appointed Army Chief by President
Khondaker Mostaq AhmadKhondaker Moshtaq Ahmad was a Bangladeshi politician who served as the President of Bangladesh from 15 August to 6 November, 1975 after the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding leader of Bangladesh...
after the assassination of
Sheikh Mujibur RahmanSheikh Mujibur Rahman was a Bengali politician and the founding leader of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, generally considered in the country as the father of the Bengali nation. He headed the Awami League, served as the first President of Bangladesh and later became its Prime Minister...
, the country's founding leader, on 15 August, 1975 as the country headed towarrds communism banning multiparty rule by Sk Mujibur Rahman. Although Major General Zia was overthrown in a counter-coup on November 3, he was restored to power in a coup led by Col.
Abu TaherLieutenant Colonel Abu Taher a communist and a left-leaning radical activist of the Jatiyo Samajtantrik Dal, responsible for the Soldiers Uprising and the radical breakout that occurred in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh in Nov 7th 1975. He joined the Bangladesh Liberation struggle against...
on November 7. When Ziaur Rahman assumed the presidency after legalizing military coups and the revival of the multiparty system through the Fifth Amendment of the Bangladesh Constitution he appointed HM Ershad as the new
Chief of Army StaffThe Chief of Army Staff or Chief of Staff of the Army is the most senior officer in the command structure of many armies. The title comes from the fact that the officer is the chief army aide to the Commander-in-Chief, who is usually the head of state...
, promoting him to the rank of
Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
. Viewed as a professional soldier with no political aspiration because of his imprisonment during the Independence War in former West Pakistan and having a talent for Bengali speech writing, he soon became the closest politico-military counselor of
Major GeneralMajor General or Major-General is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of Sergeant Major General. A Major General is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of Lieutenant General and senior to the ranks of Brigadier and Brigadier General...
Ziaur RahmanLieutenant General Ziaur Rahman, Bir Uttam, Hilal-i-Jurat was a charismatic Bangladeshi war hero, politician and statesman. He was the President of Bangladesh from 1976 until 1981 and founded the Bangladesh Nationalist Party , one of the two largest political parties in the country...
.
Presidency
After the
assassination of Ziaur RahmanZiaur Rahman, the president of Bangladesh, was assassinated by a faction of officers of Bangladesh Army, on May 30, 1981, in the south-eastern port city of Chittagong. Zia went to Chittagong to arbitrate a clash between the local leaders of his party, Bangladesh Nationalist Party...
on 30 May 1981, Ershad remained loyal to the government and ordered the army to suppress the coup attempt of Zia's associates led by
Major GeneralMajor General or Major-General is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of Sergeant Major General. A Major General is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of Lieutenant General and senior to the ranks of Brigadier and Brigadier General...
Abul Manzoor. It is
widely speculated that Monjur was used as a scapegoat and Ershad himself was behind the liquidation of President Zia; although never proven in any court of law, even when Zia's widow was in power in 1991-1996 and again in 2001-2006. Ershad maintained loyalty to the new president
Abdus SattarJustice Abdus Sattar was a Bangladeshi jurist and politician who served as the president of Bangladesh following the assassination of Ziaur Rahman. He had previously served as Zia's vice-president and organised the Bangladesh Nationalist Party...
, who led the
Bangladesh Nationalist PartyThe Bangladesh Nationalist Party , commonly referred to as the BNP, is the mainstream center-right political party in Bangladesh. It is currently the largest opposition party in the Jatiyo Sangshad, the Parliament of Bangladesh....
(BNP) to victory in elections in 1982. Ershad even alloted a two houses to Mrs.
Khaleda ZiaBegum Khaleda Zia is a former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, having served from 1991 to 1996, becoming the first woman in the country's history to hold that position. She served again from 2001 to 2006...
