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Home , Abdul Hamid (politician), Abdul Jalil (politician), Abdul Malek Ukil, Agartala Conspiracy Case, Ataur Rahman Khan, Awami League

journeyjourney ofof awamiawami leagueleague 1949-20161949-2016

Bangladesh is the oldest and largest political party of Bangladesh. With the founding and operating principles of democra- cy, , and secularism, the party has become synonymous with progress, prosperity, development and social justice. This publication gives a brief account of the illustrious history of the party which has become synonymous with that of the country.

Formation - 1949

It was 1949. The wounds of the partition of the Indian Sub-Continent just two years back were still fresh. After the creation of , it became im- mediately apparent that the discriminatory politics of the dominant could not live up to the aspirations of the majority Bangali people living in . Disenfranchised, a progressive seg- ment of the decided to form their own party. 1949 1 1949 9 Khan BhashaniasthePresidentandShamsulHoqueGeneralSecretaryofParty. ed, amongothers, recognitionofBangla asoneoftheState LanguagesofPakistan; abolishing with AwamiLeagueinthe lead.Thehistoricdraftof21-Pointwasadopted. The21-Pointinclud- Secretary. On14thNovember, thedecisionwastakentoform ‘United Front’(Juktofront) gh electedMaulanaBhashani asthePresidentandSheikhMujibur RahmanastheGeneral On 9th July, 1953 the first National Council of Awami League held after formation at Mymensin- and OhiullahbecamethefirstmartyrsofLanguage Movement. Barkat Jabbar, Salam, Rafique, upon. fired indiscriminately was language state the as Bengali taken to defy government imposed restrictions on movement. The procession demanding declaring Bangla as the state language of EastPakistan.On 21st February, the decision was Language Movement Committee’wasformed atthe library hall of Bartopressfor with theerstwhileAwamiLeaguePresident Maulana Bhashaniinchair,the‘AllPartyState ers andgavedirectionsforwaging the languagemovement.On31stJanuaryofsame year, PAGE 4 5 dence of KM Bashir Humayun named ‘RoseGarden’,electedMaulana chaired by . The meeting, held at Dhaka’s K M Das Lane at the resi- N 23RDJUNE,theEastPakistanAwamiMuslimLeaguewasformedatameeting prison ward, communicatedwith the partyleadersandwork- that will be the only state language. While being treated at the Dhaka Medical’s N 26TH JANUARY, 1952 the then Governor-General Khwaja Nazimuddin announced 0

1960 s Language MovementandUnitedFront’s21Point A PartyisBorn 49

Historic Rose Garden, Dhaka LANGUAGE MOVEMENT AND 19491950s UNITED FRONT’S 21 POINT

feudal system, securing fair price for farmers, protection from flood and famine, securing food self-sufficiency, ensuring labour rights, introducing free and compulsory primary education, eradicating corruption, nepotism and bribery, separating the judiciary from the executive, ensuring regular elections and full autonomy of East save for defence, currency and foreign affairs.

On 8th March, 1954 the Provincial Assembly elections returned an overwhelming endorsement for the 21-Point. the United Front secured a massive win while Muslim League faced an elector- al debacle. At the council session held between 21st to 23rd October, 1955 the word ‘Muslim’ was removed from the name of ‘East Pakistan Awami League’ to make the party more inclusive and secular.

On 18th March, 1957 Maulana Bhashani resigned from Awami League. On 31st May, after relin- quishing his Cabinet position, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman took charge of the party’s rejuvenation as the General Secretary. On 7th October of the same year, martial law was imposed in Paki- stan. The regime banned all political parties and arrested Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and other political leaders. On 7th December 1959, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was freed. It was during this time that he expressed to his co-workers his plans to establish an independent Bengal. A glimpse of the Language Movement at Amtola, Dhaka (21 February 1952)

