M. A. Wazed Miah (; 6 February 1942 – 9 May 2009) was a Bangladeshi physicist and the writer of a number of texts in physics and some political history books, a former chairman of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission and husband of former prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina.

Early life

Md. Abdul Wazed Miah was born on 16 February 1942 in the village of Fatehpur (Miah Bari) at Pirganj, Rangpur District to Abdul Quader Miah and Moyzunnessa (Maijun Nesa Bibi). He was the youngest among three sisters and four brothers. His uncle was Wazed Miah. He was then called 'Sudha Miah'. He passed the matriculation examination at Rangpur Zilla School in 1956, and earned his Intermediate Certificate at Rajshahi College in 1958. He followed in the footsteps of his eldest sister's son, physicis
Abdul Qayyum Sarker
and took admittance into the Department of Physics, University of Dhaka. In 1961 he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

and in 1962 he finished his Master of Science. He completed the Diploma of

Imperial College London Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a Public university, public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a Al ...

Course in 1963–64. In 1967 he received his Doctor of Philosophy degree in physics from

Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...

, England. His thesis was on the bootstrap hypothesis in theoretical particle physics, and he worked under Professor E. J. Squires.

Student politics

From 1961 to 1962, he was the vice-president of the Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall unit of the East Pakistan Muslim Chhatra League (now known as the Bangladesh Chhatra League) at the University of Dhaka. He was arrested for taking part in the 1962 East Pakistan Education movement against Ayub's education commission. After university he did not remain involved in politics.

Career

On 1 April 1963, Miah found employment with the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), initially attached to the Atomic Energy Research Center (AERC) in Karachi. In 1969, Miah got an associateship at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Italy. In the same year, he returned home to Pakistan and continued with the AERC. In Karachi, Miah was the chief scientist at the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant but had his

security clearance A security clearance is a status granted to individuals allowing them access to classified information (state or organizational secrets) or to restricted areas, after completion of a thorough background check. The term "security clearance" is ...

revoked, that led to termination of his contract and his migration to Bangladesh. His wife, Sheikh Hasina, was with him in West Germany, where he was receiving advanced training in nuclear reactor physics, when her father, Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was assassinated in 1975 along with most of his family. Wazed was engaged in research work at the New Delhi-based laboratory of the

Atomic Energy Commission of India The Atomic Energy Commission of India is the governing body of the Department of Atomic Energy (India), Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Government of India. The DAE is under the direct charge of the Prime Minister of India, Prime Minister. ...

during 1975–1982, the period of exile of the remainder of the Mujib family after the bloody 15 August 1975 Bangladesh coup d'état. After his return to Bangladesh, he joined the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, and retired as its chairman in 1999.

Personal life

Miah married Sheikh Hasina, eldest daughter of

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (17 March 1920 – 15 August 1975), also known by the honorific Bangabandhu, was a Bangladeshi politician, revolutionary, statesman and activist who was the founding president of Bangladesh. As the leader of Bangl ...

, the founder of Bangladesh on 17 November 1967. They have a son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and a daughter Saima Wazed Putul.

Death

Miah died on 9 May 2009. He had for long suffered from

high blood pressure Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms itself. It is, however, a major ri ...

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease involving the heart or blood vessels. CVDs constitute a class of diseases that includes: coronary artery diseases (e.g. angina pectoris, angina, myocardial infarction, heart attack), heart failure, ...

, kidney failure,

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

, and

asthma Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wh ...

. He had a bypass operation a few years earlier and an

angioplasty Angioplasty, also known as balloon angioplasty and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, is a minimally invasive procedure, minimally invasive endovascular surgery, endovascular Medical procedure, procedure used to widen narrowed or obstructe ...

in Singapore only a few months before his death. He was buried at a family graveyard in his native village at Pirganj, Rangpur.

Legacy

One of the main science buildings of University of Rajshahi, previously named as 4th Science Building, has been renamed after him as Dr. M Wazed Miah Academic Building. The

Information and Communications Technology Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals) and computer ...

building of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology is named after him. An academic building is also constructed in his memory in Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University.

Publications

* Fundamentals of Electro-Magnetics (1982) * Fundamentals of Thermodynamics (University Press, Dhaka, 1988) * Elementary Nuclear and Reactor Physics (1995) * Basics of Superconductivity (1996) * Some Thoughts on Science & Technology (1997) * Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibke Ghire Kichhu Ghatana O Bangladesh ome Events Centring Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib and Bangladesh(1993) * Bangladesher Rajniti O Sarkarer Chalchitra olitics in Bangladesh and the Background Scenes of Governments(1995) * Bangladesher Bibhinna Somosyar Sombhabyo Somadhan robable Solutions of the Various Problems of Bangladesh(1996)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miah, M A Wazed 1942 births 2009 deaths Bangladeshi male writers Bangladeshi physicists Bengali physicists Bengali writers Bengali-language writers Fellows of Pakistan Academy of Sciences University of Dhaka alumni Tungipara Sheikh family People from Pirganj Upazila, Rangpur Sheikh Hasina Alumni of Durham University Graduate Society Rangpur Zilla School alumni Rajshahi College alumni