Awami League

Awami League, political party in Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan), formed in 1949. It played a crucial role in the country’s independence from Pakistan in 1971 by leading the liberation movement and wartime government-in-exile. Under Mujibur Rahman (also called Sheikh Mujib), the party led the country’s first government from 1971 to 1975. Following Mujib’s assassination in 1975 and the subsequent period of military rule, the Awami League remained out of power for about two decades.

The Awami League returned to power in 1996, when Mujib’s daughter Sheikh Hasina Wazed was elected prime minister, serving until 2001. Hasina became prime minister again in 2009 and went on to serve four consecutive terms until 2024. Although the party won the disputed January 2024 elections, Hasina’s fifth term was cut short in August 2024, when widespread student-led protests escalated into an anti-government movement and she resigned and fled to India. In 2025 the interim government that succeeded her administration banned the Awami League in Bangladesh.

Origin and early years

The roots of the Awami League can be traced back to the political discontent that emerged after the partition of India in 1947, creating India and Pakistan as separate countries. Pakistan was a noncontiguous Muslim-majority country, with West Pakistan (formed from the western Punjab) and East Pakistan (formed from the eastern Bengal) separated by about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of Indian territory. Although East Pakistan was more populous, political and military power was concentrated in West Pakistan. The two regions were separated not only by geography but also by distinct cultural, linguistic, and social identities. Several policies pursued by the West Pakistani leadership were widely perceived in East Pakistan as undermining local culture and political representation.

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One of the earliest such policies was the imposition of Urdu as Pakistan’s sole national language in 1948. This prompted widespread student-led protests in East Pakistan, where Bengali was the language of the majority. Many East Pakistani leaders and activists broke away from the Muslim League, Pakistan’s dominant political party at the time, and formed the East Pakistan Awami Muslim League at a conference in Dhaka in 1949. The key founders of the new party included Maulana Bhashani, Shamsul Huq, and Mujib. It soon became one of the main vehicles for the opposition against attempts to impose Urdu. After years of sustained protests, the Pakistani government made both Urdu and Bengali national languages of the country. In 1955 the party dropped Muslim from its name, becoming the East Pakistan Awami League, to reflect its increasingly secular orientation. After Bangladesh gained independence in 1971, the party became the Bangladesh Awami League.

Liberation movement and wars

During the 1950s and early ’60s, West Pakistan continued to impose policies widely seen in East Pakistan as discriminatory. These included the banning of the works of Rabindranath Tagore, the Indian Bengali poet and Nobel laureate, and Pres. Mohammad Ayub Khan’s abrogation of Pakistan’s 1956 constitution that had given East Pakistan an equal share in the National Assembly. Against this backdrop, the Awami League led by Mujib sought expanded autonomy for East Pakistan and in 1966 announced a six-point program outlining greater economic and political independence.

Widespread anger also emerged in East Pakistan over the central government’s slow, inadequate response after the Bhola cyclone of 1970, which resulted in the deaths of an estimated 300,000–500,000 people. Relief operations were delayed and international aid distribution was uneven, reinforcing perceptions in East Pakistan of neglect and political indifference. The government’s indifference in the wake of the cyclone boosted support for the Awami League in East Pakistan and contributed to its victory in the 1970 general elections. Despite winning, the Awami League and Mujib were prevented from assuming power by several West Pakistani leaders, among them Pres. Yahya Khan and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who had the election results nullified. Mass protests erupted in East Pakistan demanding independence. Things came to a head on March 25, 1971, when the Pakistani government launched a major military crackdown called Operation Searchlight in East Pakistan to quash the protests.

The crackdown was severe and widespread. The Pakistani military targeted political activists, students, members of the Hindu minority population, and women and children, killing hundreds of thousands. Mujib declared Bangladesh’s independence on March 26, shortly before he was arrested and transferred to West Pakistan. Bengali students, activists, and supporters of the Awami League took to the streets in resistance, marking the start of the Bangladesh Liberation War. In April much of the Awami League’s senior leadership fled to India, where they formed a government-in-exile. Bengali units of the Pakistan Army also joined the uprising and launched an armed insurgency supported by India against Pakistani troops. India launched a major military offensive against Pakistani troops in East Pakistan on December 3, 1971, following a series of air strikes launched by the Pakistani military on air bases in northwestern India. After several swift military successes, Indian forces captured Dhaka, and Pakistani troops in East Pakistan surrendered on December 16, bringing the war to an end and securing Bangladesh’s independence. The date is commemorated in Bangladesh as Victory Day. (See 1971 India-Pakistan War.)

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First government and Mujibur Rahman’s assassination

After independence, the wartime government-in-exile assumed power in Bangladesh. Although Mujib was declared president of the government-in-exile, he was imprisoned in Pakistan during the war and did not personally lead it. In his absence senior Awami League leaders led the operations from exile in India. Following his release from Pakistani custody, Mujib returned to Bangladesh on January 10, 1972. On January 12 he became prime minister, while Abu Sayeed Chowdhury assumed the presidency. In November Bangladesh adopted a constitution that promoted secularism, freedom of religion, and a parliamentary system. General elections were held in March 1973, and the Awami League won a landslide victory, securing 293 of the 300 parliamentary seats and allowing Mujib to continue as prime minister with a formal electoral mandate.

