Khaleque Nawaz Khan (26 March 1926 – 2 October 1971) was a Bangladeshi language activist, politician and lawyer belonging to

Awami League In Urdu language, Awami is the adjectival form for '' Awam'', the Urdu language word for common people. The adjective appears in the following proper names: *Awami Colony, a neighbourhood of Landhi Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan *Awami Front, wa ...

. He was a member of the

East Bengal Legislative Assembly 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 ...

. He was conferred with

Ekushey Padak Ekushey Padak ( bn, একুশে পদক; lit. "Twentyfirst Award") is the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, introduced in memory of the martyrs of the Bengali Language Movement of 1952. The award is given to recognize contribut ...

posthumously in 2008 for his contribution to the Language Movement.

Biography

Khan was born on 26 March 1926 at Achargaon in Nandail of

Mymensingh Mymensingh ( bn, ময়মনসিংহ) is the capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of Brahmaputra River, about north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center and educational hub of north ...

. His father Elahi Nawaz Khan was a sub deputy magistrate and his mother Altafunnesa was a housewife. He completed matriculation from Nandail Chandipasha High School in 1942. Later, he completed intermediate studies from Islamia College in 1944. After that, he got admitted into

Dhaka University 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 ...

graduated from there in 1948. Later, he received LLB degree from there in 1952. During his student life he was elected as the vice president of Baker Hostel Students' Union in 1944. He was the founding general secretary of East Pakistan Muslim Chhatra League. Khan took part in the Language Movement. He was a member of the

Rastrabhasa Sangram Parishad The Rashtrabhasha Sangram Parishad (''National Language Action Committee'') was an organisation founded by Bengali politicians and intellectuals to agitate for the recognition of the Bengali language by the Government of Pakistan. It was established ...

. He took part in picketing on 11 January 1948 as a part of

hartal Hartal () is a term in many Indian languages for a strike action that was first used during the Indian independence movement (also known as the nationalist movement) of the early 20th century. A hartal is a mass protest, often involving a total sh ...

and he was arrested for this. Khan also took part in the Language Movement in February 1952. An arrest warrant was issued against him on 28 February 1952. Later, he was arrested. He was released in January 1953. Khan was elected as a member of the

in 1954. He beat then

Chief Minister of East Bengal 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 ...

Nurul Amin Nurul Amin ( bn, নুরুল আমিন; ur, ; 15 July 1893 – 2 October 1974) was a prominent Pakistani leader, and a jurist who served as the eighth prime minister of Pakistan and as the first and only vice president of Pakistan. He ...

in the election. Khan died on 2 October 1971 at the age of 45. After his death he was conferred with

posthumously in 2008 for his contribution to the Language Movement.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Khaleque Nawaz 1926 births 1971 deaths People from Mymensingh District 20th-century Pakistani lawyers Awami League politicians University of Dhaka alumni Bengali language movement activists Recipients of the Ekushey Padak