Ahmad, Mozaffar1

Mozaffar Ahmad

Ahmad, Mozaffar¹ (1922-2019) politician, President of NAP (Mozaffar), organizer of the Liberation War, one of the prominent members of the Advisory Council of the Government of Bangladesh (mujibnagar government) during the Liberation War, former Member of Parliament. He was born on 14 April 1922 at Alahabad village of Devidwar upazila in Comilla district. His father's name is Kayam Uddin Bhuiyan. Mother’s name is Afzar Nessa.

Mozaffar Ahmad studied up to class 5 at Hossaintala Primary School in Devidwar. After studying at Jafarganj Raja Institution for some time, he was admitted to Devidwar Riaz Uddin Pilot High School. From there he passed matriculation in 1939. He got involved in student politics while studying in high school. He passed Intermediate from Comilla Victoria College in 1941. After that, he obtained BA (Honours) and MA in Economics from Dhaka University. Then he taught in Chittagong and Dhaka Colleges for a few years. He joined the teaching profession in the Department of Economics of Dhaka University in 1952. He played an important role in the language movement. Quitting teaching as Professor in 1954, he got fully involved in politics. Professor Mozaffar Ahmad contested the 1954 elections from Devidwar constituency in Comilla on the nomination of the united front and was elected a member of the East Bengal Legislative Assembly, defeating the influential candidate of the Muslim League, Mofiz Uddin Ahmad, by a large margin.

In 1957, when the new political party in the name of Pakistan National Awami Party (NAP) was founded under the leadership of maulana abdul hamid khan bhasani, Mozaffar Ahmad was elected joint secretary of the central committee of NAP. An order of arrest on sight called ‘hulia’ was issued against him by the Ayub government in 1958 for playing an important role in the anti-regime movement and a reward was announced for his arrest. Anyway, risked his life, he continued the movement against the military government from hide-out. In 1966, when the Ayub government lifted hulia, Professor Mozaffar Ahmad returned to open politics. At that time, as bangabandhu sheikh mujibur rahman announced the Six-point charter of Bengalis’ liberation, he had his support for it.

In 1967, the National Awami Party (NAP) split into two factions, pro-Peking and pro-Moscow. Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani became the President of the pro-Peking NAP and Khan Abdul Wali Khan of Frontier Province became the President of the pro-Moscow NAP. Professor Mozaffar Ahmad became the President of pro-Moscow NAP of East Pakistan. He was arrested on 29 January 1969 for leading anti-Ayub movement and was released a few days later.

The Awami League under the leadership of Bangabandhu won the majority seats in the 1970 National Assembly elections. On 1 March 1971, resorting to conspiracy, Yahya Khan announced the postponement of the National Assembly session scheduled to be held in Dhaka 3 March. On that night both Bangabandhu and Professor Mozaffar Ahmad sat in a closed-door meeting at the house 32, Dhanmondi. They discussed the prevailing political situation and future plan. In order to get moral support to the mass movement, Bangbandhu called upon Professor Mozaffar Ahmad to take up the matter with West Pakistani NAP leaders. Till 25 March, Mozaffar Ahmad had intimate contact with Bangabandhu. After the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh took oath at Meherpur in Kushtia district on 17 April 1971, he gave his full support to this government.

Professor Mozaffar Ahmad played an important role as one of the organizers of the Liberation War. He inspired many leaders and activists of NAP and its student front to participate in the Liberation War. The house in his native Alahabad village was a training camp for Freedom Fighters. During the Liberation War, the Bangladesh government formed an 8-member Advisory Council consisting of leaders of various political parties. Professor Mozaffar Ahmad was one of its members. On behalf of his party, he sent a letter to the leaders of the like-minded political parties of the socialist countries in the world, highlighting the massacre and destruction by the Pakistani invading forces inside Bangladesh, seeking immediate intervention of their governments against it. He visited different countries of the world to garner international support and build public opinion for the Liberation War. He represented the government of Bangladesh in the United Nations. A weekly newspaper named ‘Natun Bangla’ was published from 19 July 1971 under his leadership. The magazine contained war news as well as NAP’s assessment of the Liberation War. Thus, he played an important role in the national liberation struggle of the Bengalis.

In 1979, Professor Mozaffar Ahmad was elected a member of the Parliament. In 1981, he participated in the Presidential election on the ‘cottage’ symbol but was defeated. He was very active in the movement against the Ershad regime for which he was put behind bars. He established a research center named ‘Social Science Parishad’ in Madanpur, Dhaka in 1983 under the patronage of academician Principal Saidur Rahman with the aim of involving party workers into nation building and progressive politics. Professor Mozaffar Ahmad was a calligrapher.

He is the author of a number of books, mainly on politics and his thought, which included ‘Samajtantra Shomporke Janar Katha’, first volume (1978) and second volume (1980), ‘Kichu Katha’ (1991), ‘Muktir Path’ (2007), ‘Shomoyer Konthosshor’ (2017), etc. In 2015, the Government of Bangladesh announced the award of ‘Swadhinata Padak’ for him. But he did not accept it.

Veteran politician Professor Mozaffar Ahmad passed away on 23 August 2019. He was buried at his home graveyard in Allahabad village. His wife Amina Ahmed is a women leader, a former Member of Parliament from reserved seat in the Jatiya Sangsad and currently the President of NAP. The only daughter of this couple is Ivy Ahmed. [Shafiuddin Talukder].

References Harun-or-Rashid (ed.), Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation (in Bengali), 1st, 7th and 8th volumes, (Bangladesh Asiatic Society, Dhaka, 2020); HT Imam, Government of Bangladesh 1971 (in Bengali), (Bangla Academy, Dhaka, 2012); Interview with Paritosh Debnath, International Affairs Secretary of National Awami Party (Mozaffar).