During Mujib’s tenure as prime minister, Bangladesh faced a host of challenges, including postwar reconstruction, the rehabilitation of millions of victims of war, the withdrawal of Indian troops stationed in the country, economic stress, and severe food shortages. Although his government was successful in addressing many of these challenges, critics accused the Awami League of curtailing any opposition, particularly through the Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini (National Defense Force), a paramilitary unit loyal to the Awami League that reportedly committed human rights abuses against critics of the government.

Bangladesh’s economic situation had also declined sharply. Agricultural output remained stagnant, economic growth lagged behind population growth, and there were recurring food shortages. These challenges were further compounded by a famine in 1974, which caused widespread starvation and an estimated death toll of up to 1.5 million people, though the government at the time reported a far lower number. All of these factors and others combined to fuel rising dissatisfaction and unrest against the government. In December 1974 Mujib declared a state of emergency that restricted civil liberties and political activity. A month later he adopted the fourth amendment to the 1972 constitution with the support of the Awami League to replace the parliamentary system with a presidential form of government. Subsequently, Mujib established the Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League (BAKSAL) as the sole legal political party of Bangladesh and compelled politicians to join the new party.

These measures drew widespread criticism from opposition political groups and alienated certain sections of the military. On August 15, 1975, Mujib was assassinated at his residence in Dhaka during a military coup, along with most members of his family. His two daughters, Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, who were in West Germany at the time, were the only surviving members of his immediate family.

Out of power

Following Mujib’s assassination, the Awami League fell into a state of disarray, fractured by internal divisions, while Mujib’s daughter Hasina remained in exile. The military emerged as the key political power and abolished the one-party rule under BAKSAL. It ruled until the general election of 1979, which was won by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), founded in 1978 by Ziaur Rahman. Hasina returned to the country in 1981.

The next decade was one of political instability, with periods of military rule interspersed with general elections, which were won by the Jatiya Party (National Party; founded 1986) and boycotted by both the Awami League and the BNP. When the 1991 general election was won by the BNP, led by Khaleda Zia, the Awami League alleged voter fraud, boycotted parliamentary participation, and led strikes against the government. In 1996 the Awami League again boycotted the general election, won by the BNP, alleging voter fraud. This increased public pressure on the BNP government, which was forced to step down in favor of a constitutionally mandated nonpartisan caretaker government to oversee elections. Elections were held again in June, and this time the Awami League was victorious.

Sheikh Hasina years

Sheikh Hasina began her first of five terms as prime minister in 1996, prioritizing regional diplomacy, particularly improving relations with India, which had taken a downturn since the assassination of Mujib in 1975. However, the Awami League government’s tenure until 2001 was marked by intense political rivalry, frequent parliament boycotts by the opposition, and widespread protests against its governance, which critics accused of weakening institutional structures and fostering corruption. In the 2001 general election, the Awami League lost decisively, and the BNP returned to power with Khaleda once again becoming prime minister.

From 2001 to 2006 Bangladesh was governed by a BNP-led alliance, and this period saw increasing rivalry between the Awami League and the BNP. In 2006 Khaleda stepped down to allow a nonpartisan caretaker government to take charge of administering national elections. However, the Awami League accused caretaker authorities of favoring the BNP, and disputes over their neutrality led to mass protests and disorder. In January 2007 a military-backed interim government assumed power, declared a state of emergency, and postponed elections. In the 2008 general election the Awami League returned to power, and Hasina became prime minister for the second time in 2009.

From 2009 to 2024 Hasina presided over a prolonged period of Awami League dominance. Her governments oversaw sustained economic growth, infrastructure expansion, and the establishment of a war crimes tribunal to prosecute those responsible for committing grievous crimes during the Bangladesh Liberation War. Although the establishment of the war crimes tribunal was welcomed by supporters, the Awami League was criticized by opponents for being politically selective and targeting its critics. This period also saw increased restrictions on opposition parties, including the arrests of political leaders and the 2013 ban of the Jamaat-e-Islami party from electoral participation. The Awami League won the 2014 elections amid a BNP boycott over alleged voter fraud and secured landslide victories in the 2018 and 2024 elections. Critics described Bangladesh as operating under a one-party system, but the Awami League rejected accusations of voter fraud and a crackdown on the opposition.

2024 anti-government protests and ban

Following the January 2024 elections, in which the Awami League secured a landslide victory amid an opposition boycott, the Hasina government faced renewed allegations of suppressing dissent. The BNP alleged that the Awami League government had arrested tens of thousands of its members and supporters a month before the 2024 elections and therefore refused to participate in the polls. Although the Awami League claimed the elections were free and fair, the BNP’s boycott effectively left Bangladesh without meaningful electoral competition.

In August 2024 Hasina resigned as prime minister and fled to India following weeks of violent, student-led protests that began over civil service job quotas and expanded into broader demonstrations against unemployment, corruption, and alleged political repression. Hundreds were killed in clashes between protesters and security forces. An interim caretaker government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was subsequently formed and later banned all political activities of the Awami League, including electoral participation. In November 2025 a war crimes tribunal convicted Hasina in absentia of crimes against humanity related to the government’s handling of the protests and sentenced her to death. Hasina dismissed the verdict as politically motivated and warned that the February 2026 general election, from which the Awami League was excluded, would destabilize the country.