The 2006–2008 Bangladeshi political crisis began as a
caretaker government
A caretaker government is a temporary ''ad hoc'' government that performs some governmental duties and functions in a country until a regular government is elected or formed. Depending on specific practice, it usually consists of either randomly se ...
(CTG) assumed power at the end of October 2006 following the end of term of the
Bangladesh Nationalist Party
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী দল, Bangladesh Jātīyotābādī Dol; BNP) is a centre-right to right-wing nationalist, political party in Bangladesh and one of the major ...
administration. BNP government increased the age of chief justice retirement in an unconstitutional way to bias the appointment of the head of the caretaker government. CTG manages the government during the interim 90-day period and parliamentary elections. Political conflict began with the alleged appointment of a
Chief Advisor, a role which devolved to the
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
, Dr.
Iajuddin Ahmed
Iajuddin Ahmed (1 February 193110 December 2012) was the President of Bangladesh, serving from 6 September 2002 until 12 February 2009. From late October 2006 to January 2007, he also served as Chief Advisor of the caretaker government. From Oc ...
. The interim period was marked from the beginning by violent protests initiated by the
Awami League In Urdu language, Awami is the adjectival form for '' Awam'', the Urdu language word for common people.
The adjective appears in the following proper names:
*Awami Colony, a neighbourhood of Landhi Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
*Awami Front, wa ...
named ''
Logi Boitha Andolan'' (Boat-hook and Oar Movement), with 40 people killed and hundreds injured in the first month.
The
Bangladesh Nationalist Party
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী দল, Bangladesh Jātīyotābādī Dol; BNP) is a centre-right to right-wing nationalist, political party in Bangladesh and one of the major ...
had its own complaints about the process and the opposition.
After extensive negotiations as the CTG tried to bring all the political parties to the table and had agreement for a scheduled election, on 3 January 2007, the Awami League said that it and the smaller parties of its Grand Alliance would
boycott
A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict som ...
the
general election
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
to be held on 22 January 2007. They complained about the lack of an accurate voters list. More widespread violence and political rioting followed.
The "bitter rivalry" between the Awami League and BNP has affected the nation for the last two decades, although their political positions are not so far apart.
The parties are led by women who represent assassinated leaders:
Sheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina Wazed (''née'' Sheikh Hasina ; ; bn, শেখ হাসিনা ওয়াজেদ, Shēkh Hasinā, , born 28 September 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Prime Minister ...
, the eldest daughter of father of the nation
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ( bn, শেখ মুজিবুর রহমান; 17 March 1920 – 15 August 1975), often shortened as Sheikh Mujib or Mujib and widely known as Bangabandhu (meaning ''Friend of Bengal''), was a Bengalis, Beng ...
, since 1981 has been head of the
Awami League In Urdu language, Awami is the adjectival form for '' Awam'', the Urdu language word for common people.
The adjective appears in the following proper names:
*Awami Colony, a neighbourhood of Landhi Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
*Awami Front, wa ...
.
Khaleda Zia
Khaleda Zia (; born Khaleda Khanam Putul in 1945) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from March 1991 to March 1996, and again from June 2001 to October 2006. She was the first female prime minister of Ba ...
, the head of the BNP, is the widow of the late president
Ziaur Rahman
Lt. General Ziaur Rahman (19 January 1936 – 30 May 1981), was a Bangladeshi military officer and politician who served as the President of Bangladesh from 1977 to 1981. He was assassinated on 30 May 1981 in Chittagong in an army coup d' ...
, who as president founded the party in the late 1970s.
On 11 January 2007 the military intervened to support the caretaker government of President Iajuddin, who had already declared a state of emergency. He accepted the resignations of most of his advisors. He also resigned as Chief Advisor, being replaced on 12 January by
Fakhruddin Ahmed
Fakhruddin Ahmed (born 1 May 1940) is a Bangladeshi economist, civil servant, and a former governor of the Bangladesh Bank, the country's central bank.
On 12 January 2007, he was appointed Chief Adviser (Head of the Government) of the non-p ...
