journey of
bangladesh
awami league
1949-2016
Bangladesh Awami League is the oldest and
largest political party of Bangladesh. With the
founding and operating principles of democracy, nationalism, socialism 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 Pakistan, it became immediately apparent that the discriminatory politics
of the dominant West Pakistan could not live up to
the aspirations of the majority Bangali people living
in East Pakistan. Disenfranchised, a progressive segment of the Muslim League decided to form their
own party.
1949
49
A Party is Born
Historic Rose Garden, Dhaka
N 23RD JUNE, the East Pakistan Awami Muslim League was formed at a meeting
chaired by Ataur Rahman Khan. The meeting, held at Dhaka’s K M Das Lane at the residence of KM Bashir Humayun named ‘Rose Garden’, elected Maulana Abdul Hamid
Khan Bhashani as the President and Shamsul Hoque as the General Secretary of the Party.
1950s
Language Movement and United Front’s 21 Point
N 26TH JANUARY, 1952 the then Governor-General Khwaja Nazimuddin announced
that Urdu will be the only state language. While being treated at the Dhaka Medical’s
prison ward, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman communicated with the party leaders and workers and gave directions for waging the language movement. On 31st January of the same year,
with the erstwhile Awami League President Maulana Bhashani in chair, the ‘All Party State
Language Movement Committee’ was formed at the library hall of Dhaka Bar to press for
declaring Bangla as the state language of East Pakistan. On 21st February, the decision was
taken to defy government imposed restrictions on movement. The procession demanding
Bengali as the state language was indiscriminately fired upon. Rafique, Salam, Jabbar, Barkat
and Ohiullah became the first martyrs of the Language Movement.
On 9th July, 1953 the first National Council of Awami League held after formation at Mymensingh elected Maulana Bhashani as the President and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the General
Secretary. On 14th November, the decision was taken to form the ‘United Front’ (Juktofront)
with Awami League in the lead. The historic draft of 21-Point was adopted. The 21-Point included, among others, recognition of Bangla as one of the State Languages of Pakistan; abolishing
PAGE 4
1950s
LANGUAGE MOVEMENT AND
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 Bengal 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 electoral 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.
A glimpse of the Language Movement at Amtola, Dhaka (21 February 1952)
On 18th March, 1957 Maulana Bhashani resigned from Awami League. On 31st May, after relinquishing 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 Pakistan. 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.
PAGE 5
1960
1960s
Six-Point, Agartala and Mass Upsurge
IMED at independence, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman initiated his political and organizational preparations. To achieve his aim, he formed a secret nucleus with student and youth
leaders. On 7th February, 1962 the military junta started arresting Awami League leaders including Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Politicians and people rejected Ayub Khan’s farcical
model of ‘Basic Democracy’. Awami League and likeminded parties formed the National Democratic Front (NDF).
On 5th February, 1966 Sheikh Mujibur Rahman raised the historic 6-Point demands at Lahore,
which was the first concerted movement to press home the aspirations of the Bangalis. This
included, among others, the demands for a federal system of government with parliamentary
elections, autonomy for the provinces, separate currencies, separate taxation systems, separate foreign exchange accounts, and separate armed forces. On 8th May, concerned by the
support for Awami League and its movement, leaders including Party President Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman and General Secretary Tajuddin were arrested.
On 18th January, 1968 Sheikh Mujibur was indicted as Accused No. 1 in the ‘State Vs Sheikh
Mujib and Others’ case. This came to be known infamously as the ‘Agartala Conspiracy’ case.
