Gazi Golam Mostafa: Difference between revisions

'''Gazi Golam Mostafa''' was a [[Awami League|Bangladesh Awami League]] politician<ref>{{cite book|last1=International|first1=Amnesty|title=Amnesty International Report|year=1979|publisher=Amnesty International Publications|pages=184|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QmDkAAAAMAAJ&q=Gazi+Golam+Mostafa|access-date=10 October 2016|language=en}}</ref> and a former member of the [[East Pakistan]] provincial assembly. He was nicknamed the "Lord of the Bastis" (basti meaning slum in Bengali).<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|title=Awami League Rule: Glimpses From The International Press|publisher=Oasis Books|year=1992}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (1975) - Dalim incident proves a sore point for young army officers - History of Bangladesh|url=http://www.londoni.co/index.php/26-history-of-bangladesh/1975-assassination-of-sheikh-mujibur-rahman/272-assassination-of-sheikh-mujibur-rahman-1975-dalim-incident-proves-a-sore-point-for-young-army-officers-history-of-bangladesh|access-date=2020-07-03|website=Londoni|language=en-gb}}</ref>

Mostafa was a former president and general secretary of the Dhaka city Awami league.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kādira|first1=Muhāmmada Nūrula|title=Independence of Bangladesh in 266 days: history and documentary evidence|year=2004|publisher=Mukto Publishers|isbn=9789843208583|pages=208|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qO5tAAAAMAAJ&q=Gazi+Golam+Mostafa|access-date=10 October 2016|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rAa1AAAAIAAJ&q=Gazi+Golam+Mostafa|title=Asian Survey|year=1981|publisher=University of California Press|pages=196|language=en|access-date=10 October 2016}}</ref>  He supported the [[Janakantha]] newspaper with annual donations.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ullāha|first1=Māhaphuja|title=Press Under Mujib Regime|year=2002|publisher=Kakali Prokashani|isbn=9789844372894|pages=79|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yg9lAAAAMAAJ&q=Gazi+Golam+Mostafa|access-date=10 October 2016|language=en}}</ref> He was a close associate of [[Sheikh Mujib]], the first president of Bangladesh, and often said to be his right-hand man. He was a former chairman of the [[Bangladesh Red Crescent Society]] and the former President of [[Awami League]]'s [[Dhaka]] city unit.<ref>{{cite book|title=Asian Studies|year=1991|publisher=Center for Asian Studies, Department of Government and Politics, Jahangirnagar University|pages=49|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vDRtAAAAMAAJ&q=Gazi+Golam+Mostafa|access-date=10 October 2016|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Asian Recorder|year=1976|publisher=K. K. Thomas at Recorder Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DmXVAAAAMAAJ&q=Gazi+Golam+Mostafa|access-date=10 October 2016|language=en}}</ref> While he was the President of Awami League's Dhaka City Unit, he and then Treasurer of Dhaka Metropolitan Awami League, [[R.K Chowdhury]] spoke about organizational activities of the city, how can it be better and where was the problem. R.K Chowdhury, Mostafa and [[Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman|Sheikh Mujibur Rahman]] used to discuss these issues regularly in the evenings. Gazi Golam Mostafa was known to be very tough, powerful, and free-wheeling.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> He was also known to be extremely corrupt. There are allegations against him that during the famine of 1974, as the chairman of the Red Crescent Society, he took hold of millions of blankets and tins of baby food sent to Bangladesh as relief for the people through foreign aid, and he began to profit out of these goods by selling to the people for whom it was sent. It is said that one out of 7 tins of baby food and one out of 13 blankets sent as relief reached the poor during the famine.<ref>{{cite news |title=Shahriar's confession|url=http://www.thedailystar.net/august-15-special-coverage/shahriars-confession-1269637|work=The Daily Star|access-date=10 October 2016|date=19 November 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Bangladesh, at Age 3, Is Still a Disaster Area|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/12/13/archives/bangladesh-at-age-3-is-still-a-disaster-area-a-worrisome-portent.html?searchResultPosition=4&fbclid=IwAR1xjUKwF9P-2FrvFhsiHtu1LXftQyHA3-zb-XGl-iXUmxGL5Ypt0yAY99U|work=The New York Times|access-date=10 October 2016|date=13 December 1974}}</ref>