, who had worked for the
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...
. The government suppressed political activity to try to restore stability. In the spring, it started to work on corruption cases, charging 160 persons, including both party leaders, other politicians, civil servants and businessmen for actions going back to the late 1990s. The nation has had an extreme reputation for corruption under both the major political parties. In addition, some observers speculated that the caretaker government was trying to force both party leaders into exile to stabilise the country and reduce the political polarisation. The CTG also charged Sheikh Hasina for alleged murder for the deaths of four persons during protests in the fall of 2006. The High Court held that Khaleda Zia could not be charged under emergency law for events that happened prior to the emergency but on appeal, in September 2007 the
Bangladesh Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Bangladesh ( bn, বাংলাদেশ সুপ্রীম কোর্ট) 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 C ...
ruled that the Zia trial should proceed. Near the end of 2008, the caretaker government moved to restore democratic government and held elections in December. The Awami League and Grand Alliance won by a two-thirds majority, and formed a government in 2009.
Background
According to Bangladesh's unique system, at the time of national parliamentary elections, which must be held within ninety days of dissolving a parliament, a caretaker government is entrusted to oversee the process and manage in the interim. First established in an informal way, the CTG provisions were incorporated by amendment in 1996 into the constitution. It stipulates that the Chief Advisor position (with the status of Prime Minister) is filled by the appointment of the last retired Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He appoints a maximum of ten advisors (with the status of ministers) to assist in managing the government. The caretaker government runs all the state's affairs during the 90-day interim, including conducting the nationwide parliamentary elections. During this interim period, the Defense Ministry's charge is transferred to the country's
President of Bangladesh
The president of Bangladesh ( bn, বাংলাদেশের রাষ্ট্রপতি — ) officially the President of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশে ...
, who assumes the role of Commander-in-Chief.
Protests
At the end of BNP's 2001–2006 term, the Awami League questioned the neutrality of
K. M. Hasan, the immediate past Chief Justice, who was in line to become Chief Advisor of the
caretaker government
A caretaker government is a temporary ''ad hoc'' government that performs some governmental duties and functions in a country until a regular government is elected or formed. Depending on specific practice, it usually consists of either randomly se ...
. With uncertainty about who would be appointed as CA, Awami supporters led protests and violence beginning on 28 October, popularly known as the ''
logi boitha movement'', which resulted in at least 12 deaths and thousands of injuries. On that day,
Awami League In Urdu language, Awami is the adjectival form for '' Awam'', the Urdu language word for common people.
The adjective appears in the following proper names:
*Awami Colony, a neighbourhood of Landhi Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
*Awami Front, wa ...
activists allegedly beat and killed members of an opposing party.
["Opposition welcomes B'desh U-turn"](_blank)
, BBC News, 26 April 2007.
Caretaker government is formed
At the backdrop against the situation, the former Chief Justice K. M. Hasan declined to take the job of Chief Advisor (CA), citing health reasons. However, according to the provision, the constitutional obligations must be performed without fear and favour. Hindering this sacred responsibility is deemed to be serious violation of the constitution, which is to be punished in highest order.
According to a ''BDNews24'' report based on later Wikileaks, Justice Hasan had started recruiting advisors before he was sworn in. President
Iajuddin Ahmed
Iajuddin Ahmed (1 February 193110 December 2012) was the President of Bangladesh, serving from 6 September 2002 until 12 February 2009. From late October 2006 to January 2007, he also served as Chief Advisor of the caretaker government. From Oc ...
directed his Presidential Advisor to organise meetings with the four major political parties representing parliament, but the parties were unable to agree on an appointment for Chief Advisor, although five men were considered.
Justice
Mainur Reza Chowdhury
Mainur Reza Chowdhury (23 June 1938 – 26 June 2004) was a Bangladeshi jurist who served as the 12th Chief Justice of Bangladesh between 18 June 2002 and 22 June 2003. He was appointed to the role by former President Badruddoza Chowdhury.
