Ahmad, Nizamuddin

Ahmad, Nizamuddin (1929-1971) journalist, martyr intellectual. He was born in 1929 at village Mawa in Munshiganj district. He passed Matriculation examination from Kazirpagla Abhoykumar Talukdar School and IA from Haraganga College, Munshiganj. He obtained BA (Hons) in Economics from Dhaka University in 1952.

Nizamuddin Ahmad was in journalism from his student life. On completion of his academic career he took to journalism as his profession. He served in the Civil and Military Gazette of Lahore, Daily Millat of Dhaka, Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) and in several other news agencies. He joined the Pakistan Press International (PPI) in 1959. With the opening of branch of this news agency in Dhaka Nizamuddin Ahmed was made the editor of the unit. He was the General Manager of PPI in 1971. Besides, he worked as the Dhaka correspondent of United Press International (UPI), BBC and Associate Press of America. He was the member of a number organizations like Tuberculosis Association, Central Jute Board and Film Censor Board.

Along side his association with journalism, Nizamuddin was active in politics in his student life. In the 1960s he was involved in Muslim League (convention) politics for a few years. He was elected a member of the East Pakistan Provincial Assembly in 1965 as a nominee of Muslim League under basic democracies system. Later he became active in Anti-Ayub movement. From the very beginning of liberation war he dispatched the news of the atrocities and torture of the of Pakistan army to foreign journalists in various ways. When detected, he was interrogated thrice in the office of Major General Rao Forman Ali, the Adviser of the Governor of East Pakistan. On 12 December 1971, a team of the activists of Al-Badr abducted Nizamuddin Ahmad from his residence at Rokanpurn (Dhaka) and killed him. For his substantial contribution to journalism the cause of liberation war, the Government of Bangladesh awarded him the Ekushey Padak (Posthumously) in 1993. [Abu Md. Delwar Hossain]