Mosharraf Hossain (Jessore politician)

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Mosharraf Hossain
মোশাররফ হোসেন
Member of Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh
In office
April 1971 – September 1972
Personal details
Born(1925-03-07)7 March 1925
Died3 February 1974(1974-02-03) (aged 48)
NationalityBangladeshi
Political partyJatiya Samajtantrik Dal
Other political
affiliations		Awami League
Alma materJashore Zilla School
Michael Madhusudan College
University of Calcutta
ProfessionAdvocate

Mosharraf Hossain (Bengali: মোশাররফ হোসেন, 7 March 1925 – 3 February 1974) was a politician and lawyer from Jessore, Bangladesh. He was actively involved in the Bengali nationalist movement in East Pakistan and the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.[1][2][3]

He was elected as a Member of the Provincial Assembly of East Pakistan in the 1970 election,[4][5][6] and was a Member of the Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh from April 1971[7] to September 1972.[8] In 1972, he resigned from the Constituent Assembly,[6][8][9] left the ruling party Awami League, and joined the left-wing party Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (abbr. JSD or JASAD or 'জাসদ') as one of its founding vice presidents.[6][10][11][12]

Early life[edit]

Born in the Sabhaipur village of Bangaon (which was then a Mahakuma of the greater Jessore district), Mosharraf studied in Jessore Zilla School and Michael Madhusudan College (known at that time as Jessore College[13]) of today's Jessore city. He received his law degree (LL.B.) from Ripon College (under the University of Calcutta).[1]

Political career[edit]

Post British India[edit]

After completing his education, Mosharraf made a brief foray into the state politics of West Bengal. In the Legislative Assembly Election of West Bengal in 1951/52, he contested in the Bangaon constituency as an independent candidate against Jibon Ratan Dhar of the Indian National Congress and Ajit Kumar Ganguly of the Communist Party of India.[1][14] In 1953, due to his continued opposition to the ruling party, Congress, the Indian government accused him of treason and issued him a 24-hour ultimatum to leave the country.[15]

East Pakistan[edit]

In 1969, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is being welcomed at a meeting organized in Jessore in support of the Six-point demand. Mosharraf Hossain is on the left, with the microphone, conducting the program.

Afterwards, Hossain returned to Jessore city and continued developing his political career in East Pakistan with Awami League.[1][9] His elder brother lawyar Habibur Rahman already lived in Jashore and was the first president of Jashore district Awami League.[16][17] Mosharraf was the secretary of the central relief committee that was formed in Jessore to help the refugees fleeing into Pakistan during the 1964 Calcutta riots.[18]

In 1967, when Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was in jail, Awami League got split into two groups due to disagreements over the Six-point demand.[19] Many of Mosharraf's political compatriots, including Mashiur Rahman and Raushan Ali of Jessore, joined the Pro-PDM faction of Awami League that opposed the Six-point.[20][21] However, Mosharraf remained in the mainstream Awami League, with the Six-pointers. In January 1968, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, accused in the Agartala Conspiracy Case and imprisoned in Dhaka Jail, was arrested from the jail gate and taken to Dhaka Cantonment. His whereabouts were kept secret by the Pakistani government. Advocate Mosharraf Hossain made a statement in February demanding the release of information regarding the physical condition and location of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. In the statement, he also demanded that Sheikh Mujib be allowed to communicate with his family members and lawyers.[22]

The Pro-PDM leaders eventually returned to the mainstream Awami League during the anti-Ayub movement. An avid political supporter of both the Six-point movement and the 1969 East Pakistan mass uprising,[1][9] Advocate Mosharraf won in the 1970 Pakistani provincial election from Jessore.[4][23][24] On 18 March 1971, in a joint press statement, Mosharraf Hossain, along with Mashiur Rahman and Raushan Ali, alleged that the local military was trying to create panic among the people and demanded punishment for those involved.[25]

1970 East Pakistan Provincial Assembly election result for Jessore IX (PE 86) constituency[24][26]
Name of the contestant Political party Votes received
Mosharraf Hossain Awami League 39,641
Mohammad Hossain Jamaat-e-Islami 6,332
Shamsul Huda PML (Conv.) 4,342
Aysha Sardar Independent 2,458
Others Various* 1,918
Total votes polled: 54,691
*Others were from PML (Qay.), PDP, NAP & 2 independents

Bangladesh Liberation War[edit]

