1.

Introduction of Bangladesh:
Modern Bangladesh emerged as an independent nation in 1971 after achieving independence
from Pakistan in the Bangladesh Liberation War. The country constitutes with the major
portion of the ancient and historic region of Bengal in the eastern part of the Indian
subcontinent, where civilization dates back over four millennia, to the Copper Age. The
history of the region is closely intertwined with the history of Bengal and the history of India.
The area's early history featured a succession of Indian empires, internal squabbling, and a
tussle between Hinduism and Buddhism for dominance. Islam made its appearance during
the 8th century when Sufi missionaries arrived. Later, Muslim rulers reinforced the process
of conversion by building mosques, madrassas and Sufi Khanqah.
After Bangladesh achieved recognition from major countries, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
briefly assumed the provisional presidency. He charged the provisional parliament to write a
new constitution. The constitution proclaims Bangladesh as a secular democratic republic,
declares the fundamental rights and freedoms of Bangladeshi citizens, spells out the
fundamental principles of state policy, and establishes the structure and functions of the
executive, legislative and judicial branches of the republic. Passed by the Constituent
Assembly of Bangladesh on November 4, 1972, it came into effect from December 16, 1972,
on the first anniversary of Bangladesh's victory over Pakistan in the Liberation War. The
constitution proclaims nationalism, democracy, socialism and secularity as the national ideals
of the Bangladeshi republic. When adopted in 1972, it was one of the most liberal
constitutions of the time.

1. Political history of Bangladesh:

2.1.

Sheikh Mujib Administration (19711975)

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman came to office with immense personal popularity but had
difficulty transforming this popular support into the political strength needed to
function as head of government. The new constitution, which came into force on 16
December 1972, created a strong executive prime minister, a largely ceremonial
presidency, an independent judiciary, and a unicameral legislature on a modified
Westminster model. The 1972 constitution adopted as state policy the Awami
League's (AL) four basic principles of nationalism, secularism, socialism, and
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democracy. The first parliamentary elections held under the 1972 constitution were in
7 March 1973, with the Awami League winning a massive majority. No other political
party in Bangladesh's early years was able to duplicate or challenge the League's
broad-based appeal, membership, or organizational strength. Relying heavily on
experienced civil servants and members of the Awami League, the new Bangladesh
government focused on relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction of the economy and
society. Economic conditions remained precarious, however. In December 1974,
Mujib decided that continuing economic deterioration and mounting civil disorder
required strong measures. After proclaiming a state of emergency, Mujib used his
parliamentary majority to win a constitutional amendment limiting the powers of the
legislative and judicial branches, establishing an executive presidency, and instituting
a one-party system, the Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League (BAKSAL),
which all members of Parliament (and senior civil and military officials) were obliged
to join.
Despite some improvement in the economic situation during the first half of 1975,
implementation of promised political reforms was slow, and criticism of government
policies became increasingly centered on Mujib. In 15 August 1975, Mujib, and most
of his family, were assassinated by mid-level army officers. His daughters, Sheikh
Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, were out of the country. A new government, headed by
former Mujib associate Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad, was formed.

2.2.

Military rule (19751990)

Two Army uprisings on 3 November and 7 November 1975 led to a reorganized
structure of power in Bangladesh. A state of emergency was declared to restore order
and calm. Mushtaq resigned, and the country was placed under temporary martial
law, with three service chiefs serving as deputies to the new president, Justice Abu
Sayem, who also became the Chief Martial Law Administrator. Lieutenant General
Ziaur Rahman took over the presidency in 1977 when Justice Sayem resigned.
President Zia reinstated multi-party politics, introduced free markets, and founded the
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Zia's rule ended when he was assassinated by
elements of the military in 1981.
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Bangladesh's next major ruler was Lieutenant General Hossain Mohammad Ershad,
who gained power in a coup on 24 March 1982, and ruled until 6 December 1990,
when he was forced to resign after a revolt of all major political parties and the
public, along with pressure from Western donors (which was a major shift in
international policy after the fall of the Soviet Union).