In 1974, Mostafa kidnapped Major [[Shariful Haque Dalim]] and his wife from the [[Dhaka Ladies Club]] after an argument. It was [[Shariful Haque Dalim|Dalim]]'s cousin's wedding reception in the [[Dhaka Ladies Club]]. [[Shariful Haque Dalim|Dalim]]'s only brother-in-law Bappi (his wife Nimmi's brother) was attending from Canada. Mostafa's son occupied the chair in the row behind Bappi and pulled Bappi's hair from the back. Bappi scolded the boy for his behavior and told him not to sit on the row behind him anymore. Mostafa's sons (who were close friends of [[Sheikh Kamal]]) and some associates forcefully abducted [[Shariful Haque Dalim|Dalim]], Nimmi, the groom's mother, and two of [[Shariful Haque Dalim|Dalim]]'s friends (both of whom were distinguished freedom fighters) in [[Microbus]]es owned by the [[Bangladesh Red Crescent Society|Red Crescent]]. Mostafa was taking them to the [[Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini|Rakhi Bahini]] headquarters but later took them to the residence of [[Sheikh Mujibur Rahman]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Foundation|first1=Bhashani|title=Searching for Bhasani Citizen of the World: The Life and Times of (Earnest) Mozlum Leader Maulana Bhasani|date=8 October 2010|publisher=Xlibris Corporation|isbn=9781453573136|pages=235|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PMctBgAAQBAJ&dq=Gazi+Golam+Mostafa&pg=PA235|access-date=10 October 2016|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Riaz|first1=Ali|title=Unfolding State: The Transformation of Bangladesh|year=2005|publisher=de Sitter Publications|isbn=9781897160107|pages=239|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=df9tAAAAMAAJ&q=Gazi+Golam+Mostafa|access-date=10 October 2016|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=h4p16|url=http://www.majordalimbu.com/h4p16.htm|access-date=2020-07-03|website=www.majordalimbu.com}}</ref> [[Sheikh Mujibur Rahman|Mujib]] mediated a compromise between them and made Mostafa apologize to Nimmi. When news of the abduction spread, the 1st Bengal Lancers ransacked Mostafa's and took his whole family prisoner. They also set up check posts all over the city searching for [[Shariful Haque Dalim|Major Dalim]] and the abductees. Some officers lost their jobs as a result. The officers involved, including [[Shariful Haque Dalim]], were later orchestrators of the coup on 15 August 1975 and the [[assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman]].<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Shahriar's confession|url=http://www.thedailystar.net/august-15-special-coverage/shahriars-confession-1269637|work=The Daily Star|access-date=10 October 2016|date=19 November 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Farooq's confession|url=http://www.thedailystar.net/august-15-special-coverage/farooqs-confession-1269634|work=The Daily Star|access-date=10 October 2016|date=19 November 2009}}</ref>

After the fall of Sheikh Mujib's regime, he was caught by the public while trying to flee with huge amount of money to India via the border. He was jailed and was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment by a martial law court,<ref>{{cite book|title=News Review on South Asia and Indian Ocean|year=1976|publisher=Institute for Defence Studies & Analyses.|pages=240|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ClM8AAAAMAAJ&q=Gazi+Golam+Mostafa|access-date=10 October 2016|language=en}}</ref> and was released on 28th March 1980 during the regime of General Zia.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Amnesty International Report|year=1979|publisher=Amnesty International Publications|pages=184|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SYUhAQAAIAAJ&q=Gazi+Golam+Mostafa|access-date=10 October 2016|language=en}}</ref>