Humayun Rasheed Chowdhury
nkdatta8839
14 July, 2001
Chowdhury was Bangladesh's ace spokesman
By Mahendra Ved
The Times of India News Service
Bangladesh's Parliament for the first time since independence
completed its full five year term on Friday (July 13, 2001). This is
definitely a record in a country that has seen two of its presidents
assassinated and military putsches that held democracy at bay for
several years.
The occasion was to be a celebration of democracy. But just two days
before, parliament lost its Speaker, Humayun Rasheed Chowdhury. The
celebrations were cancelled and as per the constitutional
requirements, a new Speaker was elected.
Chowdhury's passing away brings back memories of those heady days of
1971. It was early summer, and New Delhi was not so humid as it is
these days. Hot dry winds were in store, but there was anger in the
air. The Pakistan Army had just cracked down on the people of its then
east wing and had arrested Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. India began
receiving refugees by the thousands, not knowing when and how the flow
would stop. Horror stories, most of them unconfirmed, but horrifying
nevertheless, about atrocities on the Bengalis were coming from across
the eastern border. A more confident Indira Gandhi, fresh from winning
the Lok Sabha elections, was still working out her strategy which
culminated in the liberation of Bangladesh in December that year.
"Joy Bangla" was the watch word. It suddenly acquired a new meaning in
the first week of April. Newsmen headed for an unlikely place: the
home of Times of India's senior journalist, the late Dilip Mukherjee.
At hand were other "dadas" of the Delhi press: A Raghavan and Narayan
Swami, now no more, and S Viswam. All close to the late P N Haksar,
Mrs Gandhi's powerful principal secretary. It seemed newsmen were
making news. Or at least, prompting it.
In Chowdhury, India got its first diplomatic `catch'. He had just come
from Jakarta and was a counsellor in the Pakistan High Commission. He
quietly quit the purple-domed chancery and switched sides along with
Amjadul Haq, a second secretary. Eminent Awami League leaders were
still collecting their wits and charting their way through Calcutta.
But in Chowdhury, the nascent freedom movement got its first spokesman
in the official and diplomatic parlance.
He proved a spokesman par excellence. Sober, articulate and unruffled,
constantly smoking a pipe, he would put across the case of Bangladesh
with great effect. After the initial news announcement, covered by
media, with more still cameras than the heavy Ariflexes of the TV, he
was put on the Indian TV. Only Delhi had a TV station then and he was
put `live' at the end of the day's last news bulletin. Meant to be a
short interview before the announcer faded out after a Namaskar, it
went on and on. And the viewers did not seem to mind it, so engrossed
they were. Producer Sharad Dutt later confessed that he had "never
handled such a brilliant telecaster" before.
Opening the first Bangladesh Mission, Chowdhury was in Delhi and
everywhere, espousing the cause of Bangladesh. Much to the chagrin of
his erstwhile colleagues and also some diplomats from the Islamic
world. He seemed a hero and a traitor at the same time.
After a brilliant stint in New Delhi, he returned home to a mixed
reception. He remained in a small minority of diplomats who had dared
to switch sides. What marked him and others like Huq and Hossain Ali
of the deputy high commission in Calcutta was that they had done so
when the future of the freedom movement was totally uncertain.
Chowdhury went on to become the foreign secretary and on retirement,
ambassador to Bonn. Years later, he plunged into politics. Getting
elected from Sylhet, he became the foreign minister. Some
unaccompanied official baggage from his foreign tour caused a stink
when it was found that it contained his personal belongings. He had
the grace to resign, rather than embarrass his prime minister. He
returned quietly to the political limelight. And for someone who spoke
brilliantly, he was Speaker of the Parliament whose term is about to
end.
nkdat...@my-deja.com
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K-Rahman
quite unexpected from a dignified and professional civil servant and
career diplomat. What I have seen of him in recent past, I think his
departure marks one very good step in the right direction in cleaning
the corrupt artery of the nation.
nkdat...@my-deja.com (nkdatta8839) wrote in message news:<bed799d9.0107...@posting.google.com>...
