Shaheed Ziaur Rahman: The soldier who believed in democracy
Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman’s legacy endures not only in his courage on the battlefield, but in his faith that democracy and institutions—not fear—could guide Bangladesh to a brighter future
In a country where memories often wrestle with myths, the name of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, Bir Uttam, continues to shine with dignity. To millions of Bangladeshis, he was not only a soldier or a head of state, but a man who gave ordinary people the confidence that their voices mattered, that their will was stronger than fear, and that their future could be brighter than their past.
When Bangladesh was burning in 1971, it was Major Ziaur Rahman who stood before a simple microphone in Kalurghat and declared the nation's independence on behalf of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. That moment was more than a broadcast. It was a lifeline. It told millions of terrified and uncertain people that the dream of Bangladesh was alive, that they still had a country to fight for, and that they were not abandoned.
Shaheed Ziaur Rahman earned his place in history through courage on the battlefield, but his greatest legacy came later, when the war was over and the republic was struggling to stand. In the turbulent years after independence, when coups and assassinations shook the country to its core, he could have followed the path of countless other military rulers in the world. He could have ruled indefinitely, holding onto power through fear. Instead, he chose to trust the people.
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He reopened the doors to multi-party politics. He gave the press its breath back. He called for elections. And he built the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, not around his own image, but around an idea: that democracy should belong to the people, not to the rulers. Few soldiers in history have had the humility to remove their stars and place their fate in the hands of the ballot box. Shaheed Ziaur Rahman was one of them.
He also believed deeply in institutions. In 1977, through a proclamation, Late President Ziaur Rahman established the Supreme Judicial Council. For the first time, judges were made accountable to their peers instead of politicians.
This landmark reform protected judicial independence and made sure that justice could stand above politics. The fact that the Supreme Judicial Council survived repeated challenges, even decades later, is proof of the strength of his vision.
But Ziaur Rahman's dream went beyond institutions. It was about people. He would often remind the nation that "we must build a self-reliant Bangladesh," a call that inspired farmers, workers, and young people to believe in their own strength.
Through the Gram Sarkar system, he sought to take democracy "to the doorsteps of the people," so that villagers felt they were not forgotten, but at the very heart of the republic. His idea of Bangladeshi Nationalism offered identity and belonging to a people still recovering from division, uniting them proudly under one flag.
On 30 May 1981, Shaheed Ziaur Rahman was assassinated in Chittagong. Friends and witnesses remember that he died as he had lived: calm, composed, and unafraid. The soldier who gave us courage in 1971, and the president who tried to give us democracy after the war, was taken too soon. But his ideas did not die with him. His party lived on under Begum Khaleda Zia, and his influence continues to shape Bangladesh today.
The story of Shaheed Ziaur Rahman is not one of perfection, but of faith. Faith in people, faith in institutions, and faith that democracy, however fragile, was worth fighting for. In a world where military rulers almost always cling to power, he remains a rare example of a leader who built a lasting political legacy not through fear, but through trust.
Today, when so many Bangladeshis feel disheartened about politics, the life of Shaheed Ziaur Rahman reminds us that leadership can still be principled, that politics can still be about service, and that hope is never wasted. He was not just a president. He was a dreamer who believed that ordinary people should decide the fate of their own country.
If we remember him with gratitude, it is because he showed us that even in times of chaos, there can be courage. Even in politics, there can be honesty. And even in power, there can be humility. That is why he will always be remembered as Shaheed Ziaur Rahman.
Barrister Mir Helal is the Assistant Organising Secretary (Chittagong Division) of the National Executive Committee of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.
