Ziaur Rahman Ziaur Rahman , Bir Uttam , ( " Ji - yaur Rôhman " ) ( 19 January 1936 – 30 May 1981 ) , a career military officer He formed and was commander of the Central Sector , BDF Sector 11 , during the nations war of independence in 1971 . Later turned politician , he formed one of the largest political parties , the BNP , and became the seventh President of Bangladesh in 1977 . During the independence war in 1971 , he was first sector commander of BDF Sector 1 , before being posted to Teldhala . Later in August , he organised a separate unit , Z Force , after his first initial , and commanded it along with Sector 11 until October 10 , 1971 . A highly decorated and accomplished military officer , he was awarded Bir Uttom , the highest gallantry award for a living officer for his wartime services , and retired from the Bangladesh Army as a Lieutenant General . He later became the seventh President of Bangladesh from 1977 until 1981 . During his administration , he founded the Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( BNP ) , one of the two largest political parties in the country . He is popularly known as Shaheed President Zia , meaning " martyred Zia , " in reference to his 1981 assassination . He personally informed Mujibur Rahman about the problems in military ranks , morale and allegiance . Early life . Ziaur Rahman , popularly known as Zia , was the second son of Mansur Rahman and Jahanara Khatun . His father was a chemist who specialised in paper and ink chemistry and worked for a government department at Writer ' s Building in Kolkata . As a child Ziaur Rahman , nicknamed Komol , was reserved , shy , quietly spoken , and intense in many respects . He was raised in a village named Gabtoli , in Bogra , British India . In 1946 , Mansur Rahman , for a short stint , enrolled Zia in one of the leading boys schools of Calcutta — Hare School — where Zia studied until the dissolution of the British Empire in South Asia and creation of India in 1947 . On 14 August 1947 , Mansur Rahman , became a citizen of Pakistan , like many Muslims working for the former British government in India , exercised his option to become a citizen of a Muslim majority Pakistan and moved to Karachi , the first capital of Pakistan located in Sindh , West Pakistan . Zia , at the age of 11 , had become a student in class 6 ( six ) at the Academy School in Karachi in 1947 . Zia spent his adolescent years in Karachi and by age 15 completed his secondary education from that School in 1951 . In 1951 , Zia was admitted into the D . J . College in Karachi . After almost two years of studies there , in 1953 , at the age of 17 and a half , he joined the Pakistan Military Academy at Kakul as an officer cadet . Zia ' s character and style as one of the most effective leaders in the colonised world was largely shaped by the issues , attitudes , and events during his years at the Academy School . Excel in Pakistani Military . Graduating from the Pakistan Military Academy at 12th PMA long course in 18 September 1955 in the top 10 % of his class , Ziaur Rahman was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Pakistan Army . In the army , he received commando training , became a paratrooper and received training in a special intelligence course . Zia went to East Pakistan on a short visit and was amazed by the negative attitude of the Bengali middle class towards the military , which consumed a large chunk of the country ' s resources . The low representation of the Bengalis in the military was largely due to discrimination , but Ziaur Rahman felt that the Bengali attitude towards the military perhaps prevented promising young Bengali from seeking military careers . As a Bengali army officer he became a staunch advocate of military careers for Bengali youth . Zia argued that Bengali attitudes would change when they were in a position to share the resources and power of the military which was traditionally enjoyed by West Pakistanis , particularly those from the Punjab and Northwest Frontier provinces . After serving for two years in Karachi , he was transferred to the East Bengal Regiment in 1957 . He attended West Germany and UK military training schools . He also worked in the military intelligence department from 1959 to 1964 . Marriage to Khaleda Majumder . In August 1960 , his marriage was arranged to Khaleda Majumder , the 15 - year - old daughter of Iskandar Majumder and Taiyaba Majumder from the Dinajpur District , in a simple ceremony . Ziaur Rahman , a Captain in the then Pakistani Army who was posted at that time as an Officer of the Defence Forces . His father , Mansur Rahman could not attend the marriage ceremony , as he was in Karachi . Zia ' s mother had died earlier . The wedding reception took place after one year in the