PAGE 5 1 9 and imposedmartiallaw.On5thDecember,Bangabandhufamouslyannounced: Race CourseField, Dhaka. On 25th March, ’s regime fell. General Yahyatookcharge, the ‘Bangabandhu’ title bystudentsinthepresenceofhundreds of thousands of peopleat the . On 23rd February, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was bestowed with nationwide upsurgebegan.Sheikh mass Mujibur Rahman wassetfreeastheregimedropped Sheikh Mujib’s 6-Point. On 24th January, in response tothebrutalclampdown on thestudents, Student Movement Council announced its 11-Point programme and movement based on was formedby Awami Leagueand seven otherparties.On 10th January ofthesameyear, democracy andpressforfallofAyubActionCommittee’(DAC) Khan’s regime,the‘Democratic Council’ to mountaconcertedcampaignagainsttheregime.On8th January, 1969 to restore Student organizations inspiredbyAwamiLeagueformedthe‘CentralStudent Movement Mujib and Others’ case. Thiscametobeknown infamously as the ‘Agartala Conspiracy’ case. On 18th January, 1968 Sheikh Mujibur was indicted as AccusedNo.1inthe‘StateVsSheikh Rahman andGeneralSecretaryTajuddinwerearrested. support for Awami League and its movement, leadersincluding Party President Sheikh Mujibur rate foreign exchange accounts, and separate armedforces.On 8th May, concerned by the elections, autonomy for the provinces, separatecurrencies,taxation systems,sepa- included, among others,the demands for afederalsystemofgovernmentwith parliamentary This Bangalis. the of aspirations the home press to movement concerted first the was which On 5th February, 1966 Sheikh Mujibur Rahman raisedthehistoric6-Point demands atLahore, cratic Front(NDF). model of ‘Basic Democracy’.Awami League andlikeminded parties formedtheNational Demo- ers including Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. PoliticiansandpeoplerejectedAyub Khan’s farcical PAGE 6

6 leaders. On 7th February, 1962 the military junta started arrestingAwami League lead- he formedasecretnucleuswithstudentandyouth al preparations.Toachievehisaim, IMED at independence, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman initiated his political and organization- 0

1960s East Pakistanwouldhenceforth be knownasBangladesh Six-Point, AgartalaandMassUpsurge From left:Women marchingforSix-Point(June7, 1966);AgartalaConspiracy Case (June19,1968); AGlimpseofMassUpsurge (January10,1969) 970s Liberation, Reconstruction & Tragedy 1970s Awami League’s election campaign in 197

N 7TH DECEMBER, 1970 the decisive general were held. Among the 300 seat Parliament, out of 169 seats in East Pakistan, Awami League won in a landslide 167 seats. This was followed by another massive win for Awami League in the elections for the Provincial Assembly of , where the party won in 288 out of 300 seats. This shook the elite and establishment in West Pakistan to the core. Rather than hand over power to the demo- cratically elected Awami League, in , Yahya announced indefinite postponement of the session of National Assembly. Spontaneous mass demonstrations broke out nationwide following this announcement. Slogans like ‘’, ‘Brave Bangalis, Take Up Arms and Liberate Bangla- desh’, ‘Your and My Address, Padma, Meghna, Jamuna’, Wake Up Bangalis, Wake Up’ resonated nationwide. Curfew was imposed and liberties were severely curtailed. Students raised the ‘Nation Flag’ for the first time at Dhaka University’s Arts Building.

On 7 March 1971, Bangabandhu gave his landmark speech, effectively declaring Bangladesh’s independence. His words ‘This time the struggle is for our liberation, this time the struggle is for our independence’, echoed in the hearts of millions and gave the final call for the Bangalis to get prepared for anything and everything. Throughout March, Bangabandhu’s instructions effectively controlled Bangladesh’s administration, judiciary, commerce and trade, banks, industries, transportation and educational institutions. During this time, the Pakistani military junta was conspiring to attack the and was stalling for time in the guise of negotiations and dialogue. On 23rd March 1971, the purported negotiations effectively broke down. Bang- abandhu raised the National Flag at his Dhanmondi residence with this own hands.

