A. K. Fazlul Huq: Difference between revisions

| governor1          = [[Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman]]<br /> [[Iskander Mirza]]

| birth_place        = [[Bakerganj District|Bakerganj]], [[Bengal Presidency|Bengal]], [[British Raj|British India]]

| resting_place_coordinates =  

| nationality        = [[British Raj|British Indian]] (1873–1947)<br />[[Pakistani]] (1947–1962)

| party              = [[Bengal Provincial Muslim League]], [[All India Muslim League]], [[Indian National Congress]], [[Krishak Praja Party]], [[Sramik Krishak Samajbadi Dal]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/bangladesh/14.htm |title=Bangladesh: A Country Study |year=1989 |last1=Heitzman |first1=James |last2=Worden |first2=Robert |publisher=GPO for the Library of Congress}}</ref>

'''Abul Kasem Fazlul Huq''' ({{lang-bn|আবুল কাশেম ফজলুল হক}}, {{lang-ur|{{Nq|ابو القاسم فضل الحق}}}}; 26{{Spaces}}October 1873 — 27 April 1962),<ref name="Gandhi">{{cite book |last=Gandhi |first=Rajmohan |author-link=Rajmohan Gandhi |date=1986 |title=Eight Lives |publisher=SUNY Press |pages=189–190 |isbn=0-88706-196-6}}</ref> popularly known as '''Sher-e-Bangla''' (''Lion of Bengal''),<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/in-focus/news/sher-e-bangla-search-national-soul-1984125 |title=Sher-e-Bangla in Search of a National Soul |date=26 October 2020 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref> was a [[British Raj|British Indian]] and Pakistani lawyer, writer<ref name="auto">{{Cite news |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/literature/news/k-fazlul-huqs-english-prose-2086661 |title=A. K. Fazlul Huq's English Prose |date=1 May 2021 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref> who served as the first and longest [[Prime Minister of Bengal]]. He also variously held other senior offices, including the [[Interior Minister of Pakistan]] and [[Mayor of Calcutta]].

He presented the [[Lahore Resolution]] and leading the [[United Front (East Pakistan)|United Front]] to win the [[East Bengali legislative election, 1954|1954 East Bengali election]]. In Pakistan, he is remembered as one of the country's [[List of Pakistan Movement activists|founding statesmen]]. In Bangladesh, he is revered as one of the most important Bengali statesmen of the 20th century. According to Indian historian and [[Mahatma Gandhi]]'s grandson [[Rajmohan Gandhi]], "He who in 1943 had wanted to see [[Khawaja Nazimuddin|Nazimuddin]] and [[Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy|Suhrawardy]] bite the dust now shares the same stretch of earth with them. All three are buried, side by side, in the grounds of the Dhaka High Court. For a while, the two of them were called Prime Minister of Pakistan. Fazlul Huq was not. But only he was spoken of as the [[Royal Bengal Tiger]]".<ref name="dt26Apr2014">{{Cite news |author=AK Fazlul Huq Jr |date=26 April 2014 |title=Sher-e-Bangla: The Tiger of Bengal |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/uncategorized/2014/04/26/sher-e-bangla-the-tiger-of-bengal |work=Dhaka Tribune}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/magazine/2006/06/05/retro.htm |title=Lest We Forget: A. K. Fazlul Huq |magazine=Star Weekend Magazine |publisher=The Daily Star}}</ref>

