A. K. Fazlul Huq

"Sher-e-Bangla redirects here. For other uses of the term, see Sher-e-Bangla (disambiguation)."Infobox revolution biography
name=Abul Kashem Fazlul Huq
alternate name=Sher-e-Bangla ("Tiger of Bengal")
lived=October 26, 1873 – April 27, 1962


dateofbirth=October 26, 1873
placeofbirth=Saturia, Bakerganj District, British India
dateofdeath=April 27, 1962
placeofdeath=Dacca, East Pakistan
spouse=Khadija Begum
children=A. K. Faezul Huq
offices=Chief Minister of undivided Bengal; Governor of East Pakistan;
organizations=Indian National Congress
Muslim League
Krishak Praja Party
Sramik-Krishak Dal
movement=Khilafat movement
Non-cooperation movement
Peasant rights movement
Bengali Language Movement

Abul Kashem Fazlul Huq ( _bn. আবুল কাশেম ফজলুল হক "Abul Kashem Fozlul Hôk") (26 October, 1873—27 April, 1962), often referred to as Sher-e-Bangla (Bengali: শেরে বাংলা "Shere Bangla", from Urdu: "Sher-e Banglā" "Tiger of Bengal") was a well-known Bengali statesman in the first half of the 20th century. He held different political posts including those of General Secretary of Indian National Congress (1918-1919), Education Minister (1924), the first Muslim Mayor of Calcutta (1935), Chief Minister of undivided Bengal (1937-1943) and East Pakistan (1954), Home Minister of Pakistan (1955-56), Governor of East Pakistan (1956-58), Food and Agriculture Minister of Pakistan (1958-61)

Early life

Huq was born to Kazi Muhammad Wajed, from Chakhar, and his wife Saidunnissa Khatun, in his mother's town of Saturia in Jhalokati district (present day Bangladesh). His primary education began at a local "Madrassah" ( Islamic school). Later he got admitted to Barisal Zilla School and from there passed the Entrance examination in 1890 and the FA Examination in 1892 from Kolkata. He then obtained a BA degree (with triple Honours in Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics) from Presidency College, Kolkata and an MA on Mathematics from Calcutta University Harv |De|Rahim|2003|. His formal education was completed with a BL degree in 1897 from the University Law College. He was the second Muslim in the Indian subcontinent to obtain a law degree Harv|Gandhi|1986| p=189.

After obtaining the BL degree Fazlul Huq started legal practice as an apprentice under Ashutosh Mukherjee. After the death of his father Huq started legal practice in Barisal town. In 1906 Huq entered government service as a Deputy Magistrate. He took an active part in founding the All India Muslim League at Dacca on December 30, 1906. Subsequently he resigned from public service and joined the Calcutta High Court for legal practice Harv |De|Rahim|2003|.

Political career in British India

Fazlul Huq got initiation in politics in the hands of Sir Khwaja Salimullah and Syed Nawab Ali Chowdhury. With their assistance he entered the Bengal Legislative Council in 1913 as an elected member from the Dhaka (Dacca) Division. For 1913-1916 Huq served as the Secretary of the Bengal Provincial Muslim League and Joint Secretary of the All India Muslim League. Then he served as the President of the All India Muslim League from 1916 to 1921. He played an instrumental role in formulating the "Lucknow Pact" of 1916 between the Congress and the Muslim League. In 1917 Huq became Joint Secretary of the Indian National Congress and in 1918-1919 he served this organisation as its General Secretary.

In 1919 Fazlul Huq joined the Khilafat movement. But he had a difference of opinion about non-cooperation with mainstream Congress leaders. Though he supported the boycott of British goods and titles, he opposed the idea of boycotting of educational institutions, particularly considering the backward condition of the Muslim community. This difference of opinion eventually made him leave Congress Harv |De|Rahim|2003|.

Harv |De|Rahim|2003|.

Sher-e-Bangla A. K. Fazlul Huq was the key national leader behind the emergence of Bengali (especially Muslim) middle class in British India. He appointed Comrade Muzaffar Ahmed and Kazi Nazrul Islam as the editor and assistant editors of the "Daily Nabojug" (The Daily New Age), a newspaper that he brought out in 1920. Under the editorship of this accomplished duo, the Daily Nabojug became the most progressive newspaper of Bangla voicing the issues and concerns of lower middle and working class people of Bengal.Fact|date=March 2008

