Syed Mohammad Ali. He was widely known as Mohammad Ali Bogra in Pakistan at that time. On 17 April 1953, the then Governor-General of Pakistan, Ghulam Mohammad, summoned him (Mohammed Ali) from the United States to Karachi. Later he was told that Pakistan was facing a very difficult situation. He has to lead the government of Pakistan to handle the situation.
17th April 1953
Muhammad Ali became the prime minister of Pakistan on that day. He succeeded the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, Sir Khwaja Nazimuddin.
At that time, he served as the Ministry of Defense and Commerce of the country. Muhammad Ali was born on October 19, 1909 in Barisal. His father Nawabzada Altaf Ali, J.P. At that time he was working as a Deputy Magistrate in Barisal.
The life and work of this great man of history was collected for two months and presented to the new generation. To prepare the text, Muhammad Ali's second son, Syed Hamde Ali, had to sit in a face-to-face discussion for several days.
Also, some information is taken from the history books, 'Bogra's History' written by Kazi Mohammad Michir, 'Bogra's History' written by Kazi Aktar Uddin Manik, a journal issue of the Asiatic Society.
History sometimes inspires and sometimes teaches mistakes. Past history is always important for a nation, country, society. Muhammad Ali of Bogra was an inspirational man.
What kind of person was he? How did you walk? I asked his second son Syed Hamde Ali who worked for politics and country. He had the exclusive companionship of his father. Watched his actions closely. This is how he expresses his feelings. "My father always kept us close when he was in political leadership or when he was ambassador.
When he went abroad we used to skip school and travel with him. We traveled to different countries with my father. I visited different states of America. I visited Canada. Traveled with him to nine of Canada's ten provinces. He loved us very much. Abba thought traveling was a great learning experience.
That is why he accompanied us. My father always taught us. How to talk to people, show politeness. He always taught us about right and wrong. Encouraged to speak the truth. That's why we still stand by the truth. Lies do not come out of our mouths.
This is my father's teaching. When he became the prime minister, he told his brothers that you should never use my name to do any business anywhere. strictly prohibited them. He always took notice of our studies. He taught us at Princeton University, one of the best universities in America.
He used to see our result sheets and advise us when the annual exam results came out. He also kept a keen eye on our sports. He would also tell us what to play and what not to play. He encouraged us to play cricket. And he didn't let us play hockey because he thought it was a bit risky.
When asked how he felt as a father, he said, like all fathers, my father loved us very much. When we left for study abroad, I saw my father crying. He used to kiss our foreheads and cry. Abba had complicated heart problems. He thought this meeting might be the last time we meet.
That's why father used to cry a lot every time he went out of the country. My father had his first heart attack in Myanmar when I was 9 years old. He was a very honest person. When dad died there was no money in his bank.
Hamde Ali went to Saudi Arabia in 1954 to perform Hajj with his father on a state visit.
At the invitation of the king. He reminisced about that trip like this, 'Our family members were also on that trip with my father. We also went inside Kaaba Sharif. I went there and prayed. It was my 14th birthday that day. I remember the Saudi King sent a plane for Abba. We were accompanied by family and state guests. Then the Saudi king was King Saud.
At that time I remember the King arranged a meal for us. There we saw a huge iron hearth being turned and cooked. I saw inside the stomach of the whole sheep. Again, inside the stomach of the sheep were pigeons of different species. I still remember the cooking scene that day. That day's cooking was very interesting.
Muhammad Ali was a very soft hearted man. Former mayor of Bogra municipality and veteran politician Ed. AKM Mahbubur Rahman said, he had a very good relationship with my father. One day Muhammad Ali said to my father, will you work? Father expressed his desire. Immediately he said then take Katha blanket and go to Sonatala now. On that day, he posted my father in Sonatala to join the service. He also said that in 1962 there was a big flood in the northern region.
During that flood, he went by helicopter to visit the water-logged people of Sariakandi and Gabtali. There common people told him we have elected you with bhat. Look at how much we are suffering from floods. What will you do for us? At this time, he assured the common people that arrangements will be made to build a dam on the Yamuna. Later he went back and talked to the World Bank and built a 115 mile dam from Kaunia in Rangpur to Sirajganj.