& her two sons, one of in Dhaka Cantonment where
Ziaur RahmanLieutenant General Ziaur Rahman, Bir Uttam, Hilal-i-Jurat was a charismatic Bangladeshi war hero, politician and statesman. He was the President of Bangladesh from 1976 until 1981 and founded the Bangladesh Nationalist Party , one of the two largest political parties in the country...
's family still resides, and became a centre point of controversy later on.
However the BNP government was not doing well and pressure increased from high-ranking army commanders for the military to take over the reins of state. Ershad came to power in a
bloodless coupBangladesh has faced several military coups since its independence from Pakistan in 1971.-15 August:The coup of 15 August, 1975 was organized by officers of Bangladesh Army. They were led by Major Syed Faruqe Rahman and Major Rashid...
on 24 March, 1982 and proclaimed himself Chief Martial Law Administrator (CMLA), President Sattar replaced. He took over as president on 11 December, 1983 by replacing
A. F. M. Ahsanuddin ChowdhuryAbul Fazal Mohammad Ahsanuddin Choudhury was a judicial and political figure in Bangladesh. Born in 1915 at Bokainagar in Mymensingh District.-Background:Chowdhury was graduated and obtained his BL Degree from Dhaka University...
. Ershad played a key role during the SAARC Summit in 1985, which was the first summit held in
DhakaDhaka , is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka District. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia...
, uniting all member states of South-East Asian States. Significant achievement was that be brought leaders of arch rivals -
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
and
PakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia...
,
Rajiv GandhiRajiv Ratna Gandhi , the elder son of Indira Nehru and Feroze Gandhi, was the 7th Prime Minister of India from his mother's death on 31 October 1984 until his resignation on 2 December 1989 following a general election defeat...
and
Benazir BhuttoBenazir Bhutto was a Pakistani politician who chaired the Pakistan Peoples Party , a centre-left political party in Pakistan. Bhutto was the first woman elected to lead a Muslim state, having twice been Prime Minister of Pakistan . She was Pakistan's first and to date only female prime minister...
respectively.
As president, Ershad included amendments into the
constitution of BangladeshThe constitution of Bangladesh is the supreme law in Bangladesh.-History:Following the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, Bangladesh became independent on December 16, 1971. After the independence, the first constituent assembly was formed by the lawmakers from Awami League who were previously...
which declared
IslamIslam Islam Islam ( al-’islām,
[There are ten pronunciations of Islam in English, differing in whether the first or second syllable has the stress, whether the s is or , and whether the a is pronounced as in father, as in cat, or (when the stress is on the i) as in the a of sofa...]
the state religion, abandoning state
secularismSecularism is the concept that government or other entities should exist separately from religion and/or religious beliefs.In one sense, secularism may assert the right to be free from religious rule and teachings, and freedom from the government imposition of religion upon the people, within a...
. To improve rural administration, Ershad introduced the Upazila and Zila Parishad system and held the 'first democratic elections for these village councils' in 1985. In an election held in 1986, Ershad was nominated by the Jatiya party, which had been created by him and his supporters. One of the major political parties BNP founded by his predecessor CMLA & later elected President Major General
Ziaur RahmanLieutenant General Ziaur Rahman, Bir Uttam, Hilal-i-Jurat was a charismatic Bangladeshi war hero, politician and statesman. He was the President of Bangladesh from 1976 until 1981 and founded the Bangladesh Nationalist Party , one of the two largest political parties in the country...
led by his widow
Khaleda ZiaBegum Khaleda Zia is a former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, having served from 1991 to 1996, becoming the first woman in the country's history to hold that position. She served again from 2001 to 2006...
boycotted the elections; however the other major party Awami League led by
Sheikh HasinaSheikh Hasina Wazed is a Bangladeshi politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Awami League, a major political party, since 1981...
participated in
Bangladeshi general election, 1986General elections were held in Bangladesh on 7 May 1986. 300 single-seat constituencies for the Jatiyo Sangshad were contested by 1,980 candidates representing 28 parties and including 453 independents.-Results:*Number of polling stations: 23,279...
