HomeMy WebLinkAboutEmbassy of the People's Republic of Bangladesh EMBASSY OF THE
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF BANGLADESH
3510 International Drive, NW
Washington, D.C. 20008
Phone: (202) 244-2745
Fax: (202) 244-2771
Ambassador
No: 19.81.0011.200.04.001.14 October 29, 2015
Honorable Mayor,
It has been recently noted that initiatives are being taken to name streets, roads and important parts of
cities and towns in the USA after Major General Ziaur Rahman who in 1977 had first unlawfully seized power in
Bangladesh. The naming of the street in the land of justice and freedom-the United States-to commemorate and
honor a ruthless military dictator is indeed shocking. It is against democracy and liberalism that both our two
countries uphold so very dearly. Such honor, if shown to Ziaur Rahman, could be possibly because of inadequate
and imprecise information about him. Therefore, the reason for this letter is to bring to your kind attention the dark
notoriety of Ziaur Rahman.
Ziaur Rahman toppled a democratic government that accompanied the gruesome murder of the founding
father of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and 18 members of his immediate family, including his 10 year old
son, while they slept at home. A couple of months later in a military insurrection, Ziaur Rahman who was the Chief
of Army Staff, usurped the powers of the state. He ruled the country for 7 years when the Constitution and human
rights was suspended. In fact, after the tragic assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the politics
of killing, coup, conspiracy and the grabbing of power illegally began in the country. Ziaur Rahman masterminded
such kind of politics.
During Ziaur Rahman's misrule there were 19 coup attempts against him. All were crushed with hundreds
of armed services personnel mercilessly killed. In one incident following the coup in October 1977, about 2,500
armed forces and civilians was executed. Thus, in a recent judgment, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court—
the highest judicial body of the country decided that Ziaur Rahman's takeover was unconstitutional and unlawful,
being in violation of the basic norms of democracy. It also decided that the constitutional amendments by a military
decree to remain in power were illegitimate.
Ziaur Rahman also encouraged insurgence of communalism that led to the surge of extremism. He brought
the religious extremists to strengthen his own strong hold and to perpetuate his regime by using the military
intelligence, and other state apparatus. He sowed the seeds of militancy for which Bangladesh had to pay dearly in
later years. Various Islamic militant groups sprung up and established direct connection with the Al Qaida and other
terrorist groups. Now Sheikh Hasina's government has declared eliminating militancy from the country as its
number one priority. The government of Sheikh Hasina and the United States are today fighting together militancy
and terrorism in Bangladesh.
Therefore, the Bangladesh government is concerned when honor is shown to Ziaur Rahman as it amounts
to endorsing extremism and terrorism, which are at present creating havoc all across the world and stands against
a priority policy of the United States of America. I would, therefore, request that such unwarra ed and unfair acts
that honor persons responsible for brutality against their own people and for promoting ex mism and terrorism be
avoided, along with plans to commemorate such cruel dictators as Ziaur Rahman in your reat co try.
Your sincerely,
(Ambassador M. Ziauddin)
The Honorable Dan Di Guilio
Mayor of City of Port Angels
321 E 5th
PO Box 1150
Port Angeles, WA 98362