Shawfikul Ghaani Swapan was a Bangladeshi politician and the former chairman of Bangladesh National Awami Party-Bangladesh NAP. During his political career, he served as a Member of Parliament twice, and held cabinet positions in both the Zia and Ershad Governments. His positions included serving as the State Minister of Defence, State Minister of Youth and Sports, Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism, and Minister of Housing and Public Works.

Early life

Swapan was born on the 11th of September, 1948 in Nilphamari Sadar, Nilphamari District. He was the eldest son of former Senior Minister Mashiur Rahman, also known as, Jadu Mia. He studied at

Notre Dame College Notre Dame College (Notre Dame College of Ohio or NDC) is a private Roman Catholic college in South Euclid, Ohio. Established in 1922 as a women's college, it has been coeducational since January 2001. Notre Dame College offers 30 majors and i ...

in Dhaka and later attended

Queen Mary, University of London , mottoeng = With united powers , established = 1785 – The London Hospital Medical College1843 – St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College1882 – Westfield College1887 – East London College/Queen Mary College , type = Public researc ...

for his higher studies, going on to graduate in 1968. He was married to Nazhat Ghani Shabnam.

Career

In 1979, on the 10th of May, he won the by-election in

Rangpur-1 Rangpur-1 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh since 2014 by Moshiur Rahman Ranga of the Jatiya Party (Ershad). Boundaries The constituency encompasses Gangachhara Upazila and wards 1 through ...

(the current Nilphamari-1 constituency) as the candidate of the

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 ...

, after the seat was left vacant due to the passing of his father, Mashiur Rahman. On January 1, 1986, when the Jatiya Party (E) was formed, he was a founding member and made the Organizing Secretary of the party. Later that year, during the general election, he ran in both the

Rangpur-3 Rangpur-3 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh. Saad Ershad is the current MP of this constituency. Boundaries The constituency encompasses Rangpur Sadar Upazila and wards 9 through 33 of Rang ...

and Nilphamari-1 constituencies as the Jatiya Party (E) candidate, going on to win both seats. Consequently, in line with the constitution, he surrendered the Nilphamari-1 seat (triggering a by-election in the constituency) and went on to represent Rangpur Sadar (

) in parliament, once again becoming a Member of Parliament. From the mid to late 1980s, Swapan served as a Cabinet Member of President Ershad's Jatiya Party (E) government, holding many different portfolios. Throughout this period, he was made responsible for the

Ministry of Youth and Sports A Ministry of Sports or Ministry of Youth and Sports is a kind of government ministry found in certain countries with responsibility for the regulation of sports, particularly those participated in by young people. The Ministry of Youth and Sp ...

(1984-1985),

Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism ( bn, বেসামরিক বিমান পরিবহন ও পর্যটন মন্ত্রণালয়, translit=Bēsāmarika bimāna paribahana ō paryaṭana mantraṇālaẏa) is a ...

(1985-1986), and the

Ministry of Housing and Public Works The Ministry of Housing and Public Works ( bn, গৃহায়ন ও গণপূর্ত মন্ত্রণালয়; ''Gr̥hāẏana ō gaṇapūrta mantraṇālaẏa'') is a ministry of the government of the People's Republic of Ba ...

(1986-1988). During this time, he also briefly served as the State Minister of Defence. In December 2006, he revived the Bhashani branch of the National Awami Party (NAP) as Bangladesh National Awami Party-Bangladesh NAP, the party had been dissolved in the late 70s after his father, Mashiur Rahman, joined the Nationalist Front (later BNP) with a large portion of the party. Swapan led the party as its chairman until his death. After his death, his eldest son, Jebel Rahman Ghaani, was elected the chairman of the party.

Death

Swapan passed away on the 23rd of August, 2009 in a hospital in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city i ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

. His janaza (funeral prayer) was held at the South Plaza of the

Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban or National Parliament House, ( bn, জাতীয় সংসদ ভবন ''Jatiyô Sôngsôd Bhôbôn'') is the house of the Parliament of Bangladesh, located at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka. ...

(National Parliament House) after which he was taken to his ancestral home in Dimla, Nilphamari where another janaza was held before he was finally laid to rest at his family graveyard in Dimla.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swapan, Shafiqul Ghani National Awami Party politicians Housing and Public Works ministers of Bangladesh Civil Aviation and Tourism ministers of Bangladesh Youth and Sports ministers of Bangladesh People from Nilphamari District 2nd Jatiya Sangsad members 3rd Jatiya Sangsad members 2009 deaths 1948 births