. The Jatiya Party led by HM Ershad won the elctions winning majority in the
Jatiyo SangshadJatiyo Sangshad or National Assembly is the national parliament of Bangladesh. The current parliament of Bangladesh contains 345 seats including 45 women reserved seats distributed on elected party position in the parliament, the occupants of which are called Members of Parliament or MPs...
. In 1987 Bangladesh’s Land Ministry launched the 'Land Reforms Action Program', an initiative to distribute khas – unoccupied state-owned land – to landless families. A novel element of the land reform was the establishment by the Ministry of Land.
Ershad's regime is often seen as the longest autocratic rule in Bangladesh. Although there were two general elections, they were widely criticized by the opposition parties - BNP boycotted the election on 1986 but that election gained legitimacy as the other major opposition party Awami League founded by
Sheikh Mujibur RahmanSheikh Mujibur Rahman was a Bengali politician and the founding leader of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, generally considered in the country as the father of the Bengali nation. He headed the Awami League, served as the first President of Bangladesh and later became its Prime Minister...
and
Jamaat-e-IslamiJamaat-e-Islami is an islamic political party that was founded by Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi on 26 August 1941, in Lahore, in what is today Pakistan. and is the oldest religious party in Pakistan...
which was resurrected by President Ziaur Rahman also participated the elections.
However both BNP and Awami League boycotted the elections of 1988. There were some reports of violence, human rights abuse and corruption during his tenure, which, however, still is a common practice by any government in power in Bangladesh and simply multiplied. It should be noted that
Transparency InternationalTransparency International is an international non-governmental organization addressing corruption . This includes, but is not limited to, political corruption. It is widely known for producing its annual Corruptions Perceptions Index , a comparative listing of corruption worldwide. The...
branded Bangladesh as the most corrupt country in the world for the first time during the tenure of Awami League (1996 to 2001) and never went off the number one spot till the fall of BNP (2001 to 2006).
UN award
He was awarded as a United Nation's
LaureateIn English, the word laureate has come to signify eminence or association with literary or military glory. It is also used for winners of the Nobel Prize.-History:...
twice during his presidency, from the
United NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and the achieving of world peace...
.
- In recognition of outstanding contributions to increasing the awareness of population questions and to their solution Ershad was awarded UN Population Award in 1987 by the General Assembly.
- He campaigned for early conclusion of an international convention on protection and conservation of climate. He also proposed a worldwide fund to help developing countries stop environmental degradation; for which he was awarded the UN Environment Award in 1988
Accomplishments
During Ershad's rule, the construction of the
Jamuna BridgeBangabandhu Bridge, also called the Jamuna Multi-purpose Bridge , is a bridge opened in Bangladesh in June 1998 It connects Bhuapur on the Jamuna River's east bank to Sirajganj on its west bank. It is the eleventh longest bridge in the world and the second longest in South Asia...
connecting the country's north and south together, was started. The Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge Authority (JMBA) was set up by an ordinance promulgated by the President on July 3, 1985 to implement the project. For mobilisation of domestic resources, another ordinance was promulgated by which a Jamuna Bridge surcharge and levy were introduced. A total of Tk 5.08 billion was mobilised in the process till its abolition.
H M Ershad stabilized the Bangladesh Armed Forces which was facing a series of Coups and counter Coups ever since its emergence as a nation in 1971. The
South Asian Multidisciplinary Academic Journal documents the Bangladesh Army's history regarding this. The Bangladesh Armed Forces did not attempt any coups since Ershad's takeover in 1982 till the fall of BNP government in 1996. The Awami League in alliance with Jatiya Party won
Bangladeshi general election, June 1996General elections were held in Bangladesh on 12 June 1996. 300 single-seat constituencies for the Jatiyo Sangshad were contested by 2,574 candidates representing 81 parties and including 284 independents.-Results:*Number of polling stations: 25,957...
.
