Jalil, Abdul
Jalil, Abdul (1949-2013) prominent politician, Awami League leader, one of the organizers of War of Liberation, former MP and Minister, popularly known as ‘Jalil of Naogaon’. Abdul Jalil was born on 21 January in 1941 at Chakder village in Naogaon upazila sadar in Naogaon Sub-division (now district). His father’s name was Faizuddin Ahmed and his mother was Zarina Faiz. Faizuddin Ahmed was a businessman.
Abdul Jalil had his early education up to class five in a local primary school. He passed his Matriculation in 1957 from Naogaon KD government High School and Intermediate from Rajshahi College. Thereafter he got admitted in Dhaka University from where he obtained BA (Honours) and Masters degrees in Political Science in 1963 and 1964, respectively. After the completion of his university education, he went to London to study for the degree of Bar-at-law and got himself admitted in the Lincoln Inn. But, leaving his study unfinished, he returned home in 1969 at the call of Bangabandhu and joined in active politics. At that time, the Pakistan was on the verge of political explosion.
Following Bangabandhu’s clarion call to the Bengalis in his Seven March Address for preparing themselves for the impending final struggle for their national emancipation from the Pakistani colonial style of rule and exploitation, Jalil started organizing people in greater northern Bengal including Naogaon to this end. As Bangabandhu declared straightway Bangladesh’s independence in early hours of 26 March 1971 before his arrest at the hands of the Pakistani commandos, Jalil first engaged in building up resistances against the Pakistani army. At one stage, he crossed the border and went to India with his people for higher training. There he undertook the responsibility of some training camps adjoining the border areas from Indian side.
In the post-independent Bangladesh, Jalil was elected MP on Awami League ticket in the first elections held in 1973 under the Bangabandhu government. He was elected MP for four times (1973, 1986, 2008 and 2013). He was also elected Chairman of Naogaon Municipality for two terms.
After the barbaric assassination of Bangabandhu on 15 August 1975, Jalil was arrested, and he spent 4 years behind the bar until he was released in 1979. He played a significant role in the movement against General Ershad’s autocratic rule.
In 1981, Jalil was elected International Affairs Secretary of Awami League. He was one of the Joint Secretaries of the party during 1987-1996. From 1997 to 2001, he was a member of the Presidium, General Secretary of Awami League during 2002-2007 and member of its Advisory Council from 2009 till his death in 2013. It may be mentioned that he was the Minister for Commerce in Sheikh Hasina’s first government during 1996-2001.
In 2007, Abdul Jalil was arrested, when the country was under the rule of the so-called army –backed Caretaker Government, which was indeed an army government in camouflage. While in custody, he was forced, as he alleged later, by the regime to issue a statement against the party chief, Sheikh Hasina. This created a gap between him and the party.
Besides politics, Abdul Jalil was involved in banking business. He was the founder Chairman of the Mercantile Bank Limited (est. 1999). In 2002, he was elected Chairman of the Bank for the second and in 2009 for the third times.
Abdul Jalil had been suffering from kidney disease since long. He died on 6 March 2013 in the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore, where he was then under treatment. He was buried in the family graveyard in his village. He left behind two wives, 2 daughters and 2 sons. His eldest son, Nizamuddin Jalil (John) is currently an MP on Awami League ticket from his father’s constituency. [Harun-or-Rashid]
Source Member Directory: Ninth Parliament of Bangladesh, June 2009; Harun-or-Rashid, Muldharar Rajniti [mainstream politics]: Bangladesh Awami League Council 1949-2016, (Bangla Academy 2016)