After that he established Pakistan State Bank present Bangladesh Bank Bogra branch in Bogra. He was the founder of Govt Azizul Haque College, Bogra. He served as Chairman of the Managing Board since its inception.
Senior politician Ed. AKM Mahbubur Rahman said, I asked many high class people why the people of our region show so much respect to Muhammad Ali and his family. All answered in one sentence that Muhammad Ali's behavior was very uncharacteristic. He was easily met by anyone who went to meet him. He listened attentively to his problems. He would find a solution. Also, he would not leave anyone without entertaining them.
Ed about Muhammad Ali. AKM Mahbubur Rahman also said, I read in a book about Muhammad Ali, he was also good at writing. During World War II, a newspaper called Morning News was published from Calcutta. He used to write regularly in that magazine. Hitler once said that if an enemy cannot be defeated, he becomes stronger.
In response to Hitler's words, Muhammad Ali wrote to Hitler, 'Hitler, do one thing, tell your private secretary to give you a punch every morning so that you don't fall. Then you will become stronger. It is found in one of Hannan Sahib's books that he used to write regularly about such contemporary issues.
Almost the entire life of this former Prime Minister of Pakistan is spent in political and social activities. Here is a picture of his education and political career.
Muhammad Ali began his early life in the affection of his grandfather, Nawab Nawab Ali Chowdhury. His early education began at Hastings House, Calcutta. He then joined the Calcutta Aliya Madrasa from where he passed the Madrasa Examination in the English Department in 1926 and was awarded a scholarship. He then joined Islamia College, Calcutta and passed the Intermediate examination with distinction. He graduated from Presidency College, Calcutta in 1930 with honors in English. passedHe appeared for the Indian Civil Services Examination and cleared the competitive examination. Later, on the call of his father, he came to Bogra to take charge of Bogra Nawab's estate. In 1933 Mohammad Ali was appointed a Magistrate by the Government of Bengal. In 1937, the Government of India awarded him the title of 'Khan Bahadur'.
In 1932 he was elected Chairman of Bogra District Board and Vice-President of District School Board. He was also elected as the Vice-Chairman of Bogra Municipality on 16th December of the same year.
He held this post till 26th September 1935. This information was obtained from Bogra Municipality documents. Also Hamde Ali, son of Muhammad Ali, mentioned that his father was later elected and served as chairman of Bogra municipality.
Muhammad Ali was a member of the Faculty of Arts of Calcutta University and Dhaka University. He was deeply interested in sports. He was briefly a member of the Indian Football Association Governing Body and Bengal Hockey Association Council.
Muhammad Ali established the current government Azizul Haque College in 1939. He was the president of the managing board of the college during its establishment. He was a member of the Railway Committee representing the Government of Bengal from 1937 and a member of the Board of Agriculture from 1938. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Sanitary and was a member of the Royal Institute of Public Health and Hygiene, London.
In 1942 he was elected a member of the Bengal Legislative Assembly and in 1943 he became the Parliamentary Secretary to the then Prime Minister of undivided Bengal, Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin. In 1943, he was elected chairman of Bogra District Board for the third term. It continued till 1945. He was also the president of Bogra District Muslim Students League from 1943-47. In 1946, he won a historic election under the Muslim League on the Pakistan issue and was elected a member of the Bengal Legislative Assembly.
In April 1946, he joined Suhrawardy's Bengal cabinet as Minister of Health and Finance. He gave up the title of Khan Bahadur in 1946 on the call of Quaid-e-Azam. During the Great Calcutta Killing he saved the lives of hundreds of Muslims by his quick action and focus on rescuing Muslims from unsafe places.
During his tenure as Health Minister, he initiated the establishment of Lake Hospital in Kolkata, Medical College in Dhaka and the first TB Sanatorium in Nadia.
