Biography : Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani
Biography : Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani
by Bangladesher Kotha on Thursday, August 5, 2010 at 11:06am
Born in 1880 in Dhangara, Bengal (now Bangladesh), Bhashani was the son of Haji Sharafat Ali Khan. He gained immense popularity among peasants. Owing to his sympathy for the progressive forces, deemed close to socialists/communists, he was nicknamed as "Red Mawlana".
He was one of the founding members and President of the Pakistan Awami Muslim League which later became Awami Leage (AL). However,owing to differences with the right leaning leaders in the AL, such as Shahid Suhrawardy and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on the issue of autonomy for East Pakistan, he formed a new progressive party called National Awami Party (NAP). He also differed with Suhrawardhy when he as Prime Minister of Pakistan decided to join the US-led defence pact CENTO and SEATO. The slipt among the progressive camp into pro-Moscow and pro-Peiking eventually led to the break up of NAP into two separate parties; the pro-Moscow faction being led by Prof. Muzaffar Ahmed. After Pakistan's 1965 war with India, he showed some support for Field Marshall Ayub Khan's regime for its China-leaning foriegn policy; but later he gave the leadership to mass uprising against the regime in 1968-69. He played a very critical role in the 1969 movement which eventually led to the collapse of the Ayub regime and the release of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and other co-accused in the so-called Agartala conspiracy case against Pakistan. His decision to boycott the 1970 Pakistan general elections effectively led to the electoral sweep by erstwhile opponent Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Early life
In 1880 Maulana Bhashani was born in Serajganj, presently a district, formerly a subdivision under Pabna. During 1907-09 he received religious education at the Deoband Madrasah. The association of Mahmudul Hasan (Shaikhul Hind) and other famous progressive Islamic thinkers inspired Bhasani against British imperialism. In 1909 he started teaching in a primary school at Kagmaree, Tangail. During 1909-13 he worked with the political extremists. In 1914 he revolted against the Christian missionaries in the Netrakona and Sherpur areas of the then East Bengal.
British period
In 1917, Bhashani was inducted into active politics and joined the Nationalist party led by Desbandhu Chittaranjan Das as an activist. Inspired by Maulana Mohammed Ali, he joined the Indian National Congress in 1919. In 1920 he was arrested and imprisoned. After being released, he participated in Khilafat movement. In 1921 he participated in Non-Cooperation movement against the British imperialism under the leadership of Deshbandhu C R Das. He suffered imprisonment for some days at that time. He joined the Muslim League in 1930. In April 1944 he was elected the president of Muslim League at its Barpeta session where after he devoted to Pakistan movement.
Early Pakistan days
After establishment of Pakistan in 1947, through partition of British India, Bhashani found his anti-establishment course of action. On July 23, 1949, he founded "East Pakistan Awami Muslim league. Bhasani was elected its president with Shamsul Huq as its General Secretary. On July 24, 1949 he organized the first meeting of Awami League at Armanitola ground of Dhaka.
Sheikh Mujib and Maulana Bhashani (4th person from right) in a protest march in 1953
On 31 January 1952 he formed the "All Party Language movement Committee" at the Dhaka Bar Library. The National Democratic Front was established under his leadership on 4 December 1953. He renamed Awami Muslim League as the Awami League by removing "Muslim" from its official name in the council session of Awami League held on 21-23 October 1953. In 1956 Bhashani carried out Hunger strike in demand of food for the famine affected people from 7 to 23 May.
In course of the famous Kagmaree Conference of Awami League held on 7-8 February, 1957, Bhashani said ‘good bye’ (Assalamu Alaikum) to the West Pakistani authority who was systematically discriminating against East Pakistan. On 24-25 July 1957 Bhashani convened the conference of All Pakistan Democratic Activists. On July 25 he formed the East Pakistan National Awami Party (NAP). Bhashani was elected the President with Mahmudul Huq Osmani, the General Secretary. He organized the Cooperative for the Cultivators of East Pakistan on 2-3 January 1968. He was elected the founder Chairman. On 15 June 1968 Bhashani founded the Cooperative for the Provincial Fish Tradesmen at Dhaka Bar library. On 12 October he was arrested by President General Ayub Khan's government from the Mirzapur hospital, Tangail.
