Abul Hasnat Muhammad Qamaruzzaman (26 June 1926 – 3 November 1975) was a Bangladeshi politician, government minister and one of the founding leader of Bangladesh. While serving as the Home Minister to Mujibnagar Government, Qamaruzzaman was murdered along with Syed Nazrul Islam, Muhammad Mansur Ali, and Tajuddin Ahmed in the jail killings in Dhaka Central Jail on 3 November 1975 by a group of army officers on the instruction of President Mostaq.

Early life

Qamaruzzaman was born on 26 June 1926 in the city of Bagatipara Upazila,

Natore Natore is a city ("town" in some sources) in western Bangladesh. It is the headquarters of the Natore District. Its current administrator is Asha Khatun. The Narod river is passing through the center of the city with pollution from upstream industr ...

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

(now in Bangladesh). He obtained degrees in economics from the

University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...

in 1946, and a law degree from the

Rajshahi University The University of Rajshahi (), also known as Rajshahi University (RU), is a Public university, public research university located in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. It is the second oldest and third largest university in Bangladesh. The university's 59 ...

in 1956. He began practising after his induction in the

Rajshahi District Rajshahi District () is a district in mid-western Bangladesh. It is a part of Rajshahi Division. The metropolitan city of Rajshahi is in Rajshahi District. Geography Rajshahi District is bounded by Naogaon District to the north, Natore Distric ...

bar association. As a student, Qamaruzzaman became active in the Muslim League and worked for the

Pakistan movement The Pakistan Movement was a religiopolitical and social movement that emerged in the early 20th century as part of a campaign that advocated the creation of an Islamic state in parts of what was then British Raj. It was rooted in the two-nation the ...

Political career

Qamaruzzaman joined the

Awami League The Awami League, officially known as Bangladesh Awami League, is a major List of political parties in Bangladesh, political party in Bangladesh. The oldest existing political party in the country, the party played the leading role in achievin ...

in 1956. He was elected to the

National Assembly of Pakistan The National Assembly of Pakistan, also referred to as ''Aiwān-ē-Zairīñ'', is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, with the upper house being the Senate of Pakistan, Senate. As of 2023, the National Assem ...

in 1962, 1965 and again in 1970. He rose to national party leadership posts in the late 1960s. During the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

, Qamaruzzaman served as the minister of relief and rehabilitation in the provisional government of Bangladesh formed at

Mujibnagar Mujibnagar (), formerly known as Baidyanathtala (Boiddonathtola) and Bhoborpara, is a town in the Mujibnagar Upazila of Meherpur District in Khulna, Bangladesh. The Provisional Government of Bangladesh was formed on 10 April 1971, however, swo ...

. After the creation of Bangladesh, he won election to the national parliament from Rajshahi in 1973. He resigned on 18 January 1974, to serve as president of the Awami League. In 1975, Qamaruzzaman was appointed minister of industries and a member of the executive committee of BAKSAL.

Death and legacy

After the

assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the first president of Bangladesh, was assassinated along with most of his family members during the early hours of 15 August 1975 by a group of Bangladesh Army personnel who invaded his Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, re ...

on 15 August 1975, Qamaruzzaman was arrested by the regime of the new president

Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad (; 27 February 1919 – 5 March 1996) was a Bangladeshi politician. He was the Minister of Commerce in the third Mujib Rahman ministry under Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and assumed the presidency of Bangladesh after the A ...

and imprisoned in the Dhaka Central Jail with Tajuddin Ahmed, Syed Nazrul Islam, and Mansur Ali. These four senior Awami League politicians were killed on 3 November 1975, by army officers who were responsible for Mujib's death. Qamaruzzaman's son, A. H. M. Khairuzzaman Liton, is an Awami League politician and the mayor of Rajshahi City.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Qamaruzzaman, Abul Hasnat Muhammad 1926 births 1975 deaths People from Rajshahi District Politicians from Rajshahi Division University of Calcutta alumni Awami League politicians Presidents of the Awami League Ministers of disaster management and relief of Bangladesh Ministers of industries of Bangladesh Ministers of home affairs of Bangladesh People of the Bangladesh Liberation War Bangladeshi people who died in prison custody Prisoners who died in Bangladeshi detention Recipients of the Independence Award Pakistani MNAs 1965–1969 Pakistani MNAs 1962–1965 Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League executive committee members Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League central committee members Rajshahi College alumni Bangladesh independence activists Candidates in the 1970 Pakistani general election Members of the Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh Provisional Government of Bangladesh