HM Ershad’s 89th birthday today

Today is the 89th birthday of Jatiya Party Chairman of Hussain Muhammad Ershad who served as the 10th President of Bangladesh.

He was born on this day in Dinhata, British India in 1930. His parents migrated from Dinhata (subdivision of Coochbehar district of present West Bengal) to East Pakistan following Partition in 1947.

He graduated from the University of Dhaka in 1950 and was commissioned into the Pakistan Army in 1952 from ‘Officers Training School Kohat’. He was an adjutant in the East Bengal regimental depot in Chittagong. He also completed advanced courses from the Command and Staff College in Quetta in 1966.

After serving with a brigade in Sialkot, he was given command of the 3rd East Bengal Regiment in 1969 and the 7th East Bengal Regiment in 1971.

He seized power as head of the army during a bloodless coup against President Abdus Sattar in 24 April 1982 (by imposing martial law).

Ershad served in office until 1990, when he was forced to resign during a popular uprising led by Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina.

Ershad achieved administrative reforms such as devolution of nationalised industries; the expansion of the national highway system; and the founding of SAARC; he committed his nation`s forces as an ally to the United States in the Gulf War. He is the founder of the Jatiya Party, currently the second-largest party in the Jatiyo Sangshad.

Ershad is currently a member of parliament and the Chairman of Jatiyo Party. In 1989, Ershad pushed parliament to make Islam the state religion, in a sharp departure from Bangladesh`s original secular constitution.