M. Abdur Rahim (21 November 1927 – 4 September 2016) was a

Bangladesh 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 ...

politician and the Member of Parliament from Dinajpur-3. He was awarded

Independence Day Award The Independence Award (), formally known as the Independence Day Award or Swadhinata Padak (), is the highest state award given by the government of Bangladesh. Introduced in 1977 by President Ziaur Rahman, this award is bestowed upon Banglade ...

in 2018 posthumously by the

Government of Bangladesh The government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh () is the central government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Constitution of Bangladesh comprising the executive (the president, prime minister and cabinet), the ...

Early life and education

Abdur Rahim was born on 21 November 1927 in Dinajpur District,

East Bengal East Bengal (; ''Purbô Bangla/Purbôbongo'') was the eastern province of the Dominion of Pakistan, which covered the territory of modern-day Bangladesh. It consisted of the eastern portion of the Bengal region, and existed from 1947 until 195 ...

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

. In 1954 he worked in the election campaign of

Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy (8 September 18925 December 1963) was an East Pakistani barrister, politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1956 to 1957 and before that as the Prime Minister of Bengal from 1946 to ...

. After completing high school from

Carmichael College Carmichael College, Rangpur () is a public higher education institution in Bangladesh. Established in 1916 by the then Magistrate Collector of Rangpur, J.N. Gupta and was named after Lord Baron Carmichael. Currently, the college offers education ...

, he graduated from

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 ...

. Later he earned an LLB degree from

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public university, public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka w ...

Role in the War of Liberation

After the invasion of Pakistani army in Dinajpur in 1971, the liberation war committee was formed in the

Dinajpur District, Bangladesh Dinajpur District () is a district in Rangpur Division of northern Bangladesh. Dinajpur is the largest among all sixteen northern districts of Bangladesh. History Dinajpur was once a part of the ancient state of Pundravardhana. Devkot (now i ...

. Abdur Rahim was invited as the convener. After the formation of Mujibnagar government, he was appointed Chairman of West Zone-1. At that time he led some direct war against the Pakistani army during the liberation war. At that time, the military tribunal imposed a prison sentence on him for sedition. Abdur Rahim served as the chairman of relief and rehabilitation committee after the liberation of the Greater Dinajpur area after the liberation war began.

Career

Abdur Rahim worked in the defence team in the Agartala Conspiracy case. He was elected to the

East Pakistan Provincial Assembly The East Pakistan Provincial Assembly, known as the East Bengal Legislative Assembly between 1947 and 1955, was the provincial legislature of East Pakistan between 1947 and 1971. It was known as the East Bengal Assembly from 1947 to 1955 when the ...

in 1970. 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 ...

in 1971 he served as the chairman of the west zone under the Mujibnagar government. There were over 100 relief and

Mukti Bahini The Mukti Bahini, initially called the Mukti Fauj, also known as the Bangladesh Forces, was a big tent armed guerrilla resistance movement consisting of the Bangladeshi military personnel, paramilitary personnel and civilians during the Ba ...

camps under the West zone. After the Independence of Bangladesh he worked in the committee to draft the constitution of Bangladesh and served as the President of Dinajpur District of Bangladesh Awami League. He was also the President of Dinajpur District Awami League, Dinajpur District Bar Association and member of

central committee. He was elected to Parliament in 1991 from Dinajpur-3.

Personal life

Abdur Rahim had two sons Justice,

M Enayetur Rahim M Enayetur Rahim is a retired justice on the Appellate Division of Bangladesh Supreme Court. Earlier, he was justice of the High Court Division, Bangladesh Supreme Court. He also served as the chairman of the International Crimes Tribunal 1. He i ...

and Member of Parliament Iqbalur Rahim, and four daughters.

Death and legacy

Abdur Rahim died on 4 September 2016 in

BIRDEM BIRDEM, the Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation in Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders at Shahbag, Dhaka, Bangladesh, is a 650-bed multidisciplinary hospital complex of the Diabetic Association of Bangladesh. The hospita ...

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. His son, Iqbalur Rahim, is a Member of Parliament from his constituency of Dinajpur-3 and a parliamentary whip. On 13 April 2017, Dinajpur Medical College was renamed to M Abdur Rahim Medical College and Hospital. He was awarded the

posthumously by the Government of Bangladesh for his role in the Bangladesh Liberation war.

References

Awami League politicians 1927 births 2016 deaths University of Dhaka alumni Recipients of the Independence Award 5th Jatiya Sangsad members Rajshahi College alumni Carmichael College alumni {{Rangpur-AL-politician-stub