Ataur Rahman Khan ( bn, আতাউর রহমান খান; 1 July 1907 – 7 December 1991) was a Bangladeshi lawyer, politician and writer, and served as
Chief Minister of East Pakistan
The East Pakistan Provincial Assembly, known as the East Bengal Legislative Assembly between 1947 and 1955, was the provincial legislature of East Pakistan between 1947 and 1971. It was known as the East Bengal Assembly from 1947 to 1955 when the ...
from 1 September 1956 – March 1958, and as the
Prime Minister of Bangladesh
The Prime Minister of Bangladesh ( bn, বাংলাদেশের প্রধানমন্ত্রী, translit=Bangladesher Prodhanmontri), officially Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজা ...
from 30 March 1984 to 9 July 1986.
Early life
Ataur Rahman Khan was born on 1 July 1905/1907 at Balia village,
Dhamrai Thana
Dhamrai ( bn, ধামরাই) is an upazila of Dhaka District in the Division of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Geography
Dhamrai Upazila is located about 40 kilometers northwest of the capital city of Dhaka. It is one of the six Upazilas of the Dhaka di ...
,
Dhaka District
Dhaka District ( bn, ঢাকা জেলা, Dhaka jela) is a district in central Bangladesh, and is the densest district in the nation. It is a part of the Dhaka Division. Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, and rests on the eastern banks o ...
,
East Bengal
ur,
, common_name = East Bengal
, status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan
, p1 = Bengal Presidency
, flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg
, s1 = East ...
,
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
.
He pgraduated from
Pogose School
Pogose Laboratory School and College, IER, Jagannath University ( bn, পোগোজ ল্যাবরেটরি স্কুল এন্ড কলেজ ,আ.ই.আর,জগন্নাথ বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়) was es ...
in Dhaka in 1924.
He then graduated from
Jagannath College
Jagannath University (JnU) ( bn, জগন্নাথ বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় ''Jagannātha biśbabidyālaẏa'', University Acrostic : জবি or JnU) is a state-funded public university at 9–10, Chittaranjan Avenue in Sa ...
in 1927.
He obtained Bachelors degree in economics and law from the
University of Dhaka
The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...
in 1930 and 1936 respectively.
Career
Khan joined the Dhaka District Bar in 1937. He then joined the judicial branch of the Civil Service as a
Munsiff in 1942 where he worked till 1944.
He joined the
Krishak Praja Samiti and served as the secretary of the Dhaka District unit.
In 1944, he joined the
All India Muslim League
The All-India Muslim League (AIML) was a political party established in Dhaka in 1906 when a group of prominent Muslim politicians met the Viceroy of British India, Lord Minto, with the goal of securing Muslim interests on the Indian subcontin ...
.
He served as the Vice President of the
Manikganj
Manikganj is a district situated in Dhaka Division, Bangladesh. Manikganj is one of the green and pollution free towns in Bangladesh. The recent urbanization and highway built joining Dhaka and Shingair Upazilla has given it an outstanding road ...
unit of the Muslim League.
Khan joined the creation of the Awami Muslim League in 1949 and served as it's vice-President till 1964.
He was a leader of the
Sarbadaliya Chhatra Sangram Parishad
Sarbadaliya Chhatra Sangram Parishad (All Party Student Action Committee) was a student organisation that was formed to demand autonomy of East Pakistan and the removal of Ayub Khan from power. It also called for the restoration of democracy in 196 ...
who played the lead role in the
Bengali Language movement in 1952 for making Bengali Language a state language of Pakistan.
In 1954, Khan was the joint convenor of the
United Front
A united front is an alliance of groups against their common enemies, figuratively evoking unification of previously separate geographic fronts and/or unification of previously separate armies into a front. The name often refers to a political a ...
which won the Provincial election.
He himself was elected to the East Bengal Legislative Assembly and made the Ministry of Civil Supplies in the United Front government under
A. K. Fazlul Huq.
In 1955, He was elected to the
Constituent Assembly of Pakistan
The Constituent Assembly of Pakistan ( bn, পাকিস্তান গণপরিষদ, Pākistān Goṇoporishod; ur, , Aāin Sāz Asimblī) was established in August 1947 to frame Constitution of Pakistan of 1956, a constitution for Paki ...