then Hotel Shahbag , which later became the PG Hospital ( now BSMMU ) . Role model for aspiring Bengali army officers . Ayub Khan ' s highly successful military rule from 1958 to 1968 further convinced Zia of the need for a fundamental change in the Bengali attitude towards the military . During that period Zia offered a role model for Bengali youth , excelling in his army career . During the Indo - Pakistani War of 1965 , Ziaur Rahman made his mark as a valiant fighter whilst serving in the Khemkaran sector in Punjab as the commander of a company unit of 300 – 500 soldiers . The sector was the scene of the most intense battles between the rival armies . Zia ' s unit won one of the highest numbers of gallantry awards for heroic performances . Ziaur Rahman himself won the distinguished and prestigious Hilal - e - Jurat ( Crescent of Courage ) medal , Pakistan ’ s second highest military award , and his unit won 2 Sitara - e - Jurat ( Star of Courage ) medals , the third highest military award , and 9 Tamgha - e - Jurat ( Medal of Courage ) medals , fourth highest award , from the Army for their brave roles in the 1965 War with India . In 1966 , Zia was appointed military instructor at the Pakistan Military Academy , later going on to attend the prestigious Command and Staff College in Quetta , Pakistan , where he completed a course in command and tactical warfare . Advocating that the Pakistan Army make greater efforts to recruit and encourage Bengali military officers , Zia helped raise two Bengali battalions called the 8th and 9th Bengals during his stint as instructor . Around the same time , his wife Khaleda Zia , now 23 , gave birth to their first child Tarique Rahman ( more popularly known as Tareq Zia , in reminiscent of his father ' s main name ) on 20 November 1967 . Very soon Ziaur Rahman , the father , would have to combine his newfound paternal instinct with his military expertise for a longsuffering deprived nation hungry for justice . Trained for high - ranking command posts , Zia joined the 2nd East Bengal regiment as its second - in - command at Joydebpur in Gazipur district , near Dhaka , in 1969 . Although sectarian tensions between East and West Pakistan were intensifying , Zia travelled to West Germany to receive advanced military and command training with the German Army and later on spent few months with the British Army . Pre - Liberation . Zia returned to Pakistan the following year , and witnessed political turmoil and regional division . Upon his return , Zia attained the rank of Major and was transferred in October 1970 to the 8th East Bengal regiment stationed in Chittagong to serve as its second - in - command . East Pakistan had been devastated by the 1970 Bhola cyclone , and the population had been embittered by the slow response of the central government . The political conflict between Pakistan ' s two major parties , Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ' s Awami League , and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto ' s PPP . The 1970 Pakistan Parliamentary elections which Maulana Bhasani advised Mujib not to call or participate in , the Pakistan Awami League had won a majority . Pakistan President Yahya Khan and PPP chair Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had brought sectarian tensions to a climax . Sheikh Mujib laid claim to form a government , but Yahya Khan postponed the convening of the legislature under pressure from Bhutto ' s party . Liberation War of 1971 . Following the failure of last - ditch talks , Yahya Khan declared martial law and ordered the army to crack down on Bengali political activities and arrested Sheikh Mujib before mid - night 26 March 1971 , and taken to Tejgaon International Airport and flown to West Pakistan . Zia who already by then geared to revolt against the government of Pakistan , was preparing to defect , and later arrested and executed his commanding officer Lt . Col . Janjua , revolted and broadcast the announcement of the Declaration of Independence on the evening hours of 27 March 1971 from the captured Kalurghat radio station in Chittagong which read : " This is Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra . I , Major Ziaur Rahman , hereby declare that Independence of the People ' s Republic of Bangladesh , in the name of our great leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman . I call upon all Bengalees to rise against the attack by the West Pakistani Army . We shall fight to the last to free our motherland . Victory is , by the Grace of Allah . " Zia organised an infantry unit gathering all Bengali soldiers from military and EPR units in Chittagong . He designated it Sector No . 