Early ...
was discussed as a nominee, but he died before appointment. Two retired justices of the Supreme Court: Justice
M. A. Aziz and Justice
Md. Hamidul Haque, were also considered. Aziz was Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) at that time. The Awami League complained about him in that position, so did not accept him for CA. Justice Haq was disqualified as he had been appointed Chairman of the Judicial Training Institute by the immediate past BNP government. Having held a for-profit office is a disqualification for the CA. In addition, BNP opposed his nomination as CA.
Justice
Mahmudul Amin Chowdhury was considered. He had retired before Mainur Reza Chowdhury. The BNP opposed him, as the Parliamentary Adviser of Khaleda Zia was against him. In August 2012, ''
The Daily Star'' reported that Khaleda Zia has said she regretted having opposed Mahmudul Amin Chowdhury's appointment at the time.
Given the parties' failure to agree on a candidate, according to the constitution the position devolved to the President,
Iajuddin Ahmed
Iajuddin Ahmed (1 February 193110 December 2012) was the President of Bangladesh, serving from 6 September 2002 until 12 February 2009. From late October 2006 to January 2007, he also served as Chief Advisor of the caretaker government. From Oc ...
, serving since 2002. He took it on in addition to his regular responsibilities, which under the caretaker government included the Defense Ministry. Iajuddin Ahmed formed a government, appointing ten advisors to a council to act as ministers. He appointed his press spokesman, the journalist
Mukhlesur Rahman Chowdhury, as his chief Presidential Advisor, with the status of Minister of State. Chowdhury had the responsibility to negotiate with the political parties to bring them to participation in the election.
The Awami League agreed to take part in the elections, but demanded that Iajuddin Ahmed make mass changes to the administration to free it from what they called the BNP's politicisation. They also demanded that a new and accurate voter list be compiled. The BNP also had its own issues against the opposition.
Hussain Muhammad Ershad
Lt. Gen. Hussain Muhammad Ershad ( bn, হুসেইন মুহাম্মদ এরশাদ; 1 February 1930 – 14 July 2019) was a Bangladeshi Army Chief politician who served as the President of Bangladesh from 1983 to 1990, a time ma ...
, head of the
Jatiya Party allied with BNP, asked the CTG not to extend date of submission of nominations for candidates, as requested by Awami League, as his candidates had filed on time. At Sheikh Hasina's demand, a presidential advisor negotiated with the Election Commission to gain a two-day extension for filing of nominations On 23 December 2006, all political parties joined the planned elections of 22 January 2007. The last day of nomination filing was extended to 26 December 2006 to accommodate all political parties, as requested by Sheikh Hasnna to Mukhles Chowdhury.
On 3 January 2007, the last day possible, the Awami League declared that they and their allies would boycott the election. The withdrawal added to the political uncertainty and more violent protests resulted, in which hundreds had already been injured.
These actions had devastating, disruptive effects on the economy.
As the BBC noted,
The two women asina and Ziaare bitter rivals and barely speak to each other. Their mutual loathing is reflected among their respective sets of supporters.
Bangladesh is one of the most politically polarised countries in the world, even though the actual policy differences between the two largest parties do not amount to anything significant.
But the ceaseless bickering and violent confrontations have meant that the Bangladeshi economy – already fragile – is coming under further pressure.
Military intervention
Military representatives met with President Ahmed on 11 January, urging him to declare a
state of emergency
A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...
, and to resign and appoint an Interim Chief Advisor.
According to a United States diplomatic cable later released under Wikileaks, the Army Chief, General
Moeen U Ahmed
Moeen Uddin Ahmed is a former Bangladesh Army general and the 12th Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh Army from 15 June 2005 to 15 June 2009 with last one-year extension during the caretaker government led by Fakhruddin Ahmed. He has worke ...
, and his group persuaded the President to declare a
state of emergency
A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...
on 11 January 2007.