On the dark night of 25th March 1971, the Pakistani military launched the infamous ‘’, the genocide and mass killing of the unarmed, civilian Bangalis. At the late night of 25th March, and the early hours of 26th March, and before he was arrested, Bangabandhu formally declared the independence of Bangladesh. Through the wireless of the erstwhile East 970sPakistan Rifles (EPR), the announcement was broadcast in and elsewhere in the country. Bangabandhu’s declaration of independence was disseminated widely via leaflets and public announcements across the nation. At the call of Bangabandhu, people all over the coun- try took up arms and started resisting. The Liberation War had begun.

PAGE 7 by BangbandhuSheikhMujiburRahman From left:Bangladesh’sfirstGovernmentformedatMujibnagar(April17,1971);DeclarationofIndependence ber 1971,the Pakistaniforcessurrendered atthehistoricRace CourseField,Dhaka. fighters formed a joint command and waged a total war against the Pakistani forces. On 16th Decem- and joinedtheindependence struggle.ThealliedforcesfromIndiaand theBangladeshifreedom By the first week of December, formally recognized the newly independent state of Bangladesh Octo- ber-November, thePakistani armywaseffectivelychasedawayfrommostareasinBangladesh. By odds. all against resistance strong a mounted fighters freedom The intellectuals. Bangali the Pakistaniarmyandtheirlocalcollaborators embarkedonthemissionoftargetedkillings their dignity.Around10millionpeoplewereforced totakerefugeinIndia.Rightbeforetheirdefeat, Bangladesh. As a result, 3 million people lost their lives. Around 300,000 women were stripped of orators like Jamaat-E-Islami perpetrated massive genocide, mass-rapes, and destruction throughout Between MarchandDecember,thePakistaniinvading forceswithactiveassistancetheirlocalcollab- of thecountryandwasannouncedtobetemporary capitalofindependentBangladesh. formal shape.On17thApril,thenewlyformed Cabinet took oathat‘’,aliberated part Colonel OsmaniwasappointedtheChiefofArmedForces.Theresistancenowtookamore Nazrul Islam as the acting President and Tajuddin Ahmed as the Prime Minister. On 11th April, dent ofthePeople’sRepublicBangladeshandformedaCabinetwithDeputyPresidentSyed abandhu anddraftedaninstrumentofindependence.TheyelectedBangabandhuasthePresi - desh MassCouncil’.Thecouncilendorsedthe26thMarchdeclarationofindependencebyBang - On 10thApril1971,theelectedrepresentativesofBangladeshgottogetherandform‘Bangla - him anenemyofthestate.AwamiLeaguewasbanned. held Bangabandhu responsible for attempting to break off Pakistan and announced wali Prison.TheconspiracywashatchedtohangBangabandhuintheguiseofafarcicaltrial. Bangabandhu was arrested and taken to Pakistan. He was held in solitary confinement at PAGE 8 LIBERATION, RECONSTRUCTION AND TRAGEDY 1 9 70 s

1970sMian- footing. government ofBangabandhu hadtoconfrontthesechallengesof reconstruction onaWar the to owing born countrywasposed by the conspiraciesof the defeated anti-liberationquarters.The recession worldwide the of effect Arab-Israeli War and adverse the floods of 1974 etc. A greater threat to the the political stability of the new- 1973, of cyclone devastating bility ofafaminewasbeing forecast. Thingswerecompounded bythe drought of 1972, the my wasinashambles,foreigncurrencyreserve wasnil;thefoodsiloswereempty.Thepossi- million refugees, who had fled to India, were to be brought back and rehabilitated. The econo- tyrs, of those who were maimed by the War and of the women tortured by the Pak army. Ten soldiers. Thentherewasthestaggeringproblem oftherehabilitationfamiliesmar- Schools andcolleges,factoriesfoodsilos were burnttoashesbythemaraudingPakistani industries werecompletelyin ruins. challenge in reconstructing the war-ravaged country.Communicationsystem,the posts and After theLiberation,Bangabandhuand Awami Leaguegovernmentfacedaformidable amalgamated withthelatestnotionsoffundamental rights and state policies. This documentwasdraftedonthebasisofhistoricalstrugglesanddemandsBengalis Bangladesh’s Constitution,oneofthemostdynamicandprogressiveinstrumentsitstime. newest memberoftheUnitedNations.InDecember,ConstituentAssembly approved nation and ensure the basic necessities of all his people. In November, Bangladesh became the Without wastinganytime,heimmediately embarked onthemissiontorebuildawarravaged ence was not the end of the road. His dream was to build a ‘Golden Bengal’ (Sonar Bangla). ister oftheindependentandsovereignBangladesh.ForFatherNation,independ - 1972. On 12th January, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman took oath as the first Prime Min- After being freed from his Pakistani prison, Bangabandhu returned home on 10th January Bangabandhu SheikhMujiburRahmanreturnshomeafter9monthsofincarceration(January10,1972)