1 with its HQ in Sabroom . A few weeks later , it was restructured officially under Bangladesh Forces as the sector in the Chittagong and Hill Tracts area , under General M . A . G . Osmani , the Supreme Commander of Bangladesh Forces , of the Provisional Government of Bangladesh HQ ' d at 8 Theatre Road , Calcutta , WB , India . On 30 June 1971 Zia was appointed the commander of the first conventional brigade of the Bangladesh Forces , which was named " Z Force " , after the first initial of his name , followed by K - forces in August and S - force in September , named after Major Khaled Musharraf and Major Shafiullah respectively . His brigade consisted of 1st , 3rd and 8th East Bengali regiments , enabling Zia to launch major attacks on Pakistani forces . Having earned a reputation for courageous leadership during the course of the war and reading the declaration of independence of Bangladesh in a critical time , Zia was awarded the Bir Uttom , the second - highest military honour ( and the highest for living officers ) by the Government of Bangladesh . Assassination of Mujib in 1975 and its aftermath . On 15 August 1975 Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family were brutally killed by a group of military officers . One of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ' s cabinet ministers and leading conspirators Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad gained the presidency . He subsequently appointed the then deputy chief of army staff Major General Ziaur Rahman as the army chief after removal of Major General K M Shafiullah . However , the coup of 15 August caused a period of instability and unrest in Bangladesh and more so across the ranks and files of the army . Brigadier Khaled Mosharraf and the Dhaka Brigade under Colonel Shafat Jamil made a counter - coup on 3 November 1975 , and Ziaur Rahman was forced to resign and was put under house arrest . A mutiny was staged by the JSD under retired Lieutenant Colonel Abu Taher and a group of socialist military officers and supporters of the left - wing National Socialist Party on 7 November , called the " National Revolution and Solidarity Day " ( " Sipoy - Janata Biplob " ) ( Soldiers and People ' s Coup ) . Khaled Mosharraf was killed and Colonel Jamil arrested , while Lt . Ziaur Rahman was freed by the 2nd Artillery regiment under Lt . Col . Rashid and re - appointed him as army chief . Following a major meeting at the army headquarters , an interim government was formed with Justice Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem as chief martial law administrator and Zia , Air Vice Marshal M . G . Tawab and Rear Admiral M . H . Khan as his deputies . However , discipline in the army had totally collapsed and it was difficult to disarm the soldiers and put them back to the barracks . Fearing that Abu Taher , who had actually planned to grab power through another organised revolt , Zia ordered his arrest . Following a secret trial in a military court , Zia authorised the execution of Taher on 21 July 1976 . Zia became the chief martial law administrator following Justice Sayem ' s elevation to the presidency on 19 November 1976 . He tried to integrate the armed forces , giving repatriates a status appropriate to their qualifications and seniority . While this angered some veterans of the independence war , who had rapidly reached high positions following liberation in 1971 , Zia defused potential threats from discontented officers by sending them on diplomatic missions abroad . President of Bangladesh . Major General Ziaur Rahman became the 7th President of Bangladesh on 21 April 1977 following Justice Sayem ' s resignation on grounds of " ill health " , which many believed was simply a pretext for Zia ' s rise to power with army ' s backing . Although Sayem had held the title of president , historians believe it was Zia who exercised real power from his office . Sayem had promised early elections , but Zia postponed the plans . The years of disorder had left most of Bangladesh ' s state institutions in disarray , with constant threats of military coups amidst strikes and protests . Assuming full control of the state , Zia banned political parties , censored the media , re - imposed martial law and ordered the army to arrest dissidents . Martial law restored order across the country to a large measure and as Zia crushed several attempted uprisings with ruthless measures . In late September 1977 , a group of Japanese Red Army terrorists hijacked an airplane and forced it to land in Dhaka . On 30 September , while the attention of the government was riveted on this event , a mutiny broke out in Bogra . Although the mutiny was quickly quelled on the night of 2 October , a second mutiny occurred in Dhaka by BAF . The mutineers unsuccessfully attacked Zia ' s residence , captured Dhaka Radio for a short time and killed