Yusuf Ali Chowdhury
Encyclopedia
Yusuf Ali Chowdhury commonly referred to as Mohan Mia, was a prominent Bengali
Muslim
politician in South Asia
. He played an active role in the Pakistan Movement
as a leading figure of the Muslim League in Bengal
. He was a member of the Bengal Legislative Assembly in the 1930s and 1940s and also became a minister in the provincial government of East Bengal
led by Sher-e-Bangla A.K. Fazlul Huq in 1950s. Later on he went onto to become a Member of the National Assembly (MNA) of Pakistan
. As candidates suggested by him had won almost all the seats in the sweeping election of 1954 which propelled Bengali nationalists into the central government, Pakistan's press proclaimed Mohan Mia "The King Maker of East Pakistan" .
He became a champion of Bengali rights during the early days of Pakistan
. In 1954, under the orders of Governor Iskander Mirza, the Pakistani government arrested the two most outspoken leaders of East Bengal
at the time- Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
and Yusuf Ali Chowdhury. The arrests led to an outcry across the province and triggered mass protests. In the following days thousands were arrested including university professors, provincial assembly members, and students. The government's tough stand aggravated the already bitter resentment of Bengalis following the Language Movement
of 1952.
Mohan Mia however he became highly controversial during the Bangladesh Liberation War
in 1971 because of his staunch opposition to the notion of the breakup of Pakistan. Although he spent most of his political career battling against the West Pakistani elite, Mohan Mia, in sharp contrast to most of his family, stopped short of calling for an independent state for Bengalis. He joined the infamous Central Peace Committee along with other pro-Pakistani Bengali politicians. He died in Karachi
in November, 1971, just a few days before the end of the war.
in Faridpur
(in present day Bangladesh
) to an aristocratic Bengali
zamindar
family. His father, Zamindar Chowdhury Moyezuddin Biwshash, was a patron of the Indian National Congress
and one of Bengal's most powerful landlords. His elder brother, Chowdhury Abdallah Zaheeruddin Lal Mia
was a leading Bengali Muslim figure in the Indian National Congress
and was famous for his close association with Subhash Chandra Bose
and Rabindranath Tagore
. Abdallah Zaheeruddin later went onto serve in the cabinet of President Ayub Khan of Pakistan as Central Minister for Health and Social Welfare of the Government of Pakistan
.
Mohan Mia's younger brother Enayet Hossain Chowdhury Tara Mia had also became a Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan
in the 1960s. After the creation of Bangladesh, Mohon Mia's sons and relatives began engaging in the political arena. His eldest son Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yusuf
was a minister
in several Bangladeshi governments and is currently a vice president of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party
(BNP). Several other relatives of Mohon Mia became Members of Parliament in Bangladesh. They included Chowdhury Akmal Ibne Yusuf (from the BNP), one of his sons, and Kamran Hossain Chowdhury (from the Jatiya Party), one of his grand nephews.
in the school in the same way as the Hindu students observed Saraswati puja. He showed good leadership ability all through school life and held captaincy in all sports teams and school activities.
He always supported his elder brother Lal Mia in all his political activities from an early age and developed an interest in politics. Finally in 1937, on the encouragement of his elder brother and other politicians, he stepped into mainstream politics by contesting in the Legislative Assembly Elections. He gave away his own safe and secure constituency within his zamindari in favour of Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan
(the speaker of Pakistan’s first Constituent Assembly), regarded by him as his political guru
. He chose for himself the Shibchar-Sadarpur-Bhanga constituency to challenge powerful Zamindar Choudhury Shamsuddin Ahmed, known as Badshah Mia of matborchor, who also was related to their family. Mohon Mia won the seat. A.K. Fazlul Huq formed the government in Bengal in coalition with the Muslim League. In the years that followed, Mohon Mia became legendary in the field of politics.
But in 1941 Fazlul Huq severed his ties with the Muslim League and formed a new government in association with the Congress. Mohan Mia stayed on in the League and played a significant role in the party. Fazlul Huq was angry but Mohan Mia did not budge from his stand. Mohon Mia was involved in the meetings where the demand for a new and separate country for Muslims, known as the Pakistan Declaration, had been raised and had in fact been one of the most vocal leaders calling for Independence.
