(
Bengali:
শেখ মুজিবুর রহমান); (17 March 1920 – 15 August 1975), shortened as
Sheikh Mujib or just
Mujib, was a
Bangladeshi politician and statesman. He is the founding father of the People's Republic of
Bangladesh. He served as the first
President of Bangladesh and later as the
Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 17 April, 1971 until his assassination on 15 August, 1975. He is considered to be the driving force behind the independence of Bangladesh. He is popularly dubbed with the title of
Bangabandhu(
Bôngobondhu "Friend of Bengal") by the people of Bangladesh. He became a leading figure in and eventually the leader of the
Awami League, founded in 1949 as an
East Pakistan-based political party in
Pakistan. Mujib is credited as an important figure in efforts to gain political autonomy for
East Pakistan and later as the central figure behind the Bangladesh Liberation Movement and the
Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. Thus, he is regarded
Jatir Janak or
Jatir Pita (
Jatir Jônok or
Jatir Pita, both meaning "Father of the Nation") of Bangladesh. His daughter
Sheikh Hasina is the current leader of the
Awami League and also the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
An advocate of democracy and socialism, Mujib rose to the ranks of the Awami League and East Pakistani politics as a charismatic and forceful orator. He became popular for his opposition to the ethnic and institutional discrimination of Bengalis in Pakistan, who comprised the majority of the state's population. At the heightening of sectional tensions, he outlined a
6-point autonomy plan and was jailed by the regime of Field Marshal Ayub Khan for treason. Mujib led the Awami League to win the
first democratic election of Pakistanin 1970. Despite gaining a majority, the League was not invited by the ruling military junta to form a government. As civil disobedience erupted across East Pakistan, Mujib indirectly announced independence of Bangladesh during a
landmark speech on 7 March 1971. On 26 March 1971, the Pakistan Army responded to the mass protests with
Operation Searchlight, in which Prime Minister-elect Mujib was arrested and flown to solitary confinement in West Pakistan, while Bengali civilians, students, intellectuals, politicians and military defectors were murdered as part of the
1971 Bangladesh genocide. Despite Mujib's absence, Bengalis from all walks of life joined the
Mukti Bahini and fought and won against Pakistan Armed Forces in
Bangladesh Liberation War. After Bangladesh's independence, Mujib was released from Pakistani custody due to international pressure and returned to Dhaka in January 1972 after a short visit to Britain and India.
Sheikh Mujib became the Prime Minister of Bangladesh under a parliamentary system adopted by the new country. His government enacted a constitution proclaiming socialism and secular democracy. The Awami League won a huge mandate in the country's first general election in 1973. However, Mujib faced challenges of rampant unemployment, poverty, and corruption. A famine took place in 1974. The government was criticized for denying constitutional recognition to indigenous minorities and human rights violations by its security forces, notably the National Defence Force para militia. Amid rising political agitation, Mujib initiated one party socialist rule in January 1975. Six months later, he and most of his family were assassinated by renegade army officers during a coup. A martial law government was subsequently established. In a 2004 BBC poll, Mujib was voted the
Greatest Bengali of all time.
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