a good number of air force officers and airmen at Tejgaon International Airport , where they were gathered for negotiations with the hijackers . Wing Commander M . Hamidullah Khan BP ( Sector Commander BDF Sector 11 ) , then BAF Ground Defense Commander , quickly put down the rebellion within the Air Force , but the government was severely shaken . AVM AG Mahmud reappointed Wing Commander Hamidullah as Provost Marshal of Bangladesh Air Force . Government intelligence had failed and Zia promptly dismissed the DGFI chief , AVM Aminul Islam Khan BAF , formerly of 9GD PAF , and also the DG - NSI . Special tribunals dealt harshly with the large groups of bandits , smugglers and guerrilla bands operating across the country . The size of Bangladeshi police forces was doubled and the strength of the army increased from 50 , 000 to 90 , 000 soldiers . When Ziaur Rahman assumed the presidency , he revived the multiparty system and restored freedom of the press . In 1978 he appointed Hussain Muhammad Ershad as the new Chief of Army Staff , promoting him to the rank of Lieutenant General . Viewed as a professional soldier with no political aspirations ( because of his imprisonment in former West Pakistan during the Bangladesh War of Independence ) who possessed a soft corner for India . Quietly Ershad rose to became Zia ' s close politico - military counselor . Domestic and foreign policies . Zia had taken a forward head start charge of a nation suffering from illiteracy , severe poverty , chronic unemployment , shortages and economic stagnation . Mujib initiated state commitment to socialism , following Indira ' s advice under the Soviet bloc was foregone with . Zia announced a " 19 - point programme " of economic emancipation which emphasised self - reliance , rural development , decentralisation and population control . Zia worked energetically and spent much of his time traveling throughout the country , preaching the " politics of hope " by continually urging all Bangladeshis to work harder and to produce more . Zia focused on boosting agricultural and industrial production , especially in food and grains , and to integrate rural development through a variety of programs , of which population planning was the most important . Working with the proposals of international lending agencies , he launched an ambitious rural development program in 1977 , which included a highly visible and popular food - for - work program . He promoted private sector development , exports growth and the reversing of the collectivisation of farms . His government reduced quotas and restrictions on agriculture and industrial activities . Zia launched major projects to construct irrigation canals , power stations , dams , roads and other public works . Directing his campaign to mobilise rural support and development , Zia established " Gram Sarkar " ( " Village Councils " ) system of self - government and the " Village Defence Party " system of security and crime prevention . Programmes to promote primary and adult education on a mass scale were initiated and focused mainly across rural Bangladesh . During this period , Bangladesh ' s economy achieved fast economic and industrial growth . Zia began reorienting Bangladesh ' s foreign policy , addressing the concerns of the mostly staunch rightists coupled with some renegade leftist who believed that Bangladesh was reliant on Indian economic and military aid . Zia withdrew from his predecessors ' affinity with the Soviet bloc , developing closer relations with the United States and Western Europe . Zia also moved to harmonise ties with Saudi Arabia and the People ' s Republic of China , who had opposed Bangladesh ' s creation and had not recognised it until 1975 . Zia also dropped the demands of reparations and an official apology demanded by Sheikh Mujib and moved to normalise relations with Pakistan . While distancing Bangladesh from India , Zia sought to improve ties with other Islamic nations . Zia ' s move towards Islamic state policies improved the nation ' s standing in the Middle East . Zia also proposed an organisation of the nations of South Asia to bolster economic and political co - operation at a regional level . This proposal materialized in 1985 under the Presidency of Hussain Muhammad Ershad with the creation of the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation in Dhaka . His vision has earned him a posthumous award from the organization . Islam and nationalism . Zia moved to lead the nation in a new direction , significantly different from the ideology and agenda of Sheikh Mujib . He discovered Bangladesh like never before . He found that the massive section of the population was suffering from an identity crisis , both religious and as a people , with a very limited sense of