Hossain Mohammad Ershad (b. 1 January 1930) is a Bangladeshi politician who previously served as army chief of staff (1978-82) and president of Bangladesh (1982-90). He is the current leader of the Jatiya Party. January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link is to a full 1930 calendar). ... The Chief of the Army Staff (CAS) of the Bangladesh Army is the professional head of the Bangladesh Army. ... This page lists Presidents of Bangladesh. ... Jatiya Party (National Party) is a Bangladeshi political party. ...

Early life and military career

Hossain Mohammad Ershad was born in Rangpur city in the Rangpur District of Bengal (now in Bangladesh). He graduated from the University of Dhaka in 1950 and was commissioned into the Pakistan Army in 1952. Between 1960 and 1962, he was an adjutant in the East Bengal regimental depot in Chittagong. He also completed advanced courses from the Command and Staff College in Quetta in 1966. After a brief period serving with a brigade in Sialkot, he was given command of the 3rd East Bengal Regiment in 1969 and the 7th East Bengal Regiment in 1971. During the Bangladesh Liberation War, he remained in West Pakistan and did not leave the service of the Pakistan Army, contrary to many other Bengali officers. However, he was transferred to the new state of Bangladesh in 1973 and appointed Adjutant General of the Bangladesh Army. After attending advanced military courses in India, Ershad was appointed deputy chief of army staff in 1975. Rangpur is one of the major cities in Bangladesh. ... Rangpur is a district in Northern Bangladesh. ... Bengal, known as Bôngo (Bengali: বঙ্গ), Bangla (বাংলা), Bôngodesh (বঙ্গদেশ), or Bangladesh (বাংলাদেশ) in the Bengali language, is a region in the northeast of South Asia. ... The University of Dhaka (commonly referred to as Dhaka University or just DU) (Bangla: ঢাকা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় Đhaka Bishshobiddalôe) is the oldest university in Bangladesh. ... Pakistan Army Flag The Pakistan Army (Urdu: پاک فوج) is the largest branch of the Pakistan military, and is responsible for protection of the state borders, the security of administered territories and defending the national interests of Pakistan within the framework of its international obligations. ... An adjutant (from the Latin adiutans, present participle of the verb adiutare, to help; the Romans actually used adiutor for the noun) is an officer who assists a more senior officer. ... Chittagong (Bengali: চট্টগ্রাম, Chôţţogram) is the major seaport and second largest city of Bangladesh. ... The Command and Staff College was established in 1974 at Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan. ... Quetta (Urdu: کوئٹہ) is the capital of the province Balochistan in Pakistan. ... In military science a brigade is a military unit that is part of a division and includes regiments (where that level exists), or (in modern armies) is composed of several battalions (typically two to four) and directly attached supporting units. ... Sialkot (Urdu/Punjabi: سیالکوٹ ) is a city in the northern province of Punjab in Pakistan, located 130 kilometer north-west of Lahore; at the feet of the snow-covered peaks of Kashmir and near the Chenab river. ... Combatants Mukti Bahini India Pakistan Commanders • General M A G Osmani • General Jagjit Singh Aurora General A. A. K. Niazi Strength India: 500,000+ Mukti Bahini: 100,000[1][2] Pakistan Army: 365,000 Paramilitary: 280,000[1] Casualties India: 1,426 KIA 3,611 Wounded (Official) Mukti Bahini: NA... West Pakistan, sometimes refered to as Old Pakistan, was the popular and sometimes official name of the western wing of UP until 1971, when the eastern wing (East Pakistan) became independent as Bangladesh; Pakistan with its current borders was previously refered to as New Pakistan between the period of (1972... The Bengali people are the ethnic community from Bengal (divided between India and Bangladesh) in Indian subcontinent with a history going back more than two millennia. ... An adjutant general is the chief administrative officer to a military general. ... Official flag of Bangladesh Army Bangladesh Army, or Bānglādesh Shenā Bāhini (Bānglā: বাংলাদেশ সেনা বাহিনী) in Bangla, is a branch of Bangladesh Armed Forces. ...

Ershad remained loyal to Ziaur Rahman, who had been appointed army chief by president Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad after the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country's founding leader, on 15 August 1975. Although Zia was overthrown in a counter-coup on November 3, he was restored to power in a coup led by Col. Abu Taher on November 7. When Ziaur Rahman assumed the presidency, he appointed Ershad as the new army chief, promoting him to the rank of lieutenant general. In his tenure as army chief, Ershad helped Zia suppress several attempted coups and mutinies. Ziaur Rahman (Bengali: Ziaur Rôhman) (January 19, 1936 — May 30, 1981) was the 6th President of Bangladesh and founder of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. ... Khondaker Moshtaq Ahmad (also spelled Khandakar Mushtaq Ahmed) (1918-1996) is a Bangladeshi political figure. ... Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh, was assassinated on August 15, 1975. ... August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... November 3 is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 58 days remaining. ... Colonel (retired) Abu Taher (1938-1976) was a famous Bangladeshi freedom fighter, a sector commander in Bangladesh Liberation War, and a left-leaning radical activist. ... November 7 is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 54 days remaining. ... Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. ...