2.3.

Democratic era (19912006)

A constitutional referendum was held in Bangladesh on 15 September 1991. Voters
were asked "Should or not the President assent to the Constitution (Twelfth
Amendment) Bill, 1991 of the People's Republic of Bangladesh?" The amendments
would lead to the reintroduction of parliamentary government, with the President
becoming the constitutional head of state, but the Prime Minister the executive head.
It also abolished the position of Vice-President and would see the President elected by
Parliament. Since then, Bangladesh has reverted to a parliamentary democracy. Zia's
widow, Khaleda Zia, led the Bangladesh Nationalist Party to parliamentary victory at
the general election in 1991 and became the first female Prime Minister in
Bangladeshi history. However, the Awami League, headed by Sheikh Hasina, one of
Mujib's surviving daughters, won the next election in 1996. The Awami League lost
again to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in 2001.
Widespread political unrest followed the resignation of the BNP in late October 2006,
but the caretaker government worked to bring the parties to election within the
required ninety days. At the last minute in early January, the Awami League withdrew
from the election scheduled for later that month. On 11 January 2007, the military
intervened to support both a state of emergency and a continuing but neutral caretaker
government under a newly appointed Chief Advisor, who was not a politician. The
country had suffered for decades from extensive corruption, disorder, and political
violence. The caretaker government worked to root out corruption from all levels of
government. It arrested on corruption charges more than 160 people, including
politicians, civil servants, and businessmen, among whom were both major party
leaders, some of their senior staff, and two sons of Khaleda Zia.

2.4.

Political crisis and Caretaker government (20062008)

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The months preceding the planned January 22, 2007, elections were filled with
political unrest and controversy. Following the end of Khaleda Zia's government in
late October 2006, there were protests and strikes, during which 40 people were killed
in the following month, over uncertainty about who would head the caretaker
government. The caretaker government had difficulty bringing the all parties to the
table. Awami League and its allies protested and alleged that the caretaker
government favored the BNP.
The interim period was marked by violence and strikes. Presidential Advisor
Mukhlesur Rahman Chowdhury negotiated with Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia and
brought all the parties to the planned 22 January 2007 parliamentary elections. Later
Hussain Muhammad Ershad's nomination was cancelled; as a result, the Grand
Alliance withdrew its candidates en masse on the last day possible. [14] They demanded
to have voters' lists published.
Later in the month, the president Iajuddin Ahmed imposed a state of emergency.
Political activity was prohibited. Fakhruddin Ahmed became the acting prime
minister. The military-backed government worked to develop graft and corruption
cases against leaders and members of both major parties, trying to grapple with one of
the nation's major continuing problems. In March 2007, Khaleda Zia's two sons, who
both had government positions, were charged with corruption. Hasina was charged
with graft and extortion in April 2007, and a day later, Khaleda Zia was charged with
graft as well.

2.5.

Sheikh Hasina (2008 present)

After working to clean up the system, the caretaker government held what was
described by observers as a largely free and fair election on 29 December 2008.
Bangladesh Awami League lead by Sheikh Hasina, and its Grand Alliance (a total of
14 parties) won the general election held on 29 December 2008 with a two-thirds
majority numerically the party controls 230 seats out of 299. Sheikh Hasina was
sworn into office as the Prime Minister for the second time on 6 January 2009. Hasina
had to confront a major national crisis in the form of the 2009 Bangladesh Rifles
revolt.
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2. Political Structure of Bangladesh:

Politics of Bangladesh takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative
democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Bangladesh is the head of
government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the
government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. The
Constitution of Bangladesh was written in 1972 and has undergone fifteen amendments.
Bangladesh is a democratic republic with two spheres of government; National and local.
National government of Bangladesh is a democratic republic with a unicameral
parliament called Jatiya Sangsad. The head of state is the president, who is indirectly
elected by members of the parliament for a maximum of two five-year terms with the 345
parliament members. Local government is enshrined in the Constitution. The Local
Government Division within the Ministry of Local Government and Regional
Development and Cooperatives is responsible for local government. There are 64
administrative districts and below this a tiered system of local government comprising
single tier urban authorities comprising six city corporations and a number of town
pourashavas; and three tiered rural local government comprising 61 zila (district)
parishads, 469 upazila (sub-district) parishads, 4,484 union parishads, and three hill
district parishads. All local governments have the power to levy taxes and rates and the
range of functions for which each type of authority is responsible varies widely from
amongst many other things public health and hospitals, education and social welfare for
city corporations and pourashavas to implementation of development projects, public
libraries and roads for Upazila and union parishads.

3.1.

CENTRAL GOVERNMENT
The central government of Bangladesh. The Government is led by the Prime Minister,
who selects all the remaining Ministers. The Prime Minister and the other most senior
Ministers belong to the supreme decision-making committee, known as the Cabinet
Bangladesh is a democratic republic with a unicameral parliament called Jatiya
Sangsad. The head of state is the president, who is indirectly elected by members of
the parliament for a maximum of two five-year terms. The 345 members of
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parliament are directly elected by universal adult suffrage, and include 45 seats
reserved for women. The president appoints the leader of the majority party as prime
minister and head of government. On the advice of the prime minister the president
appoints the cabinet, which currently has 45 members.
The current Prime Minister is Sheikh Hasina, leader of the Bangladesh Awami
League, who was appointed by the President on 6 January 2009 following the General
Election on 29 December 2008. Bangladesh Awami League led by her, and its Grand
Alliance (a total of 14 parties) won the two-thirds majority numerically the party
controls 230 seats out of 299.

3.2.

STRUCTURE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT

3.2.1.

Local government within the state:

Bangladesh has 64 administrative districts and below this a tiered system of local
government comprising rural councils, or parishads, and urban municipalities.

3.2.2.

Ministerial oversight:

The Local Government Division (LGD) within the Ministry of Local Government and
Regional Development and Cooperatives (MLGRDC) is responsible for development and
implementation of legislation regulating local government, with the exception of the Hill
District Local Government Parishad Act 1989, which is administered by the Ministry of Hill
Tract Affairs.
3.2.3.

Council types:
Local government is divided into rural, urban and hill districts which have more
or less similar functions. Urban authorities are single-tier and include six city
corporations and a number of town pourashavas. Rural local government has three

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tiers: 61 zila (district) parishads, 469 upazila (subdistrict) parishads, and 4,484
union parishads.
There are also three hill district parishads. The six city corporations are: Dhaka,
Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal and Sylhet. Other towns are governed by
pourashavas, which provide services to towns with populations of at least 15,000.
The zila parishads are the largest rural authorities with average populations of
1,997,150. The largest zila parishad is Dhaka district with a population of 8.57
million, and the smallest is Meherpur with a population of 579,531. Upazila
parishads and union parishads are intermediate levels with average populations of
264,841 and 27,463 respectively. Twenty-three per cent of the population lives in
urban areas.
3.2.3.1.

Urban councils: The heads of city corporations and pourashavas are

called mayors. Members are called councilors, and mayors and all
councilors are directly elected every five years. There are specific numbers

3.2.3.2.

of reserved seats for women, who are elected directly.

Zila parishads: The law stipulates that there shall be a council for each
district except the three hill districts. A zila parishad will consist of a
chairman, 15 open seats and five additional womens reserved seats. The

3.2.3.3.

chairman and the members are elected by an electoral college.

Upazila and union parishads: The chairman and all the members
including women members holding reserved seats are directly elected.
The chairmen and members work full-time and receive an honorarium,
which is fixed by the government. According to existing legislation the
upazila parishad councils must consist of a directly elected chairman,
representative members, women members in reserved seats, and official
members. The representative members are the upazila parishad chairmen
and pourashava chairmen of each upazila. All heads of government
departments working in the upazila are ex-officio members without voting
rights.