[Ishaan Tharoor, "General Command"](_blank)
, ''Time Magazine'', 19 June 2008 At the time, the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence & Counterterrorism, Brigadier General
A T M Amin
ATM Amin is a retired General of the Bangladesh Army. He is a former Director General of Forces Intelligence, and a former Director General of Ansar and VDP. He was forced into retirement in 2009.
Career
As Brigadier General he was director of ...
, met with the US Ambassador,
Patricia Butenis, to explain the military's concerns. Given the Awami League's withdrawal from the elections, they believed that supporting a one-sided election might threaten the armed forces continued participation in UN peacekeeping missions – UNPKO, which they valued. In addition, they were worried about threatened terrorist violence from ''
Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh
Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen ("Assembly of Mujahideen--Bangladesh", abbreviated: JMB; bn, জামাত-উল-মুজাহিদীন বাংলাদেশ) is a terrorist organisation operating in Bangladesh. It is listed as a terror group by ...
'' (
JMB), which had set off 300 bombs in August 2005. They wanted a neutral government established until "fair, free and credible elections" could be held in which all parties participated.
[
In the near term, Justice Fazlul Haque, the senior CTG advisor, was to be appointed Interim Chief Advisor, and ]Fakhruddin Ahmed
Fakhruddin Ahmed (born 1 May 1940) is a Bangladeshi economist, civil servant, and a former governor of the Bangladesh Bank, the country's central bank.
On 12 January 2007, he was appointed Chief Adviser (Head of the Government) of the non-p ...
, a prominent banker, would quickly be appointed Chief Advisor to replace Iajuddin Ahmed. All of them were the violation of the constitution and when chief advisor or prime minister resigns the whole advisory council or cabinet is deemed to be resigned what Advisor Mukhlesur Rahman Chowdhury categorically pointed out. Mukhles Chowdhury also deleted some sentences, which were derogated remarks against the country to justify the military intervention, written by Lt. Gen. Moeen in the president's speech broadcast on 11 January 2011. Moeen's main pillar of 11 January 2007 military coup was then Military Secretary to the President (MSP) Major General Aminul Karim
Aminul Karim (born 1 July 1955) is a retired lieutenant general of Bangladesh Army. He served as the military secretary to the president of Bangladesh, Iajuddin Ahmed. He was a senior research fellow at the Asia Europe Institute, University of Mal ...
.[
Due to this, Advisor Mukhles Chowdhury attempted to replace him by then General Officer Commanding (GOC) of 24 Division Major General ]Md Abdul Mubeen
Mohammed Abdul Mubeen is a retired Bangladeshi General who served as the Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh army.
Prior to his service as Chief of Army Staff, Mubeen served as Principal staff officer of the Armed Forces Division. Before th ...
, who was later appointed as army chief by successive government. Unfortunately, DG of Special Security Force (SSF) Major General Syed Fatemi Ahmed Rumi supported Aminul Karim and misled former prime minister Khaleda Zia on this. Initially. Mrs Zia was convinced by Advisor Chowdhury, but later she took side of Rumi. But what she did not realise that once loyal this army officer had already betrayed with her. Although Rumi was posted long five years of Khaleda Zia's tenure with her, she was under surveillance by him as well. During those days, he intercepted her personal life. Ironically, an army group including him, tried to publish a Nikahnama (marriage document) of his once boss in Prothom Alo
''The Daily Prothom Alo'' ( bn, প্রথম আলো) is a daily newspaper in Bangladesh, published from Dhaka in the Bengali language. It is the largest circulated newspaper in Bangladesh. According to National Media Survey 2018, conducte ...
, a bangla daily. Fatemi Rumi accompanied General Moeen to his maiden visit to India, he was posted by Moeen to Rangpur division of army where Moeen visited three times and worked to establish a University in Rangpur. Moreover, Rumi pressured businessmen to contribute donation for the Kings Party "Jago Bangladesh" a political party created by Moeen, which dies a natural death. Likewise, when Mukhles Chowdhury informed top politicians that by 12 January 2011 there would be a martial law in Bangladesh, Brigadier Chowdhury Fazlul Bari
Chowdhury Fazlul Bari was a Bangladesh Army officer and former Director General of Directorate General of Forces Intelligence.