1970s 1970s 1 9 70 s AND TRAGEDY LIBERATION, RECONSTRUCTION PAGE 9 1970s reported progress asfollows: A World Bank Report of November 1972 dealing with the reconomic activity in major sectors brought inanddistributed topreventwidespreadfamine.” feel that the food has gone where it has been needed most badly. Enough food has been observers more but corruption of reports been have There handled. effectively been have to “The refugees have returned and been resetteled. By and large, relieffood distribution appears expressed inaWorldBankreport: record of achievements was significant. It is worth quoting the judgement on food distribution forBangladesh;etc, Despite theseverehandicaps under which the government hadtoundertakethesetasks,the SingingtheGanges-WaterSharingTreatywithIndia ensuring44,000cusecsofwater Winningofrecognitionby140nationstheworld (o) Nationalizationof40thousandprimaryschools (n) Thepromulgationofademocraticordinancefortheuniversities(1973) andseculareducationpolicy (m) (l) Appointment oftheKudrat-e-KhudaEducationCommissionforframingascientific ReorganizationoftheDefenceForces (k) Holdingofgeneralelectionsin1973(ALwon293out300seats) (j) IntroductionofParliamentarysystem (i) Framingofonetheworld’sbestconstitutionswithin10months (h) Ensuringthereturn oftheIndianforceswithin3monthsLiberation (g) Sendingofdisabledfreedom-fightersabroadfor treatment (f) Rehabilitationofnarly3lakhwomenwhoweredishonoured duringtheWar (e) Grantingofeconomicaidtothefamiliesmartyred freedomfighters (d) Rehabilitationof10millionrefugeeswhohadtakenshelter in India ofminesatChittagongandChalnaPorts (c) (b) Restorationofcommunicationsystem withintheshortestpossibletime;clearing (a) Bangabandhu governmentof3yearsbrieflyasfollows: himself to this stupendous task of reconstruction. We can enumerate the successes of the devoted Bangabandhu 1972, 10, January on Pakistan in confinement his from return his On PAGE 10 Bangladesh AwamiLeague’scouncilsession(January20,1974) LIBERATION, RECONSTRUCTION AND TRAGEDY 1 9 70 s