In 1967 Bhashani protested against the governmental ban against Tagore. In 1969 Bhashani launched movement to withdraw the Agartala Conspiracy Case and for the release of Sheikh Mujib and other co-accused persons. When the war of liberation started on 26 March 1971, Maulana Bhasani went to India. He did not return to Bangladesh until its independence.
Jukta Front
The Muslim League Government both in the centre and the province of East Pakistan lost considerable popularity after the Language Movement of 1952. It was seen as a political party and a government that were not capable or interested in protecting the interest of East Pakistan. In 1954, election was going to be held in the province and a new political force emerged to challenge the Muslim League. It was called Jukta Front (United Front) and comprised the party of Maulana Bhashani, the firebrand left-oriented leader and Krishak Sramik Party of A. K. Fazlul Huq, former Prime Minister of Bengal. The Awami League, under Shahid Suhrawardy also joined the alliance. Soon there was a grounds swell of a popular movement supporting the Jukta Front. Under the umbrella of Jukta Front Maulana Bhashani played a vital role in spearheading opposition to West Pakistan dominated politics.
In the elections of 1956, Jukta Front successfully defeated Muslim League and formed the provincial government of East Pakistan. However, the government was arbitrarily dismiised and all leaders except Maulana Bhashani eventually submitted to the West Pakistani decision-makers, inclduing A. K. Fazlul Huq and Shahid Suhrawardy.
Hunger strikes
Bhashani often resorted to hunger strikes as mode of peaceful protest. On one occasion his hunger strike continued for as long as thirty one days.
Independent East Pakistan
Maulana Bhashani was the first among the politicians to conceive of an independent East Pakistan. In early 1950s he felt that an integrated Pakistan was no longer maintainable with hegemony of West Pakistan. In Kagmari Sommelan, he bid farewell to West Pakistan by saying Assalam alaikum which soon became a reference quote. He declined to participate in the national election of 1970 saying that it will only help perpetuate rule by West Pakistan. Since 1969 his favoirite slogans were Swadhin Bangla Zindabad and Azad Bangla Zindabad. His dream of an independent Purba Bangla (East Bengal) came true when Bangladesh was established as an independent nation-state in 1971.
Chinese connection
Maulana was known to have a Chinese connection and was the leader of pro-Chinese politicians of East Pakistan. During the 1965 war between Pakistan and India, Maulana was traceless for some days. It is said that he was flown from Panchbibi, Bogra to China, at the behest of president Field Marshall Ayub Khan, to secure support of China for Pakistan.
Anti-Indian stance
It is said that Maulana Bhasani considered India a 'difficult' neigherbour and occasionally took anti-Indian stance. When after the beginning of the war of liberation in 1971 Bhasani took refuge in India like all opposition political leaders, he was not allowed to participate in any activity. In fact he had to spend the entire period of the liberation war in confinement in Delhi. After returning to Dhaka (on 22 January 1972) his first demand was immediate withdrawal Indian troops from the land of Bangladesh.
Hukumat-e-Rabbania
Towards the end of his life, Bhashani established another organization, styled Hukumat-e-Rabbania.
Politics in Independent Bangladesh
Moulana Bhashani wanted to play the role of a responsible opposition. The progressive forces quickly gathered around him and strengthened his NAP with Kazi Zafar Ahmed as its General Secretary. But soon factional differences among the progressive forces emerged and weakened Moulana Bhashani.
