Ziaur Rahman’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Foreign Policy
Professor Dr. Saiful Islam
By establishing the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on September 1, 1978, late President Ziaur Rahman did not just form a new political party in Bangladeshi politics; rather, he established a well-coordinated structural relationship between state philosophy, national identity, economic development and foreign policy. The ‘Bangladeshi nationalism’ he introduced was the centerpiece of this political philosophy. He wanted to establish a distinct identity for Bangladesh on the world stage by combining territorial integrity, citizenship, national sovereignty and economic self-reliance. If Mr. Ziaur Rahman’s international vision is limited to developing relations with the Muslim world or diplomatic expansion towards China and the Western world, its full significance cannot be understood. The main theme of his foreign policy was – strategic diversification, multilateral balancing and conducting international diplomacy centered on national interests, rather than relying on a single power.
Needless to say, in the political and diplomatic history of Bangladesh, martyred President Ziaur Rahman was a true son of the soil and a son of the soil, whose patriotism and noble leadership were founded through the historic declaration of independence in 1971 and the frontal armed struggle on the battlefield. Deeply perceiving the smell of the soil and the pulse of the people, he initiated a far-sighted and welfare-oriented foreign policy in the management of the party and the state, which is recognized as one of the most successful diplomacy in the history of Bangladesh in the eyes of international analysts. Under his skillful and pragmatic leadership, the newly independent war-torn Bangladesh was able to stand tall as a unique self-respecting state in the world court by avoiding the slavery of superpowers, achieving multilateral balance, opening up the labor market of the Middle East, historic victory in the UN Security Council and creating the concept of SAARC.
In Mr. Ziaur Rahman’s political philosophy, ‘Bangladeshi nationalism’ was the institutional form of the geographical and civic identity of independent Bangladesh. Without denying the fundamental role of language and culture, he linked it with territorial and state sovereignty, the coexistence of multi-religious communities, and a common political destiny. Political scientist Marcus Franda, in his article ‘Ziaur Rahman and Bangladeshi Nationalism’, has shown how Mr. Zia reconciled this concept with the need for internal political unity and the preservation of an independent state entity in the external world. One of the goals of Mr. Zia’s nationalism was to establish Bangladesh in such a geostrategic and state identity that the country would not be confined to the circle or shadow of any larger regional power. This sense of sovereignty is deeply reflected in his foreign policy. He applied the principle of ‘friendship with all, hostility with none’ declared in the constitution in the light of Realpolitik. For him, friendship did not mean unilateral dependence on a single hegemonic state; rather, it meant expanding economic and security cooperation based on sovereign equality, mutual respect, and national interests.
When Mr. Ziaur Rahman took charge of the state, world politics was bound by the Cold War bipolarity framework. The Indo-Soviet Treaty of Friendship (1971), Pakistan-US closeness and the China-Pakistan axis in South Asia put Bangladesh in the face of a complex geopolitical tension. In this reality, he developed multidimensional relations without following any specific bloc. Expanding relations with the United States, the United Kingdom, Western Europe, China, Japan, the Muslim world and ASEAN countries became his policy priorities. At the same time, he took a clear stand in favor of the economic rights of the least developed and developing countries on the active platforms of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the Group of 77 (G-77). Formal diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and the People’s Republic of China were established on 4 October 1975. This relationship quickly became institutionalized during Mr. Ziaur Rahman’s rule. Bilateral relations saw a major breakthrough in January 1977 with Mr. Ziaur Rahman’s historic visit to China. In addition to economic and technical assistance, agreements on defense equipment and training were signed with China, which helped modernize the Bangladesh Armed Forces and reduce dependence on a single country for foreign defense. Development and technical cooperation was strengthened with Japan. Bangladesh’s victory in this prestigious seat by defeating the powerful economic power Japan in the election of a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in October 1978 marked a historic milestone in Dhaka’s soft power and diplomatic acceptance in the international arena.
Member of the UN Security Council for the term 1979-1980 Bangladesh’s performance as a member was the ultimate recognition of the diplomatic capacity of a newly independent state. Despite economic crises and internal challenges, less than a decade after independence, Bangladesh played a leading role in world politics and the highest policy-making forums of world politics: Bangladesh’s strong and clear vote in the UN Security Council and General Assembly against the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 sent a powerful message in favor of sovereign integrity on the world stage. Bangladesh consistently supported the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination in the United Nations and international forums and strengthened the unity of the Third World against the Israeli occupation.