After the establishment of Pakistan, he became a member of the Constituent Assembly and was re-elected until 1949. Assembly in 1953. In 1948, he was appointed Pakistan's ambassador to Burma. He was the High Commissioner of Pakistan to Canada from 1949 to February 1952. He was Pakistan's ambassador to the United States from February 1952 to April 1953.
On 17 April 1953, the then Governor-General of Pakistan, Ghulam Mohammad, summoned him from the United States to Karachi and was told that Pakistan was facing a very difficult situation. He has to lead the government to get rid of this situation. He became the Prime Minister of Pakistan on the same day, succeeding the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, Sir Khwaja Nazimuddin.
In his first address to the nation after becoming Prime Minister, he declared that intolerance should be ended immediately and the rights and interests of minorities would be fully protected. He sent a message to the then Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, assuring him of Pakistan's sincere efforts to promote friendly relations between the two countries. He also promised full freedom of the press.
Muhammad Ali first took steps to resolve the Kashmir issue in August 1953. During this time he went to Delhi to discuss Kashmir and was greeted in the Lok Sabha. But the Indian Army never wanted the Kashmir issue to be resolved. His venture did not go far. Muhammad Ali told the Prime Ministers attending the conference that the Kashmir issue is a long-standing dispute. Indian and Pakistani armies are still facing each other over the Kashmir issue.
During that visit Muhammad Ali was speculated by diplomatic circles to engage in personal talks with Nehru on the Kashmir issue. When asked about the "Peace Zone" in South East Asia, he said that he stood for world peace. Not for regional peace alone. He also declared that Pakistan's military agreement with America did not mean alignment with America, it was purely a defensive measure.
Later, due to ill health, Ghulam Mohammad voluntarily resigned from the post of Governor General in August 1955. Syed Iskandar Mirza joined as the new Governor General at that time. After Syed Iskandar Mirza took over as Governor General, Prime Minister Muhammad Ali began to pressure him to resign.
As Mohammad Ali was a favorite of Ghulam Mohammad, the new Governor General Syed Iskandar Mirza engaged in a coup to remove Prime Minister Mohammad Ali. In the end, Iskandar's political situation deteriorated and Muhammad Ali was forced to resign on August 8, 1955.
Later, he served as ambassador to the United States from 1955-1959 and Japan from 1959-1962.
In 1962, he resigned from the post of President and returned to Bogra to become a candidate for the membership of the National Assembly and won by participating in the elections under the basic democratic system introduced by the Military President of Pakistan, General Ayub Khan, and was elected MLA. On 23rd June 1962, he joined the Legislative Assembly initiated by the President of Pakistan General Ayub Khan and served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Central Government of Pakistan.
Muhammad Ali married Syeda Hamida Hussain on 30th March 1934. His two sons are Syed Hammad Ali and Syed Hamde Ali. On 2 April 1955, he married a second time to Alia, a Lebanese woman. On his side is a son Syed Mahmud Ali and a daughter Syeda Mahmuda Ali.
On January 23, 1963 at 9:05 PM, this great man Muhammad Ali breathed his last.
His two wives, children, his uncle Nawabzada Hasan Ali Chowdhury and other close relatives were at his bedside at the time of his death. Also East Pakistan Governor Abdul Monem Khan, Nawab Khawaja Hasan Askari and doctors were present at the bedside.
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| Muhammad Ali Bogra |
After hearing the news of death, a large number of people including all the provincial ministers, members of national and provincial councils, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Syed Azizul Alingan, many political leaders including diplomatic members and high-ranking officials came to the late leader's residence at night to pay their last respects. Many of his friends, relatives, political colleagues and fans were seen crying. Hundreds of mourners came to pay their last respects to the departed leader.
News of his death spread like wildfire. A shadow of mourning fell over the entire country. The general public thronged the radio to listen to the condolence message. The national flag is flown at half-mast in all public and private buildings of the country. Offices and educational institutions across Pakistan remained closed to honor the spirit of the outgoing Government-East Pakistan Assembly session. Cinema halls canceled their shows. President Ayub Khan paid his deepest respects to Begum Muhammad Ali in a condolence message.