After independence of the country, he found the central government to be exploitative and not as cooperative towards the East Pakistan
Province as he had hoped. Thus, he joined the Ooposition by becoming an active leader of the Krishok Proja Party and thereby of the Jukta Front coalition. In the decisive election of 1954, Mohon Mia had played a vital role in suggesting and selecting candidates for the Jukta Front across whole of East Pakistan. It so happened that in the election, the candidates of Jukto Front landed a landslide victory winning in almost all the seats but a few. Mohon Mia was largely credited for this success as most of the victors were relatively new to politics as compared to their competitors. So, the fact that they were shortlisted so cleverly, and the accuracy of the winning probability assessment gained Mohon Mia the nickname of the "King Maker of East Pakistan". During this time he also worked closely with Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
as well and the two became rather good friends. Mohon Mia had also become a Provincial Minister in the coalition Provincial Government at that time. However that unity in the coalition quickly eroded away due to inter party conflicts and that ended up causing embitterment in his relations with Bangabndhu as well. But Mohon Mia continued to remain in the opposition, though not with the mainstream opposition which was gradually being led by the Awami League.
With his close association with A.K. Fazlul Huq and Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy
, Mohan Mia could have become a central cabinet minister of Pakistan but did not, due to remaining in the opposition most of the time. He was elected as a Member of the National Assembly in the 1960s.
He also believed strongly in the cause of democracy and was active in the anti-Ayub Khan movement in the late 1960s, from a platform different from that of Awami League. At a later point he had also joined the Pakistan Democratic Party
(PDP) of Nurul Amin. He had also campaigned for Fatima Jinnah
, sister of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah
, in her bid to defeat Ayub Khan at the presidential elections. However during the 1970 elections, Mohan Mia withdrew his candidacy to allow Obaidur Rahman of the Awami League to easily sail to victory. In many ways, he tacitly continued to support his old friends and comrades of the Awami League, and supported their call for autonomy.
Upon assuming the governorship of East Bengal
, Iskander Mirza, in 1954, had threatened to use substantial force to quell the rising political sentiment against oppression of Bengalis. With the blessings of the Governor-General of Pakistan
he arrested the government's fiercest critics in the province- Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
and Yusuf Ali Chowdhury Mohan Mia. The arrests were followed by the detention of 319 East Bengali politicians and intellectuals. Later amind growing public anger and protests the government arrested nearly 1500 people from all walks of life. The arrests of 1954 were seen as one of the initial repressions of Bengali rights in the early days of the new country along with the 1952 language movement. Mohon Mia's detention helped him gain significant popularity in that time period. He did in fact become one of the most fire-brand and well reputed political figures of then East Pakistan, and specially in the social circles of Dhaka.
He had also launched a newspaper called The Millat in which he abraided the Pakistan regime mercilessly, which eventually resulted in the closure of the paper.
. Justifying his stance on the basis of idealogical convictions of a unified Muslim nation in the South Asia and his contribution to the Pakistan movement
, Mohan Mia stopped short of calling for an independent homeland for the Bengalis of East Pakistan
.
Mohon Mia joined the infamous Central Peace Committee during the Bangladesh Liberation War
. The committee consisted of the most prominent pro-Pakistani Bengali leaders including Golam Azam
and other razakars. Mohon Mia is also rumoured to have maintained close relations with Major General Rao Farman Ali
, the Pakistani general widely believed as the chief engineer of the 1971 Bangladesh atrocities
.
, Pakistan. Mohan Mia had traveled to Karachi in early November 1971 to carry an important letter for the Government of the West, requesting ceasefire and making a final attempt for peace. He had been in deep frustration and depression over the apparent indifference shown by the West Pakistani government towards the East. Mohon Mia's body was flown back to Dhaka
and then taken to Faridpur
where he is buried along with his brothers on the grounds of the magnificent Moyez Monzil.
cost his popularity amongst the masses dearly. Bangladesh's leading English language newspaper, The Daily Star
, in an article in memory of Mohan Mia commented the following.