nkdat...@my-deja.com
Daily Star, Dhaka, Bangladesh
6 August, 2001
Humayun Rasheed Chowdhury: A tribute
Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury
It was just a few months ago, I was sitting in his office chamber in the
Sangsad Bhaban along with some others, that the Speaker was preparing to
leave for New York for urgent medical treatment. One of his kidneys was not
functioning well. He was little worried. A lawmaker from Sylhet area said,
"Sir, kindly have a good medical treatment taking sufficient time since
politics is getting intense and elections are drawing nearer". Humayun
Rasheed Chowdhury smiled and then commented, "Certainly I have a mind to
contest elections but once again all are in the hands of the Almighty". I met
him after his return home from New York and enquired about his health. He
looked hale and hearty and said, " I am fine but once again all are in the
hands of God because I am ageing". May be the celebrated
diplomat-turned-politician could read his epitaph. He died just three days
before the expiry of the seventh Jatiya Sangsad, which he served as the
guardian from the first day of its five-year tenure. His sudden death in a
massive heart attack marked the end of an eventful life.
Truly, his was a colourful innings which was full of big scores -
notwithstanding a brief wilderness some years ago. As a foreign service
official, he rose to become the foreign secretary and finally foreign
minister.
As a diplomat, he served as the ambassador to the most important nation of the
world, the United States a dream for diplomats of any country. He earned rare
honour by presiding over the United Nations General Assembly. The UNGA has
condoled his death, paying glowing tributes to him as an able diplomat who
enriched the UNGA as its president. As a politician, he was a lawmaker three
times capped by being the Speaker of parliament. All these are testimony to
pinnacle of success in the relevant fields. But what also made him noticeable
among many was his "majestic" style both in living and being bountiful having
a mind which was largely innocent and devoid of falsehood.
For a person of my age and experience, it may seem somewhat unusual to know
closely a person like Humayun Rasheed Chowdhury, who was to me a colossus in
many ways. But paradoxically, I saw him from close proximity, both personally
and professionally, for nearly twenty-five years during which I was in
constant touch with him. Meeting him at regular intervals had become a
routine habit for me. And he would greet me with great affection and goodwill
as he did with many others cutting across political, social or other divides.
As such it is no wonder that I went to see him just a day before his death. I
was at his Sangsad chamber and he was not there. I thought he was presiding
over proceedings inside the house. After sometime, Shah Azizur Rahman, an
Awami League MP from Sylhet, told me that the Speaker was unwell and may not
turn up to office. As I enquired, he said it was a simple fever. But in the
night we heard the news which was a sort of a bolt from the blue. A key
figure in the country, a distinguished personality who helped enhance the
image of the nation internationally and finally, a gentleman par excellence
Humayun Rasheed Chowdhury was no more! I rubbed my eyes in utter disbelief
when I saw the body at his Dhanmondi residence at around midnight. All there
were stunned, grief-stricken, some struggling to hold back tears and some
given to sobbing.
It may sound little unbelievable but for professional and personal reasons, I
had come so near to him that I became a part of some of his momentous events
as well as the phase which was sad and bad for him, which to an extent
stirred controversy. I sat with him when the first official news came that he
was unanimously chosen president of the United Nations General Assembly,
which was a great moment for him and the country. By contrast, I saw him
weeping in New York when Bangladesh lost Security Council election to
Malaysia and last but not the least, the unfortunate "box episode" which
caused havoc throwing most agonising time in Chowdhury's life leading to his
exit as foreign minister. As a professional journalist, I was in that trip
with the foreign minister to Warsaw, Poland, where he was said to have
purchased certain things and later brought them home allegedly showing
"official document". Much later this "controversial box" reached Dhaka from
London incidentally with me. I had to face a high-level enquiry committee
headed by late finance minister Major General Munim to give my account on the
"box issue" from which eventually late Chowdhury came out with dignity.
Former chief election commissioner Mohammad Abu Hena, in his capacity as the
secretary of the civil aviation ministry, was the secretary of the
commission. The commission played a neutral role.