During the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971, Pakistan’s military government brought several charges against Mosharraf for his activities against the state. The charges included - opposing the state of Pakistan, arms procurement, arms distribution, and arms training[4] Witness reports from Jessore published in Indian sources mention that the Pakistan army tried fanatically to apprehend Mosharraf Hossain.[27] A reward was announced for the capture of him, dead or alive.[1][5][27] Though he evaded capture during Operation Searchlight,[5] his house in Jessore city was raided on 25 March and later seized by the Pakistan army to be used as a camp.[3] At the very early stage of the war, when the Indian government was hesitant to get involved, he met Indian leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and others, requesting equipment and initiating support for the refugees.[21][28][29]

Mosharraf became a member of the Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh in April.[7][8] The Provisional Government of Bangladesh appointed him as the head of the Bangaon regugee camp, where food and shelter were provided to incoming refugees from the east.[30][31] Arms training was also arranged there in a nearby school field.[29] His activities during the war was not confined to administrative duties in the camp. In May 1971, amid heavy artilary fire from the Pakistan army, he accompanied prime minister Tajuddin Ahmed in inspecting the field operation of the Bangladesh army inside Jessore.[32] In November 1971, Bangladesh Awami League, operating the Provisional Government of Bangladesh in exile, tasked him with setting up local administration in the Jessore district and restoring Awami League's organizational capabilities in the area.[33]

Independent Bangladesh[edit]

Though Mosharraf was a central committee member of Awami League, his political differences with the party leadership grew over time. This led to his eventual departure from the party and his resignation from the Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh in 1972.[1][8][9]

On 10 September 1972, Awami League temporarily suspended the primary membership of Mosharraf, accusing him of violating party orders, acting against the party’s interest, and corruption. The party sent him a notice ordering him to explain his conduct or face permanent expulsion.[34][35] In a return statement, Mosharraf denied any allegation of corruption. He also questioned the Awami League committee's authority over giving him such notice and denounced the party, condemning it for losing its ideology, rampant corruption, and nepotism. In the same statement, he announced his resignation from the Constituent Assembly.[36][37] The acting speaker granted his resignation on 22 September, and the official gazette of cessation was published on 26 September of the same year.[8] He then became the founding vice-president of the newly formed opposition party Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (abbr. JSD or JASAD or 'জাসদ') and also the president of Jessore district JSD. JSD was first formed on 31 October.[10][12][6][38]

1973 Bangladesh General election result for Jessore IX constituency[39]
Name of the contestant Political party Votes received
Raushan Ali Awami League 57,212
Mosharraf Hossain JSD 7,374
Kazi Abdus Shahid Lal NAP (M) 6,803
Alamgir Siddique NAP (B) 6,052
Sabur Mandal Independent 845
Total votes polled: 78,286

Mosharraf Hossain went on to participate in the 1973 Bangladeshi general election as a JSD candidate in the (now defunct) Jessore 9 constituency but lost to Raushan Ali of Awami League.[40][41] In total, only three candidates from the opposition parties, JSD, NAP (M), and Jatiya League, were able to win across the country. The margin of Awami League's victory came as a surprise to many observers.[42]

Message of Condolence from prime minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Message of Condolence from prime minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman after the death of Mosharraf Hossain.

Following the election, Mosharraf's personal safety became precarious amid an increasingly violent political struggle between Awami League and JSD, plus other left-wing insurgents. Soon he was arrested by the Rakkhi Bahini, a paramilitary force formed by the Bangladesh government to curb the insurgency. He was released on bail after two months.[43][44]

Assassination[edit]

Mosharraf Hossain was assassinated by a gang of unknown armed operatives on 3 February 1974.[45][46][47] He was gunned down to death at his residence by masked assailants while talking with two political associates. At least one of those who were present with him that night got seriously injured in the attack.[38][48] At that time, Mosharraf was the vice president of Bangladesh JSD. The party organized a general strike in Jessore, demonstrations in Dhaka, and nationwide protests decrying the brutal killing.[49][48]

Political leaders, including Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, expressed their shock and condolences. In a message to the deceased's family, the Prime Minister wrote - "His contribution to our liberation struggle will be remembered by everyone."[50][51]

Mosharraf Hossain's daughter Raoshan Jahan Sathi was a member of the 9th Parliament of Bangladesh.[5] His son-in-law Kazi Aref Ahmed was one of the organizers of the Bangladesh Liberation war.[52]

References[edit]

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