Salma Sobhan
| Salma Sobhan সালমা সোবহান | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 11, 1937 |
| Died |
December 30, 2003 (aged 66)[1] Gulshan |
| Nationality | Bangladeshi |
| Other names | Salma Rasheeda Akhtar Banu[1] |
| Spouse(s) | Dr. Rehman Sobhan |
Salma Sobhan (née Ikramullah); Bengali: সালমা সোবহান (August 11, 1937 - December, 2003),[1] was a prominent female Bangladeshi barrister, human rights activist and academic.
Family and education
Salma Rasheeda Akhtar Banu, known as Salma Sobhan, was born in London in 1937 to a prominent Indian Muslim family. Her father Mohammed Ikramullah was the first foreign secretary of Pakistan and mother Begum Shaista Suhrawardy Ikramullah, one of the first 2 women members in Pakistan's Constituent Assembly, later serving as Pakistan's delegate to the UN and Ambassador to Morocco. Her mother was a member of the Suhrawardy family of Calcutta. On her mother's side she was a niece of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, premier of Bengal and Prime Minister of Pakistan, and on her father's side she was a niece of Muhammad Hidayatullah, Vice President and Chief Justice of India. Her sister is the Princess Sarvath of Jordan. She married Dr.Rehman Sobhan, a noted economist. They had three sons, her eldest son Telmud died in an accident at the age of 19 in 1981. Her elder son Babar works for UNDP, her younger son Zafar Sobhan is the editor-in-chief of the Bangladeshi English daily, Dhaka Tribune
Early career
She began working with a law firm in Karachi. After her marriage in 1962 she moved to Dhaka, where her husband taught economics. She began teaching at the law faculty at Dhaka University, and continued to teach there until 1981.[1]
Bangladesh Movement
Her husband, Rehman Sobhan was a supporter of the Bangladesh movement and was close to the Awami League. He was on the hit list of the Pakistani military and had gone into hiding. Salma Sobhan and her children left the country for England.
Legal Aid
In 1982, she resigned from the faculty and along with Dr.Hameeda Hossain founded the human rights organisation, Ain-O-Salish Kendra. She later also started Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (Blast) and Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (Brac). For her work she was awarded US Lawyer's Committee Human Rights Award.
Legacy
The organizations started by her continue to grow and flourish. The Protichi Trust started by Amartya Sen recently instituted an award in her name.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Eminent HR activist Barrister Salma Sobhan passes away". The Daily Star. 31 December 2003.
- ↑ Hameeda Hossain. "Salma's journey into activism". Adhunika.
External links
- Hameeda Hossain (2012). "Sobhan, Salma". In Sirajul Islam and Ahmed A. Jamal. Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
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