A STORY OF SUCCESS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

In 1947, the British colonial ruler partitioned the Indian sub-continent into India and Pakistan. Bangladesh then became the eastern wings of Pakistan. The movement for autonomy of East Pakistan started from the very beginning of the state.

The Language Movement of 1952 for the recognition of Bangla as a state language could be termed the first step towards independence. Political and economic deprivation of the Bengalees prompted Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Father of the Nation, to put forward in 1966 his historic six-point charter of demands-the Magna Carta which in effect laid the foundation for the eventual independence of Bangladesh.

Even though Bangabandhu’s Awami League emerged as the largest party in Pakistan Parliament in the 1970 elections, he was not allowed to form the government by the ruling military junta. And in a pre-planned manner on the night of 25 March 1971, the Pakistan Army embarked on what may be termed the worst genocide of history. Before being arrested by the Pakistanis, Bangabandhu made the declaration of independence immediately after the midnight of 25 March.

If there was ever an event in the latter half of the twentieth century that shook the entire world, it was the emergence of Bangladesh as a sovereign independent country in 1971 through a War of Liberation.

Our liberation had a profound impact on the international community. On the one hand, the world was shocked at the brutal genocide conducted by the Pakistani occupation forces killing more than 30 million innocent men women and children and appalled by an orgy of rape and abuse of human rights. And on the other, the world admired and respected the courage and commitment of a nation to which nothing was dearer than their freedom.

The hero of this grand chapter in the history of the 20th century was the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Bangabandhu’s leadership and statesmanship moved the international community to quickly welcome and recognize the newly emerged nation and to extend their hands of cooperation in rebuilding a war ravaged economy. Bangabandhu’s leadership and the principles and ideals, on which the liberation struggle was based, created an unprecedented positive image for Bangladesh and its people. The entire international community was unanimous in heralding the birth of the new nation and saluted Bangabandhu for his unwavering conviction to democratic parties and upholding human dignity. Nations accorded recognition in quick succession and established diplomatic relations.

To sustain the momentum, it was necessary for the nation to build a pragmatic and dynamic foreign policy that would firmly establish a place of respect for Bangladesh in the comity of nations for all time to come. No one realized more the importance of a strong foreign policy that would preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country and bring about economic prosperity of the people than the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman himself.

Being committed to democracy, human rights and development, Bangladesh would not only seek to uphold its image as a peace loving country but to take a pro active role in international relations to promote peace and development. This was a challenge that the nation had to undertake and the Father of the Nation provided the necessary guideline to achieve it.

“Friendship towards all, malice towards none” with these words, the Father of the Nation laid the basis of the country’s foreign policy. This was not rhetoric, but a doctrine for Bangladesh in preserving and promoting its interests at home and abroad. The father of the nation firmly believed that Bangladesh’s interests in international affairs including its security interests and the national profile abroad, could be achieved and preserved by maintaining friendly relations with all nations and developing a strong multilateral input in the nation’s foreign policy.

Even during the time when the Cold War was at its height, the Father of the Nation had the vision to look ahead of his time. He could envision the end of the ideological divide that had kept the horrors of a third world war alive, and the emergence of a globalized world in which humanitarian concerns, peace and development would dominate the foreign policy of nations. In his historic address to the United Nations General Assembly on 25 September 1974, Bangabandhu said, “Peace is an imperative for the survival of mankind. It represents the deepest aspirations of men and women throughout the world”. On another occasion, Bangabandhu stated, “Bangladesh desires peace not only for the sake of peace but also for the strategic consideration of development and security.” The political will to free humankind from abject poverty and its dehumanizing conditions and an undertaking to address the special needs of the least developed countries expressed by the world leaders at historic United Nations Millennium Summit in New York in September 2000 was indeed a reflection of Bangabandhu’s vision of the future.

The pragmatism and dynamism in Bangladesh’s foreign policy was so profound, that within a short span of time of our independence, Bangladesh obtained membership of the all the major international organizations including the United Nations, the Non Aligned Movement, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Commonwealth under the leadership of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The foundation of Bangladesh foreign policy was thus laid.

Just when Bangladesh was gaining firm ground in international affairs, the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with almost all his family members and some close associates, were brutally murdered by a group of misled military officers and soldiers. They killed his wife, his sons and their newly wed wives. Even the ten-year-old youngest son of Bangabandhu was not spared. The only survivors of his family were the present Prime Minister and her sister Sheikh Rehana, both of whom were abroad at that time.

The brutal killing of the founding Father of the Nation had left the people of Bangladesh stunned and bewildered and shocked the entire international community. And hardly before the world cold recover from the trauma and horror of this gruesome criminal act, the same group of military officers along with their associates and fellow conspirators, conducted another orgy of atrocity by killing four national leaders who led the War of Liberation in 1971 in the absence of Bangabandhu and who were in state captivity at the time the were killed. What was even more atrocious is that the junta that had captured power, first, General Ziaur Rahman, later General Ershad connived with the murderers and rewarded them with diplomatic and ambassadorial assignments and created opportunities for them to seek membership in the parliament.

The democratic principles on which Bangladesh was created and for which so many million lives were sacrificed became meaningless. Instead, the country’s administration fell into the hands of autocratic and dictatorial regimes. However, despite their very best efforts to put on a garb of democracy, the military rulers and autocratic regimes failed in obtaining the respect from the international community they were desperately seeking. The reasons were simple: successful implementation of the foreign policy is dependent on the credibility of the national government. An essential component is the credibility that comes with a popularly elected democratic government, which the usurpers of power did not have.

