Fazlul Qadir Chaudhry


Fazlul Quader Chaudhury was a Bengali politician who served as the 5th speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan from East Pakistan. He belonged to Ayub Khan's Convention Muslim League. He was also the Acting President of Pakistan from time to time when Ayub Khan left the country. His elder brother Fazlul Kabir Chaudhury was the leader of the opposition in East Pakistan assembly. Quader was preceded by Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan of Awami League.

Early life

Chaudhury was born on 26 March 1919 at Gahira village in Chittagong District. He graduated from Calcutta Presidency College and earned B.L degree from Calcutta University Law College. In 1941 he was elected general secretary of All India Muslim Student Federation. He joined the Muslim League and was elected the secretary of Chittagong district unit of the party in 1943.

Career

In 1947, Fazlul Qadir Chaudhry supported the United Bengal pact of Sarat Bose and Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, but when Suhrawardy agreed to form Pakistan, he failed from presenting the matter to Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Chaudhury was elected member of the Pakistan National Assembly in 1962. In Ayub Khan's cabinet he served in the Ministry of Agriculture and Works, the Ministry of Education and Information and the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare. He played an important role in floating the Convention Muslim League and was elected a member of the central committee of the party.
He facilitated the foundation of University of Chittagong, Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, Chittagong Medical College, Chittagong Marine Academy, Chittagong Marine Fisheries and the Polytechnic Institute.

Arrest and death

In 1973, after the independence of Bangladesh, he was jailed in Bangladesh for war crimes as collaborator of Pakistan Army during 1971. He died in Dhaka Central Jail on 17 July 1973.

Legacy

Chaudhury's elder son Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury was a politician. He was elected member of the Bangladeshi Parliament six times. In October 2015, Supreme Court of Bangladesh upheld the death sentence awarded by international crime tribunal for the alleged crime committed by Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury during the Liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971. The death sentence was executed on early hours of 22 November 2015 inside Dhaka Central Jail.