Due to his opposition to the breakup of Pakistan, Mohon Mia is not viewed favourably by many in Bangladesh for his association with razakars. His image and reputation has largely been suppressed and except in his home district of Faridpur, the new generation of Bangladeshis are largely unaware of him.
With regard to his contribution to the Pakistan movement, Mohon Mia is seen as an instrumental figure in the Muslim League, especially in Bengal
. In the subsequent independent Pakistan, Mohon Mia along with A. K. Fazlul Huq
pursued vigorous land distribution policies for the peasants of East Bengal
and he is seen as one of the architects of the East Pakistan Estates Acquisitions Act that abolished the feudal system of zamindari, despite himself coming from a powerful landlord family. He is also credited for standing up for Bengali rights against Pakistan's establishment in the 1950s, for which he was jailed.
His sons and other relatives have continued to engage prominently in Bangladesh's political scene but they are seen to be deeply divided as members of different political platforms. Mohon Mia's eldest son Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yusuf
was Bangladesh's Minister of Food and Disaster Management in the cabinet of Begum Khaleda Zia during the 2001-2006 tenure of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party
.
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
politician in South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
. He played an active role in the Pakistan Movement
Pakistan Movement
The Pakistan Movement or Tehrik-e-Pakistan refers to the historical movement to have an independent Muslim state named Pakistan created from the separation of the north-western region of the Indian subcontinent, partitioned within or outside the British Indian Empire. It had its origins in the...
as a leading figure of the Muslim League in Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
. He was a member of the Bengal Legislative Assembly in the 1930s and 1940s and also became a minister in the provincial government of East Bengal
East Bengal
East Bengal was the name used during two periods in the 20th century for a territory that roughly corresponded to the modern state of Bangladesh. Both instances involved a violent partition of Bengal....
led by Sher-e-Bangla A.K. Fazlul Huq in 1950s. Later on he went onto to become a Member of the National Assembly (MNA) of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. As candidates suggested by him had won almost all the seats in the sweeping election of 1954 which propelled Bengali nationalists into the central government, Pakistan's press proclaimed Mohan Mia "The King Maker of East Pakistan" .
He became a champion of Bengali rights during the early days of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. In 1954, under the orders of Governor Iskander Mirza, the Pakistani government arrested the two most outspoken leaders of East Bengal
East Bengal
East Bengal was the name used during two periods in the 20th century for a territory that roughly corresponded to the modern state of Bangladesh. Both instances involved a violent partition of Bengal....
at the time- Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was a Bengali nationalist politician and the founder of Bangladesh. He headed the Awami League, served as the first President of Bangladesh and later became its Prime Minister. He headed the Awami League, served as the first President of Bangladesh and later became its...
and Yusuf Ali Chowdhury. The arrests led to an outcry across the province and triggered mass protests. In the following days thousands were arrested including university professors, provincial assembly members, and students. The government's tough stand aggravated the already bitter resentment of Bengalis following the Language Movement
Language Movement
The Bengali Language Movement, also known as the Language Movement , was a political effort in Bangladesh , advocating the recognition of the Bengali language as an official language of Pakistan...
of 1952.
Mohan Mia however he became highly controversial during the Bangladesh Liberation War
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War was an armed conflict pitting East Pakistan and India against West Pakistan. The war resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh....
in 1971 because of his staunch opposition to the notion of the breakup of Pakistan. Although he spent most of his political career battling against the West Pakistani elite, Mohan Mia, in sharp contrast to most of his family, stopped short of calling for an independent state for Bengalis. He joined the infamous Central Peace Committee along with other pro-Pakistani Bengali politicians. He died in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
in November, 1971, just a few days before the end of the war.