Political career in East Pakistan

After the partition of India in August 1947, Huq settled in Dhaka and served as the Advocate General of East Pakistan from 1947 to 1952. He soon got involved in Bengali Language Movement. Huq was injured when the police lathi charged the demonstrating students. On 27 July 1953, Shere-e-Bangla founded the 'Sramik-Krishak Dal'. Fazlul Huq along with Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani and Suhrawardy formed the United Front to contest the election of 1954, in which they had a landslide victory. Rizwan Huq's charisma was a dominant factor for the victory of the Front Harv |De|Rahim|2003|. Rejection of West Pakistan's dominance over East Pakistan and the desire for Bengali provincial autonomy were the main ingredients of the coalition's twenty-one-point platform. After the elections A. K. Fazlul Huq became the Chief (or Prime) Minister, once again, but this time of East Bengal. However, the East Pakistani election and the coalition's victory proved pyrrhic; Bengali factionalism surfaced soon after the election and the United Front fell apart. From 1954 to Ayub's assumption of power in 1958, the Sramik-Krishak Dal led by Huq and the Awami League led by Suhrawardy were engaged in a ceaseless battle for control of East Pakistan's provincial government. In August 1955, Huq was invited to join the central cabinet as the Home Minister. In 1956, he became the Governor of East Pakistan and was removed from that post in 1958. At that time, it was rumored that Huq had some bitter rivalry against Muhammad Ali Bogra and Suhrawardy and finally he decided to retire from active politics Harv|Umar|2004|pp=279-280. He was food and agriculture minister of Pakistan till 1961.

Criticism

Although Huq was widely respected for his personality and leadership quality, his frequent change of policies has also sometimes been viewed as lack of consistency. Harvtxt |De| Rahim|2003| interprets the contradictory ingredients manifested through Huq's words and actions as a result of conflicts among his Muslim identity, Bengali identity and Pakistani identity. While we has worried about the development of backward Muslim community, he was also occupied with the thought of the progress of the entire Bengali nation and at the same time carefully nurtured the dream of united independent India or Pakistan. As a result, it was not possible for him to pursue a consistent agenda throughout his long political career. However, Huq did not consider change in policy as a change of principle. According to him policies were like umbrellas, meant to be held in different directions according to necessity Harv|Jalil|2006|.

Harvtxt|Ziring|2000|p=157 observes Huq to be conservative in temperament in his dealings with Maulana Bhasani after the break-up of the United Front. He was sometimes criticised for nepotism, though at a very limited level Harv|Jalil|2006|.

Personal life

Fazlul Huq led a very simple personal life Harv |De|Rahim|2003|. After death of his first wife, with whom he had one child (Rice Begum), Fazlul Huq married Khadija Begum (November 1919 - November 6, 1992). Their only son, A. K. Faezul Huq, was a Bangladeshi politician, lawyer, and freelance journalist.

Death

Fazlul Huq died on Friday, April 27, 1962 at 10:20 am at an age of 89 years and 6 months. His dead body was kept at his 27 K. M. Das Lane residence at Tikatuli till 10:30 am of 28th April on a customized ice-bed. Then his "Salat al-Janazah" prayer was held at the Paltan Moydan. The funeral of this popular leader drew a crowd of over half a million. All educational institutions of Pakistan were declared closed on 30th April to pay tribute to him. All important officials of Pakistan attended his Janazah.

In the words of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto - " He was a man of action, tact and kindness. A true Muslim, a proud Bengali, a patriotic Pakistani and a committed Socialist, Abu al-Kazem Haq, Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilayhi Raji'oon "

Sher-e-Bangla was buried in Dhaka. His tomb is situated at the southern end of the Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, to the west of the Shishu Academy Harv |De|Rahim|2003|.

In his historical book "Understanding the Muslim Mind" Harvtxt |Gandhi|2000|, concluded his account of Fazlul Huq with the following comment:

He who in 1943 had wanted to see Nazimuddin and Suhrawardy bite the dust now shares the same stretch of earth with them. All three are buried, side by side, in the grounds of the Dhaka High Court. For a while, the two of them were called Prime Minister of Pakistan. Fazlul Huq was not. But only he was spoken of as the Royal Bengal Tiger.

Legacy

The greatest contribution of Sher-e-Bangla for the economic emancipation of the poor peasants of Bangladesh was the formation of the Rin Salishi (Debt Review) Board, which helped numerous peasants to get their lands back from the ravenous usurers. To free the peasants from the exploitation of the usurers, he founded nearly 11,000 such boards around the country. He also introduced new laws (Bengali Shop Worker bill) to protect the poor shop (retail) workers ensuring better employment conditions and holiday pay.