During Ershad's tenure as
President of BangladeshSince 1991, the President of Bangladesh is the head of state, a largely ceremonial post elected by the parliament. Since 1996, the President's role becomes more important after the term of the government has finished, when his executive authority is enhanced as laid down in the constitution of the...
elected in 1986, the
Bangladesh ArmyThe Bangladesh Army is the land forces branch of the Military of Bangladesh. It was formed on 15 April 1971 following the oath of the Bangladesh Government at Meherpur, Kushtia during Bangladesh Liberation War under which the Bangladesh Forces originally consisting of Bengali soldiers and...
started its participation in the
United NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and the achieving of world peace...
Peacekeeping Operations in 1988 for the very first time. The particiaption of Bangladesh Armed Forces in
United NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and the achieving of world peace...
Peacekeeping Operations initiated by Ershad turned out to be one of the highest source of foreign currency earners today.
He was the first leader in history to sign a death sentence for throwing acid on women. In the early eighties he himself signed the death sentence of three people who had thrown acid at girls refusing their advances and ordered their public hanging. This led to a dramatic lowering of throwing acid on girls. He also issued death sentence ruling for any one who would mutilate children for begging. In Bangladesh he was the one who passed a law that if a child is found crippled on the road he has to be taken to police custody and then from their to a hospital and appropriate institution. Any one who voluntarily cripples a child or any one is given a death sentence. This also led to a dramatic decline in crippling children begging in Bangladesh.
He also had a long term ruling on health care with issuing free Tuberculosis and leprosy drugs for the patients in all the health complexes. He stopped human transportation on the Bangladesh Borders. He launched a wide spread campaign against use of Illicit drugs and opening of drug rehabillation centre in Bangladesh.
The
Land Reforms Ordinance of 1984http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+bd0112) granted important rights to tenants for the first time in the history of Bangladesh, and a new plan for the divestment of government industries promised to move the country away from socialism.
Downfall
A wide umbrella of political parties united against Ershad. Zia's widow
Khaleda ZiaBegum Khaleda Zia is a former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, having served from 1991 to 1996, becoming the first woman in the country's history to hold that position. She served again from 2001 to 2006...
now led the BNP, which allied itself with the Awami League, led by Mujib's daughter
Sheikh HasinaSheikh Hasina Wazed is a Bangladeshi politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Awami League, a major political party, since 1981...
; Awami League stopped its support to Ershad and resigned from the Parliament in 1987. The leftist parties and groups remained keen to keep other parties on the track towards the ousting of Ershad's regime. The Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh and other parties also joined the opposition ranks. The strikes and protests called by the opposition groups paralysed the state and its economy. Under pressure, Ershad dissolved the parliament on 7 December 1987 but the fresh elections were again boycotted by the opposition. An intensifying opposition campaign launched by the students ultimately forced Ershad to step down on 6 December 1990. The West, that backed him for almost a decade, no longer supported the
Non-Socialist President after the fall of USSR
He handed over power to Justice
Shahabuddin AhmedShahabuddin Ahmed is a former president and Chief Justice of Bangladesh. Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed took over the office of President after a popular uprising against President Hossain Mohammad Ershad in 1991. After the resumption of democracy, he returned to his duties as the Chief Justice...
to form an acceptable
neutral Caretaker Government; this was a move that was made for the very first time in the country's history and was not in the constitution at the time. Shahabuddin immediately placed Ershad under arrest. However this act by Shahabuddin was declared illegal by the country's
Supreme CourtA supreme court is in some jurisdictions the highest judicial body within that jurisdiction's court system, whose rulings are not subject to further review by another court. The designations for such courts differ among jurisdictions...
later on . Lt General
Nuruddin KhanNuruddin Khan is a former Chief of Bangladesh Army and former Energy Minister Bangladesh, who was later dismissed for gross mismanagemnt. He did not pursue a political career after the tenure of the government ended in 2001 and the Awami League lost the elections that followed.- Appointment As...
unlike his predecessor Lt Gen
Atiqur RahmanLieutenant General Atiqur Rahman was the Bangladesh's Chief of Army Staff form 1986 to 1990.-Military career:He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Regiment of Artillery, in the then Pakistan Army...
did not back the President. In 1996 the newly elected Government of Awami League selected Shahabuddin as the President and Lt General
Nuruddin KhanNuruddin Khan is a former Chief of Bangladesh Army and former Energy Minister Bangladesh, who was later dismissed for gross mismanagemnt. He did not pursue a political career after the tenure of the government ended in 2001 and the Awami League lost the elections that followed.- Appointment As...
became the Energy Minister, only to be dismissed for gross mismanagement .
