An Interesting Parallel

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was sworn in on Jan 12, 1972, and Sheikh Hasina resigned on Aug 5, 2024, as prime minister

There is an interesting parallel, in regard to the role of the Mujib family, between the taking-up of the role of Prime Minister on Jan 12, 1972, and the resignation from the role of prime minister on Aug 5, 2024. As is well known, it was her family who persuaded Sheikh Hasina Wazed to resign on Aug 5, against her own wish to stay on as prime minister.

After the liberation in December 1971 of Dhaka, officials from the inner core of the government were quartered in the former governor's house (which was to be named Bangabhaban). These officials included my father Ambassador AFM Abul Fateh, who had been Adviser to the Acting President since late August 1971 and foreign secretary from the end of October 1971. On Jan 10, 1972, the president, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, arrived in Dhaka to take up his responsibilities, after his release from imprisonment in Pakistan. He too was quartered in Bangabhaban.

The next day, Jan 11, 1972, my father was with Sheikh Mujib when the vice-president (and former acting president) Nazrul Islam and Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmed walked into the room. There were just the four of them present when Nazrul Islam said that he and Tajuddin had been discussing the future, and that they considered that Tajuddin should continue to run the country as Prime Minister, while Mujib would remain as a constitutional President, and as President and leader to independence he would be the person to whom everyone could look up to as being above politics. (I do not remember whether my father, whose words a few years later to me form the basis of this article, said that the role of the Queen in the United Kingdom was mentioned, but it would have been natural. My father certainly was of the view that Mujib was an inspiring leader, able to move a whole nation, rather than an administrator. But I do not know how much my father spoke that day.)

Mujib thought this was an excellent idea.

The following morning, Mujib called in Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin and my father. Mujib said that he had spoken to his family. His family had said that he must run the country. So he must become the Prime Minister.

What happened next is well known. The most senior judge of the country was Justice Abu Sayeed Chowdhury. He was called into Bangabhaban that day, and informed that he was becoming President in succession to Mujib. My father told me that he saw Abu Sayeed Chowdhury walking out of Bangabhaban like a zombie, a stunned expression on his face.

My father also told me that at this point he decided that things would not go well. He arranged for himself to return to serving abroad as an Ambassador, though Mujib had wanted him to be Foreign Minister.

As I said, it is an interesting parallel. In January 1972 Mujib was persuaded by his family to take up power as Prime Minister. And in August 2024, his daughter was persuaded by her family to relinquish power as Prime Minister.

[Barrister Anatul Fateh is the son of the late ambassador Abul Fateh who was the first Pakistani ambassador to defect for Bangladesh in 1971.]