Career
Bari joined the elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in 2004 when it was founded. As a Lieutenant colonel he ser ...
misled Khaleda Zia with the help of Aminul Karim to implement Moeen's plan to capture Presidency. In addition, Amin (popularly known as Bihari Amin as he was a settler from India's Bihar Province) informed the US diplomats that the Director General for National Security Intelligence, Maj. Gen. Md. Rezzaqul Haider Chowdhury (Haider), was relieved from duty and being investigated. (Later that year, he was charged in the 10-Truck Arms and Ammunition Haul in Chittagong
The incident of the 10-Truck Arms and Ammunition Haul took place in Chattogram, Bangladesh, on the night of 1 April 2004, when police and Coast Guard interrupted the loading of ten trucks and seized extensive illegal arms and ammunition at a jett ...
, an incident of smuggling to a militant organisation based in India.) The President's remaining CTG advisor, M Mukhlesur Rahman Chowdhury, was also relieved of his duties. The cable noted that both men were believed to be paths of influence from Khaleda Zia and the BNP.
Assuring the diplomats of the military's support for the civilian government, Amin said their immediate goals for the caretaker government were to:
* "reconstitute the election commission,
* develop a credible voter list, and
* establish a roadmap to free and fair elections."[ It also wanted the interim government to tackle corruption and economic reform.][
]
Cessation of election monitoring operations
The BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
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reported on 11 January 2007 that, given the withdrawal of the Awami League, and announced resignations, the United Nations and the
operations, as conditions for a credible vote did not exist. The EU said,
in Bangladesh. He established a late night to early morning (11 p.m. to 5 am) curfew. ''
'' reported this action as a form of ''coup d'état.'' Within hours President Ahmed announced his resignation as chief advisor and postponed the scheduled election. Prior to his resignation, he accepted the resignations of nine of the ten advisors of the caretaker government.
President Ahmed appointed Justice
, the senior-ranking CTG advisor, as the interim Chief Advisor. The columnist Zafar Sobhan of the ''Daily Star'' newspaper wrote, "It is fairly apparent that it was done under pressure from the army because of the threat that the country could lose its peacekeeping role" with the United Nations, which was both prestigious and lucrative in terms of payment to the country.
On 12 January 2007, with military backing, the former
, was sworn in as the new Chief Advisor. He appointed five advisors on 13 January to form the new interim government. When he was officially named as the head of the caretaker government, he lifted the curfew. The state of emergency was continued, suspending some basic rights provided by the constitution, such as the freedom of movement, assembly, and speech to limit protests and disruptive political activity.
In 2007, the caretaker government pursued graft and corruption charges against both major party leaders and some of their senior staff, trying to clean up the country, which was notorious for corruption. It filed charges against 160 politicians, civil servants, and businessmen, including
, who were both active in the BNP.
Later in the year, the government filed charges of corruption against both her and
, leader of the Awami League. This anti-corruption effort was greeted with approval by the people, who were tired of government officials "siphoning off the country's wealth."
In April, the media reported that the caretaker government was trying to force both major party leaders out of the country, which was needed to reform the political system.
, but that country declined.
The CTG banned Sheikh Hasina from returning from a trip and had prohibited political activity. By 26 April 2007, the government had changed its position, and allowed Hasina to return and both leaders to resume political activities. Hasina was being charged with murder for the deaths of four opposition supporters in late 2006, allegedly due to attacks by her party members, prior to the
being imposed.
On 12 July 2007, Sheikh Hasina, party leader of the Awami League, was arrested for graft, based on charges filed by a businessman against her for actions in 1998.
After holding power for more than a year, the CTG decided to hold local elections in some locations on 4 August 2008. The main parties criticised this as unconstitutional.
General elections were held on 29 December 2008, when the Awami League and its Grand Alliance won two-thirds of the seats in parliament. The BNP and its four-party alliance, including
, comprise the major opposition.