Although anti-Ershad sentiment was strong, H M Ershad contested the election from jail and still won all 5 different constituencies he contested from in 1991. The new government led by the BNP's
Khaleda ZiaBegum Khaleda Zia is a former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, having served from 1991 to 1996, becoming the first woman in the country's history to hold that position. She served again from 2001 to 2006...
instituted a number of corruption charges. Ershad was convicted in two charges till date, while all others were dismissed and thrown out of court.
In the 1991 and 1996 elections, Ershad again won from five different constituencies from jail twice. In 1996 he provided his support to the Awami League and formed a government of consensus although his party sat on the opposition side of the parliament.
He was released from jail on 9 January 1997 by the government but only after unconditional support was provided to Awami League by the former President.
Arrest
On Sunday, 1 March 1998, the
Supreme Court of BangladeshThe Supreme Court of Bangladesh is the highest court of law in Bangladesh. It is composed of the High Court Division and the Appellate division, and was created by Part VI Chapter I of the Constitution of Bangladesh....
ruled that President Hussain Muhammad Ershad's original arrest in 1990 by the Caretaker Government led by Justice
Shahabuddin AhmedShahabuddin Ahmed is a former president and Chief Justice of Bangladesh. Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed took over the office of President after a popular uprising against President Hossain Mohammad Ershad in 1991. After the resumption of democracy, he returned to his duties as the Chief Justice...
was illegal. This declaration by the country's apex court would allow him to sue for wrongful arrest as per his discretion. Shahabuddin Ahmed was President-select at the time of the ruling and no press release from him was found afterward. However Ershad was convicted on a separate charge eleven years after his original arrest.
Charges and convictions
H M Ershad has been convicted and served time for only one case that has been upheld by the Supreme Court of the nation - Janata Tower Case. When his relations with the ruling Awami League subsequently deteriorated as the he joined hands with the other main opposition BNP of Khaleda Zia. This s the only conviction that has been upheld by the country's Supreme Court till date.
There are still a few other pending cases against him but most has been thrown out of the court or cleared him of any wrong doing. The most famous case that the BNP Government at the time falsely implicated him by was a gold smuggling case. This was later thrown out by a Dhaka Court
Personal life
Hussain Mohammad Ershad is married to Raushan Ershad, they have Shad Ershad. For several years, Ershad was also simultaneously married to his second wife Bidisha Ershad (While
polygamyThe term polygamy is used in related ways in social anthropology, sociobiology, sociology, as well as in popular speech. Polygamy can be defined as any "form of marriage in which a person [has] more than one spouse."In social anthropology, polygamy is the practice of marriage to more than one...
is forbidden in
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a country in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
Ershad was never charged for polygamy nor did his first wife ever stated or denied that he commuted polygamy. A Muslim man can marry a second time with written permission from the first wife, under the Muslim Family Law Ordinance, 1961 ). He also has a son Eric Ershad from that marriage. Raushan Ershad never publicly condoned or acknowledged her acceptance of the marriage. However she briefly broke away and formed her own faction of Jatiya Party, three years after the announcement of the second marriage of Ershad but reunited shortly.
A woman named Mary Mumtaz filed a suit against Ershad in USA, seeking dissolution of marriage. She alleged that he had abandoned her, thereby asked for inter alia, an award for spousal maintenance and distribution of marital properties. However, as per USA constitution of Immunity from Prosecution for Head of State of a Friendly Nation the proceedings did not follow. This alleged third marriage stays unconfirmed as the matter was not perused..
