Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani (1880–1976) was a popular political leader in Pakistan and Bangladesh, a rural based self-educated person.
Abdu Hamid Khan Bhashani, born in 1880 in Dhangara, Bangladesh), was the son of Haji Sharafat Ali Khan. He gained immense popularity among peasants. Owing to his sympathy for the progressive forces, deemed close to socialists/communists, he was nicknamed as "Red Maulana".
He is regarded as the proponent of secular and left leaning politics in current days Bangladesh.: He was the founder and President of the Pakistan Awami Muslim League which later became Awami League (AL). Later however, owing to differences with the right leaning leaders in the AML, such as Shahid Suhrawardy on the issue of autonomy for East Pakistan, he formed a new progressive party called National Awami Party (NAP). He also differed with Suhrawardhy when he as Prime Minister of Pakistan decided to join the US-led defence pact CENTO and SEATO. The split among the progressive camp into pro-Moscow and pro-Peiking factions eventually led to the breakup of NAP into two separate parties; the pro-Moscow faction being led by Prof. Muzaffar Ahmed. After Pakistan's 1965 war with India, he showed some support for Field Marshal Ayub Khan's regime for its China-leaning foreign policy; but later he gave the leadership to mass uprising against the regime in 1968-69 with support from Fatima Jinnah.
In 1880, AHK Bhashani was born in Serajgonj, presently a district, formerly a subdivision under Pabna. During 1907-09 he received religious education at the Deoband Madrasah. In 1914 he revolted against the Christian missionaries in the Netrakona and Sherpur areas of the then East Bengal. Because of his educational background he received the title Maulana.
Sheikh Mujib and Maulana Bhashani (4th person from right) in a protest march in 1953
On 31 January 1952 he formed the "All Party Language movement Committee" at the Dhaka Bar Library. The National Democratic Front was established under his leadership on 4 December 1953. He renamed Awami Muslim League as the Awami League by removing "Muslim" from its official name in the council session of Awami League held on 21–23 October 1953. In 1956 Bhashani carried out a large hunger strike in demand of food for the famine affected people from 7 to 23 May.
He organized the Cooperative for the Cultivators of East Pakistan on 2–3 January 1968. He was elected the founder Chairman. On 15 June 1968 Bhashani founded the Cooperative for the Provincial Fish Tradesmen at Dhaka Bar library. On 12 October of the same year, he was arrested by President General Ayub Khan's government from the Mirzapur hospital, Tangail.
In 1967 Bhashani protested against the governmental ban against Rabindranath Tagore. In 1969 Bhashani launched movement to withdraw the Agartala Conspiracy Case and for the release of Sheikh Mujib and other co-accused persons which eventually accelerated the fall of Ayub Khan. When the war of liberation started on 26 March 1971, Maulana Bhasani went to India. He did not return to Bangladesh until its independence.
The Muslim League Government both in the centre and the province of East Pakistan lost considerable popularity after the Language Movement of 1952. It was seen as a political party and a government that were not capable or interested in protecting the interest of East Pakistan. In 1954, election was going to be held in the province and a new political force emerged to challenge the Muslim League. It was called Jukta Front (United Front) and comprised the party of Maulana Bhashani, the firebrand left-oriented leader and Krishak Sramik Party of A. K. Fazlul Huq, former Prime Minister of Bengal. The Awami League, under Shahid Suhrawardy also joined the alliance. Soon there was a grounds swell of a popular movement supporting the Jukta Front. Under the umbrella of Jukta Front Maulana Bhashani played a vital role in spearheading opposition to West Pakistan dominated politics.
In the elections of 1954, Jukta Front successfully defeated Muslim League and its leader Prime minister Nurul Amin lost his parliament seat to a young student leader Mr. Khaleque Nawaz Khan and jukto front formed the provincial government of East Pakistan. However, the government was arbitrarily dismissed and all leaders except Maulana Bhashani eventually submitted to the West Pakistani decision-makers, including A. K. Fazlul Huq and Shahid Suhrawardy. [citation required]
Moulana Bhashani wanted to play the role of a responsible opposition. The progressive forces quickly gathered around him and strengthened his NAP with Kazi Zafar Ahmed as its General Secretary. But soon factional differences among the progressive forces emerged and weakened Moulana Bhashani.
Unfortunately, the new government of Bangladesh failed to utilize the organizational and public opinion making capacity of Moulana Bhashani. Instead he was always under suspicion, although he provided constructive advices to the government. He was highly critical of the oppressive style of the government and its extrajudicial killings of the left-leaning activists.
Unfortunately that was not heeded. He also warned Sheikh Mujibur Rahman against his move towards a one party state and declaring himself as life-long president. He could not believe that a person like Sheikh Mujib who fought all his life for a multi-party democracy could do that. He saw the destruction of Mujib in this action. Bhashani was deeply shocked at the killing of Mujib, for whom he had a lot of fatherly affection, and his family members. The person who conveyed the news of Mujib's demise described how the Moulana cried and then went to his prayer room to offer prayer.
Daily Ittafaq has been the most popular Bengali newspaper of Bangladesh since early 1970s. However its precursor is Weekly Ittefaq. After the British left South Asia in 1947, Muslim League emerged as the government political party. Soon opposition movement started and a political party named Awami Muslim League was founded with Bhashani as one of the central figures. In this backdrop Maulana Bhashani started publishing the Weekly Ittefaq in 1949. It was an ardent critique of the Muslim League government. The weekly soon became popular. The journalist Tofazzal Hossain Manik Mian worked as its editor. It remains ambiguous under what circumstances Manik Mian started to use his own name as the owner of the weekly turned a daily.
On February 25, 1972, Bhashani started publishing a weekly Haq Katha and it soon gained wide circulation. It was outspoken about the irregularities and mis-rule of Awami League government established after independence of Bangladesh. Rampant corruption by Awami League politicians were boldy reported. In consequence the weekly was soon banned by Sheikh Mujib. It was edited by Irfanul Bari, Bhashani's subordinate.
In May 1976 the charismatic leader at his 90's led a massive Long–March demanding demolition of the Farakka Barrage constructed by India to divert flow of Ganges waters inside its territory, triggering the drying up of river Padma and desertification of Bangladesh. It was the first popular movement against India demanding a rightful distribution of the Ganges's water. Since then Historic Farakka Long March Day is observed on 16 March every year in Bangladesh. The-then government of Bangladesh unofficially supported Bhashani's Farakka Long March. Navy-chief Rear Admiral M. H. Khan in charge of providing logistics. Hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life from all over the country gathered in Rajshahi town to participate in the Long March.
On the morning of 16 March 1976, he addressed a mammoth gathering of people at the Madrash Miadan, Rajshahi, from where the Long March commenced. Hundreds of thousands of people walked more than 100 kilometers on foot for days. The March continued up to Kansat, a place near the India-Bangladesh border, close to the Farakka barrage.
Once again, Moulana Bhashani played a leading role at a critical juncture of the nation's history by raising the awareness about India's hegemonic attitude. His legacy continues with the national resistance against India's other dam projects in the upstrem of common rivers.
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