3. Pakistan and Bangladesh relations:

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The bilateral relations between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the People's
Republic of Bangladesh are influenced by the fact that Bangladesh was a part of Pakistan
from 1947 to 1971, when it achieved independence after the Bangladesh Liberation War
and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. As part of the historical Shimla Agreement, India
sought to make sure that Pakistan would take steps to recognize Bangladesh.
Pakistan sought China's help in blocking Bangladesh's entry into the United Nations until
1974. Behind the scenes India rallied behind Bangladesh to help it gain international
recognition. By the end of March 1973, approximately 99 countries had recognized
Bangladesh. Pakistan eventually recognized Bangladesh in 1974.

4.1.

Liberation war and independence

After the partition of British Indian Empire by the United Kingdom in 1947, Bangladesh
was integrated in Pakistan which was known as East Bengal until 1955 and thereafter as
East-Pakistan following the One Unit program.
Bilateral relations between the two wings grew strained over the lack of official
recognition for the Bengali language, democracy, regional autonomy, disparity between
the two wings, ethnic discrimination, and the central government's weak and inefficient
relief efforts after the 1970 Bhola cyclone, which had affected millions in East Pakistan.
These grievances led to several political agitations in East Bengal and ultimately a fight
for full independence. In March 1971, the Pakistan Armed Forces began "Operation
Searchlight," which targeted intellectuals, political activists, Hindus and other minorities.
The figure of people killed by Pakistani forces remains disputed, with estimates ranging
from 300,000 to 3 million. About 8-10 million people became refugees in India. Many
Bengali policemen and soldiers mutinied and nationalists formed a guerrilla force, the
Mukti Bahini with Indian and Soviet Union support. When a declared war broke out
between Bangladesh and Pakistan in December 1971, the joint forces of Indian Army and
Mukti Bahini later known as Bangladesh Armed forces defeated Pakistani forces in East
Pakistan and the independent state of Bangladesh was created.

4.2.

Establishment and growth of bilateral relations (1974-2012)

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The left-oriented Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) led by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who had been
the main political opponent of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, came into power in the aftermath
of Bangladesh's separation from Pakistan. A heavy lobbying staged by Pakistan, other
states such as the People's Republic of China, Saudi Arabia and some other Middle
Eastern nations, refused to recognize Bangladesh. In 1972, Pakistan left the
Commonwealth of Nations after it extended membership to Bangladesh. For its part,
Bangladesh demanded an apology from Pakistan for war crimes committed by the
Pakistani military and reparations. Bangladesh's development of close ties with India,
which had played a role in securing its independence, also angered Pakistan.
On the issue of Bangladeshs application for membership to the UN, China, on Pakistans
request, exercised its veto power for the first time to stall the move, which helped
Pakistan to secure in a bargain the release of its POWs and the return of troops to their
prewar positions.
In 1974, the relationship between Bangladesh and Pakistan thawed. Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman withdrew the bans on some pro-Pakistan organizations that had operated before
Bangladesh's independence. Rahman visited Lahore for an Organization of the Islamic
Conference summit, and in return the Parliament of Pakistan authorized Bhutto to extend
recognition to Bangladesh. In June 1974, Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto
visited Bangladesh and paid homage to Bangladesh's war memorial at Savar Upazila.
Both nations discussed an agreement in 1975 in which Bangladesh agreed to take up half
of Pakistan's pre-1971 external debt provided Bangladesh received half of the country's
pre-1971 assets and credit went unresolved.
Relations improved considerably under the governments of Ziaur Rahman and Hossain
Mohammad Ershad in Bangladesh, which had grown more distant from its war ally,
India. Five Pakistani heads of government have made official visits to Bangladesh since
the 1980s and numerous trade and cultural agreements have been signed. Common
concerns over India's regional power have influenced strategic cooperation leading to a
gift of several squadrons of F-6 fighter aircraft to the Bangladesh Air Force in the late
1980s although there was no serious effort to maintain them as they were later left to be
destroyed by a cyclone. Trade between the two countries currently stands at $340 million
which was described by the Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh, Ruhul Alam
Siddique as 'negligible when taking into account the combined population' (of both
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countries). Areas he hoped would induce investment from Pakistan to Bangladesh

included the textiles and energy sectors.
In 1985, President Ziaul Haq visited the Bangladeshi war memorial, and said "Your
heroes are our heroes." Bangladeshi president Erhsad visited Islamabad in 1986. In 1998,
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited Pakistan. In July 2002, Pakistani General Pervez
Musharraf also visited the war memorial and said "Your brothers and sisters in Pakistan
share the pain of the events of 1971."