Huq was first elected to the [[Bengal Legislative Council]] from [[Dhaka]] in 1913; and served on the council for 21 years until 1934.<ref name="banglapedia1">{{cite web |url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Huq,_AK_Fazlul |title=Huq, AK Fazlul |website=Banglapedia |access-date=2017-08-05}}</ref> Huq was a key figure in the [[Indian independence movement]] and the later the [[Pakistan movement]]. In 1919, he had the unique distinction of concurrently serving as President of the All India Muslim League and General Secretary of the Indian National Congress. He was also a member of the Congress Party's enquiry committee into the [[Amritsar massacre]]. He was a member of the [[Central Legislative Assembly]] for 2 years, between 1934 and 1936.<ref name="banglapedia1"/> For 10 years between 1937 and 1947, he was an elected member of the [[Bengal Legislative Assembly]], where he was Prime Minister and Leader of the House for 6 years.<ref name="banglapedia1"/>  After [[Partition of India|partition]], he was elected to the [[East Bengal Legislative Assembly]], where he was Chief Minister for 2 months; and to the [[Constituent Assembly of Pakistan]], where he was Home Minister for one year during the 1950s.

 

Huq became secretary of the [[Bengal Provincial Muslim League]] in 1913. In 1929, he founded the [[Praja Party|All Bengal Tenants Association]], which evolved into a political platform, including as a part of the post-partition United Front. Huq held important political offices in the subcontinent, including President of the [[All India Muslim League]] (1916-1921), General Secretary of the [[Indian National Congress]] (1916-1918), Education Minister of Bengal (1924), Mayor of Calcutta (1935), Prime Minister of Bengal (1937-1943), [[Advocate General]] of [[East Bengal]] (1947-1952), [[Chief Minister of East Bengal]] (1954), [[Interior Minister of Pakistan|Home Minister of Pakistan]] (1955-1956) and Governor of East Pakistan (1956-1958). Huq was fluent in [[Bengali language|Bengali]], English, [[Urdu]], [[Arabic language|Arabic]], and [[Persian language|Persian]].<ref name="banglapedia1"/> Huq died in Dacca, East Pakistan on 27 April 1962. He is buried in the [[Mausoleum of Three Leaders]]. Huq is widely revered and admired in Bangladesh for his role as a leading voice of Bengali Muslims in British India; [[Sher-e-Bangla Nagar]], where the [[Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban|National Parliament]] is located, is named in honor of Huq. His son [[A. K. Faezul Huq]] was a Bangladeshi politician.

AK Fazlul Huq was born into a middle class [[Bengali Muslim]] family in [[Bakerganj District|Bakerganj]], [[Bengal Presidency]] during the [[British Raj]] (now Bilbilash, [[Bauphal Upazila]],<!-- Saturia is now in Jhalokati, which had only recently been split off from Barisal when Rajmohan Gandhi's book was published. --> Bangladesh) in 1873. He was the son of Muhammad Wazid, a well-regarded lawyer<ref name="Gandhi" /> of the Barisal Bar and Sayedunnessa Khatun. His paternal grandfather Kazi Akram Ali was a [[Mukhtar]] and a scholar of Arabic and Persian. Initially [[home school]]ed,<ref name=" Gandhi" /> he later attended the [[Barisal Zilla School|Barisal District School]], where he passed the FA Examination in 1890. Huq was so brilliant that upon turning the page of a book he could memorise the whole page which astonished his father. Huq moved to [[Calcutta]] for his higher education.<ref name="Gandhi" /> He sat for his [[bachelor's degree]] exam in 1894, in which he achieved a triple honours in chemistry, mathematics and physics from the [[Presidency University, Kolkata|Presidency College]] (now Presidency University). He then obtained a [[master's degree]] in mathematics from the [[University of Calcutta]] in 1896. He obtained his [[Bachelor in Law]] from the University Law College in Calcutta in 1897.<ref name="banglapedia1" />

In 1916, Huq was elected president of the All India Muslim League. Huq was one of those who was instrumental behind formulating the [[Lucknow Pact]] of 1916 between the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League. In 1917 Huq was a Joint Secretary of the Indian National Congress and from 1918 to 1919 he served as the organisation's [[General Secretary]]. He was the only person to concurrently hold the presidency of the League and the General Secretary's position in the Congress. In 1918, Huq presided over the Delhi Session of the All India Muslim League.<ref name="banglapedia1"/>

