| Sir Azizul Huque | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 27, 1892 Santipur |
| Died | March 22, 1947 Calcutta |
| Occupation | Advocate, Diplomat |
| Spouse | Kaniz Khatun |
Sir Azizul Haque (Bengali: স্যার আজিজুল হক, also known as Khan Bahadur Maulvi Muhammad Azizul Huq, 27 November, 1892 - 22 March 1947), was a Bengali lawyer, writer and politician. He studied at Presidency College and University Law College in Calcutta. His talent and concern for the Muslim people led him into close contact with many notable Muslim politicians of the subcontinent, including Sher-e-Bangla A.K. Fazlul Haque, Sir Abdulla Suhrawardy, Sir Salimullah and Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
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Haque was born in Santipur/Shantipur, Nadia district, West Bengal, India. His father was Maniruddin Ahmed. He lost his mother at an early age and was brought up by his uncle, the poet Md.Mozammel Haque. From an early age, he was a very meritorious student. He attended the Santipur Muslim School and he passed the entrance examination in 1907. He passed the B.A examination at Calcutta University with distinction in 1912. Later he obtained the B.L (Bachelor of Law) degree from Calcutta University Law College.
In 1915, Haque married Kaniz Khatun, the daughter of Zamindar of Simligarh (Hooghly) Mohammed Abu Sayeed. They had five sons and five daughters.
Haque began his working life as a practicing advocate in Krishnagar Judges’ Court in 1915. He quickly became successful and achieved the position of Public Prosecutor and Government Pleader for the district of Nadia. He received the title Khan Bahadur from the British in 1926. He held the post of vice-chairman of Nadia District Board from 1926-1934. He later became chairman of Krishnagar Municipality in 1933. He was appointed the Education Minister of Bengal in 1934. As the education minister he battled illiteracy and was the firshe to introduce a bill on free, universal primary education. During his tenure, many schools were established in Bengal. He was a speaker of Legislative Assembly of undivided Bengal.[1] He took the leading role in passing "Bengal Tenancy Act". He was the Vice Chancellor of Calcutta University between 1939 and 1942, and founded the Islamic History and Culture department. He won several distinctions including CIE and KCSI, and was knighted in 1941.[2] He was the High Commissioner for India in the United Kingdom between 1942 and 1943.[3] After returning to India, he became a member of the viceroy’s Executive Council, discharging various duties related to education, commerce, industry and food production as a cabinet minister. He worked under the viceroys Lord Linlithgow and Lord Wavell. He also practicsed advocacy in The High Court of Calcutta. Govt. Azizul Haque College was established in his name at Bogra (now in Bangladesh) in 1939. Calcutta University also conferred on him the honorary D-Litt.
Haque's literary works include –
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