1970s 1970s 1970s From left: its convenorSyedaZohraTajuddin,thewifeofslainleaderTajuddinAhmed. Liberation WarandleadBangladeshAwamiLeague.From1977onward,thepartywasled by Leave behindnoonewhocouldcarryonthetorchofBangabandhu,keepalivespirit Tajuddin AhmedandAHMKamruzzamaninsideDhakaCentralJail.Theobjectivewasclear. recent times by killing the fournational leaders, , Mohammad Mansoor Ali, there. InNovember1975,theyperpetratedoneofthemostshamefulpoliticalmassacres of agabandhu SheikhMujiburRahmanandalmosthisentirefamily.Thekillersdidnotjuststop conspirators who on the early hours on 15th August 1975, killed the Ban- Bangladesh’s questofbecominga‘GoldenBengal’washowever,shatteredbythebullets times. reactionary international forces and their local henchmen staged this most heinous killing of all Dhaka andotherleaders.Somewaywardarmy personnel with thehelpof anti-Liberation and Sheikh MujiburRahmanwasassassinatedalongwithallthemembersofhisfamily then in August 15,1975.ThefoundingarchitectofBangladesh,FathertheNationBangabandhu Bangabandhu SheikhMujiburRahman,thecruelestassassinationofhistorytookplace on At thiscriticaljuncture,whenBangladeshwasstridingforwardundertheaptleadership of country. ably, the prices of essential commodities came down and political stability returned to the to cementthenationalunity.Asaresultofthis,lawandordersituationimprovedconsider- declared the programme called the Second Revolution in order to revitalize the economy and this end,heformedtheBangladeshKrishak-SramikAwamiLeague on24January,1975.Healso felt thenecessityofunitingallpro-Liberationforcescountryunderonebanner.To In 1974,whentheanti-liberationforcesacceleratedtheirdisruptiveactivities,Bangabandhu about 75 %ofcapacity” tons, theoutputof goods stoodinJune 1972 at 85 %of the average 1969/70levelorat 41,600 With sector. jute the of true particularly is This 1972. of months first the in remarkable levels.... pre-independent Considering the circumstances, the pace of recovery of industrial production has been quite approaching volumes at traffic handlin was port, important most Most oftheseveredlinkshadbeenrestored,atleastonatemporarybasis,andChittagong, “By June of this year considerable progree has been made in restoring transport operations. 1970sSyed NazrulIslam, TajuddinAhmed,Mohammad Mansoor AliandAHMKamruzzaman 1970s 1 9 70 s AND TRAGEDY LIBERATION, RECONSTRUCTION PAGE 11 Rejuvenating Party and Restoring Democracy

1970s1980s 1970s

N 1981, the eldest daughter of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, , who remained in exile since 1975, was elected the Awami League. A new era for the party began to emerge from the shadow of the 1975 tragedy. She returned home on 17th May after being in exile for more than 5 years. In the 1980s, Sheikh Hasina’s lead- ership was focused on reorganizing the party, restoring democracy and fighting for human rights. She came under frequent intimidation from the military regime as well as those opposed to Bangladesh’s liberation struggle. On 24th January, 1988, nine people were killed as a procession of eight parties led by Sheikh Hasina was fired upon in Chittagong. Throughout the 80s, Sheikh Hasina was in and out of detention. The military government interned her for 15 days after arresting on February 15, 1983. She was under house arrest twice in February and November in 1984. Sheikh Hasina was arrested again on March 2, 1985 and was confined for three months. She was again arrested on October 15, 1986 and left under house arrest for 15 days. Later, police arrested her on November 11, 1987 and interned for a month. She was detained again1980 on February 27, 1989 and November 27, 1990. 1990s

A teary Sheikh Hasina returns home after six years in exile (May 17, 1981)

PAGE 12 Decade of Democracy and Sheikh Hasina

1970s 1970s 1990s 1980

Sheikh Hasina on the road for democracy (December 5, 1990)

N 3RD JANUARY, 1990 Sheikh Hasina, who was quickly gaining popularity around the country for her straightforward statements and honest, pro-people policies, declared her “7-Point Movement for Right to Food and Vote”. In February 1991, in the first elec- tions held after the fall of the then military regime, the Sheikh Haisna-led Awami League won 88 out 300 seats in the National Parliament. However, the party actually won 30.08% of the total votes cast, while the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (which formed the Government) did only slightly better with 30.81%. On 21st March, Sheikh Hasina was formally announced as the Leader of the Opposition. Between 1991 and 1996, as the Leader of the Opposition, Sheikh Hasina became a voice for the people in Parliament, and spoke fearlessly on topics such as corruption, governance failures and irregularities. The government led by BNP found her to be a constant irritation as a result, and continued to use heavy handed tactics on her party as a 1990smeans of silencing her.

PAGE 13 DECADE OF DEMOCRACY AND SHEIKH HASINA 1990s

On 24th January, 1993, a rally of Sheikh Hasin in Chittagong was fired and bombed upon. 50 people were injured. In September of the same year, Sheikh Hasina’s train journey was attacked with bullets and bombs unleashed in Ishwardi and Natore. 50 people were injured including a Magistrate and the police. Fearing reasonably that the ruling BNP was not going to arrange a free and fair election, Sheikh Hasina led Awami League and other parties mounted a strong public movement to compel the government to hand over power to an interim govern- ment tasked with holding the elections. After a one party elections held in February 1996, the BNP government gave in and handed over power to an interim government.

