Tofazzal Hossain Manik Miah was a Bengali journalist and politician. He served as the founding editor of The Daily Ittefaq. He wrote the editorial Rajnoitik Moncho. Most of his journalists were considered leftist as Miah followed the pattern of Awami League. According to journalist and editor of Shongbad Bozlur Rahman, Awami activists followed his editorial more than any actual decision of a meeting.
Early life
Miah was born in Bhandaria Thana of Pirojpur District in 1911. He attended Pirojpur High School upon passing his entrance examination and earned his B. A. degree from Barisal Brojomohun College. He started working under sub-divisional officer of Pirojpur as an assistant. Subsequently, he became Barisal's district public relation officer. He resigned from government job and took up journalism as a profession.
Role as a journalist
Miah wrote his political columns in Bengali. He was equally prolific in his English renderings. Miah, who was popularly known for his powerful political column in The Daily Ittefaq under the pen-name 'Musafir' dedicated his entire life for the cause of emancipation of the people in the then East Pakistan and establishing the democracy in its truest sense. Yar Mohammad Khan invited Miah who was working at that time as a journalist at Calcutta and made him the editor of The Daily Ittefaq.. Journalist, editor, columnist and pioneer of democratic politics Miah always used his mighty pen as a weapon of struggle being inspired by patriotism, love for humanity and social responsibility. He was turned into an institution during his lifetime. Miah served as the elected president of the Pakistan branch of International Press Institute in 1963, secretary of the government-sponsored Pakistan Press Court of Honours and director of Pakistan International Airlines.
Democratic activism
Miah was active in writing against military rule, autocracy and violation of the fundamental rights of people. Through his active involvement in the six point movement of the Awami League, and his editorials, Miah contributed greatly to the secular nationalist movement that eventually led to the creation of Bangladesh.
Miah played a notable role during the Six point movement of 1966. The movement—spearheaded by Awami League leadership after realizing that the East and West Pakistan were moving along divergent economic paths—tried to establish regional economic autonomy of East Pakistan. The announcement of the six point movement was supposed to be made by Shah Azizur Rahman as per the decision of Mujib himself. However, Miah felt that it should be Mujib rather than Shah Azizur Rahman who should make the announcement. Mujib's declaration of the program in 1966 elevated his position as the undisputed supreme leader in what would become the movement for independence in 1971. Between May and June 1966 almost the entire Awami League leadership was behind bars. Miah was arrested on 16 June 1966. The following day, Ittefaq was ordered closed.
Death and legacy
Miah died in 1969 at the age of 58 at Rawalpindi's Intercontinental Hotel in Pakistan of cardiac arrest. He was buried at the Azimpur graveyard in present-day Dhaka, Bangladesh. His closest friend and companion at death was A.K. Rafiqul Hussain. Shahib accompanied his dead body to Tejgaon Dhaka Airport. At the airport, many leaders were present to receive Miah's body. After the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, the present Manik Miah Avenue of Dhaka was named after him.
