1965 – Zia fought for Pakistan in the Indo-Pak war. He was loyal to the Pakistan Army and upheld anti-India and anti-Mujib sentiment fiercely in his mind.
1968 – Zia was a close aide to Colonel Mustafizur Rahman, counsellor of the Pakistani military government in the Agartala conspiracy case where Bangabandhu was the key accused.
March 25, 1971 – Janjua, the commanding officer of the Pakistan Army, assigned shrewd Zia to disarm the Bengali soldiers, resulting in the brutal deaths of more than 1,200 soldiers, their families and children.
1974 – Zia used to visit the house of Farooq, an assassin of Bangabandhu. Zia had hinted to him about killing Bangabandhu at that time.
May 13, 1974 –Zia instructed Colonel Faruque Rahman to seek help from the USA to topple the Mujib government.
August 15, 1975 – Abdul Majed, an assassin of Bangabandhu who was later sentenced to death, said in his confession, “Ziaur Rahman had direct provocation for the killing of Bangabandhu.”
September 26, 1975 – The killer Mushtaq-Zia clique issued the infamous ‘Indemnity Ordinance’ at gunpoint to protect the murderers of Bangabandhu and his family members on August 15.
December 31, 1975 –Zia repealed the Collaborators Act of 1972 and released 11,000 convicted war criminals from prison.
July 21, 1976 – Ignoring the existing lawan, Colonel Taher, a wounded freedom fighter, was hanged to death on Zia’s orders.
1977 – Major Zia allowed illegal religion-based politics.
April 21, 1977 – Zia declared himself president after removing Justice Sayem from the post.
May 30, 1977 – Dictator Zia was re-elected president in a farce election through a ‘yes-no’ vote by getting a 110 per cent majority.
October 2, 1977 – At least 1,400 pro-liberation people were hanged in a military court on Zia’s orders in the name of a coup attempt. There were also cases of imprisonments, the disappearances of corpses and dismissals of Bengali officials for different terms.
1978 – Zia introduced open extortion in the name of the youth complex to spread corruption among the young generation.
July 11, 1978 – Ghulam Azam arrived in Dhaka on a three-month visa with a Pakistani passport. Although his visa expired, the Zia government did not take any action against him.
June 3, 1978 – Zia declared himself the winner after holding a dramatic and ridiculous presidential election with his own party, Jagdal, which he formed from being in the post of army chief.
April 9, 1979 – The Constitution (Fifth Amendment) Act, 1979 enacted all ordinances and declarations under Zia’s four years of martial law, including the trial of Bangabandhu’s assassination and Jail Killing.