Chowdhury heaved a sigh of great relief but believed an influential interested
quarter was all out to get rid of him as foreign minister and the "box issue"
was used as a pretext because, what he brought were normal things and he
never wanted to send them as official document as it was alleged.
I saw Humayun Rasheed Chowdhury in my young days, as a student, as I visited
their house at Road No. 2 Dhanmondi along with my parents. My father as a
senior lawyer used to give legal advice to the politically and educationally
advanced affluent "Rasheed family" which also owned business like tea
gardens. But it was in 1977 that I came to know him during the Islamic
foreign ministers conference in Dakar, Senegal. I was covering the event as
the diplomatic correspondent of BSS. The Bangladesh delegation was led by
scholarly foreign minister Professor Muhammad Shamsul Huq and the members
were, among others, Farooq Sobhan (that time DG in foreign ministry), K M
Shehabuddin (recently retired as envoy to the United States and was director
in foreign minister's office at that time) and Anwarul Karim Chowdhury (now
permanent representative in the UN mission and a director in the foreign
ministry at that time). Humayun Rasheed Chowdhury was the Bangladesh
ambassador to Saudi Arabia and also the country's representative to OIC. He
then faintly remembered knowing or seeing me as a young boy.
But our difference in age never stood in developing closeness. He would often
come to the media centre during the conference and take me to lunch or coffe.
I was initially hesitant to be frank with such a senior person because of his
stature and family links. But his broadness of mind shattered all obstacles
for me. I learnt many things from him in the realm of diplomacy which in
later days helped me in writing analysis on international affairs.
Since then, I was intermittently in touch with him whether he was envoy to
Washington, foreign secretary, principal foreign secretary, foreign affairs
adviser to the president, foreign minister or the Speaker of parliament. All
his personal staff at office during these years would know me and I enjoyed
unbridled access to his office and home. A father-figure with broad smile and
vast reservoir of affection and goodwill he was, and I was privileged to
enjoy his friendship. I felt tremendously honoured to be an almost regular
invitee in his guest list. Last time, it was for the visiting Australian
parliamentary delegation in the restaurant "Samarkhand", which is known for
rich dishes. I have unending stories of personal experience with him ranging
from the unforgettable train journey from Warsaw to Prague when almost for
the entire night we all chatted.
At home too, I was with him in many places including a reception in Habiganj
as foreign minister when he turned emotional, dreaming of a prosperous Sylhet
like that of the rural areas of England where he studied. He was helpful
without caring much for the nitty gritty of the rules. Many newsmen could
visit different countries and cover important international events because of
his personal interventions. I was a member of the country's delegation to the
United Nations in 1985 which he led. I was nervous when asked to speak in the
special political committee of the UN. He encouraged me and asked our senior
diplomats Syed Muazzem Ali (now foreign secretary) and Q M R Rahim(retired as
high commissioner to Australia) to help me out. I was greeted with his
typical aplomb after the job was done. But I was amazed of his connections at
the international arena. Many important persons were his friends. Taking
advantage of his 'easy' nature, I would joke with him like asking how come
his younger brother Kaiser Rasheed was senior to him in service. He initially
went to England to become a barrister but later joined foreign service which
Kaiser had already joined. But he would always praise his younger brother as
a more reputed and adroit diplomat than himself.
Admittedly, no individual is free from faults. He too was not. As such, he was
also not free from controversy. But his qualities weighed much heavier than
shortcomings. He used his international links for the benefit of the country.
The extent of his links abroad was admirable. His desire to serve the country
and his area Sylhet was simply tremendous.
Watching his body at his residence many felt deeply saddened as an eventful
life had come to an end. He was fond of wife and children, brothers sisters,
friends and relations. But for Nasreine, his only daughter who sat like a
stone near father's body and was reciting from the holy Koran, it might have
been really unbearable. For, father was really a guide, philosopher and
friend to her. And personally, I owe so much to him! In return, I could give
only enormous respect to him and now infinite prayer for salvation of his
soul.
Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury is Senior Special Correspondent of BSS.