A seminal moment in Huq's political career was the adoption of the [[Lahore Resolution]]. The resolution was passed by the All India Muslim League at its annual session in [[Lahore]] on 23 March 1940. When Huq arrived at the Lahore meeting, [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]] remarked "When the tiger (Huq) arrives, the lamb (Jinnah) must give away".<ref name="fe8Aug2017">{{Cite news |url=http://print.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2014/04/26/30773/print |title=When the tiger appears, the lamb must give way |work=The Financial Express |location=Dhaka |date=8 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808193515/http://print.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2014/04/26/30773/print |archive-date=8 August 2017}}</ref> Huq formally proposed the resolution at the annual session. The resolution called for Muslim-majority provinces in British India to be grouped into "Independent States in which the constituent units shall be autonomous and sovereign".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://pbase.com/bmcmorrow/image/140584822 |title=Text of the 1940 Lahore Resolution of the All-India Muslim League by Brian McMorrow |website=PBase}}</ref> The initial wording of the resolution suggested that the Muslim League wanted multiple states instead of a single state. Huq later accused Jinnah of not working hard enough to ensure an [[United Bengal|undivided Bengal]] with Calcutta included.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/the-tiger-of-bengal-21275 |title=The Tiger of Bengal |date=25 April 2014 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref> There have been varying interpretations of the Lahore Resolution ever since. One interpretation is that the plural spelling of 'states' indicated that Huq wanted a separate Muslim-majority state covering Bengal and parts of Assam as early as the 1940s.

The second Huq coalition government was formed on 12 December 1941. The coalition was supported by most members in the Bengal Legislative Assembly, except for the Muslim League. Supporters included the secular faction of the Krishak Praja Party led by Shamsuddin Ahmed, the [[Forward Bloc]] founded by [[Subhash Chandra Bose]], pro-Bose members of the Bengal Congress and the [[Hindu Mahasabha]] led by [[Syama Prasad Mukherjee]].

The fear of a [[Imperial Japan|Japanese invasion]] during the [[Burma Campaign]] and the implementation by the military of a 'denial policy' implemented in 1942 caused considerable hardship to the delta region. A devastating cyclone and tidal waves whipped the coastal region on 26 October but relief efforts were hindered due to bureaucratic interference. On 3 August, a number of prisoners were shot in Dhaka jail but no inquiry could be held due to bureaucratic intervention.  Another severe strain on the administration was caused when the Congress launched the [[Quit India]] movement on 9 August, which was followed by British political repression. The entire province reverberated with protest. The situation was further complicated when Mukherjee resigned, bitterly complaining about the interference of the governor in the work of the ministry. Huq also called for the resurrection of the [[Bengal Army]].<ref name="thedailystar1" />

On 15 March 1943, the Prime Minister disclosed on the floor of the Assembly that on several occasions, under the guise of discretionary authority, the governor disregarded the advice tendered by the ministry and listed those occasions. The governor did not take those allegations kindly, and, largely due to his initiative, no-confidence motions were voted in the assembly on 24 March and 27 March. On both occasions the motions were defeated, although by narrow margins. To enforce his writ, the governor asked Huq to sign a prepared letter of resignation on 28 March 1943 and assigned himself the responsibility of administering the province under the provision of Section 92 of the constitution. A month later a League dominated ministry was commissioned with Nazimuddin as the Prime Minister. Huq bitterly criticised John Herbert for forcing his resignation and imposing [[Governor's rule]], calling it "an outrage on the Constitution".<ref name="auto"/> Huq also criticised the colonial bureaucracy's role against his government, stating that "the steel frame of the Imperial Service" made a mockery of the authority of the elected government of Bengal.<ref name="auto"/> Huq accused John Herbert of being an ignorant administrator, stating "After all, even busy Governors absent themselves from town on private business".<ref name="auto"/> Huq paraphrased the ancient Greek philosopher [[Plutarch]], stating "The mills of God grind slowly but they grind exceeding small; and sooner perhaps than Sir John Herbert or the supporters of the Ministers may think, Nemesis will overtake those who [Nazimuddin] had rushed to office not to serve the people but to enjoy the sweets of power emoluments".<ref name="auto"/>