Student organizations inspired by Awami League formed the ‘Central Student Movement
Council’ to mount a concerted campaign against the regime. On 8th January, 1969 to restore
democracy and press for fall of Ayub Khan’s regime, the ‘Democratic Action Committee’ (DAC)
was formed by Awami League and seven other parties. On 10th January of the same year,
Student Movement Council announced its 11-Point programme and movement based on
Sheikh Mujib’s 6-Point. On 24th January, in response to the brutal clampdown on the students,
nationwide mass upsurge began. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was set free as the regime dropped
the Agartala Conspiracy Case. On 23rd February, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was bestowed with
the ‘Bangabandhu’ title by students in the presence of hundreds of thousands of people at
Race Course Field, Dhaka. On 25th March, Ayub Khan’s regime fell. General Yahya took charge,
and imposed martial law. On 5th December, Bangabandhu famously announced:
PAGE 6
East Pakistan would henceforth
be known as Bangladesh
From left: Women marching for Six-Point (June 7, 1966); Agartala Conspiracy
Case (June 19, 1968); A Glimpse of Mass Upsurge (January 10, 1969)
9
1970s
Awami League’s election campaign in 197
Liberation, Reconstruction & Tragedy
N 7TH DECEMBER, 1970 the decisive general elections in Pakistan 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 East Bengal, 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 democratically elected Awami League, in March 1971, Yahya announced indefinite postponement of the
session of National Assembly. Spontaneous mass demonstrations broke out nationwide following
this announcement. Slogans like ‘Joy Bangla’, ‘Brave Bangalis, Take Up Arms and Liberate Bangladesh’, ‘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.
970s
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 Bengalis and was stalling for time in the guise of negotiations
and dialogue. On 23rd March 1971, the purported negotiations effectively broke down. Bangabandhu 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 ‘Operation
Searchlight’, 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
Pakistan Rifles (EPR), the announcement was broadcast in Chittagong 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 country took up arms and started resisting. The Liberation War had begun.
PAGE 7
LIBERATION, RECONSTRUCTION
AND TRAGEDY
1970s
From left: Bangladesh’s first Government formed at Mujibnagar (April 17, 1971); Declaration of Independence
by Bangbandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Bangabandhu was arrested and taken to Pakistan. He was held in solitary confinement at Mianwali Prison. The conspiracy was hatched to hang Bangabandhu in the guise of a farcical trial.
Yahya Khan held Bangabandhu responsible for attempting to break off Pakistan and announced
him an enemy of the state. Awami League was banned.
On 10th April 1971, the elected representatives of Bangladesh got together and form ‘Bangladesh Mass Council’. The council endorsed the 26th March declaration of independence by Bangabandhu and drafted an instrument of independence. They elected Bangabandhu as the President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and formed a Cabinet with Deputy President Syed
Nazrul Islam as the acting President and Tajuddin Ahmed as the Prime Minister. On 11th April,
Colonel Osmani was appointed the Chief of the Armed Forces. The resistance now took a more
formal shape. On 17th April, the newly formed Cabinet took oath at ‘Mujibnagar’, a liberated part
of the country and was announced to be the temporary capital of independent Bangladesh.
Between March and December, the Pakistani invading forces with active assistance their local collaborators like Jamaat-E-Islami perpetrated massive genocide, mass-rapes, and destruction throughout
Bangladesh. As a result, 3 million people lost their lives. Around 300,000 women were stripped of
their dignity. Around 10 million people were forced to take refuge in India. Right before their defeat,
the Pakistani army and their local collaborators embarked on the mission of targeted killings of
Bangali intellectuals. The freedom fighters mounted a strong resistance against all odds. By October-November, the Pakistani army was effectively chased away from most areas in Bangladesh.
By the first week of December, India formally recognized the newly independent state of Bangladesh
and joined the independence struggle. The allied forces from India and the Bangladeshi freedom
fighters formed a joint command and waged a total war against the Pakistani forces. On 16th December 1971, the Pakistani forces surrendered at the historic Race Course Field, Dhaka.
PAGE 8
1970
LIBERATION, RECONSTRUCTION
AND TRAGEDY
970s
1970s
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman returns home after 9 months of incarceration (January 10, 1972)
After being freed from his Pakistani prison, Bangabandhu returned home on 10th January
1972. On 12th January, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman took oath as the first Prime Minister of the independent and sovereign Bangladesh. For the Father of the Nation, independence was not the end of the road. His dream was to build a ‘Golden Bengal’ (Sonar Bangla).
Without wasting any time, he immediately embarked on the mission to rebuild a war ravaged
nation and ensure the basic necessities of all his people. In November, Bangladesh became the
newest member of the United Nations. In December, the Constituent Assembly approved
Bangladesh’s Constitution, one of the most dynamic and progressive instruments of its time.
This document was drafted on the basis of the historical struggles and demands of the Bengalis
amalgamated with the latest notions of fundamental rights and state policies.
After the Liberation, Bangabandhu and the Awami League government faced a formidable
challenge in reconstructing the war-ravaged country. Communication system, the posts and
industries were completely in ruins.