Family
Yusuf Ali Chowdhury Mohan Mia was born in 1905 at the Moyez Manzil PalaceMoyez Manzil
The Moyez Manzil Palace located in Faridpur, Bangladesh was the seat of the Biwshash zamindar family in Faridpur. The Moyez Manzil Palace was one of the first great landlord palaces built in eastern Bengal during British rule.-Surroundings:...
in Faridpur
Faridpur District
Faridpur is a district in central Bangladesh. It is a part of the Dhaka Division. Faridpur District has a population of over 1.7 million people and is situated on the banks of the Padma river . It is bordered by Madaripur, Narail, Rajbari, Magura, Shariatpur, Gopalgonj, Dhaka and Manikganj...
(in present day Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
) to an aristocratic Bengali
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
zamindar
Zamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...
family. His father, Zamindar Chowdhury Moyezuddin Biwshash, was a patron of the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
and one of Bengal's most powerful landlords. His elder brother, Chowdhury Abdallah Zaheeruddin Lal Mia
Lal Mia
Chowdhury Abd-Allah Zaheeruddin , or Lal Mia, as he is commonly referred to, was a prominent Bengali politician in the Indian National Congress or the Congress Party and later the Muslim League. Lal Mia was one of the personalities who was instrumental in the Anti Colonial Movement against the...
was a leading Bengali Muslim figure in the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
and was famous for his close association with Subhash Chandra Bose
Subhash Chandra Bose
Subhas Chandra Bose known by name Netaji was an Indian revolutionary who led an Indian national political and military force against Britain and the Western powers during World War II. Bose was one of the most prominent leaders in the Indian independence movement and is a legendary figure in...
and Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
. Abdallah Zaheeruddin later went onto serve in the cabinet of President Ayub Khan of Pakistan as Central Minister for Health and Social Welfare of the Government of Pakistan
Government of Pakistan
The Government of Pakistan is a federal parliamentary system, with an indirectly-elected President as the Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Pakistani Armed Forces, and an indirectly-elected Prime Minister as the Head of Government. The President’s appointment and term are...
.
Mohan Mia's younger brother Enayet Hossain Chowdhury Tara Mia had also became a Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan
National Assembly of Pakistan
The National Assembly of Pakistan is the lower house of the bicameral Majlis-e-Shura, which also compromises the President of Pakistan and Senate . The National Assembly and the Senate both convene at Parliament House in Islamabad...
in the 1960s. After the creation of Bangladesh, Mohon Mia's sons and relatives began engaging in the political arena. His eldest son Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yusuf
Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yusuf
-Family:Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yusuf was born into an aristocratic Bengali Zamindar family from Faridpur district. Kamal Yusuf's grandfather was the legendary zamindar Chowdhury Moyezuddin Biwshash. His father, Yusuf Ali Chowdhury , was an eminent Muslim League leader during British rule and in...
was a minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
in several Bangladeshi governments and is currently a vice president of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party
Bangladesh Nationalist Party
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party , commonly referred to as the BNP, is the mainstream center-right political party in Bangladesh. BNP ruled Bangladesh total 18 years since her independence, the longest than any other party in Bangladesh...
(BNP). Several other relatives of Mohon Mia became Members of Parliament in Bangladesh. They included Chowdhury Akmal Ibne Yusuf (from the BNP), one of his sons, and Kamran Hossain Chowdhury (from the Jatiya Party), one of his grand nephews.
Political life
When Mohan Mia was at Ishan School, he was one of 25 or 30 Muslim students out of a total of a thousand. Undeterred, he fought and succeeded in establishing their right to hold annual MiladMilad
-People:* Milad Akbari, Iranian footballer* Milad Esrafili, French footballer* Milad Fakhreddini, Iranian footballer* Milad Soleiman Fallah, Iranian footballer* Milad Farahani, Iranian footballer* Milad Gharibi, Iranian footballer...
in the school in the same way as the Hindu students observed Saraswati puja. He showed good leadership ability all through school life and held captaincy in all sports teams and school activities.
He always supported his elder brother Lal Mia in all his political activities from an early age and developed an interest in politics. Finally in 1937, on the encouragement of his elder brother and other politicians, he stepped into mainstream politics by contesting in the Legislative Assembly Elections. He gave away his own safe and secure constituency within his zamindari in favour of Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan
Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan
Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan , was the President of Pakistan's first Constituent Assembly.He was born in 1889 in a humble peasant family of Faridpur, Bengal...
