MA Aziz organized Language Movement in Chattogram

A report, published in the weekly Ittefaq on 17 February, 1952, reads, "A Sarbadaliya Rashtra Bhasha Sangram Committee (an All-party State Language Committee) is going to be formed at the initiative of Chittagong District Awami League Secretary MA Aziz.  Activists of the Awami League, the Chhatra League and the Tamaddun Majlish are organising a general strike and hartal on 21 February."

Since 1947, when the Awami Muslim League had not yet been formed, MA Aziz had been coordinating the movements of the opposition parties. Though he had been living in a divisional city, he influenced central politics a lot.

Tamaddun Majilish was more active in the Language Movement in Chattogram in 1948. Despite the ideological differences between the organisation and MA Aziz, he did not hesitate to cooperate with the Tamaddun Majlisin the greater interest of the country.

MA Aziz was born in 1921 in Halishahar, Chattogram.

His father was Mohabbat Ali and mother was Rahima Khatun. MA Aziz passed matriculation from Pahartali Railway High School in 1940 and intermediate from Chittagong College in 1942.

At this time, he joined the All Bengal Muslim Students League. He was expelled from the college in 1944 because of his political activities. His political journey started through leading the Hathazari Madrasa's movement on the excavation of Halda River in 1948.

With the formation of the East Pakistan Awami Muslim League in Rose Garden on 23rd June, 1949, MA Aziz took over as general secretary of the Chattogram district branch of the party.

He spoke at a workers' rally of Burma Oil Company under the leadership of Zahur Ahmad Chowdhury on 15 January 1950.

After the declaration of Muhammad Ali Jinnah on 27 January 1952 that Urdu would be the state language of Pakistan, Maulana Bhashani sent Shamsul Haque to Chattogramto organise the students there.

Although ShamsulHaque came to Chattogram with his wife, both disguised as tourists to evade detectives, he could not dodge them.

Detectives raided the Awami League office to arrestHaque. On that day, MA Aziz gave shelter to Shamsul Haque and his wife in a hotel in the city's Chawkbazar area. There Shamsul Haque chalked out a plan to speed up the Language Movement in Chattogram's schools and colleges.

Meanwhile, a Sharbadaliya Rashtro Bhasha Sangram Parishad (All-party State Language Movement Council) was formed on 31 January 1952, in Dhaka.

A meeting was called at the Awami League office in Chattogram on 4 February as part of the council's programmes. At the meeting, MA Aziz was elected joint convener.

Recalling the incident, Language Movement veteran Abdullah Al Harun said, "MA Aziz visited different schools in Chittagong city and organized the students of the schools in favour of Bangla. College students also contacted him."

The weekly 'Noubelal' reported on 21 February 1952 that the All-party Language Committee was formed in Chittagong at the initiative of MA Aziz of the district Awami Muslim League and Azizur Rahman of Tamaddun Majlish.

However, news of the shooting of students in Dhaka reached Chattogram on 22 February. It was then that the flames of rebellion spread throughout the city.

Procession after procession made its way to the premises of the old Wajiullah Institute, where MA Aziz addressed the crowds.

On that day, it was decided that a hartal and a public rally would be organised in Chattogram on 23 February and on 24 February respectively. Later, a procession led by MA Aziz and another procession led by Zahur Ahmad Chowdhury converged at the historic Laldighi Maidan.

MA Aziz delivered his speech at a rally of millions of people at LaldighiMaidan on 24 February. It was where the first poem related to Ekushey --- "I have not come here to cry; I have come with a demand for execution"--- was recited.

On 5 March, 1952, the RashtraBhashaSangramParishad observed 'Martyrs' Day.' It was not that much successful in Dhaka. But the biggest public rally was held in Chattogram. MA Aziz addressed the rally.

At the programme, he sharply criticised the government's leaflets and the statements of the so-called leaders of the Muslim League.

His arguments were so irrefutable that people at the rally expressed their support for him vigorously.

Soon after, MA Aziz was arrested and sent to jail. In 1953, he was elected a member of the Central Executive Committee of the Awami Muslim League.

In 1954 and 1958, the ruling classes of Pakistan arrested MA Aziz again.

When Bangabandhu declared the historic Six-Point programme in Lahore in 1966, large sections of the Awami League themselves were hesitant to accept it. At the time, MA Aziz stood beside Bangabandhu.

He also organised a public rally in support of the Six Points at the Laldighi Maidan. He too was subsequently arrested along with Bangabandhu, Tajuddin Ahmad and Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury under the security act on 8 May 1966, for organizing that meeting.

MA Aziz was elected a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from Kotwali-Double Mooring constituency as an Awami League candidate in the December 1970 general election.

He died of a heart attack on his way home after attending a public meeting in Fatikchhari on 11 January 1971. 

A TBS-Nagad initiative.