Hamidul Huq Choudhury

Hamidul Huq Chowdhury (Bengali: হামিদুল হক চৌধুরী) (Urdu: حمید الحق چودھری‎) (1901–1992) was a Bangladeshi and Pakistani politician. He was the founder of Pakistan Observer which changed to Bangladesh Observer after Bangladesh Liberation War. He was educated in Dhaka and Calcutta, and had a varied, distinguished and at times controversial career as a lawyer, politician and newspaper proprietor.

Early life

Hamidul Huq Chowdhury was born in Ramnagar village, Daganbhuiyan upazila, Feni district, (now Bangladesh) during the British Raj in 1901.^[1] Hamidul Huq was educated at the Dacca Collegiate School in Dhaka, Scottish Church Collegiate School and Presidency College in Calcutta and the Law College of the University of Calcutta.^[1] He was admitted as an Advocate before the Calcutta High Court and served for a time as a Crown Prosecutor. Hamidul Huq also served as a Legal Remembrancer for the Calcutta High Court. Following Partition in 1947, he had a long and distinguished legal practice before the Pakistan and subsequently Bangladesh High Courts, and celebrated his Golden Jubilee (50 years) as an advocate and member of the legal profession in 1987, at his residence, Neerala Garden House, Tejgaon, in Dhaka.

Career

Hamidul Huq was elected to the Bengal Legislative Council in 1937 (serving as Deputy President of the Council) and was re-elected to the body in 1946. During his tenure on the Council, Hamidul Huq was a member of the Bengal Imperial Agriculture Council, Central Sugarcane Committee, Handloom Board, Textile Control Board and Industrial Development Enquiry Committee, and also a Fellow of Calcutta University. In 1947, Hamidul Huq represented the Muslim League before Sir Cyril Radcliffe's Boundary Commission.

Following partition in 1947, Hamidul Huq moved with his family to Dhaka, East Pakistan. Hamidul Huq started The Pakistan Observer in 11 March 1949.^[1] He was elected to the Pakistan Constitutional Assembly and was also a member of the East Bengal Legislative Assembly, during which time he served as the Minister for Finance, Commerce, Labour & Industries (1947–49). Subsequently, Hamidul was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan in 1955 as a leader of the Krishak Sramik Party^[1] and served as the third Foreign Minister of Pakistan (1955–56).^[2] Hamidul Huq participated in the Round Table Conference of Pakistani government and opposition leaders in Rawalpindi in 1969. In 1971, during the Bangladesh Liberation War, he was involved in the founding of the East Pakistan Central Peace Committee, members of the organization had been accused of participating in War Crimes. The committee's founding leader Ghulam Azam was convicted of War crimes in Bangladesh.^[3] He moved to West Pakistan During the war. He was stripped of his citizenship by the government of Bangladesh in 1972 after independence. He was allowed to return to Bangladesh in 1978 by the Bangladeshi Government.^[1]

Personal life

Hamidul Huq was married to Halima Banu. He died in Dhaka on 21 January 1992.

References

External links

• "Personalities of Bangladesh: Chowdhury, Hamidul Haq". Retrieved 2012-03-10. 
• Memoirs - Hamidul Huq Chowdhury. Retrieved 2012-03-10. 
• Pakistan's foreign policy - Hamidul Huq Chowdhury. Retrieved 2012-03-11.