Hamid, Khondakar Abdul

Hamid, Khondakar Abdul (1918-1983) journalist, politician. He was born on 1 March 1918 at village Kasba in Sherpur district. His father Khondakar Abdul Latif was the commissioner of Sherpur Municipality and his mother was Begum Amirunnesa. Abdul Hamid passed matriculation examination in 1935 from Govindapur Peace Memorial High School and IA examination from Ananda Mohan College in 1937. He obtained graduation in 1940 from Calcutta University. On completion of his educational career Abdul Hamid took to journalism. He had been the assistant editor of the Daily Ittehad of Kolkata in 1946-1948 and chairman of the Board of Editors of the Daily Millat from 1953 to 1956. He was appointed as editor of the Daily Azad in 1969. After the liberation of Bangladesh, Abdul Hamid joined the Daily Ittefaq as senior leader writer in 1973. He earned reputation for his column writing titled Manche Nepathye under pseudonym 'Spasta-bhashi' and for his post editorial column titled Mard-e-Momin in the Daily Ittefaq. Besides, he was associated with the paper Chashi published from Mymensingh, and in 1976 he published a Bangla weekly paper from London styled as Saptahik Bangladesh. He was appointed as chairman of the Board of Editors of Dainik Desh in 1982.

Alongside journalism Khondakar Abdul Hamid was active in politics. He joined Awami Muslim League in 1953. He was elected a member of the East Bengal Provincial Assembly in 1954 as a nominee of united front. After the promulgation of Section 92A in the province he was arrested and kept confined. Abdul Hamid was elected a member of the Provincial Assembly in 1965 as a nomince of Muslim League (Council). Inspite of his vital role in politics and journalism in the 1960s Khondakar Hamid had his own views about the War of Liberation. After Liberation he was arrested under the Collaborators Act and was released in 1973. He was elected a member of the Jatiya Sangsad in 1979 as a nominee of bangladesh nationalist party from Sherpur and was included in the cabinet of ziaur rahman in charge of the Ministry of Youth Development. He resigned from the cabinet in 1981. In 1982, he was included in the cabinet of President abdus sattar in charge of the Ministry of Health and Population Control, Labour Manpower and Social Welfare.

Khondaker Abdul Hamid was associated with a number of organisations. He was a member of the Board of Management of the Press Institute, member of Bangladesh Press Council and chairman of the Board of Directors of the Agricultural Bank.

In recognition of his contribution towards journalism he was awarded the 'Ekushe Padak' in 1977 by the Government of Bangladesh. He died on 22 October 1983. [Abu Md. Delwar Hossain]