Syed Azizul Huq (; 1 October 1912 – 11 February 1992), also known by his nickname Nanna Mia (), was a

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( ) are the citizens and nationals of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centred on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the Bay of Bengal, eponymous bay. Bangladeshi nationality law, Bangladeshi citizenship was fo ...

politician and former member of parliament for Barisal-2 in the

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

and 1988 Bangladeshi general elections. He was a member of the Provincial Council of East Pakistan, minister of commerce and minister of industry.

Early life and education

Azizul Huq was born on 1 October 1912 to a

Bengali Muslim Bengali Muslims (; ) 'Mussalman'' also used in this work./ref> are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising over 70% of the global Bengali population, they are the second-largest ...

family known as the Syeds of Chakhar in the Sharif Bari of Chakhar, Banaripara, then located under the

Backergunge District Backergunge, Backergunje, Bakarganj, or Bakerganj is a former district of British Bengal, East Pakistan and Bangladesh. It was the southernmost district of the Dacca Division. The district was located in the swampy lowlands of the vast river delta ...

of the Bengal Province. His father, Syed Motahar Husayn, was descended from Syed Ataullah, who had inherited

jagir A jagir (), ( Hindustani: जागीर/جاگیر, ''Jāgīr''), ( Marathi: जहागीर, ''Jahāgīrá'') also spelled as jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar ( Zamindar ...

s in the Barisal region after marrying Dulal Bibi, the daughter of Mir Qutb. He graduated from Khalishakotha School in 1928 and later from

Brojomohun College Govt. Brojomohun College, Barishal, commonly known as BM College, is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Bangladesh. It is located in the city of Barishal in south-western Bangladesh. History On June 14, 1889, Ashwini Kumar Dut ...

. In 1932, he received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Calcutta Islamia College. During his time there, he became one of the founders of the All-Bengal Muslim Students Association and served as the president of its college branch. Huq was also a member of the Student Council Cabinet and the secretary of sports at the college. He received a

Bachelor of Law A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

from the Calcutta Law College.

Career

Azizul Huq joined the

Calcutta Municipal Corporation Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is the local government of the Indian city of Kolkata, the List of Indian state and union territory capitals, state capital of West Bengal. This civic administrative body administers an area of . Its motto, ' ...

and would go on to work as the private secretary of

A. K. Fazlul Huq Abul Kasem Fazlul Huq (26 October 1873 – 27 April 1962), popularly known as Sher-e-Bangla, was a Bengalis, Bengali lawyer and politician who served as the first and longest Prime Minister of Bengal, prime minister of Bengal during the Britis ...

, the first and longest serving

Prime Minister of Bengal The prime minister of Bengal was the head of government of Bengal Presidency, Bengal Province and the Leader of the House in the Bengal Legislative Assembly (1937—1947), Bengal Legislative Assembly in British India. The position was dissolved u ...

during the

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 ...

and later a

Chief Minister of East Bengal 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 ...

. Huq then joined the Industrial Museum in Calcutta (now Kolkata). While he worked he finished his law degree. He was also involved with the

Krishak Praja Party The Krishak Sramik Party (, ''Farmer Labourer Party'') was a major anti-feudal political party in the British Indian province of Bengal and later in the Dominion of Pakistan's East Bengal and East Pakistan provinces. It was founded in 1929 as th ...

and was member of its working committee. In 1951 he retired from government service. During the 1954 East Bengal Legislative Assembly election, he was elected from Jhalakathi-Wazirpur,

Barisal Barisal ( or ; , ), officially known as Barishal, is a major city that lies on the banks of the Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh. It is the largest city and the administrative headquarter of both Barisal District and Barisal Divi ...

as a candidate of the

United Front A united front is an alliance of groups against their common enemies, figuratively evoking unification of previously separate geographic fronts or unification of previously separate armies into a front. The name often refers to a political and/ ...

alliance. He served the provincial government of A. K. Fazlul Huq as the minister for education. In 1955, he was made the minister of commerce and industry in the government of Abu Hussain Sarkar. He was a member of the

Constituent Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

and helped frame the

Constitution of Pakistan The Constitution of Pakistan ( ; ISO 15919, ISO: '' Āīn-ē-Pākistān''), also known as the 1973 Constitution, is the supreme law of Pakistan. The document guides Pakistan's law, political culture, and system. It sets out the state's outlin ...

in 1956. Azizul Huq was involved in the movement against military dictator Ayub Khan in 1969. He founded the National Democratic Front and subsequently the Pakistan Democratic Party. Though he boycotted the 1970 Pakistan General elections in protest against the central government's failure to respond to the Bhola Cyclone in

East Pakistan East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, wit ...

, 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 became a member of the

East Pakistan Central Peace Committee East Pakistan Central Peace Committee was one of several committees formed in East Pakistan in 1971 to aid efforts of Pakistani forces during the Bangladesh War of Independence. Nurul Amin, as a leader of Pakistan Democratic Party, led the for ...

. He returned to politics after 1975. He was elected to parliament in 1986 from Barisal-2 on a Jatiya Party nomination. In 1988 he was reelected to parliament. He served in the Dhaka District Lawyers' Association as the president, for four terms. He served the chairman of

Anjuman Mufidul Islam Anjuman Mufidul Islam ( ''Beneficial Assembly of Islam'') is a Bangladeshi welfare organisation specially designed to enrich the livelihood of orphans and the distressed. History Sheikh Ibrahim Mohammed Dupley, a resident of Surat, formed Anjum ...

and president of Rahmat-e-Alam Islam Mission's Dhaka branch. He established two orphanages for boys and girls.

Death and legacy

Azizul Huq died on 11 February 1992 in

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. He was married, and had two sons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Azizul Huq, Syed 1912 births 1992 deaths Brojomohun College alumni People from Banaripara Upazila Politicians from Barisal Division 3rd Jatiya Sangsad members 4th Jatiya Sangsad members 20th-century Bengalis Bangladeshi people of Arab descent Provincial ministers of East Pakistan Maulana Azad College alumni Jatiya Party politicians Pakistan Democratic Party politicians Krishak Sramik Party politicians