sovereignty . He issued a proclamation order amending the constitution , under whose basis laws would be set in an effort to increase the self - knowledge of religion and nation . In the preamble , he inserted the salutation " " Bismillahir - Rahmaanir - Rahim " " ( " In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful " ) . In Article 8 ( 1 ) and 8 ( 1A ) the statement " absolute trust and faith in Almighty Allah " ' was added , replacing the socialist religious free commitment to secularism . Socialism was redefined as " economic and social justice " . In Article 25 ( 2 ) , Zia introduced the principle that ' " the state shall endeavour to consolidate , preserve and strengthen fraternal relations among Muslim countries based on Islamic solidarity . " . Zia ' s edits to the constitution redefined the nature of the republic from the secularism laid out by Sheikh Mujib and his supporters . Later Ershad introduced Islamic religious education as a compulsory subject in Bangladeshi schools , with provisions for non - Muslim students to learn of their own religions . In public speeches and policies that he formulated , Zia began expounding " Bangladesh Nationalism " , its " Sovereignty " , as opposed to Mujib ' s assertion of a Bengali identity based under Awami League social policies and membership . Zia emphasised the national role of Islam as guide to life ' s principle . Claiming to promote an inclusive national identity , Zia reached out to non - Bengali minorities such as the Santal s , Garos , Manipuris and Chakmas , as well as the Urdu - speaking peoples of Bihari origin . He even amended the constitution to change the nationality of the citizens from Bengali , an ethnic identity , to Bangladeshi , a national identity , under sovereign allegiance not political belief or party affiliation . In an effort to promote cultural assimilation and economic development , Zia appointed a Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Commission in 1976 , but and initiated holding a political dialogue with the representatives of the hill tribes on the issue of autonomy and cultural self - preservation . On 2 July 1977 Ziaur Rahman organised a tribal convention to promote a dialogue between the government and tribal groups . After the formation of Bangladesh Nationalist Party , Zia took initiative for formation of political institutes and sponsored workshops for the youth to get active political lessons on Bangladeshi nationalism . In such a workshop in September 1980 , Zia spoke to the learners , Indemnity . As Bangladesh ' s ruler , Zia enacted several controversial measures , some to discipline the army , some to solidify his power and some to win the support of far - right groups including Islamic political parties . However , he took no action against Awami League leaders who were infamous for corruption except Ex . President Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad , whome he sent jail for theft charges . When he re - introduced multy - party politics , he allowed Sheikh Hasina , the exile daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to return to Bangladesh in 1981 . He also allowed earlier banned Jamaat - e - Islami , leaders to do politics under different party name as Islamic Democratic League ( IDL ) . As Zia ' s history as freedom fighter this measure is highly criticized as Jamaat - e - Islami collaborated with the Pakistani army , which committed war crime s , and in unsuccessfully preventing Bangladesh ' s independence . Golam Azam , the exiled chief of the Jammat - e - Islami , was allowed to come back and visit his ill mother to Bangladesh in July 1978 with a Pakistani passport on a visitor ' s visa , and he remained in Bangladesh following its expiry . No court case was lodged for his trial over his alleged role in committing wartime atrocities . Also , some war - criminals were appointed in ministerial posts . He also facilitated the comeback of other anti - liberation political entities like Muslim League and other Islamic parties . Zia also reluctantly made highly controversial anti - independence figure Shah Azizur Rahman ( who was earlier released from jail by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1973 ) prime minister in the sudden demise of more potential candidate Mashiur Rahman Jadu Mia and gave foreign appointments to several men accused of murdering Sheikh Mujib . The Indeminity Ordinance proclaimed by President Mustaque was ratified in the Parliament when Zia ' s party BNP had a landslide victory in the national election of 1979 . The ordinance thereby became Indemnity Act . During the tenure of President Hussain Muhammad Ershad , the Indemnity Act was incorporated as the 5th amendment to the constitution , legalising the military coups , rule under