Unfortunately it was the people of Bangladesh who had to bear the impact of military dictatorship. The foreign policy under those regimes miserably failed to uphold the interest of the state. The policy adopted by them was basically one of appeasement and designed to serve personal aggrandizement. As a result, the esteem of the country fell in the eyes of the international community. Instead of keeping pace with the development process of other developing countries, the economy dwindled. Poverty continued to rise and external debts mounted. Bilateral relations with other democratic countries were at best tepid and relations with our neighbouring countries dropped to an all time low. Foreign investment remained shy on account of the instability that comes with governments coming to power through military coups and assassinations. Governments of donor countries remained suspects that the assistance provided for development purposes were actually being siphoned off for non-development projects and into personal coffers.

The dictatorial regimes however grossly underestimated the will and commitment of the people of Bangladesh to safeguard democracy and uphold fundamental human rights. The agitation of the people against the autocratic regime began since the day the Father of the Nation was brutally murdered and democracy was dealt with a deadly blow. Repression and political imprisonment could not suppress the growing popular movement for restoration of democracy. Led by the President of the Awami League (now the Prime Minister of Bangladesh), Sheikh Hasina, the long popular movement for restoration of democracy gained momentum, reaching its height in the end of 1990, forcing the autocratic regime of General Ershad to bow to the will of the people and hand over power to a neutral caretaker Government.

After the general elections of 1991 General Zia’s widow and the leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Begum Khaleda Zia formed the Government while the Awami League taking over the role of a responsible opposition. Unfortunately, the then Government failed to live up to the expectations of the people and the country continued to suffer political instability. The effect was felt on foreign affairs as no commendable development took place. High level visits to Bangladesh were negligible. Bilateral relations with other countries progressed at a slow pace and the Government was unable to resolve the outstanding issues with our neighbouring countries.

The dissatisfaction of the people over the performance of the government was evident when a popular movement for strengthening democracy began to grow. There were widespread allegations of political intimidation in the conduct of government affairs and vote rigging in the bye-elections. The movement grew stronger as Sheikh Hasina continued to lead the people for the establishment of democracy through free and fair elections. Finally, after a futile attempt to legitimize their existence in power through a farcical election, the ruling part succumbed to the people’s demand to enact a constitutional amendment that would ensure free and fair election by handing over power to a neutral caretaker government that would take the responsibility to conduct the parliamentary election. Free and fair elections were held in June 1996 in which the Awami League emerged victorious and Sheikh Hasina took over as Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

The international community finally could see the establishment of a truly representative Government and the restoration of democracy in Bangladesh. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took it upon herself to ensure that Bangladesh regained its stature and the respect it enjoyed in international relations under Bangabandhu’s leadership. The foreign policy of the present Awami League Government sought friendship with all countries on the basis of mutual respect of each other’s sovereign equality and territorial integrity. The country’s interests were always at the forefront while conducting foreign affairs. The track record of the present government’s performance over the past four and half year show a clear and commendable success story.

Never in history had so many Heads of State or Government and other world leaders visited Bangladesh under one Government as has been the case during the past four and half years of the Awami League Government. Among those who visited our country were US President Bill Clinton (March 2000) British Prime Minister John Major (January 1997), HRH Charles, the Price of Wales (January 1997), President Yasser Arafat of Palestine (April 1999 & August 2000), Chairman of the National Peoples Congress of China Li Peng (April 1999), Prime Minister Atal Behari Bajpayee of India (June 1999), President Mamun Abdul Gayuum of the Maldives (April 1998), Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan (1998 and March 1999), Prime Minister Mahathir of Malaysia (March 1999). President Alberto Fujimoro of Peru (May 1997), Indonesian Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri (January 2001), US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (November 1997), Queen Sofia of Spain (September 1997), Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi (June 1998), Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Douner (February 1998), Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas (February 1997), Commonwealth Secretary General Chief Emeka Annyouko (March 1997), First Lady of Salvador Ms Elizabeth D (April 1997), West Bengal Chief Minister Joyti Basu (November 1996), Australian Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fisher (April 1997), Chinese Vice Premier Woe Bangoue (October 1997), British Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Derek Fachet (April 1998), and Mr. I. K. Gujral (September 1996 as Foreign Minister, in January 1998 as Prime Minister and in September 1999 as Former Prime Minister of India and delegate to the Asian Association for Parliaments for Peace Meeting).

Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on her part undertook several visits on invitations from her counterparts and as leader of Bangladesh delegations to important multilateral meetings. These include: official visit to Saudi Arabia (July 1996), World Food Conference in Italy (November 1996), UN General Assembly Session in New York (October 1996), official visit to China (October 1996), Official visit to India (December 1996), Micro Credit Summit in United States (February 1997), International Parliamentary Conference in India (February 1997), OIC Summit in Pakistan (March 1997), official visit to Saudi Arabia (April 1997), SAARC Summit in Maldives (1997), official visit to Turkey (June 1997), official visit to Japan (June and July 1997), Fifth International Education Summit in Germany (July 1997), official visit to Indonesia (September 1997), Commonwealth Summit in UK (October 1997), official visit to USA (January-February 1997), funeral of Mother Teresa in India (September 1997), OIC Summit in Iran (December 1997), SAARC Summit in Sri Lanka (July 1998), official visit to India (June 1998), official visit to Pakistan (June 1998), official visit to Italy (April 1999), official visit to Jordan (April 1999), official visit to UK (March 1999), official visit to the Netherlands (May 1999), official visit to UK (July 1999), UN General Assembly Session in New York (September 1999), official visit to France (September 1999) official visit to Australia (September 1999) and Commonwealth Summit in South Africa (1999), Millennium Summit of the United Nations in New York (September 2000), official visit to the USA (October 2000) and official visit to Cambodia (January 2001).

Bilateral Achievements >

Page : [ 1 ] 2 3 4 5
 

Home | Bangladesh Awami League |  Contact Us