4.3.

War crimes tribunal (2013)

In December 2012, several members of Pakistan Parliament sought a Parliamentary
resolution that would apologize to Bangladesh for the 1971 atrocities. This initiative was
also supported by Hamid Mir.
In December 2013, following the execution of Abdul Quader Molla, dubbed the "butcher
of Mirpur" for war crimes, the lower house National Assembly issued a statement
condemning execution, claiming it to be politically motivated. Pakistan's Interior
Minister expressed sadness that Molla was executed for his "loyalty towards Pakistan".
Following Pakistan's reactions, Bangladesh summoned the Pakistan envoy, conveying its
displeasure at Pakistan's interference in its internal matters. Bangladesh conveyed its
displeasure at the National Assembly statement, Punjab Provincial Assembly statement,
as well as the remarks by Pakistan's Interior Minister.
Protesters in Bangladesh took the streets to express their displeasure by marching towards
the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka.

4.4.

Bihari refugees issue

An issue of continuing controversy is the status and return of Biharis, also called
Stranded Pakistanis to Pakistan. Numbered around 540,000, these communities had
migrated to what became East Pakistan from the Indian state of Bihar after the partition
of India in 1947. During the liberation war, these communities supported the Pakistani
government and later wanted to emigrate to Pakistan, which stalled and hesitated. By
1982 about 127,000 had been repatriated, leaving about 250,000 people still demanding
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repatriation. In 1985 there was some progress in this area when Pakistani president Ziaul-Haq agreed to accept the "stranded Pakistanis." In a 2002 visit to Bangladesh,
Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf signed numerous bilateral agreements but said he
could not allow the emigration of Biharis to Pakistan for the time being.

4.5.

Defense Cooperation
Defense cooperation improved considerably under the military regimes of Ziaur Rahman
and Hossain Mohammad Ershad in Bangladesh, which had grown more distant from its
war ally, India. Common concerns over India's regional power have influenced strategic
cooperation leading to a gift of several squadrons of F-6 fighter aircraft to the Bangladesh
Air Force in the late 1980s.

4.6.

Trade
Bilateral trade between the two countries has been growing slowly over the past years.
During the eleven-year period between 200001 and 201011, Pakistan export to
Bangladesh grew at an average annual rate of 27.6 percent and imports from Bangladesh
grew at the rate of 9.2 percent. The total value of trade (export plus import) between the
two countries in 2010-11 was about $983 million. To give a boost to bilateral trade
between Pakistan and Bangladesh both countries have decided to finalize a bilateral Free
Trade Agreement. FTA will pave the way for opening trade opportunity and will help
expansion of trade between the two countries.

4. Conclusion:
This report is a brief review about the history, political background and political structure of
Bangladesh. Pakistan and Bangladesh both have some of the same cultural heritage as India.
These two countries occupy parts of the major lowlands of southern Asia. Also, these two
countries share a dominance of Muslim beliefs. Bangladesh and Pakistan were once a single
country from 1947 until 1971, when a successful revolt in East Pakistan led to the formation of
the separate country of Bangladesh. The differences between Pakistan and Bangladesh outweigh
their common features. The political situation of both countries are also almost same. In
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Bangladesh there is a parliamentary democracy with 300 members of assembly whereas Pakistan
also has parliamentary democracy named as Islamic republic with 442 members of assembly.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Bangladesh
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Bangladesh
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Bangladesh
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh
http://country-facts.findthebest.com/compare/136-182/Bangladesh-vs-Pakistan

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