Remembering my father Muezzul Islam

The 48th death anniversary of my father was observed on November 2, 2017. It was on November 2, 1969 I was at Dhaka Kamalapur Railway Station to receive my father who was scheduled to come from Comilla. As I was waiting at the platform my eldest brother in law Kamaluddin Ahmed came to me and said that father would not come and we would be going to Comilla. He did not tell me he got the phone that father expired. But I was trembled.

We could know after he started driving his car from his Dhaka Ramna residence to Comilla along with my sister Roushan Jahan Begum and her children. All the way we prayed and recited from Holy Quran. As we reached Comilla residence we found people from all walks of life recited Holy Quran, offered Dua (invoke blessings) and Durud (On Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him) with whom we joined by the side of his dead body. In the next morning after Fazar prayer Namaz e Janaza was held near to our residence where he used to say regular prayers at historic Shah Suja Badsha (emperor) Masjid (Mosque).

An extra-ordinary general Meeting of the District Bar Association Comilla held in the Assembly Hall of the Association Building on November4, 1969 at 1.30 P.M. recorded their deep sense of sorrow on the sad and sudden demise of Advocate Mr. Muezzul Islam, B.L. He expired due to heart failure on November 2, 1969 at about 9.45 A.M.at his Comilla residence ‘Islam Lodge’ at the age of 70 years. He was a practicing advocate especially in the criminal side and attended the court the day before his death. He was APP in 1932.

He joined this Bar on June 3, 1925, left for Kolkata in 1944 in the undivided Bengal on new legal assignment with political acumen and again joined this bar in erstwhile East Pakistan in 1954.

The partition of undivided Bengal and India in 1947 dealt a severe jolt in politics of the country and his career. He was with Greater Bengal demand in Kolkata by H S Suhrawardhy, Sarat Bose, and Abul Hashem obviously to have a viable geographic region without porous borders till the last moment of declaration of Indian Independence by Lord Mountbatten in 1947. At this time he saw Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the vicinity of Suhrawardhy as a rising young leader.

However, as Indo-Pakistan partition came into being he opted to Pakistan in its eastern wing i.e. East Bengal and his home district. On the way he was Lawyer Magistrate 1st class and served at Kishoregonj, Gopalgonj and Barisal when he resigned at the call of Sher-e-Bangla AK Fazlul Haq to contest election 1954. He returned to Comilla and joined the bar again. He felt the ruling East Pakistan Muslim League was not running the state properly as per commitment given to the people in the name of Islam, but indulged in bad politics, favoritisms and nepotism and delaying  due elections unlike its counterpart in West Bengal India.

Meanwhile, Dhaka based politicians kept contact with him and his relation AK Rafiqul Hossain became Assistant Secretary of Awami Muslim League along with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman established in 1949 led by Maulana Bhashani. The mother language movement of 1952 embedded in history of Bengal made it imperative to launch opposition movement demanding provincial autonomy and Bengali as a state language.  It led to the victory of ‘joint front’ formed before election for defeating Muslim League in 1954 but could not bring in political stability due to infighting of its components for power and position. Of course Sher e Bangla was not inclined to ‘joint front’ in terms of  democracy, asked  party wise election, to  form coalition government if need be. But he could not remain steadfast at his old age and signed the ‘joint front’.

In the bickering Maulana Bhashani demanded regional autonomy through Kagmari conference led establishment of National Awami Party leaving Awami League leadership in 1957. 2nd Indo-Pak war of 1965 centering Kashmir and imposition of enemy property ordinance under Defense of Pakistan Rules destabilized East Pakistan. Sheikh Mujib revived Awami League, put forward 6-point demand of autonomy in 1966, which brought Bhashani-Mujib again together for final push to sovereignty, which my father espoused for meaningful independence of Bengal, corruption and exploitation free society.        

Learned lawyers of the bar and other professions, friends and relatives and associates in politics spoke of his legal and political career with high level of integrity.

The Bar Association in its resolution said ‘He was very simple in habits religious-minded, amiable in disposition. He was a perfect gentleman with good bearing and endeared to all who came in contact with him.  May his soul rest in peace.’ Amin.

My father faced vicissitudes of life with utmost patience keeping faith in Allah; my elder brother Fakhrul Islam brilliant student of 1940s died of typhoid at Kishoregonj, University student at the age of 19 , laid to rest there as the local inhabitants eagerly wanted to keep the grave and pray for him.                                                                                      

 The writer is an economist,

advocate and social activist.