After the [[partition of British India]], Huq settled in [[Dhaka]] and became the [[attorney general]] of the Government of [[East Bengal]].<ref name="banglapedia1"/> He served in this position between 1947 and 1952. Huq was active in the civil society and social life of Dhaka. On 31 December 1948, while delivering a presidential address at a literary conference, Huq proposed a [[language academy]] for the [[Bengali language]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Bangla_Academy |title=Bangla Academy |website=Banglapedia}}</ref> He supported the [[Bengali Language Movement]] in 1952. Huq was injured during [[police]] action against demonstrators demanding that Bengali be made a state language of Pakistan. Huq emerged as one of the principal opposition leaders against the [[Pakistan Muslim League]]. East Bengal became the epicentre of Pakistan's political opposition. The Bengalis of East Bengal were the demographic majority of the [[Dominion of Pakistan]]. Huq was one of the founding statesmen of Pakistan due to his role in presenting the Lahore Resolution in 1940.

Huq served as [[Chief Minister]] for two months. During his short lived government, he took measures to establish the [[Bangla Academy]]. [[King Saud]] of Saudi Arabia sent a plane to Dhaka to bring Huq for a meeting with the monarch in [[Karachi]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://soc.culture.bangladesh.narkive.com/K7ZnkRXw/sher-e-bangla-only-leader-concurrently-president-of-all-india-muslim-league-and-the-general |title=Sher-e-Bangla: only leader concurrently President of All India Muslim League and the General Secretary of All India National Congress |publisher=Soc.culture.bangladesh.narkive.com |date=2006-05-02 |access-date=2017-08-10}}</ref> [[Governor General of Pakistan|Governor General's rule]] was imposed which ended Huq's leadership of the provincial government. Pakistan's political parties continued to squabble, particularly over power sharing between the provinces. In August 1955, a coalition between the Krishak Sramik Party in East Pakistan and the Muslim League in [[West Pakistan]] allowed [[Chaudhry Mohammad Ali]] to become Prime Minister and A. K. Fazlul Huq to become [[Interior Minister of Pakistan|Home Minister]].<ref>{{cite news |author=Hafez Ahmed |url=http://print.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/old/2008/11/26/51770.html |title=Mohan Mia, the forgotten child of history |work=The Financial Express |location=Dhaka |access-date=2017-07-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170805100542/http://print.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/old/2008/11/26/51770.html |archive-date=5 August 2017 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> The [[Constitution of Pakistan of 1956|first constitution of Pakistan]] was enacted under this coalition in March 1956. The coalition was later dismissed by President [[Iskander Mirza]], who in turn allowed a coalition of the Awami League and [[Republican Party (Pakistan)|Republican Party]] to form government. Huq's former ally Suhrawardy became Prime Minister. As a result, the Krishak Sramik Party and the Muslim League formed the main opposition.<ref>{{cite book |author=Salahuddin Ahmed |title=Bangladesh: Past and Present |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Szfqq7ruqWgC&pg=PA147 |year=2004 |publisher=APH Publishing |isbn=978-81-7648-469-5 |page=147}}</ref> Huq and Surhawardy were once again on opposite ends. Huq was appointed Governor of [[East Pakistan]] in 1956. He served in the position for two years until the [[1958 Pakistani coup d'état]]. The coup ended the dominance of Huq, Suhrawardy and Nazimuddin in Bengali politics.

