On this day, Ziaur Rahman was appointed chief of staff of the Bangladesh Army. He had played an important role in Bangladesh’s Liberation War. He had broadcast the Bangladeshi declaration of independence on March 27, 1971, from Kalurghat Radio Station in Chittagong. “This is Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra. I, Major Ziaur Rahman, at the directive of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, hereby declare that the independent People’s Republic of Bangladesh has been established...,” he had announced.

He was appointed army chief after Mujibur’s assassination in a military coup in 1975.

After Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem resigned as President in April 1977, Zia became the de facto head of the government. A few months later, he held elections and became President. He has been credited with improving Bangladesh’s foreign relations, though tensions with India continued. The BNP, his political party, remains a major force in Bangladesh, and his wife, Khaleda Zia, one of the country’s most important leaders, has served two terms as Prime Minister. Zia’s critics considered him ruthless in suppressing opposition.

He was assassinated in an army coup in 1981.

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