1990 Mass Uprising: When Sheikh Hasina took part in pro-democracy protests in Bangladesh

Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of Sheikh Hasina, announced on August 5 that his mother, the former prime minister of Bangladesh, will not return to politics. Joy's comments came hours after Hasina, Bangladesh's longest-serving prime minister, resigned and fled the country following widespread protests.

Hasina is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh's 'Father of the Nation,' who is credited with leading the country to freedom from Pakistan in 1971. Rahman was Bangladesh's first president.

Hasina's 15-year rule culminated after weeks of violent protests against her government. Twenty-four years ago, Hasina, along with other political leaders, was part of a similar uprising on the streets of Bangladesh, demanding the return of democracy in the country.

The 1990 Uprising

In March 1982, Bangladesh’s then Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Hussain Muhammad Ershad took power in a bloodless coup, by overthrowing President Abdus Sattar of the Bangladesh National Party (BNP).

Ershad founded the Jatiya Party in 1986. Bangladesh saw the first elections since the 1982 coup. But Jatiya Party won a majority, and General Ershad remained president until 1990 when the country witnessed a mass pro-democracy uprising.

Popularly known as '90's Anti-Authoritarian Movement, the 1990 mass uprising was a protest movement that eventually led to the fall of General Ershad. The protests started in October 1990 and ran through December 1990. About a hundred people died during the protests. Both future Bangladesh Prime Ministers – Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia – took active part in the uprising.

The multi-party alliances

On November 19, 1990, the BNP-led alliance, the Awami League- led alliance and the left-led alliance drafted a joint declaration. The declaration outlined the process for handing over General Ershad's presidency to a civil government. A caretaker government would take over before holding a free and fair election within 90 days of its arrival to power, the political parties demanded.

On December 6, 1980, General Ershad submitted his resignation, accepting the demands of the parties. General Ershad was eventually arrested on corruption charges.

1991 Bangladesh Elections

The uprising paved the way for the 1991 general elections in Bangladesh. The BNP emerged as the largest party in parliament, winning 140 of the 300 directly elected seats.

The BNP formed a government with the support of the Jamaat-e-Islami, and Khaleda Zia was sworn in as Bangladesh's first woman prime minister. The elections were described to be free and fair by many international observers, as it marked the end of nine-year military rule in Bangladesh. 

In the subsequent years, Zia and Hasina remained political rivals. In fact, hours after Hasina's ouster, Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin ordered the release of jailed former prime minister and key opposition leader Khaleda Zia.

As it turns out after Hasina resigned and fled the country on August 5, many reports, including one in BBC, referred to her as ‘the pro-democracy icon who became an autocrat.’