Everyone must be familiar with the story of Hamelin, the small German town where a piper appeared to rid the people of their plague of rats. With the magical charm of his flute, he lured them all into the sea and drowned them. Such was the enchanting power of his music.
At times, political parties too can be compared to such a piper — for a political party is the spokesperson of the masses. And when a party is able to weave the people into a single thread, binding them to the same ideals and principles, it becomes a living entity made up of many bodies. In that sense, it is no exaggeration to call the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) the Pied Piper of politics.
Bangladesh has entered a new era through the student and mass uprising of 2024. The people’s long struggle and boundless sacrifices have defeated fascist forces. To escape public wrath, the fascist Sheikh Hasina has fled to India. Such a flight by a sitting government is rare not only in Bangladesh but in the political history of the world. This retreat by the Awami League has laid bare its record before the people — unequivocally proving its persecution of the BNP and other opposition forces.
By usurping power unlawfully, Hasina’s regime sought to erase the BNP from existence. But it failed. From grassroots to centre, from senior leaders to ordinary field workers, with all their love, devotion, and sacrifice, BNP activists have safeguarded their beloved party.
BNP’s journey began on 1 September 1978 under the leadership of martyred President Ziaur Rahman, in a transformed political landscape. Though born in the military barracks, the party assumed the role of Hamelin’s piper from the outset — swiftly uniting people of all parties, faiths, classes, and professions. Since its inception, the party has endured endless struggles.
Today, 1 September, marks its 47th founding anniversary.
On this, the noted political researcher and author Mohiuddin Ahmad wrote in the flap of his book Shomoy-Asomoy: “BNP was born in the barracks, in the hands of a military officer, when he was at the centre of power. Such parties usually disappear once they fall out of the power circle. BNP is an exception. The party not only survived, it established itself as an alternative force in electoral politics. Whether democracy exists in the country or within the BNP itself may be debated, but that the party represents a large section of the people is undeniable.”
Ziaur Rahman, born on 19 January 1936 into a distinguished Muslim family, joined the Pakistan Army in 1953. Promoted to second lieutenant in 1955, his military career was marked by valour. For his gallant role, he was awarded the Hilal-i-Jurat and Tamgha-i-Jurat. By 1970, as a major in Chittagong’s East Bengal Regiment, he became deputy commander and later distinguished himself as a heroic sector commander in the Liberation War.
His leadership in the war — declaring independence, guiding a bewildered nation, and leading from the front — earned him the title Bir Uttam. He was undoubtedly one of the greatest heroes of Bangladesh’s independence.
On 7 November 1975, Zia emerged as the nation’s saviour during the sepoy-people’s uprising. In April 1977, he assumed the presidency and within nine days declared a 19-point programme for reform. This blueprint was a model of a modern state system, combining people, rule of law, foreign policy, values, democracy, nationalism, and economics.
These 19 points were Zia’s directives for national liberation — blending democracy, social and economic justice, national unity beyond religion or caste, and the vision of an educated, self-reliant nation. Tragically, while building this modern Bangladesh, Zia was assassinated on 30 May 1981 in Chittagong Circuit House by renegade soldiers, at the age of just 45.
After his martyrdom, in 1982, his widow Begum Khaleda Zia assumed party leadership out of necessity for party, nation, and democracy. Rising from a housewife to head of a major political party and Bangladesh’s first woman prime minister, she steered the BNP through turbulence with uncompromising leadership, patience, and wisdom. She earned the reputation of “The Uncompromising Leader” during the anti-Ershad movement.
As Mohiuddin Ahmad noted in a BBC Bangla interview, although Zia founded BNP within the power circle, it was Khaleda Zia who built it into a true political party through the anti-Ershad movement. “The BNP we see today, though Zia remains its icon, was shaped by Khaleda Zia.”
The “One-Eleven” crisis marked another turning point — a conspiracy to annihilate BNP and entrench Indian hegemony. Khaleda Zia was rendered inactive, and Tarique Rahman, son of Zia and Khaleda, was forced into exile. Since then, one conspiracy after another has sought to weaken the BNP.
Hasina’s authoritarian regime jailed Khaleda Zia on trumped-up charges to cripple BNP leadership. Thousands of activists were trapped in false cases, and even senior leaders suffered persecution. Yet, instead of being destroyed, the party grew more resilient under the leadership of its acting chairman Tarique Rahman, who united BNP against all plots.
Under Tarique’s leadership, BNP has gained fresh vitality, spreading across every corner of Bangladesh. With the fall of Awami fascism, the BNP now shoulders the greatest responsibility to meet the people’s democratic aspirations. For this reason, Tarique Rahman is conducting extensive research to shape a 31-point programme for state reform. BNP’s clear commitments to nationalism and good governance have reassured the people that the day is near when Bangladesh will return to democratic order — led by the party founded by Shaheed Ziaur Rahman.
On this founding anniversary, may BNP’s journey forward be blessed with endless success.
The writer is a Professor in the Department of Marketing and the Convener of the White Panel at the University of Dhaka