.
From 1955 to 1956, he was the leader of the opposition in the East Pakistan Provincial Assembly.
After Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy became
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Paki ...
got
Abu Hossain Sarkar to resign as Chief Minister of East Pakistan so that Khan could replace him. Khan formed government of East Pakistan on 1 September 1956 and became the Chief Minister of
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Scheme, One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India ...
.
He found himself in a power struggle with the Awami League General Secretary Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Sheikh Mujib was more popular with Awami League party workers than Khan.
His government lasted until March 1958.
On 31 March 1958, Governor
A. K. Fazlul Huq removed Khan from the post of chief Minister and appointed Abu Hossain Sarkar.
Huq was removed from the post of governor by President
Iskander Mirza
Sahibzada Iskander Ali Mirza ( bn, ইস্কান্দার আলী মির্জা; ur, ; 13 November 1899 – 13 November 1969), , was a Pakistani Bengali general officer and civil servant who was the first President of Pakis ...
and Khan was back as the Chief Minister of East Pakistan in 12 hours.
Presidents rule was declared and two months later Khan was again Chief Minister.
There was a brawl in the East Bengal Legislative Assembly in which Deputy Speaker Shahed Ali Patwary was killed and General
Ayub Khan
Ayub Khan is a compound masculine name; Ayub is the Arabic version of the name of the Biblical figure Job, while Khan or Khaan is taken from the title used first by the Mongol rulers and then, in particular, their Islamic and Persian-influenced s ...
took over power in Pakistan when martial law was declared in Pakistan.
He had been removed and restored to the post of Chief Minister three times in one year. He and Suhrawardy's central and provincial government was criticised by
Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani
Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani (12 December 1880 – 17 November 1976), often shortened as Maulana Bhashani, was a Bengali politician. His political tenure spanned the British colonial India, Pakistan and Bangladesh periods.
Maulana Bhashani was pop ...
, leader of the leftist fraction of Awami League, while supported by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the leader of the nationalist fraction of Awami League. He worked
Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy under the
National Democratic Front to restore democracy to Pakistan.
Khan had succeed Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy as President of Awami League in 1963 further deteriorating relationship with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. In 1969, he was elected president of Dhaka High Court Bar Association.
In 1969, he created a new political party called
Jatiya League over differences with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
In 1970, Khan contested the elections for the national assembly but lost.
During the
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...
, Khan was detained for six months by Pakistan Army and released in September.
After the Independence of Bangladesh, he was elected to the parliament of Bangladesh in 1973.
In 1975, he joined the Sheikh Mujibur Rahman lead
Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League government.
He revived his Jatiya League after the government was removed from power in a series of coups.
Khan was elected to parliament in 1979.
He campaigned against the rule General
Hussain Mohammad Ershad
Lt. Gen. Hussain Muhammad Ershad ( bn, হুসেইন মুহাম্মদ এরশাদ; 1 February 1930 – 14 July 2019) was a Bangladeshi Army Chief politician who served as the President of Bangladesh from 1983 to 1990, a time ma ...
before joining him. He was made the
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
in 1984 which office he held until 1 January 1985.
Bibliography
* ''Ojarotir Dui Bochhor'' (1963)
* ''Shoiracharer Dosh Bochhor'' (1969)
* ''Prodhan-Montritter Noi Maash'' (1987)
* ''Oboruddhor Noi Maash'' (1990).
Death
Khan died in Dhaka on 7 December 1991 at the age of 86
and is buried inside Parliament grounds.
His son,
Ziaur Rahman Khan (died 2021), was a member of parliament from
Bangladesh Nationalist Party
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী দল, Bangladesh Jātīyotābādī Dol; BNP) is a centre-right to right-wing nationalist, political party in Bangladesh and one of the major ...
.
His son and grandson were denied access to the grave without a security pass by the police guarding the parliament.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party organizes remembrance events on his death anniversary.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rahman Khan, Ataur
1991 deaths
Jatiya Party politicians
Prime Ministers of Bangladesh
1905 births
People of East Pakistan
Krishak Sramik Party politicians
People from Dhaka District
Pakistani MNAs 1955–1958
20th-century Bengalis
Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League central committee members
Chief Ministers of East Pakistan
University of Dhaka alumni
Pogose School alumni