Schools and colleges, factories and food silos were burnt to ashes by the marauding Pakistani
soldiers. Then there was the staggering problem of the rehabilitation of the families of the martyrs, of those who were maimed by the War and of the women tortured by the Pak army. Ten
million refugees, who had fled to India, were to be brought back and rehabilitated. The economy was in a shambles, foreign currency reserve was nil; the food silos were empty. The possibility of a famine was being forecast. Things were compounded by the drought of 1972, the
devastating cyclone of 1973, the adverse effect of the worldwide recession owing to the
Arab-Israeli War and the floods of 1974 etc. A greater threat to the political stability of the newborn country was posed by the conspiracies of the defeated anti-liberation quarters. The
government of Bangabandhu had to confront these challenges of reconstruction on a War
footing.
PAGE 9
LIBERATION, RECONSTRUCTION
AND TRAGEDY
1970s
Bangladesh Awami League’s council session (January 20, 1974)
On his return from his confinement in Pakistan on January 10, 1972, Bangabandhu devoted
himself to this stupendous task of reconstruction. We can enumerate the successes of the
Bangabandhu government of 3 years briefly as follows:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
(h)
(i)
(j)
(k)
(l)
(m)
(n)
(o)
Restoration of communication system within the shortest possible time; the clearing
of mines at Chittagong and Chalna Ports
Rehabilitation of 10 million refugees who had taken shelter in India
Granting of economic aid to the families of martyred freedom fighters
Rehabilitation of narly 3 lakh women who were dishonoured during the War
Sending of disabled freedom-fighters abroad for treatment
Ensuring the return of the Indian forces within 3 months of the Liberation
Framing of one of the world’s best constitutions within 10 months
Introduction of Parliamentary system
Holding of general elections in 1973 (AL won 293 out of 300 seats)
Reorganization of the Defence Forces
Appointment of the Kudrat-e-Khuda Education Commission for framing a scientific
and secular education policy
The promulgation of a democratic ordinance for the universities (1973)
Nationalization of 40 thousand primary schools
Winning of recognition by 140 nations of the world
Singing the Ganges-Water Sharing Treaty with India ensuring 44,000 cusecs of water
for Bangladesh; etc,
Despite the severe handicaps under which the government had to undertake these tasks, the
record of achievements was significant. It is worth quoting the judgement on food distribution
expressed in a World Bank report:
“The refugees have returned and been resetteled. By and large, relief food distribution appears
to have been effectively handled. There have been reports of corruption but more observers
feel that the food has gone where it has been needed most badly. Enough food has been
brought in and distributed to prevent widespread famine.”
A World Bank Report of November 1972 dealing with the reconomic activity in major sectors
reported progress as follows:
PAGE 10
1970s
LIBERATION, RECONSTRUCTION
AND TRAGEDY
“By June of this year considerable progree has been made in restoring transport operations.
Most of the severed links had been restored, at least on a temporary basis, and Chittagong, the
most important port, was handlin traffic at volumes approaching pre-independent levels....
Considering the circumstances, the pace of recovery of industrial production has been quite
remarkable in the first months of 1972. This is particularly true of the jute sector. With 41,600
tons, the output of jute goods stood in June 1972 at 85 % of the average 1969/70 level or at
about 75 % of capacity”
970s
In 1974, when the anti-liberation forces accelerated their disruptive activities, Bangabandhu
felt the necessity of uniting all the pro-Liberation forces of the country under one banner. To
this end, he formed the Bangladesh Krishak-Sramik Awami League on 24 January, 1975. He also
declared the programme called the Second Revolution in order to revitalize the economy and
to cement the national unity. As a result of this, the law and order situation improved considerably, the prices of essential commodities came down and political stability returned to the
country.
At this critical juncture, when Bangladesh was striding forward under the apt leadership of
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the cruelest assassination of history took place on
August 15, 1975. The founding architect of Bangladesh, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated along with all the members of his family then in
Dhaka and other leaders. Some wayward army personnel with the help of anti-Liberation and
reactionary international forces and their local henchmen staged this most heinous killing of all
times.