On 12th June 1996, Awami League won majority in National Parliamentary Elections. A new era of development, peace and prosperity was ushered in, not seen in the country since the death of the Father of the Nation in 1975. After a restriction of 21 years, legal steps were initiated to try the self-confessed murderers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The country saw major mile- stones during this period. On 1st January, 1997 the historic Bangladesh-India water sharing treaty was signed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the then Indian Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda. On 2nd December of the same year, Sheikh Hasina signed the historic (CHT) Peace Accord, bringing an end to decades of conflict and unrest in the hill areas. Overall develop- ment was noticeable as the country progressed in all economic and social indicators. In 1999, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was nominated for the UNESCO Peace Prize for bringing peace in the Hill Tracts and won the Ceres Medal from UN FAO for her work in fighting hunger. 2000s

Sheikh Hasina takes oath as Prime Minister of Bangladesh (June 23, 1996)

PAGE 14 Fighting Terror and Restoring Democracy 2000s

State sponsored grenade attack on Awami League rally at Dhaka (August 21, 2004)

N 2001, after being removed from government by an election whose credibility still leaves room for question, Sheikh Hasina tried her best to be a good Leader of the Opposition, speaking on behalf of issues important to the people both in Parliament and beyond. This was a time, when Bangladesh earned the notoriety for being the ‘Champion of Corruption’ three years in a row. It was also a time of unprecedented state sponsored violence. Hundreds of thousands of Awami League workers and members of minority communities were killed, raped and harassed. In the most notorious of such attacks, on 21st August, 2004, a grenade 2000sattack was launched at an Awami League rally in Bangabandhu Avenue, Dhaka aiming to render the party leaderless including eliminating Sheikh Hasina. Sheikh Hasina suffered seri- ous injury to her hearing. 24 people including Awami League workers were killed.

Patronized by the BNP-Jamaat government, radical extremist groups and terrorist organiza- tions flourished. In August 2005, the terrorist group Jamaatul Mujaheedin Bangladesh detonat- ed 500 bombs simultaneously across the country. As a secular and progressive party, Awami League and its leaders became constant targets for these groups, emboldened by the inaction and often help of the BNP-Jamaat government. Development took nosedive, as did the interna- tional reputation and credibility of the country. Fearing a dwindling mandate and popular sup- port, through a puppet Election Commission, BNP-Jamaat government engineered a voter list which contained millions of fake voters. Awami League and like-minded parties launched a new voter list under a reconstituted and credible Election Commission.

PAGE 15 DECADE OF DEMOCRACY AND SHEIKH HASINA 2000s

In January 2007, taking advantage of the political unrest unleashed by BNP-Jamaat’s voting fraud, and their deliberate attempts to manipulate the caretaker government system by install- ing the puppet President as the Chief Advisor, the military seized power through installing a so-called ‘caretaker government’. Widespread restrictions on constitutional and fundamental rights were imposed in the guise of emergency powers. All political activity was effectively banned. Knowing that only one leader in Bangladesh had enough public sup- port and organizational strength to pose a challenge to their rule, on 16th July 2007, the regime arrested Sheikh Hasina on false charges which subsequently came to be dismissed by the high- est courts of the country. She was held in captivity until her release on 11 June, 2008. After treatment abroad, she returned home on 4 December, 2008. During her incarceration, the party launched a massive campaign, both at home and abroad, to press for her release. Between 7th and 30th June, 2008 mass signature campaign is conducted nationwide to realize release of Sheikh Hasina. From 15th to 30th June, extended meetings of the party were organ- ized in various districts to mount public pressure for the demand.

After being released, on 12th December, a rejuvenated Awami League led by Sheikh Hasina unveiled the election manifesto called ‘Dinbodoler Shonod’ (Manifesto of Change) which high- lighted such aims as turning Bangladesh into a technology advanced middle income country by the year 2021. Resonating among the people, especially the youth and first time voters, on 29th December 2008, the Awami League-led Grand Alliance won a landslide victory in the national elections by securing 264 out of 300 seats.