(the speaker of Pakistan’s first Constituent Assembly), regarded by him as his political guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
. He chose for himself the Shibchar-Sadarpur-Bhanga constituency to challenge powerful Zamindar Choudhury Shamsuddin Ahmed, known as Badshah Mia of matborchor, who also was related to their family. Mohon Mia won the seat. A.K. Fazlul Huq formed the government in Bengal in coalition with the Muslim League. In the years that followed, Mohon Mia became legendary in the field of politics.
But in 1941 Fazlul Huq severed his ties with the Muslim League and formed a new government in association with the Congress. Mohan Mia stayed on in the League and played a significant role in the party. Fazlul Huq was angry but Mohan Mia did not budge from his stand. Mohon Mia was involved in the meetings where the demand for a new and separate country for Muslims, known as the Pakistan Declaration, had been raised and had in fact been one of the most vocal leaders calling for Independence.
After independence of the country, he found the central government to be exploitative and not as cooperative towards the East Pakistan
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...
Province as he had hoped. Thus, he joined the Ooposition by becoming an active leader of the Krishok Proja Party and thereby of the Jukta Front coalition. In the decisive election of 1954, Mohon Mia had played a vital role in suggesting and selecting candidates for the Jukta Front across whole of East Pakistan. It so happened that in the election, the candidates of Jukto Front landed a landslide victory winning in almost all the seats but a few. Mohon Mia was largely credited for this success as most of the victors were relatively new to politics as compared to their competitors. So, the fact that they were shortlisted so cleverly, and the accuracy of the winning probability assessment gained Mohon Mia the nickname of the "King Maker of East Pakistan". During this time he also worked closely with Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was a Bengali nationalist politician and the founder of Bangladesh. He headed the Awami League, served as the first President of Bangladesh and later became its Prime Minister. He headed the Awami League, served as the first President of Bangladesh and later became its...
as well and the two became rather good friends. Mohon Mia had also become a Provincial Minister in the coalition Provincial Government at that time. However that unity in the coalition quickly eroded away due to inter party conflicts and that ended up causing embitterment in his relations with Bangabndhu as well. But Mohon Mia continued to remain in the opposition, though not with the mainstream opposition which was gradually being led by the Awami League.
With his close association with A.K. Fazlul Huq and Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy
Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy
Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy was a Pakistani-Bengali politician and statesman who served as 5th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1956 till 1957, and a close associate of Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Liaquat Ali Khan, first Prime minister of Pakistan...
, Mohan Mia could have become a central cabinet minister of Pakistan but did not, due to remaining in the opposition most of the time. He was elected as a Member of the National Assembly in the 1960s.
He also believed strongly in the cause of democracy and was active in the anti-Ayub Khan movement in the late 1960s, from a platform different from that of Awami League. At a later point he had also joined the Pakistan Democratic Party
Pakistan Democratic Party
The Pakistan Democratic Party is a political party in Pakistan.At the last legislative elections, 20 October 2002, the party won 0.3% of the popular vote and 1 out of 272 elected members....
(PDP) of Nurul Amin. He had also campaigned for Fatima Jinnah
Fatima Jinnah
Fatima Jinnah , was one of the figurative and pioneering woman figure in Pakistan Movement and was the younger sister of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. An active political figure in the movement for independence from the British Raj, she is commonly known in Pakistan as Khātūn-e...
, sister of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Muhammad Ali Jinnah was a Muslim lawyer, politician, statesman and the founder of Pakistan. He is popularly and officially known in Pakistan as Quaid-e-Azam and Baba-e-Qaum ....
, in her bid to defeat Ayub Khan at the presidential elections. However during the 1970 elections, Mohan Mia withdrew his candidacy to allow Obaidur Rahman of the Awami League to easily sail to victory. In many ways, he tacitly continued to support his old friends and comrades of the Awami League, and supported their call for autonomy.
