Major Arrested Decades After Ziaur Rahman Assassination

Forty-three years after the assassination of former President Ziaur Rahman, the long-sought fugitive Major (Retd) Muzaffar Hossain is finally in custody. Dhaka Metropolitan Police detectives tracked the retired officer to a residence in the capital's upscale Banani neighborhood, ending his decades-long evasion of the law.

Editorial·July 17, 2026·reads: 796

Major Arrested Decades After Ziaur Rahman Assassination

Acting on precise intelligence, a team led by Additional Commissioner Md. Shafiqul Islam raided the property last Wednesday. Authorities verified his identity before transferring him to military custody the following day to face the legal consequences of his alleged role in the 1981 coup.

The death of Ziaur Rahman, the founder of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, remains a defining trauma in the country’s political history. Hossain had managed to remain hidden since the event, which triggered a turbulent period of political instability. The handover to the Army marks the conclusion of a pursuit that has spanned over four decades.