martial law and other political events between 1975 to 1979 . Zia also gave Sheikh Mujib ' s assassins Major Dalim , Major Rashid , and Major Faruk jobs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , and in subsequent years they were appointed ambassadors of Bangladesh to African and Middle Eastern nations . Shah Azizur Rahman was appointed Bangladesh ' s prime minister , serving through Zia ' s tenure in the presidency . Assassination . During his term of power , Zia was criticized for ruthless treatment of his army opposition . Although he enjoyed overall popularity and public confidence , Zia ' s rehabilitation of some of the most controversial men in Bangladesh aroused fierce opposition from the supporters of the Awami League and veterans of its Mukti Bahini . Amidst speculation and fears of unrest , Zia went on tour to Chittagong on 29 May 1981 to help resolve an intra - party political dispute in the regional BNP . Zia and his entourage stayed overnight at the Chittagong Circuit House . In the early hours of the morning of 30 May , he was assassinated by a group of army officers . Also killed were six of his bodyguards and two aides . It is often said that almost 2 million people attended the funeral held at the Parliament Square . Criticism and legacy . Ziaur Rahman is considered as one of the best political leaders of Bangladesh since independence . President Zia introduced a multi - party democracy in Bangladesh after Sheikh Mujibur Rahman , resorted to de facto one - party rule through BAKSAL in 1975 . As president , General Zia legislated the Indemnity Bill , pardoning the subsequently convicted killers of President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in August 1975 . Also deeply controversial is Zia ' s rehabilitation of persons and political groups that had collaborated with the Pakistani army . Zia is also criticised for creating a " magna democracy " , which remained largely beholden to his political party . Because other political parties like Awami League has internal tension barring its greater participation in politics . In a verdict passed on 30 August 2005 the Dhaka High Court declared the seizures of power by military coups between 1975 and 1979 , including Zia ' s military regime as " unlawful and unconstitutional . " Zia ' s martial law decrees , his ascendancy to the presidency in 1977 and the referendum held in 1978 were declared " unknown to the constitution . " The court ruling overruled the Indemnity Act by which these very events were accorded a legal status and enshrined in the constitution . Former US Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan praised him for his leadership and President Ronald Reagan said that " The United States – indeed the world – had come to respect President Zia ' s profound and compassionate commitment to a better life for his people and his dedication to the rule of law . His wisdom in international affairs will be sorely missed " . While credited for ending the disorder of the final years of Sheikh Mujib ' s rule , Zia is assailed by his critics for suppressing opposition . However , Zia ' s economic reforms are credited with rebuilding the economy and his move towards Islamisation brought him the support of ordinary Bangladesh people . His nationalist vision also appealed to many who resented the nation ' s strategic alliance with India and the Soviet Union . Moving away from Mujib ' s secularism , Zia asserted an Islamic political identity for Bangladesh and of membership in the wider community of Muslim nations . However , these measures also isolated and embittered many ethnic and religious minorities in Bangladesh , laying in the opinion of many historians the foundations of future communal and ethnic conflicts . It is generally acknowledged that he lived a simple life , which included opting to have his food supplied from the army canteen . Ziaur Rahman is survived by his wife Begum Khaleda Zia and his sons Tareq Rahman and Arafat Rahman . Begum Khaleda Zia became the head of the BNP and organised a coalition of political parties opposed to Ershad ' s regime . In elections held in 1991 , Begum Khaleda Zia led the BNP to victory and became prime minister . She lost the 1996 elections to the Awami League ' s Sheikh Hasina Wajed , the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman , but returned to power in 2001 . Tareq Rahman serves as BNP senior joint secretary , regarded by many as the architect of the BNP ' s 2001 election victory . Zia has been the namesake of many public institutions , such as formerly the Zia International Airport in Dhaka , which is the busiest airport in the nation . Zia has also been honoured by the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation for his statesmanship and vision .