Upon assuming the governorship of East Bengal
East Bengal
East Bengal was the name used during two periods in the 20th century for a territory that roughly corresponded to the modern state of Bangladesh. Both instances involved a violent partition of Bengal....
, Iskander Mirza, in 1954, had threatened to use substantial force to quell the rising political sentiment against oppression of Bengalis. With the blessings of the Governor-General of Pakistan
Governor-General of Pakistan
The Governor-General of Pakistan was the representative in Pakistan of the Crown from the country's independence in 1947. When Pakistan was proclaimed a republic in 1956 the connection with the British monarchy ended, and the office of Governor-General was abolished.-History:Pakistan gained...
he arrested the government's fiercest critics in the province- Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was a Bengali nationalist politician and the founder of Bangladesh. He headed the Awami League, served as the first President of Bangladesh and later became its Prime Minister. He headed the Awami League, served as the first President of Bangladesh and later became its...
and Yusuf Ali Chowdhury Mohan Mia. The arrests were followed by the detention of 319 East Bengali politicians and intellectuals. Later amind growing public anger and protests the government arrested nearly 1500 people from all walks of life. The arrests of 1954 were seen as one of the initial repressions of Bengali rights in the early days of the new country along with the 1952 language movement. Mohon Mia's detention helped him gain significant popularity in that time period. He did in fact become one of the most fire-brand and well reputed political figures of then East Pakistan, and specially in the social circles of Dhaka.
He had also launched a newspaper called The Millat in which he abraided the Pakistan regime mercilessly, which eventually resulted in the closure of the paper.
Criticism
Mohan Mia is critiscised heavily for failing to support the demand for the independence of East PakistanEast Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...
. Justifying his stance on the basis of idealogical convictions of a unified Muslim nation in the South Asia and his contribution to the Pakistan movement
Pakistan Movement
The Pakistan Movement or Tehrik-e-Pakistan refers to the historical movement to have an independent Muslim state named Pakistan created from the separation of the north-western region of the Indian subcontinent, partitioned within or outside the British Indian Empire. It had its origins in the...
, Mohan Mia stopped short of calling for an independent homeland for the Bengalis of East Pakistan
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...
.
Mohon Mia joined the infamous Central Peace Committee during the Bangladesh Liberation War
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War was an armed conflict pitting East Pakistan and India against West Pakistan. The war resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh....
. The committee consisted of the most prominent pro-Pakistani Bengali leaders including Golam Azam
Golam Azam
Ghulam Azam , is a Bangladeshi political leader who is regarded in his country as a war criminal of the Liberation War of Bangladesh...
and other razakars. Mohon Mia is also rumoured to have maintained close relations with Major General Rao Farman Ali
Rao Farman Ali
Major General Rao Farman Ali Khan was Pakistan Army general during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. He took commission in an artillery regiment in 1941 and later commanded the 26 Field Regiment...
, the Pakistani general widely believed as the chief engineer of the 1971 Bangladesh atrocities
1971 Bangladesh atrocities
Beginning with the start of Operation Searchlight on 25 March 1971 and continuing throughout the Bangladesh Liberation War, there were widespread violations of human rights in East Pakistan perpetrated by the Pakistan Army, with support from local political and religious militias, especially...
.
Death
Yusuf Ali Chowdhury Mohan Mia died on 26 November 1971 in KarachiKarachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Pakistan. Mohan Mia had traveled to Karachi in early November 1971 to carry an important letter for the Government of the West, requesting ceasefire and making a final attempt for peace. He had been in deep frustration and depression over the apparent indifference shown by the West Pakistani government towards the East. Mohon Mia's body was flown back to Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
and then taken to Faridpur
Faridpur District
Faridpur is a district in central Bangladesh. It is a part of the Dhaka Division. Faridpur District has a population of over 1.7 million people and is situated on the banks of the Padma river . It is bordered by Madaripur, Narail, Rajbari, Magura, Shariatpur, Gopalgonj, Dhaka and Manikganj...
where he is buried along with his brothers on the grounds of the magnificent Moyez Monzil.
