Hussain Muhammad Ershad - Presidency - Accomplishments

Accomplishments

During Ershad's rule, the construction of the Jamuna Bridge connecting the country's east and west together, was started.

H M Ershad stabilized the Bangladesh Armed Forces which was facing a series of Coups and counter Coups ever since its emergence as a nation in 1971. The South Asian Multidisciplinary Academic Journal documents the Bangladesh Army's history regarding this. The Bangladesh Armed Forces did not attempt any coups since Ershad's takeover in 1982 till the fall of BNP government in 1996. The Awami League in alliance with Jatiya Party won Bangladeshi general election, June 1996.

During Ershad's tenure as President of Bangladesh elected in 1986, the Bangladesh Army started its participation in the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations in 1988 for the very first time. The participation of Bangladesh Armed Forces in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations initiated by Ershad turned out to be one of the highest source of foreign currency earners today.

He was the first leader in history to sign a death sentence for throwing acid on women. In the early 1980s he himself signed the death sentence of three people who had thrown acid at girls refusing their advances and ordered their public hanging. This led to a dramatic lowering of throwing acid on girls. He also issued death sentence ruling for any one who would mutilate children for begging. In Bangladesh he was the one who passed a law that if a child is found crippled on the road he has to be taken to police custody and then from their to a hospital and appropriate institution. Any one who voluntarily cripples a child or any one is given a death sentence. This also led to a dramatic decline in crippling children begging in Bangladesh. He also had a long term ruling on health care with issuing free Tuberculosis and leprosy drugs for the patients in all the health complexes. He stopped human transportation on the Bangladesh Borders. He launched a wide spread campaign against use of Illicit drugs and opening of drug rehabillation centre in Bangladesh.

The Land Reforms Ordinance of 1984 granted important rights to tenants for the first time in the history of Bangladesh, and a new plan for the divestment of government industries promised to move the country away from socialism.