Bangladesh’s quest of becoming a ‘Golden Bengal’ was however, shattered by the bullets of the
conspirators who on the early hours on 15th August 1975, killed the Father of the Nation Banagabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and almost his entire family. The killers did not just stop
there. In November 1975, they perpetrated one of the most shameful political massacres of
recent times by killing the four national leaders, Syed Nazrul Islam, Mohammad Mansoor Ali,
Tajuddin Ahmed and AHM Kamruzzaman inside Dhaka Central Jail. The objective was clear.
Leave behind no one who could carry on the torch of Bangabandhu, keep alive the spirit of the
Liberation War and lead Bangladesh Awami League. From 1977 onward, the party was led by
its convenor Syeda Zohra Tajuddin, the wife of slain leader Tajuddin Ahmed.
From left: Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmed, Mohammad Mansoor Ali and AHM Kamruzzaman
PAGE 11
1970s
1980
1
1980s
Rejuvenating Party and Restoring Democracy
N 1981, the eldest daughter of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Sheikh Hasina, who
remained in exile since 1975, was elected the President of Bangladesh 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 leadership 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 again on February 27, 1989 and November 27, 1990.
A teary Sheikh Hasina returns home after six years in exile (May 17, 1981)
PAGE 12
s
0
1990s
Decade of Democracy and Sheikh Hasina
1990s
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 elections 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
means 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 government 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 milestones 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 Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT)
Peace Accord, bringing an end to decades of conflict and unrest in the hill areas. Overall development 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.
Sheikh Hasina takes oath as Prime Minister of Bangladesh (June 23, 1996)
PAGE 14
2
Fighting Terror and Restoring Democracy
2000s
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
attack was launched at an Awami League rally in Bangabandhu Avenue, Dhaka aiming to
render the party leaderless including eliminating Sheikh Hasina. Sheikh Hasina suffered serious injury to her hearing. 24 people including Awami League workers were killed.
Patronized by the BNP-Jamaat government, radical extremist groups and terrorist organizations flourished. In August 2005, the terrorist group Jamaatul Mujaheedin Bangladesh detonated 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 international reputation and credibility of the country. Fearing a dwindling mandate and popular support, 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 installing the puppet President Iajuddin Ahmed 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 support 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 highest 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 organized 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 highlighted 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
Progress and Development
2009
to Present
INCE 2009, Bangladesh has experienced its most rapid development period to date.
Maintaining around 6.4% average economic growth over seven years, while the world
was experiencing a global economic meltdown, the country made tremendous strides
in most major economic indicators such as export earnings, remittance income, per capita
income, and foreign exchange reserves. In 2015, the country for the first time since its independence, became a lower middle income country from a low income country. Poverty has
been brought down from over 37% to 22.4%.
The country has seen rapid progress in such crucial sectors as education, healthcare, food
security, creating jobs, empowering women, providing access to energy, fighting terrorism and
so on. Especially due to the successes of the last seven years, Bangladesh became a bright
example in the developing world for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Under the Digital Bangladesh vision of Awami League, Bangladesh is quickly transforming itself
into the next IT hub. Numbers of mobile and internet subscribers have trebled over seven
years, more and more people are accessing public services online and exports from the ICT
sector reached $300 million in 2015 from a paltry $26 million in 2006. Sheikh Hasina, her
government, and the country under her leadership has won numerous prestigious international awards for successes in ICT, MDGs, education, reducing hunger, empowering women etc.
PAGE 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 addressing 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 contributing country in the world for UN Peacekeeping missions.
1
2
3
4
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 Indira Gandhi Peace Prize (November, 2009).
PAGE 18
AWAMI LEAGUE LEADERS
The following leaders have served as President and/or General Secretary
of Bangladesh Awami League since its inception
1
2
6
11
3
7
4
8
12
5
9
13
10
14
1. Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, 2. Shamsul Hoque , 3. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman, 4. Maulana Abdur Rashid Tarkabagish, 5. Tajuddin Ahmed, 6. Zillur Rahman, 7. AHM
Kamruzzaman, 8. Syed Zohra Tajuddin, 9. Abdul Malek Ukil, 10. Sheikh Hasina, 11. Abdur
Razzaq, 12. Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, 13. Abdul Jalil, 14. Syed Ashraful Islam
PAGE 19
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 forward looking party as well. With Awami League in
power, the people can be optimistic of an even
better future for themselves and the country.
JOURNEY OF BANGLADESH AWAMI LEAGUE
1949-2016
www.albd.org