Today is the 77th founding anniversary of Bangladesh Awami League. The party was established in 1949 as one of the country’s oldest political organisations.
Founded on 23 June 1949 at the historic Rose Garden in KM Das Lane, Old Dhaka, the then East Pakistan Awami Muslim League emerged as "the first major opposition party in Pakistan." In its inaugural council, Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani and Shamsul Haque were elected president and general secretary respectively, while Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, then in prison, was unanimously made joint secretary.
The party subsequently played a central role in key political movements, including the 1952 Language Movement, the 1954 United Front elections, the Six-Point Movement of 1966, the 1969 mass uprising, and the 1971 Liberation War. It is often described by its supporters as representing the mainstream of Bengali nationalism.
In 1953, at the second council in Mymensingh, Maulana Bhashani became president and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was made general secretary. At the third council session in October 1955 at Rupmahal Cinema Hall in Sadarghat, Dhaka, the party was declared a non-communal organisation and renamed as the East Pakistan Awami League, dropping the term "Muslim".
Internal splits emerged in 1957 following differences between Hussein Shaheed Suhrawardy and Maulana Bhashani at the Kagmari Conference, leading to the formation of the National Awami Party (NAP) by Bhashani. Maulana Abdur Rashid Tarkabagish became president of the main Awami League, while Sheikh Mujibur Rahman continued as general secretary. Party activities were suspended during martial law in 1958 and revived in 1964.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was elected president at the 1966 council, with Tajuddin Ahmed as general secretary. The leadership remained unchanged through the 1968 and 1970 councils, under which Bangladesh's 1971 Liberation War was later conducted.
After independence of Bangladesh in 1971, the party formed government. In the 1972 council, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman chaired the session, and Mohammad Zillur Rahman was elected general secretary. In 1974, Bangabandhu stepped down as party president, after which AHM Kamaruzzaman assumed the post while Zillur Rahman remained general secretary.
Following the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family on 15 August 1975, the party's political activities were disrupted. It was later reorganised in 1976 under Mohiuddin Ahmed and Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury as president and general secretary respectively. In 1977, a convening committee was formed under Syeda Zohra Tajuddin, followed by the 1978 council that elected Abdul Malek Ukil as president and Abdur Razzak as general secretary.
In 1981, Sheikh Hasina was elected party president in her absence while Abdur Razzak remained general secretary. She returned home from exile on May 17, 1981 to assume the leadership of the party. Till the fall of Awami League regime Sheikh Hasina continued as party president and Obaidul Quader was the general secretary.
Over its history, the Awami League has governed Bangladesh for around 26 years. It held power until 1975, returned to office from 1996 to 2001, and again from 2009 to 2024. On August 5, 2024, Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country following a mass movement, bringing an end to the party's long tenure in government.
In the present context, Awami League and its affiliated organisations remain under a ban as trials proceed against party leaders and activists over allegations of genocide and corruption during its regime, particularly during July-August uprising in 2024.In the February 12 Jatiya Sangshad election Awami League was barred from contesting the national polls.