Unfortunately, the new government of Bangladesh failed to utilize the organizational and public opinion making capacity of Moulana Bhashani. Instead he was always under suspicion, although he provided constructive advices to the government. He was highly critical of the oppressive style of the government and its extra-judicial killings of the left-leaning activists. He was visionary enough to see the seed of the cancer of corruption in society and offered his help to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to build up an anti-corruption movement. Unfortunately that was not heeded. He also warned Sheikh Mujibur Rahman against his move towards a one party state and declaring himself as life-long president. He could not believe that a person like Sheikh Mujib who fought all his life for a multi-party democracy could do that. He saw the destruction of Mujib in this action. Bhashani was deeply shocked at the killing of Mujib, for whom he had a lot of fatherly affection, and his family members. The person who conveyed the news of Mujib's demise described how the Moulana cried and then went to his prayer room to offer prayer.
Support for post-Mujib era
Life-long president of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was killed in a military coup d'état on 15 August 1975. A turbulent political scenario followed as coup and counter-coup took place. In 1976, Maulana Bhashani explicitly supported the change of regime when General Ziaur Rahman was given the helmsmanship of the country. He made it clear that his support was for the restoration of a multi-party democracy and should not be construed as a support for the inhuman killing of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his familiy members and the barbaric act of the conspirators. His support was to bring stability to the country's politics and to consolidate democracy. It was an act of necessity.
Weekly Ittefaq
Daily Ittefaq has been the most popular Bengali newspaper of Bangladesh since early 1970s. However its precursor is Weekly Ittefaq. After partition of India in 1947, Muslim League emerged as the government political party. Soon opposition movement started and a political party named Awami Muslim League was founded with Bhashani as one of the central figures. In this backdrop Maulana Bhashani started publishing the Weekly Ittefaq in 1949. It was an ardent critique of the Muslim League government. The weekly soon became popular. [1]. Legendary journalist Tofazzal Hossain Manik Mian worked as its editor. It remains ambiguous under what circumstances Manik Mian started to use his own name as the owner of the weekly turned a daily.
Weekly Huq Katha On February 25 1972, Bhashani started publishing a weekly Haq Katha and it soon gained wide circulation. It was outspoken about the irregularities and mis-rule of Awami League government established after independence of Bangladesh. Rampant corruption by Awami League politicians were boldy reported. In consequence the weekly was soon banned by Sheikh Mujib. It was edited by Irfanul Bari, Bhashani's subordinate.
Daily Banaga Barta
Maulana Bhashani also initiated a national daily titled Dainik Banga Barta. Its publication commenced in 1974 from Dhaka and was discontinued after a few months.
Farakka Long March, 1976
In May 1976 National Leader of Bangladesh Maulana Bhashani led a massive Long–March demanding demolition of the Farakka Barrage constructed by India to divert flow of Ganges waters inside its territory, triggering the drying up of river Padma and desertification of Bangladesh. It was the first popular movement against India demanding a rightful distribution of the Ganges's water. Since then Historic Farakka Long March Day is observed on 16 March every year. The-then government of Bangladesh unofficially supported Bhashani's Farakka Long March. Navy-chief Rear Admiral M. H. Khan in charge of providing logistics. Hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life from all over the country gathered in Rajshahi town to participate in the Long March.
On the morning of 16 March 1976, he addressed a mammoth gathering of people at the Madrash Miadan, Rajshahi, from where the Long March commenced. Hundreds of thousands of people walked more than 100 kilometers on foot for days. The March continued up to Kansat, a place near the India-Bangladesh border, close to the Farakka barrage.
Once again, Moulana Bhashani played a leading role at a critical juncture of the nation's history by raising the awareness about India's hegemonic attitude. His legacy continues with the national resistence against India's other dam projects in the upstrem of common rivers.
Death
He died on 17 November 1976 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, aged 96, and was buried at Santosh, Tangail. Alternate name(s): Red Maulana Date of birth: 1880 (date unknown) Place of birth: Dhangara, Tangail, British India (now Tangail, Bangladesh) Date of death: 17 November 1976 Place of death: Dhaka, Bangladesh Movement: Khilafat movement Non-cooperation movement Bengali Language Movement Bangladesh Liberation War Farakka Long March Major organizations: National Awami Party