Although Bangladesh became a member of the OIC at the Lahore Summit in 1974, Bangladesh’s relations with the organization were elevated to a strategic, economic and institutional level during Mr. Ziaur Rahman’s tenure: In 1977, Bangladesh officially became a member of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB). This opened the way for loans and grants to Bangladesh directly from the Islamic Fund of the Middle East in the agricultural, energy, infrastructure and industrial sectors on easy terms. After the establishment of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) in 1976, the state began sending workers to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Iraq in the Middle East. This policy later laid the foundation for the remittance structure, which was the main driving force of Bangladesh’s rural poverty alleviation and national economy. Mr. Ziaur Rahman contributed to the Jerusalem and Palestine issues as a member of the OIC’s Al-Quds Committee. When the bloody Iran-Iraq War broke out in 1980, he was nominated as a member of the OIC’s nine-member ‘Islamic Peace Committee’ and directly participated in the mediation peace mission in Tehran and Baghdad to resolve the conflict between the two brotherly countries. After his death in 1981, the OIC’s official condolence message deeply acknowledged his role in this peace effort.
The most enduring institutional legacy of Ziaur Rahman’s visionary diplomatic thinking is the proposal for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Realizing the reality of historical animosities, bilateral mistrust and border conflicts in South Asia, he realized that leaving aside political disputes, common problems such as poverty, education, public health, disaster management, agriculture and trade could be solved only through multilateral cooperation. In May 1980, Mr. Ziaur Rahman sent formal letters and working papers to the heads of government of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Maldives, formally proposing the formation of a South Asian institutional cooperation framework. Through a series of meetings at the level of secretaries and foreign ministers, the historic journey of SAARC began with the first summit in Dhaka in December 1985. Mr. Ziaur Rahman’s 1980 outline has been recognized as the first and main state foundation of SAARC in international research, including the national encyclopedia Banglapedia.
Mr. Ziaur Rahman’s foreign policy was not limited to diplomatic protocols or state visits; it was a development-oriented diplomacy directly related to his announced 19-point program. He believed that an independent foreign policy is not sustainable without a country’s internal economic capacity and self-sufficiency in food. Again, the reconstruction of a war-torn country is impossible without foreign investment, technology transfer and opening up new markets. Therefore, in line with the internal agricultural revolution, canal digging program, industrialization and rural development, he established mutually beneficial aid and trade relations with Western countries (United States, Europe), Asian superpowers (China, Japan) and oil-rich countries of the Middle East.
Historically and structurally, since its establishment in 1978, BNP has made significant contributions to fundamental socio-economic transformations such as the national identity of Bangladesh, the revival of multi-party democracy, the development of a free market economy and the ready-made garment sector, the establishment of the basis for remittances through the export of manpower to the Middle East, and the introduction of stipends in women’s education. The continuity of the foreign policy and nationalist philosophy initiated by Mr. Ziaur Rahman was later reflected in the ‘Look East Policy’ of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, the expansion of economic diplomacy, and diplomatic steps to keep SAARC effective; and in the light of the contemporary complex global reality, his successor PM Tarique Rahman is leading a strategy to consolidate the balance of multilateral relations, modern economic partnerships, and Bangladesh’s prestigious position in the global arena, giving top priority to national interests and geographical sovereignty in the light of the party’s declared ‘Bangladesh First’ policy.
In fact, in Mr. Ziaur Rahman’s nationalist thought, ‘Bangladeshi nationalism’ and his ‘international outlook’ were complementary to each other. His policy was not isolationist or overly narrow; rather, it was an attempt to ensure economic and strategic partnership with the world community on the basis of sovereign equality, self-respect and mutual respect. His main message was: a developing state, even if relatively small geographically or economically, can play a very effective and influential role in world politics through prudent diplomacy, active multilateral balance and a clear national interest-based position. In the contemporary multipolar global reality, this multifaceted balance and pragmatic development diplomacy of Mr. Ziaur Rahman is still considered a wise statesman’s outline in international relations.
Author: Political analyst and teacher, Dhaka University.