Presidency

After the assassination of Ziaur Rahman on 30 May 1981 Ershad remained loyal to the government and ordered the army to suppress the coup attempt of Zia's killers, led by Major General Abul Monjur. He maintained loyalty to the new president Abdus Sattar, who led the Bangladesh Nationalist Party to victory in elections in 1982. However, pressure increased from high-ranking army commanders for the military to take over the reins of state. Ershad toppled President Sattar on 24 March 1982 and proclaimed himself chief martial law administrator. He took over as president on 11 December 1983 by replacing A. F. M. Ahsanuddin Chowdhury. Ziaur 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. ... May 30 is the 150th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (151st in leap years). ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Major General Muhammad Abul Monjur (? - 1981) was a Bangladeshi army officer responsible for organising the assassination of Ziaur Rahman on May 30, 1981 in Chittagong. ... Abdus Sattar (born 1906) was a Bangladeshi political figure. ... Bangladesh Nationalist Party (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী দল Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Dôl, BNP) is currently a ruling political party in Bangladesh along with Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh. ... March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (84th in leap years). ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Abul Fazal Mohammad Ahsanuddin Choudhury (1915 - August 30, 2001) was a judicial and political figure in Bangladesh. ...

As president, Ershad included the Indemnity Act into the constitution of Bangladesh, which legalised the military coups led by Zia and himself and granted amnesty to the killers of Sheikh Mujib. He also amended the constitution to declare Islam the state religion, abandoning state secularism. 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. All other major political parties boycotted the election, but Ershad was declared its winner. The Jatiya Party also won an absolute majority in the Jatiyo Sangshad.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. The Indemnity Act was first promulgated as an ordinance by Bangladesh president Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad. ... The constitution of Bangladesh is the supreme law in Bangladesh. ... Look up Amnesty in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... Secularity is the state of being without religious or spiritual qualities. ... Upazila also known as Sub-District. ... Jatiyo Sangshad (Bangla: জাতীয় সংসদ) or National Assembly is the national parliament of Bangladesh. ...

A wide umbrella of political parties united against Ershad's rule. Zia's widow Khaleda Zia now led the BNP, which allied itself with the Awami League, led by Mujib's daughter Sheikh Hasina. 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 forced Ershad to step down on 6 December 1990. Khaleda Zia (Bangla: খালেদা জিয়া) (born 15 August 1945) was the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 1991 to 1996, the first woman in the countrys history to hold that position, and then again from 2001 to 2006. ... The Bangladesh Awami League (বাংলাদেশ আওয়ামী লীগ Bāŋlādeś Āowāmī Līg) or the Bangadesh Peoples League is the main opposition party in Bangladesh. ... Sheikh Hasina Wajed (Bangla: শেখ হাসিনা ওয়াজেদ) (born September 28, 1947) was the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 1996 to 2001. ... Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (often referred as just Jamaat) is the largest and most influential Islamic party in Bangladesh. ... December 7 is the 341st day (342nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 6 is the 340th day (341st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Later political career

Ershad was briefly arrested and kept confined. He contested the 1991 elections from jail through 5 different constituencies in the Rangpur District, winning all of them. The new government led by the BNP's Khaleda Zia instituted a number of corruption charges. Ershad was convicted of some of the charges. In the 1996 elections, Ershad again won election from the jail and aligned his party with the Awami League against the BNP. He was released from jail on 9 January 1997 by the government of Sheikh Hasina, but he lost his membership in parliament owing to his conviction on charges of corruption. In 2000, the Jatiya Party divided into three factions, although Ershad's bloc remains the largest. January 9 is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

Ziaur Rahman (Bengali: Ziaur Rôhman) (January 19, 1936 — May 30, 1981) was the 6th President of Bangladesh and founder of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. ... Nuruddin Khan is a former Chief of Bangladesh Army and Minister of Energy (Bangladesh). ... Abul Fazal Mohammad Ahsanuddin Choudhury (1915 - August 30, 2001) was a judicial and political figure in Bangladesh. ... This page lists Presidents of Bangladesh. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 6 is the 340th day (341st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Shahabuddin Ahmed Shahabuddin Ahmed (b. ...

Reference

• Banglapedia biography