Abu Naser Muhammad Gaziul Haque (13 February 1929 – 17 June 2009) was a language activist and an activist leader during the Bengali Language Movement.

Early life and education

Haque was born in Nichintapur village of

Chhagalnaiya Upazila Chhagalnaiya ( bn, ছাগলনাইয়া) is an upazila of Feni District in the Division of Chittagong, Bangladesh. Chhagalnaiya lies in the southern part of the district, bordering Tripura and Mirsharai Upazila of Chittagong. It is ric ...

Feni district Feni is a district located in southeastern Bangladesh. It was a part of the Greater Noakhali, Comilla, Chittagong and Tripura. , the district's estimated population stood at 1,437,371, making it the ninth-most populous district in Chittagong Divis ...

to Nurjahan Begum and Sirajul Haque. He got his early education from Kashipur School, and completed his matriculation examination from

Bogra Zilla School Bogra Zilla School ( bn, বগুড়া জিলা স্কুল) is one of the oldest high schools in the Bogra District of Bangladesh and one of the top-ranked schools in the country. It provides education from class three (Grade-3) to c ...

in 1946. He passed intermediate of arts examination from

Azizul Haque College Government Azizul Haque College in Bogura is a higher secondary school and college under the National University of Bangladesh. It is one of the largest educational institutions in Bangladesh's northern region. History The college was establis ...

in 1948. He completed his bachelor's and masters' in history 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 1951 and 1952 respectively and LLB degree from the same university in 1956. Next year in September he joined the Democracy Summit 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 ...

. He was the chairman of the procession of a news published in the English daily ''Morning News''.

Career

Since his early days, Haque was involved in different progressive movements. He was arrested in 1942 for replacing a Union Jack with a Muslim League flag flying on a government building in Ramna. In 1944, he was elected a president of Bengali Muslim Chhatra League of

Bogra District Bogra District, officially known as Bogura District, is a district in the northern part of Bangladesh, in the Rajshahi Division. Bogra is an industrial city where many small and mid-sized companies are sited. Bogra was a part of the ancient Pun ...

. He led a procession in the University of Dhaka campus in protest of the statement of the then chief minister

Khwaja Nazimuddin Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin ( bn, খাজা নাজিমুদ্দীন; ur, ; 19 July 1894 – 22 October 1964) was a Pakistani politician and one of the leading founding fathers of Pakistan. He is noted as being the first Bengali to hav ...

on 30 January 1952 on the language issue.Ahmed, Monowar. ''Bhasha Andoloner Shochitro Dolil'', Agamee Prokashani, pp. 110 Haque presided over the historic Amtala meeting held on 21 February 1952. The decision to violate section 144 of the criminal procedure code was taken in realizing the demand for making

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

a state language of Pakistan. The action led to

Language Movement Day (''Bhasha Andolôn Dibôs'') , nickname = bn, শহীদ দিবস (''Shôhid Dibôs'') , duration = 1 day , frequency = Annual , observedby = Bangladesh and Bengali speakers in India and elsewhere , date = 21 Feb ...

. Haque was imprisoned in 1953, 1954 and 1975 for various causes. In April 1971, he along with 27 freedom fighters attacked the Aria Cantonment in North Bengal and liberated it. The battle is also known as Chili-fight. Haque was a regular member of the

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 ...

Advisory Committee and also one of the founders of ''Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee''. He was also the chairman of Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) and Bogra Hamdard Unani Medical College and Hospital.

Works

* Jeler Kabita (1969) * Ebarer Sangram Swadhinatar Sangram(1971) * Egiye Cholo (1971) * Bangladesh Unchained (1971) * Media Laws and Regulations in Bangladesh (1992) * Muhammad Sultan (1994) * Bangladesh-er Gena Medhaym Ain o Bidhimala (1996) * Uchcha Adalate Bangla (2003)

Awards

* Pabna Theatre Prize (1977) * State Language Padak (1993) * Bhasha Sainik Padak (1997) * Sipep Gold medal (1999) * Bangla Academy Fellowship (1999) * Bishwa Bangali Conference Prize (2000) *

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 ...

(2000) * Jahanara Imam Padak (2001) * Bangabandhu Padak (2003) * Sher-e-Bangla National Award (2004) The University of Dhaka conferred him the Honoris Causa Doctorate of Laws degree in 2008

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haque, Gaziul 1929 births 2009 deaths People from Feni District University of Dhaka alumni Bengali language movement activists Recipients of the Ekushey Padak Honorary Fellows of Bangla Academy