[9][10] Her father, Sheikh Zahurul Haque, and mother, Husne Ara Begum, died when she was three years old.

[13] On 15 August 1975, a group of junior army officers attacked the presidential residence with tanks and assassinated Mujib, his family and personal staff.

Lawrence Lifschultz has alleged that the CIA was involved in the coup and assassination, basing his assumption on statements by the then US ambassador in Dhaka, Eugene Booster.

The coup leaders were soon overthrown and a series of counter-coups and political assassinations paralysed the country.

Order was largely restored after a coup in 1977 gave control to the army chief Ziaur Rahman.

Declaring himself President in 1978, Ziaur Rahman signed the Indemnity Ordinance, giving immunity from prosecution to the men who plotted Mujib's overthrow and assassination.