Dictator-turned-politician Ershad dies

Former President and Jatiya Party's Chairman Hussain Muhammad Ershad passed away on Sunday morning at 7:45 am in the capital's Combined Military Hospital (CMH).

He had been critically ill for last few weeks with old age complications including problems with his lungs and kidneys. His death comes as an end of a chapter in the history of Bangladesh.

Hussain Muhammad Ershad was born in 1930 in Dinhata city, Coochbihar under West Bengal. His parents migrated to East Bengal (now Bangladesh) after the partition of 1947. Ershad studied in Carmichael College in Rangpur.

He later graduated from University of Dhaka in 1950 and was commissioned into the Pakistan Army in 1952 from Officers Training School in Kohat.

He was an adjutant in the East Bengal regimental depot in Chittagong. He completed advanced courses from the Command and Staff College in Quetta in 1966. After serving with a brigade in Sialkot, Ershad was given command of the 3rd East Bengal Regiment in 1969 and the 7th East Bengal Regiment in 1971.

He was in Pakistan while the Liberation War of 1971 was going on. He came back to Bangladesh in 1973. Former President Ziaur Rahman appointed Hussain Muhammad Ershad for the post of Army Chief promoting him to the rank of Lieutenant General in 1976.

Hussain Mohammad Ershad is noted in Bangladesh's political history for a number of reasons. He got hold of state power in 1982 by means of a coup against former President Abdus Sattar. Ershad held the presidential post till 1990. He founded his own political front Jatiya Party while he was in power.

Ershad announced Islam as the state religion while he was President. Secular politicians denigrated Ershad for his move. He introduced upazila system to decentralize administration.

He also excluded mandatory English medium education from higher secondary level for which he was criticized. Ershad's regime came to an end through the anti-autocratic uprising of 1990.

Later on he spent some years in prison when Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) came to power winning the election of 1991.

He faced controversy for allowing Freedom Party to enter Bangladesh Parliament. It should be noted that Freedom Party was launched by the assassins of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

During the reign of Hussain Muhammad Ershad, police opened fire on a rally of Awami League at Laldighi in Chittagong on 24 January 1988. Sheikh Hasina was present over there at that time. Around 30 people got killed in that shooting by police personnel.

Hussain Muhammad Ershad came into discussions and gossips over and over again for his affairs with different women including Mary, Jinat Mosharraf and Bidisha Ershad. He married Bidisha in 2000 but broke off with her in 2005. It was often said that Ershad got into amorous relationships with many pretty women who were celebrities during his regime. His relationship with his first wife Rawshan Ershad worsened for this reason.

After the election of 2014, Jatiya Party became the main opposition front in the country as Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) did not participate in those polls. Ershad was made Special Envoy of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2014. However, he was removed from this post in January 2019.

As the chairman of Jatiya Party, Ershad frequently changed his decisions which led to much theatrics in the political arena.