Sheikh Hasina arrestetd on false charges (July 7, 2007)

PAGE 16 al awardsforsuccesses in ICT,MDGs,education, reducinghunger, empoweringwomen etc. government, and the country under her leadership has won numerous prestigious internation- sector reached$300million in2015fromapaltry$26million 2006. SheikhHasina,her years, more and more people are accessing public services online and exports from the ICT into thenextIThub.Numbersofmobileand internetsubscribershavetrebledoverseven Under theDigitalBangladeshvisionofAwami League, Bangladeshisquicklytransformingitself example in the developing world for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). so on.Especially due tothesuccessesoflastsevenyears,Bangladeshbecame abright security, creating jobs, empowering women, providing access to energy, fighting terrorism and The countryhasseenrapidprogressinsuch crucialsectorsaseducation,healthcare,food been brought down fromover37% to22.4%. pendence, becamealowermiddleincomecountry fromalowincomecountry.Poverty has inde- its since time first the for country the 2015, In reserves. exchange foreign and income, in mostmajoreconomicindicatorssuchasexportearnings,remittanceincome,percapita was experiencing a global economic meltdown,thecountrymadetremendousstrides Maintaining around6.4%averageeconomicgrowthoversevenyears,whiletheworld INCE 2009,Bangladeshhasexperienceditsmostrapiddevelopmentperiodtodate. Progress andDevelopment 2009 to Present 2009PAGE 17 Progress and Development 2009 to Present

In order to bring an end to the culture of impunity, the government of Sheikh Hasina, as per her historical and electoral pledge, formed the International Crimes Tribunal to try war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War. Since 2010, the ICT has been able to successfully complete the trials and verdict executions of many such heinous criminals, while a number of such accused are currently standing or waiting to stand trial.

On the international front, Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League is playing an active role in address- ing such crucial global issues as terrorism and violent extremism, migration and refugee issues, climate change, women empowerment, increased regional connectivity and cooperation and developing a culture of peace. Bangladesh is also currently the second largest troops contribut- ing country in the world for UN Peacekeeping missions.

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5 6 1. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wins ’Planet 50-50 Champion’ and ‘Agent of Change’ Awards from UN Women and Global Forum for Partnership for outstanding contrbibutions to women empowerment (September, 2016). 2. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wins ICT for Sustainable Development Award from International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for harnessing power of ICT for making development sustainable (September, 2016). 3. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wins UN’s highest environmental accolade ‘Champion of the Earth’ from UNEP for her far reaching initiatives to address climate change and environmental preservation (September, 2016). 4. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wins the ‘Tree of Peace’ Award from UNESCO for her contributions to promoting girls’ education (September, 2014). 5. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wins the UN ‘South-South Award’ for her government’s achievement in alleviating poverty (September, 2013). 6. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wins the Peace Prize (November, 2009).

PAGE 18 Razzaq, Kamruzzaman, Rahman, 1. MaulanaAbdulHamidKhanBhashani,2.ShamsulHoque, 3. BangabandhuSheikhMujibur AWAMI LEAGUELEADERS The followingleadershaveservedasPresidentand/orGeneralSecretary 12. SyedaSajedaChowdhury,13.AbdulJalil,14. SyedAshrafulIslam 4. Maulana Abdur Rashid Tarkabagish, 8. Syed ZohraTajuddin,9.AbdulMalekUkil,10. Sheikh Hasina, 11. Abdur of BangladeshAwamiLeaguesinceitsinception 1 1 1 6 7 2 1 2 5. Tajuddin Ahmed, 8 3 6. , 1 3 4 9 7. AHM PAGE 19 1 1 0 4 5 2009 Conclusion

Bangladesh Awami League is an inextricable part of the country’s historical events, both triumphant and tragic. However, with its deep roots in history and tradition, it has always proved to be the most for- ward looking party as well. With Awami League in power, the people can be optimistic of an even better future for themselves and the country.

CONCLUSION

CONCLUSION

JOURNEY OF BANGLADESH AWAMI LEAGUE 1949-2016

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