Legacy
Many historians share the view that despite being highly reputed of liberal views and personal honesty and integrity, Mohan Mia's opposition to the breakup of PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
cost his popularity amongst the masses dearly. Bangladesh's leading English language newspaper, The Daily Star
The Daily Star (Bangladesh)
The Daily Star is the largest circulating English daily newspaper in Bangladesh. Established by Syed Mohammed Ali in 14 January 1991, the newspaper is owned by Mediastar a venture of the Transcom Group, headed by Latifur Rahman...
, in an article in memory of Mohan Mia commented the following.
Due to his opposition to the breakup of Pakistan, Mohon Mia is not viewed favourably by many in Bangladesh for his association with razakars. His image and reputation has largely been suppressed and except in his home district of Faridpur, the new generation of Bangladeshis are largely unaware of him.
With regard to his contribution to the Pakistan movement, Mohon Mia is seen as an instrumental figure in the Muslim League, especially in Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
. In the subsequent independent Pakistan, Mohon Mia along with A. K. Fazlul Huq
A. K. Fazlul Huq
Not to be confused with the cricket ground in Dhaka Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium Sher-e-Bangla Abul Kashem Fazlul Huq was a well-known Bengali statesman in the first half of the 20th century...
pursued vigorous land distribution policies for the peasants of East Bengal
East Bengal
East Bengal was the name used during two periods in the 20th century for a territory that roughly corresponded to the modern state of Bangladesh. Both instances involved a violent partition of Bengal....
and he is seen as one of the architects of the East Pakistan Estates Acquisitions Act that abolished the feudal system of zamindari, despite himself coming from a powerful landlord family. He is also credited for standing up for Bengali rights against Pakistan's establishment in the 1950s, for which he was jailed.
His sons and other relatives have continued to engage prominently in Bangladesh's political scene but they are seen to be deeply divided as members of different political platforms. Mohon Mia's eldest son Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yusuf
Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yusuf
-Family:Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yusuf was born into an aristocratic Bengali Zamindar family from Faridpur district. Kamal Yusuf's grandfather was the legendary zamindar Chowdhury Moyezuddin Biwshash. His father, Yusuf Ali Chowdhury , was an eminent Muslim League leader during British rule and in...
was Bangladesh's Minister of Food and Disaster Management in the cabinet of Begum Khaleda Zia during the 2001-2006 tenure of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party
Bangladesh Nationalist Party
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party , commonly referred to as the BNP, is the mainstream center-right political party in Bangladesh. BNP ruled Bangladesh total 18 years since her independence, the longest than any other party in Bangladesh...
.
See also
- Huseyn Shaheed SuhrawardyHuseyn Shaheed SuhrawardyHuseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy was a Pakistani-Bengali politician and statesman who served as 5th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1956 till 1957, and a close associate of Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Liaquat Ali Khan, first Prime minister of Pakistan...
- A. K. Fazlul HuqA. K. Fazlul HuqNot to be confused with the cricket ground in Dhaka Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium Sher-e-Bangla Abul Kashem Fazlul Huq was a well-known Bengali statesman in the first half of the 20th century...
- Chowdhury Abdallah Zaheeruddin (Lal Mia)
- Faridpur DistrictFaridpur DistrictFaridpur is a district in central Bangladesh. It is a part of the Dhaka Division. Faridpur District has a population of over 1.7 million people and is situated on the banks of the Padma river . It is bordered by Madaripur, Narail, Rajbari, Magura, Shariatpur, Gopalgonj, Dhaka and Manikganj...
External links
- http://www.thedailystar.net/2004/12/04/d41204150392.htm
- http://www.thedailystar.net/2004/08/21/d40821100583.htm
- http://thedailystar.net/2005/11/28/d511281503117.htm
- http://www.storyofpakistan.com/person.asp?perid=P015
- http://www.weeklyholiday.net/2007/080607/front.html
- http://www.nowpublic.com/culture/list-top-collaborators-1971-their-present-whereabouts-bangladesh