E-mail:[email protected]

 

Remembering my father Muezzul Islam

The 48th death anniversary of my father was observed on November 2, 2017. It was on November 2, 1969 I was at Dhaka Kamalapur Railway Station to receive my father who was scheduled to come from Comilla. As I was waiting at the platform my eldest brother in law Kamaluddin Ahmed came to me and said that father would not come and we would be going to Comilla. He did not tell me he got the phone that father expired. But I was trembled. We could know after he started driving his car from his Dhaka Ramna residence to Comilla along with my sister Roushan Jahan Begum and her children. All the way we prayed and recited from Holy Quran. As we reached Comilla residence we found people from all walks of life recited Holy Quran, offered Dua (invoke blessings) and Durud (On Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him) with whom we joined by the side of his dead body. In the next morning after Fazar prayer Namaz e Janaza was held near to our residence where he used to say regular prayers at historic Shah Suja Badsha (emperor) Masjid (Mosque). An extra-ordinary general Meeting of the District Bar Association Comilla held in the Assembly Hall of the Association Building on November4, 1969 at 1.30 P.M. recorded their deep sense of sorrow on the sad and sudden demise of Advocate Mr. Muezzul Islam, B.L. He expired due to heart failure on November 2, 1969 at about 9.45 A.M.at his Comilla residence Islam Lodge at the age of 70 years. He was a practicing advocate especially in the criminal side and attended the court the day before his death. He was APP in 1932. He joined this Bar on June 3, 1925, left for Kolkata in 1944 in the undivided Bengal on new legal assignment with political acumen and again joined this bar in erstwhile East Pakistan in 1954. The partition of undivided Bengal and India in 1947 dealt a severe jolt in politics of the country and his career. He was with Greater Bengal demand in Kolkata by H S Suhrawardhy, Sarat Bose, and Abul Hashem obviously to have a viable geographic region without porous borders till the last moment of declaration of Indian Independence by Lord Mountbatten in 1947. At this time he saw Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the vicinity of Suhrawardhy as a rising young leader. However, as Indo-Pakistan partition came into being he opted to Pakistan in its eastern wing i.e. East Bengal and his home district. On the way he was Lawyer Magistrate 1st class and served at Kishoregonj, Gopalgonj and Barisal when he resigned at the call of Sher-e-Bangla AK Fazlul Haq to contest election 1954. He returned to Comilla and joined the bar again. He felt the ruling East Pakistan Muslim League was not running the state properly as per commitment given to the people in the name of Islam, but indulged in bad politics, favoritisms and nepotism and delaying due elections unlike its counterpart in West Bengal India. Meanwhile, Dhaka based politicians kept contact with him and his relation AK Rafiqul Hossain became Assistant Secretary of Awami Muslim League along with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman established in 1949 led by Maulana Bhashani. The mother language movement of 1952 embedded in history of Bengal made it imperative to launch opposition movement demanding provincial autonomy and Bengali as a state language. It led to the victory of joint front formed before election for defeating Muslim League in 1954 but could not bring in political stability due to infighting of its components for power and position. Of course Sher e Bangla was not inclined to joint front in terms of democracy, asked party wise election, to form coalition government if need be. But he could not remain steadfast at his old age and signed the joint front. In the bickering Maulana Bhashani demanded regional autonomy through Kagmari conference led establishment of National Awami Party leaving Awami League leadership in 1957. 2nd Indo-Pak war of 1965 centering Kashmir and imposition of enemy property ordinance under Defense of Pakistan Rules destabilized East Pakistan. Sheikh Mujib revived Awami League, put forward 6-point demand of autonomy in 1966, which brought Bhashani-Mujib again together for final push to sovereignty, which my father espoused for meaningful independence of Bengal, corruption and exploitation free society. Learned lawyers of the bar and other professions, friends and relatives and associates in politics spoke of his legal and political career with high level of integrity. The Bar Association in its resolution said He was very simple in habits religious-minded, amiable in disposition. He was a perfect gentleman with good bearing and endeared to all who came in contact with him. May his soul rest in peace. Amin. My father faced vicissitudes of life with utmost patience keeping faith in Allah; my elder brother Fakhrul Islam brilliant student of 1940s died of typhoid at Kishoregonj, University student at the age of 19 , laid to rest there as the local inhabitants eagerly wanted to keep the grave and pray for him. The writer is an economist, advocate and social activist. E-mail:[email protected]