A.K. Fazlul Huq wrote a book ''Bengal Today''<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://samsadbook.com/product-details/bengal-today |title=Shishu Sahitya Samsad Private Limited |website=samsadbook.com}}</ref> which was translated into Bengali.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.rokomari.com/book/990/bengol-today |script-title=bn:বেঙ্গল টুডে - এ কে ফজলুল হক |website=www.rokomari.com}}</ref> He was one of three owner-cum-directors of the well regarded evening daily ''[[Nabajug]]'' which came often under British-Indian government's proscription because of its anti-imperialist premise.  The paper is no longer published.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Nabajug,_The |title=Nabajug, The |website=Banglapedia}}</ref>

{{quote|I am the living history of Bengal and East Pakistan of the last sixty years. I am the last survivor of that band of unselfish and courageous Muslims who fought fearlessly against terrific odds…<ref name="dt26Apr2014" /><br />

{{Quote|text=Exceptionally brilliant, equipped with sharp memory, deep knowledge and ability to understand peoples' feelings and characters with sharp wit and speech that provokes Bengali people's emotion.<ref>{{ cite book | title=Memoirs of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardsy: With A Brief Account of His Life and Work 1st Edition | isbn=978-0195477221 | last1=Suhrawardy | first1=Huseyn Shaheed | year=2009 }}</ref>|author=[[Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy]]}}{{quote|When the tiger arrives, the lamb must give away.<ref name="fe8Aug2017" />|author=[[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]]}}

{{quote|He who in 1943 had wanted to see Nazimuddin and Suhrawardy bite the dust now shares the same stretch of earth with them. All three are buried, side by side, in the grounds of the Dhaka High Court. For a while, the two of them were called Prime Minister of Pakistan. Fazlul Huq was not. But only he was spoken of as the Royal Bengal Tiger.<ref name="dt26Apr2014" />|author=[[Rajmohan Gandhi]]}}

Huq founded several educational and technical institutions for Bengali Muslims, including [[Maulana Azad College|Islamia College in Calcutta]], [[Baker Hostel]] and Carmichael hostel residence halls for Muslim students of the [[University of Calcutta]], [[Lady Brabourne College]], Adina Fazlul Huq College in [[Rajshahi]], Eliot hostel, Tyler Hostel, Medical College hostel, Engineering College hostel, Muslim Institute Building, Dhaka [[Eden Girls' College, Bangladesh|Eden Girls' College]] Building, Fazlul Huq College at Chakhar, [[Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall]] ([[Dhaka University]]), Fazlul Huq Hall (Bangladesh Agricultural University, then East Pakistan Agricultural University), Sher-e-Bangla Hall ([[Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology]]) [[Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University]] (SAU) Dhaka-1207, Bulbul Music Academy and Central Women's College. Huq made a significant contribution in founding the leading university of Bangladesh: Dhaka University. During his premiership [[Bangla Academy]] was founded and Bengali New Year's Day ([[Pohela Boishakh]]) was declared a public holiday.<ref name="MD">{{cite web |url=http://www.muktadhara.net/page67.html |title=Great Politicians |access-date=14 September 2007 |date=9 May 2001 |work=Sher-e-Bangla AK Fazlul Huq (Krisak Proja Party) |publisher=Muktadhara |page=67 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070908201012/http://www.muktadhara.net/page67.html |archive-date=8 September 2007 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Throughout Bangladesh, educational institutions (e.g., [[Barisal]] [[Sher-e-Bangla Medical College]]), roads, neighbourhoods ([[Sher-e-Bangla Nagor]]), and stadiums ([[Sher-e-Bangla Mirpur Stadium]]) have been named after him. This reflects the respect of the Bangladeshi people for Huq. One of the main roads in [[Islamabad]], Pakistan A.K. Fazal-ul-Huq Road is named after him.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/A.K.+Fazl-ul-Haq+Rd,+Blue+Area,+Islamabad,+Islamabad+Capital+Territory,+Pakistan/@33.7175534,73.0724857,17z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x38dfbf9bb36a8881:0x5e7c4f5d8b1cc29f!8m2!3d33.7168796!4d73.0719493?shorturl=1 |title=A.K.M. Fazl-ul-Haq Rd · Blue Area, Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan |website=A.K.M. Fazl-ul-Haq Rd · Blue Area, Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan}}</ref>