Awami League

The Bangladesh Awami League, commonly known as the Awami League, was a political party in Bangladesh and its predecessor East Pakistan. Founded on 23 June 1949, it played a vital role in the country's struggle for independence. The party had maintained a sole dominance over the country's political system between 2009 and 2024, before being ousted in the July Uprising. Due to its role in July massacre, since May 2025, all activities of the party are banned in Bangladesh. On 23 June 1949, the party was founded as the East Pakistan Awami Muslim League, and after 1955 as the East Pakistan Awami League, by Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, Yar Mohammad Khan, Shamsul Huq, and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. It was eventually established as the provincial party of the All-Pakistan Awami League, founded by Huseyn Suhrawardy which was the alternative to the domination of the Muslim League in Pakistan and over centralization of the government. The party quickly gained vast popular support in East Pakistan and eventually led the forces of Bengali nationalism in the struggle against West Pakistan's military and political establishment. The party under the leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, led the struggle for independence, first through huge populist and civil disobedience movements, such as the Six Point movement and Non-cooperation movement (1971), and then during the Bangladesh War of Independence. After the emergence of independent Bangladesh, Awami League under the leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman won the first general elections. The party along with other left-wing political parties of Bangladesh were merged into Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League in January 1975, where Awami League politicians played the leading role in BaKSAL. After the 15 August 1975 coup d'état, the party was made onto the political sidelines, and many of its senior leaders and activists were executed or jailed. In...