His eldest son Shad Ershad ran into legal complications when he was arrested for allegedly abducting a 14 year old girl, later the girl's father has been quoted as saying she is mentally unstable . Ershad claimed that this was a false accusation, made to discredit his party. Ershad filed suit at High Court of Bangladesh of Bangladesh challenging the arrest.
Ershad has been linked by the media on different extra-marital affairs, which were on tabloids and newspapers in the country soon after his downfall which continued till 2006. His alleged affair with Zeenat Mosharraf, a member of Parliament almost removed him from the Chairmanship.
His marriage with Bidisha ended in a bitter divorce and sedition charges brought by the then BNP Government against Bidisha. H M Ershad divorced her for allegedly hiding her first marriage which still was not annulled at the time of their marriage.
His wife and former first lady of Bangladesh Mrs. Raushan Ershad "(never divorced as a Muslim is allowed to marry up to four times)" was also elected as a Member of Parliament thrice in the elections of 1991, 1996 and 2001. She contested the elections of 2008 from Ershad's Jatiya Party again but lost her seat in a controversial seat sharing deal against the party's ally Awami League.
Later political career
Hussain Muhammad Ershad, is the only high profile politician to be convicted of corruption and serve a prison sentence. Legal complexities tend to prolong the investigation and settlement of the corruption cases against senior politicians in Bangladesh."We really don't know what will be the fate of these cases," lawyer Shahdeen Malik told the BBC.
Ershad lost his membership in parliament owing to his conviction on charges of corruption when his relations with the ruling Awami League subsequently deteriorated. He switched his support to his one-time political adversary and main opposition leader,
Khaleda ZiaBegum Khaleda Zia is a former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, having served from 1991 to 1996, becoming the first woman in the country's history to hold that position. She served again from 2001 to 2006...
forming an anti-government coalition. Thus the questionable court verdict followed.
Both Khaleda Zia of BNP and Sheikh Hasina of Awami League allied together to oust HM Ershad. Ironically both of these two top parties also allied with him and his Jatiya Party in time of their need to suit their purpose.
On June 30, 2007 Ershad stepped down temporarily from the post of Party Chairman, indicating an end to his political career. It is speculated that he stepped down under pressure as the Caretaker Government started a series of prosecution and arrest for corruption and criminal charges against political leaders of Awami League and BNP including Sheikh Hasina Khaleda Zia and her infamous son
Tareq RahmanTarique Rahman is a Bangladeshi politician. He is the Senior Joint Secretary-General of Bangladesh Nationalist Party . He is the eldest son of former President of Bangladesh, the late Major General Ziaur Rahman and his wife Khaleda Zia, a former Prime Minister of Bangladesh and now Leader of the...
among others.
Return
On 8 April 2008, Ershad took charge of his Jatiya Party once again Back in 2006 he protested against the controversial Election Commissioner (CEC) MA Aziz Decesion's process on holding polls. He later joined the street movement along with Awami League.
On 19 November 2008 Jatiya Party & Awami League agreed to contest the elections jointly under the Caretaker Governemnt to be held on 29 December 2008. Out of the 300 Constituencies in the Parliament, Ershad's Jatiya Party contest from 49 (later 42 as Awami League did not pull back its candidates from few seats as agreed earlier) seats and Awami League and members of a
leftist wing Fourteen Party Coalition from the rest 250 seats. Thus the Grand Alliance (
Mohajote in Bangla) emerged in Bangladesh.
Ershad contested the Bangladesh Parliamentary Election 2008 from three constituencies. According to Bangladesh electoral laws, a person is allowed to contest from three places, but can retain only one seat and two are to have by-elections after formation of government. These constituencies included his birth place Rangpur (Rangpur-3 and Kurigram-2), and Dhaka-17, the capital's diplomatic zone, where he resides. He won all three seats in the election.
See also
External links