Miah, Md Fazle Rabbi

Md. Fazle Rabbi Miah

Miah, Md. Fazle Rabbi (1946-2022) lawyer, politician and Freedom Fighter. He was born on 15 April 1946 at the village Gotia of Saghata upazila under Gaibandha district. His father’s name was Md. Faizar Rahman and mother was Mst. Hamidunnesa. He passed the Matriculation from Vorotkhali High School of Saghata in 1961 and the Intermediate from Gaibandha Government College in 1963. After achieving his BA degree from the same college in 1965, he got admitted into the Department of Law, Dhaka University and obtained LLB degree from that Department in 1968.

Md. Fazle Rabbi Miah started his professional carrier as a lawyer. In 1968, he achieved the Bangladesh Bar Association certificate and joined as a lawyer at Gaibandha BAR. Then, he obtained the membership of Supreme Court BAR in 1988.

Fazle Rabbbi Miah, being a member of politically conscious family, joined politics in his early age. When he was a student of class 8 at Vorotkhali High School, he led a procession and protest against the imposition of martial law by Ayub Khan in 1958. He participated directly in the protests against the Sharif Education Commission Report in 1962 when he was a student of Gaibandha Government College. He was also the Convener of Gaibandha Government College Chhatra League (the organization under the name ‘Agradut’ at that time because Ayub government had banned party politics). He was elected organizational secretary of the Students Welfare Association of Rangpur District in Dhaka University. He was the founding general secretary of Gaibandha district Jubo League.

Rabbi Miah was elected Member of Parliament from Gaibandha-5 electoral constituency as a candidate of Jatiya Party in the 1986, 1988, 1991 and 1996 parliamentary elections. He acted as the Whip of Jatiya Party in the fourth national parliament (19888). He was the State Minster for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs of Ershad government in 1990. He worked as a member of the Public Affairs Committee and Standing Committee on the Ministry of Postal and Telecommunication in the seventh parliament (1996).

In 2001, he joined the Bangladesh Awami League and was elected a member of the central executive committee. He was elected Member of Parliament from Gaibandha-5 constituency an Awami League candidate in the 2008, 2014 and 2018 parliamentary elections. He was the chairman of the Public Affairs Committee and Standing Committee on the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, and member of the Rules of Procedure Committee, Business Advisory Committee and Special Committee formed with a view to amending the Constitution in the ninth parliament (2009). He was elected the Deputy Speaker in the tenth (2014) and eleventh (2019) parliaments.

Fazle Rabbi Miah participated in the Bangladesh Liberation War as a Freedom Fighter in Sector-11. He played a key role in inspiring the local people to participate in the Liberation War. He worked in the Revenue Department (temporary office was situated at Mollar Char) of the mujibnagar government.

Miah played a significant role in the social, educational and cultural development of Gaibandha district. He was the founding secretary of Gaibandha Law College (1979-1986), elected secretary of Gaibandha BAR Association (1978-1979), elected secretary of Gaibandha Red Crescent Society, first elected secretary of Gaibandha Shilpakala Academy, elected secretary and, then, president of Bangladesh Association for Voluntary Sterilization (BAVS) and joint secretary of Tennis Association. Miah was the founder of a number of schools, colleges and madrasas including Hamidunnesa Girls School and Arif Rabbi Polytechnic Institute of Saghata upazila and FR Girls High School of Phulpur upazila. He also formed the Saghata Diabetes Association for ensuring proper treatment of Diabetic patients.

Fazle Rabbi Miah spent most of the time of his life in politics and the parliament. He visited many countries in the world as member of parliamentary delegation. He achieved Dinesh Chandra Sen Gold Medal, Hello Kolkata Excellence Award and Epar Bangla-Opar Bangla Samajik Dorpon Award 2015 for his contributions. He breathed his last on 22 July 2022 while under treatment at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. [Abu Sufian]