Making of an 'uncompromising leader': How anti-Ershad movement forged Khaleda Zia
As the country marks the 35th anniversary of Ershad’s resignation today, political history points to the BNP chief's role in uniting opposition forces and sustaining the agitation that ultimately forced the dictator to resign after nine years in power.
Khaleda Zia's reputation as an "uncompromising leader" stems from her steadfast refusal to accept Hussein Muhammad Ershad's military rule from the moment he seized power in 1982.
As the country marks the 35th anniversary of Ershad's resignation today (6 December), political history points to her role in uniting opposition forces and sustaining the agitation that ultimately forced the dictator to resign after nine years in power.
Ershad, then army chief, overthrew BNP president Abdus Sattar on 24 March 1982 and imposed martial law, beginning a nine-year military regime.
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Khaleda Zia, previously a housewife, entered politics after the assassination of her husband, former president Ziaur Rahman, in May 1981, and joined the BNP in January 1982.
From the outset, Khaleda Zia, who became BNP's senior vice-president in 1983 and party chairperson in 1984, took a firm stand against the takeover, leading the 7-party alliance in the anti-autocracy movement.
The Awami League-led 15-party alliance also played a key role by organising parallel protests that widened public opposition to the military regime.
Both alliances helped shape a broad anti-Ershad movement that eventually led to the dictator's resignation on 6 December 1990.
Khaleda began by uniting opposition forces. Under her initiative, BNP initiated discussions with six parties on 12 August 1983, forming a seven-party alliance within weeks. The coalition coordinated joint programmes with other anti-Ershad groups, creating sustained political pressure.
Tensions intensified in 1986 when Ershad announced third parliamentary election for 7 May.
The BNP-led alliance rejected the polls and called nationwide strikes, calling them illegitimate.
Awami League initially also announced a boycott; on 19 March 1986, Sheikh Hasina said those joining the polls would be "national traitor".
However, on 21 March, the Awami League-led 15-party alliance reversed its decision and entered the election.
Several leftist parties then withdrew from that alliance and joined the boycott with BNP.
Awami League's participation helped stabilise the Ershad government for time being, but Khaleda maintained her refusal to recognise the election.
She was placed under house arrest on the eve of the polls, and again before the presidential election later that year.
Between 1986 and 1990, she faced multiple periods of confinement, which strengthened her public image as a determined opponent of military rule.
On 10 November 1987, the movement took on a new dimension after a man named Noor Hossain was killed by police gunfire.
The fourth parliamentary election was held on 3 March 1988, but most political parties in the country — including the BNP and the Awami League — boycotted it and the anti-dictatorship movement gained momentum at the grassroots level.
BNP's student wing, Chhatra Dal, began winning student union elections across the country, securing 270 of 321 unions by 1990, including all posts at Dhaka University Central Students' Union.
Their growing influence helped mobilise nationwide resistance.
Public anger intensified after a Chhatra Dal leader was killed in clashes with pro-government forces on 10 October 1990.
His death brought opposition parties together and triggered two months of continuous protests.
On 6 December 1990, as hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets and Dhaka came to a standstill, Ershad resigned and handed power to a caretaker government, ending nearly a decade of military rule.
Khaleda Zia became prime minister on 20 March 1991 after BNP won 140 of 300 directly elected seats in an election widely described by international observers as free and fair.
Political analysts say her unwavering resistance to Ershad helped BNP win public confidence, contributing to the party's unexpected victory in the 1991 election, despite expectations that the Awami League would prevail.
Khaleda Zia's stance during the movement cemented her public standing as an "uncompromising leader" in Bangladesh's democratic transition.
