1985 in Bangladesh

← 1984 1983 1982 1985 in Bangladesh → 1986 1987 1988
Centuries:	20th 21st
Decades:	1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
See also:	Other events of 1985 List of years in Bangladesh

1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1985th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 985th year of the 2nd millennium, the 85th year of the 20th century, and the 6th year of the 1980s decade.

The year 1985 was the 14th year after the independence of Bangladesh. It was also the fourth year of the Government of Hussain Muhammad Ershad.

• President: Hussain Muhammad Ershad
• Prime Minister: Ataur Rahman Khan
• Chief Justice: F.K.M. Munim

Demographic Indicators for Bangladesh in 1985^[1]

Population, total	90,764,180
Population density (per km2)	697.3
Population growth (annual %)	2.6%
Male to Female Ratio (every 100 Female)	106.8
Urban population (% of total)	17.5%
Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people)	39.7
Death rate, crude (per 1,000 people)	12.5
Mortality rate, under 5 (per 1,000 live births)	174
Life expectancy at birth, total (years)	55.2
Fertility rate, total (births per woman)	5.5

Key Economic Indicators for Bangladesh in 1985^[1]

National Income
	Current US$	Current BDT	% of GDP
GDP	$22.3 billion	BDT579.2 billion
GDP growth (annual %)	3.3%
GDP per capita	$245.5	BDT6,382
Agriculture, value added	$7.4 billion	BDT191.2 billion	33.0%
Industry, value added	$4.5 billion	BDT117.7 billion	20.3%
Services, etc., value added	$9.9 billion	BDT257.3 billion	44.4%
Balance of Payment
	Current US$	Current BDT	% of GDP
Current account balance	-$455.2 million		-2.0%
Imports of goods and services	$2,764.4 million	BDT74.4 billion	12.8%
Exports of goods and services	$1,237.3 million	BDT31.2 billion	5.4%
Foreign direct investment, net inflows	-$6.7 million		0.0%
Personal remittances, received	$502.5 million		2.3%
Total reserves (includes gold) at year end	$356.2 million
Total reserves in months of imports	1.5

Note: For the year 1985 average official exchange rate for BDT was 27.99 per US$.

• 13 February – Raufun Basunia, Joint Secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League, and the General Secretary of its University of Dhaka branch was shot dead during a clash between Chhatra Sangram Parishad and Chhatra Samaj, the ruling Jatiyo Party backed student wing in front of Mohsin Hall at University of Dhaka.^[3][4]
• 21 March – A referendum on military rule was held in order to confirm the military rule of Hussain Mohammed Ershad. The referendum asked voters "Do you support the policies of President Ershad, and do you want him to continue to run this administration until a civilian government is formed through elections?" The result saw 94.5% vote in favour, with a turnout of 72.2%.^[5] The opposition organised a general strike on the day of the referendum, and alleged that the results were fraudulent.
• 16 May – Voters turn out for the first of two phases of local government elections, the inaugural elections at the new upazila (sub-district) level.^[6]
• 20 May – The second phase of local government elections finishes filling 458 upazila council chairmanships from a field of 2,300 candidates.^[6]
• Heavy mortars were used in an exchange of fire between Bangladeshi and Indian forces on a disputed section of the border between the two nations.^[7]
• 22 November – The MOU between Bangladesh and India regarding Ganges water sharing was extended for three years.^[8]
• 8 December – The first SAARC summit was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 6–8 December 1985 and was attended by the government representative and president of Bangladesh, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the kings of Bhutan and Nepal, and the prime minister of India.^[9] They signed the SAARC Charter on 8 December 1985, thereby establishing the regional association, and established study groups on the problems of terrorism and drug trafficking, as well as planning a ministerial-level meeting about GATT, and a ministerial-level conference on increasing the participation of women at the regional level.^[9] The summit also agreed to establish a SAARC secretariat and adopted an official SAARC emblem.^[9]

• Zafrullah Chowdhury, the founder of Gonoshasthaya Kendra, was awarded Ramon Magsaysay Award.^[10]

• Muhammad Ataul Gani Osmani was awarded posthumously for his contribution to social welfare.

1. Abu Zafar Obaidullah (literature)
2. Gazi Shamsur Rahman (literature)
3. Abdullah Al-Muti (science)
4. Govinda Chandra Dev (education)
5. Mohammad Abdul Jabbar (education)
6. Kalim Sharafi (music)
7. Abed Hossain Khan (music)
8. Syed Jahangir (fine arts)

• South Asian (Federation) Games:
  • Bangladesh hosted the second South Asian Federation Games held in Dhaka from 20–26 December. With 9 golds, 17 silvers and 38 bronzes Bangladesh ended the tournament at the third position in overall points table.^[11]
• Domestic football:
  • Abahani KC won Dhaka League title while Brothers Union came out runner-up.^[12]
  • Abahani KC also won Bangladesh Federation Cup title.^[13]

• 8 April – Masuma Rahman Nabila, actor
• 1 November – Enamul Haque, footballer

• 15 March – Aroj Ali Matubbar, author (b. 1900)
• 10 July – Ahsan Habib, poet (b. 1917)
• 17 July – Abdul Hady Talukdar, academic (b. 1905)
• 5 October – Abdus Sattar, former president (b. 1906)
• 30 October – Fazle Lohani, journalist and TV host (b. 1929)
• 4 December – Bijoy Sarkar, baul singer (b. 1903)

• 1980s in Bangladesh
• Timeline of Bangladeshi history