Category: Obituary
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OIC Resolution calls Zia a ‘Martyr’
The Twelfth Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers was held in Baghdad of Iraq from June 1-5, 1981. President Zia’s news of death came right before the inauguration of the conference and within days the foreign ministers of Islamic countries passed a special resolution on the death of Ziaur Rahman to commemorate his achievements and efforts…
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UN Secretary General on Zia’s death
U.N. Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim sent a message to Acting President Abdus Sattar on May 30, 1981, over an urgent cable through United Nations Information Center, Dhaka. The message reads: Mr. President, I wish to express to you and through you to the Government and people of Bangladesh my horror and grief at the tragedy which…
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Indira Gandhi’s condolence
India Prime Minister Indira Gandhi expressed shock at the assassination of Bangladesh President Ziaur Rahman, whom she called a man of ‘statesmanlike vision.’ We are shocked at the tragic news of his excellency President Ziaur Rahman’s assassination. I have always condemned the politics of murder. President Ziaur Rahman led his country with distinction, giving special…
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President Reagan on Zia’s death
President Ronald Reagan of the United States of America, sent a message to Acting President Abdus Sattar of Bangladesh on the Death of President Ziaur Rahman immediately after he received the information on May 31, 1981. The message read: I was shocked and deeply grieved to learn of the assassination of President Ziaur Rahman. The…
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The Times Biography: Zia Ur-Rahman
The Times: Biography (June 1, 19781) President Zia ur-Rahman of Bangladesh, who was killed at the age of 45 in Chittagong on May 30 during an insurrection against the government, had been the effective instrument of power in the country since soon after the overthrow and assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by a group of…
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A rush of blood leaves Bangladesh on the brink
John Cunningham, The Guardian (June 1, 1981) President Ziaur Rahman’s luck fatally ran out in a hail of bullets in the government rest house just before dawn on Saturday. The province on the East flank of Bangladesh which takes its name from the port city he was visiting, mocks the imprint of national stability which…
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A moderate nationalist who wanted to lift his country out of extreme poverty
Gerard Viratelle, Le Monde (June 01, 1981) Only 46 years old, but in power since November 1975, General Ziaur Rahman, familiarly known in his country by the diminutive of Zia, was a moderate nationalist and a man of authority. Always calm, neatly dressed and with eyes often hidden behind tinted glasses, his “coldness” contrasted with…
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A Tragedy for Bangladesh
The Times Editorial (June 01, 1981) The killing of President Zia-ur Rahman is a shattering blow to peace and good government in Bangladesh, likely to throw the country into despair at the unending military rivalry from which the country has suffered from its birth. Nothing that is known of the rebel leadership in Chittagong promises…
Zia Archive 