The history of Bangladesh dates back over four millennia to the Chalcolithic period. The region's early history was characterized by a succession of Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms and empires that fought for control over the Bengal region. Islam arrived in the 8th century and gradually became dominant from the early 13th century with the conquests led by Bakhtiyar Khalji and the activities of Sunni missionaries like Shah Jalal. Muslim rulers promoted the spread of Islam by building mosques across the region. From the 14th century onward, Bengal was ruled by the Bengal Sultanate, founded by Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah, who established an individual currency. The Bengal Sultanate expanded under rulers like Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah, leading to economic prosperity and military dominance, with Bengal being referred to by Europeans as the richest country to trade with. The region later became a part of the Mughal Empire, and according to historian C. A. Bayly, it was probably the empire's wealthiest province.
Politics of Bangladesh takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Bangladesh is the head of government and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. The Constitution of Bangladesh was written in 1972 and has undergone seventeen amendments.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, also known by the honorific Bangabandhu, was a Bangladeshi politician, revolutionary, statesman, activist and diarist, who was the founding leader of Bangladesh. As the leader of Bangladesh, he had held continuous positions either as Bangladesh's president or as its prime minister from April 1971 until his assassination in August 1975. His nationalist ideology, socio-political theories, and political doctrines are collectively known as Mujibism.
Sheikh Hasina is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Bangladesh from June 1996 to July 2001 and again from January 2009 to August 2024. She is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the first president of Bangladesh. She served in the position of prime minister for over 20 years, making her the longest-serving prime minister in history of Bangladesh. Thus, she became the world's longest-serving female head of government. Her authoritarian regime ended in self-imposed exile following an uprising in 2024.
Hussain Muhammad Ershad was a Bangladeshi military officer and politician who served as the president of Bangladesh from 1982 to 1990.
Bangladesh Export Import Company Limited, commonly known by its trade name BEXIMCO, is a Bangladeshi multinational conglomerate holding company, headquartered in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was founded in the early 1970s.
Moudud Ahmed was a Bangladeshi lawyer and politician. He was a standing committee member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Ahmed was elected as a Jatiya Sangsad member five times from the Noakhali-1 and Noakhali-5 constituencies.
The Special Security Force is a Bangladeshi law enforcement agency that provides protection to the President, Prime Minister and the Chief Adviser as well as any person designated as a VVIP as per state protocol, including visiting foreign dignitaries.
The history of Bangladesh (1971–present) refers to the period after the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan.
Abdur Razzaq was a Bangladeshi politician and member of the Awami League Advisory Council. He was the Minister for Water Resources from 1996 to 2001 in the first Sheikh Hasina Cabinet. He was the chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee for the Water Resources Ministry.
Salman Fazlur Rahman, commonly known as Salman F Rahman, is a Bangladeshi businessman and a former member of the Jatiya Sangsad representing Dhaka-1 constituency. He held the position of private industry and investment adviser to the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, with the status of a cabinet minister. Prior to this, he was her private sector development affairs adviser.
The Bangladesh Freedom Party, also known as Freedom Party is a political party founded by Sayed Farooq Rahman, Khandakar Abdur Rashid and Bazlul Huda who were the chief organisers of the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 15 August 1975.
Surendra Kumar Sinha, commonly known as SK Sinha is a Bangladeshi lawyer and jurist who served as the 21st Chief Justice of Bangladesh. He resigned from the position in November 2017 amid the 16th amendment verdict controversy.
Hasanul Haq Inu is a Bangladeshi politician and the former Minister of Information of Bangladesh. He leads a faction of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal and was involved in a Marxist insurgency in the 1970s.
Qamrul Islam is an Awami League politician. He is a former Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Dhaka-2 constituency, and also a former minister of food from 2014 to 2018. Islam was the state minister of law, justice and parliamentary affairs in the second Hasina cabinet.
Mohammad Bazlul Huda was a Bangladeshi Army officer and freedom fighter who was convicted of the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, founding president of Bangladesh. On 28 January 2010, Bazlul was executed along with Syed Faruque Rahman, Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Mohiuddin Ahmed, and A.K.M. Mohiuddin Ahmed in Old Dhaka Central Jail.
Serajul Huq was a Bangladeshi lawyer and former member of parliament in Bangladesh.
Abdul Majed was a Bangladeshi military officer who was convicted for his role in the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding president of Bangladesh.
"The Assassin Next Door" is the fourth episode of 49th season of Canadian documentary series The Fifth Estate. The documentary was published by the Canada-state affiliated media CBC News. The investigative documentary episode is about on Noor Chowdhury, the assassin of the first President of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and it focuses on questions that raises about Canada's silence in the case of Noor Chowdhury's staying in Canada.
Tureen Afroz is a Bangladeshi lawyer and former senior prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal. She was removed from the tribunal after allegedly meeting accused war criminal Mohammad Wahidul Haque. She prosecuted cases against Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, Ghulam Azam, Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, Motiur Rahman Nizami, and Salauddin Quader Chowdhury.
