Kazi Zafar Ahmed

Kazi Zafar Ahmed (/ˈkɑːzi ˈzɑːfɑːr ˈɑːxmɛd/; 1939 – 27 August 2015)^[1] was a Bangladeshi politician who was the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 1989 to 1990.

Early life

Ahmed was born in Cheora Chauddagram Upazila in Comilla, British India (now Bangladesh).^[2] He was originally a student leader at the Dhaka University. He has a M.A. degree in history from Dhaka University.

Political career

Ahmed was a student leader who spearheaded the first popular revolt against the military ruler Ayub Khan in 1962 which eventually led to the relaxation of Ayub's iron rule and the release of imprisoned political leaders. He later became a labour leader, mainly concentrating in organising the workers in the Tongi industrial area. He was also the leader of a pro-Chinese faction that broke away from the Communist Party in 1966. He was among the first to demand the independence of East Pakistan and on 22 February 1970 from a grand rally of students, workers and general masses at the historic Paltan Maidan declared the programme for establishing an independent Peoples' Democratic Republic of Bangladesh.

After independence, he joined the National Awami Party of Maulana Bhashani and became its Secretary General. He declared that he would form a responsible opposition party. Later he formed the United Peoples' Party (UPP) in 1974. He took the UPP to a coalition government with President Ziaur Rahman after he assumed the presidency through a referendum. Ahmed became Minister of Education, but left the coalition due to irreconcilable differences. However, many of his former colleagues joined Zia's new party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Prominent among them were Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan and Abdullah Al-Noman, who later became the BNP's secretary general and organising secretary, respectively.

Ahmed also played a leading role in the anti military role of President Hussain Muhammad Ershad. But the period since 1975 in Bangladesh witnessed realignment of politics and leaders leaving their old parties and joining new ones. Ahmed dissolved his UPP and joined President Ershad's Jatiya Party (JP). He served in the Ershad Government as Minister of Commerce, Deputy Prime Minister and finally as Prime Minister^[3] from 20 March 1989 to 6 December 1990.

After the fall of the Ershad Government, Ahmed went to Australia^[4] for the treatment of his kidney. He was then appointed as Distinguished Visiting Professor by the University of Western Sydney. He delivered a number of public lectures on the Indian Independence Movement against British Rule, geo-political developments in the subcontinent and education in Bangladesh.

References