<span style="color: #222222;">Bangladesh's former president Hussain Muhammad Ershad died due to complications from old age at a hospital in Dhaka today. He was 91.<br />'' <br />'' A former army chief, Ershad took over the state power in a bloodless coup in 1982 and subsequently ran the country for eight years until he was forced to quit in a pro-democracy mass upsurge in 1990. Despite being imprisoned subsequently on several charges, Ershad emerged as one of the most powerful political leaders in the 1990s after his Jatiya Party became the country's third biggest political outfit. He was elected to parliament several times, once contesting from the prison even. <br />'' <br />''In a Tweet, External Affairs Minister of India, Dr. S. Jaishankar said, the former President of Bangladesh will long be remembered for his contribution to the special bilateral relationship with India and for his public service to Bangladesh.</span><br />