Sher-e-Bangla founded several educational and technical institutions for the Bengali Muslims, including: Kolkata Islamia College, Baker Hostel, Carmichael Hostel, Lady Braw Bourne College, Adina Fazlul Huq College in Rajshahi, Eliot Hostel, Tyler Hostel, Medical College Hostel, Engineering College Hostel, Muslim Institute Building, Dhaka Eden Girls' College Building, Fazlul Huq College at Chakhar, Fazlul Huq Hall (Dhaka University), Tejgaon Agriculture College, Bulbul Music Academy and Central Women's’ College. Sher-e-Bangla also had significant contribution for founding the leading University in Bangladesh - Dhaka University. During Fazlul Huq's premiership as the Chief Minister, Bangla Academy was founded and Bengali New Year's (Pohela Baishakh) was declared a public holiday.

Throughout Bangladesh, various educational institutions (e.g. Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College), roads, neighborhoods (Sher-e-Bangla Nagor), and stadiums (Sher-e-Bangla Mirpur Stadium) have been named after him. This depicts the respect of the people for Sher-e-Bangla.

References

*Harvard reference
Surname1 = Abul Hossain
Given1 = Kazi
authorlink=
Surname2=
Given2=
year=1981
title=Chotoder Fazlul Huq (A Life-Sketch of Fazlul Haque for Children)
publisher= Muktodhara, Dhaka
isbn=
language=Bengali
*Harvard reference
Surname1 = Al Helal
Given1 = Bashir
authorlink=Bashir Al Helal
Surname2=
Given2=
year=2003
title=Bhasha Andoloner Itihas (History of the Language Movement)
publisher= Agamee Prakashani, Dhaka
isbn=984-401-523-5
language=Bengali
*citation
last=De
first=Amalendu
author-link =
last2 = Rahim
first2 = Enayetur
author2-link =
contribution = Huq, AK Fazlul
editor-last = Islam
editor-first = Sirajul
editor-link = Sirajul Islam
title=
volume=
pages=
publisher=Asiatic Society of Bangladesh
place = Dhaka
isbn=9843205766
publication-date = 2003
contribution-url = http://banglapedia.search.com.bd/HT/H_0197.htm
*Harvard reference
Surname1 = Gandhi
Given1 = Rajmohan
authorlink=Rajmohan Gandhi
Surname2=
Given2=
year=1986
title=Eight Lives
publisher= SUNY Press, New York
isbn=0-88706-196-6
language=English
*Harvard reference
Surname1 = Gandhi
Given1 = Rajmohan
authorlink=Rajmohan Gandhi
Surname2=
Given2=
year=2000
title=Understanding the Muslim Mind
publisher= Penguin, New Delhi
isbn=014029905X
language=English
*citation
last=Jalil
first=Azizul
author-link=
publication-date=2006-06-30
date=
year=2006
title=Lest We Forget: A. K. Fazlul Huq
periodical=Star Weekend Magazine
series=
publication-place= Dhaka
place=
publisher=The Daily Star
volume=5
issue=101
pages=
url=http://thedailystar.net/magazine/2006/06/05/retro.htm
issn=
doi=
oclc=
language=English
accessdate=2007-09-27
*citation
last=Muktadhara
first=
author-link =
contribution = Sher-e-Bangla AK Fazlul Huq (Krisak Proja Party)
title=Great Politicians
volume=
pages=
publisher=
place =
isbn=
publication-date = 2001
url=http://www.muktadhara.net/page67.html
accessdate=2007-09-14
*Harvard reference
Surname1 = Richard
Given1 = Stevenson
authorlink=
Surname2=
Given2=
year=2005
title=Bengal Tiger and British Lion
publisher= iUniverse
isbn=9780595806539
language=English
*citation
last=Umar
first=Badruddin
publication-date = 2004-06-11
year=2004
title=The Emergence of Bangladesh: Class Struggles in East Pakistan (1947-1958)
publication-place = USA
publisher=Oxford University Press
isbn=0195795717
*citation
last=Ziring
first=Lawrence
publication-date = 2000-02-03
year=2000
title=Pakistan in the Twentieth Century: A Political History (The Jubilee Series)
publication-place = USA
publisher=Oxford University Press
isbn=978-0195792768

ee also

*Lahore Resolution
*Muslim League

###@@@KEY@@@###succession box |title=Chief Minister of East Bengal
years=3 April, 1954 - 29 May, 1954
before=Nurul Amin
after=Abu Hussain Sarkar

succession box |title=Interior Minister of Pakistan
years=11 August, 1955 - 9 March, 1956
before=Iskander Mirza
after=Abdus Sattar

succession box |title=Governor of East Pakistan
years=23 March, 1956 - 13 April, 1958
before=Amiruddin Ahmad
after=Hamid Ali
(acting)