Rafiqul explains why Zia was first president

Senior BNP leader Rafiqul Islam Miah has offered an explanation in defence of his party’s contentious claim that its founder Ziaur Rahman was Bangladesh's first president.

He reasoned that since Ziaur Rahman was “in control of the nation” from the declaration of independence to the formation of the Mujibnagar government his position was as good as that of a president.

“When the Pakistani army’s genocide began on Mar 25, Maj Ziaur Rahman in Chittagong was the first to say ‘I revolt’ and declare independence. Who ran the country from then on till the formation of the government in exile?” he asked.

“At that time the country was under Ziaur Rahman’s control. That is what Begum Khaleda Zia has said. That is the truth,” he said by way of offering an explanation to claims made by Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman.

Zia’s eldest son BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman, made this claim in London on Mar 25. The next day BNP Chairperson and Tarique’s mother Khaleda Zia endorsed the view at an event in Dhaka.

File Photo

“Consider the time between Mar 25 and April 17 when the government-in-exile was formed,” Rafiqul said.

Awami League has strongly criticised the claim and even described it as "preposterous and hilarious".

Senior Awami League leader Suranjit Sengupta has demanded Khaleda's apology to the nation for what he saw as a blatant distortion of the country's history.

The first provincial government of independent Bangladesh, which came to be known as the Mujibnagar government, had been sworn in on April 17, 1971, at the Baidyanathtala village, in Meherpur.

The Liberation War began after the brutal genocide of Mar 25 by the Pakistani occupation army. On April 10, Bangladesh was declared a sovereign republic, ratifying Mujibur Rahman's declaration of independence on Mar 26.

The April 10 declaration named Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the president of the republic, and Syed Nazrul Islam as its vice-president.

Tajuddin Ahmad became the prime minister of Bangladesh, Captain Mansur Ali the minister of finance, Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad the minister of foreign affairs, AHM Qamaruzzaman the minister of home affairs and Colonel MAG Osmani and Maj Gen Abdur Rob the Commander-in-Chief and Chief-of-Staff respectively of the Mukti Bahini, the armed force of the provincial government.

On April 11, Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmed addressed the nation on radio, announcing to his countrymen and the wider world the formation of a legitimate government to conduct Bangladesh’s war for independence.

The government was sworn in on April 17, making national and international headlines the next day.

Following the murder of Sheikh Mujib in 1975, Zia, one of the sector commanders of the Liberation War, appeared at the centre of power. After establishing military rule, he also became the country's president.

The BNP website describes Ziaur Rahman as the seventh president of Bangladesh, not the first.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has criticized the BNP the claim, saying, “They have changed their position from ‘he declared our independence’ to ‘he was the first president’.”

Rafiqul Islam Miah on Friday said, “The prime minister said yesterday that Ziaur Rahman wasn’t even a freedom fighter. This lie and false statement from the prime minister is regrettable.”

He said it was well-known that the Ziaur Rahman had declared independence and led a clueless people to war after Sheikh Mujib was arrested and taken away to Pakistan on Mar 25.

According to the late architect of the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendro Belal Mohammad, Zia had read out the declaration of independence on behalf Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the onset of the war.

The BNP claims Zia declared the independence of Bangladesh, although there is a High Court ruling against it.