Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad

Here is the revised memorial biography of Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad, incorporating only well-verified details supported by authoritative sources:

Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad was born on 17 February 1918 in the village of Dashpara, within Daudkandi Upazila of the former Tippera (now Comilla) district in Bengal under British rule. He earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Dhaka and entered politics in 1942. During the partition era, he became one of the founding joint secretaries of the East Pakistan Awami Muslim League as it emerged from the All‑India Muslim League. (en.wikipedia.org)

He embarked on a political career marked by repeated arrests under successive governments. Elected to the East Pakistan Provincial Assembly in 1954 as part of the United Front, he was jailed following the dissolution of the alliance. Released in 1955, he served as the Front’s chief whip. Later, he was detained again under the 1958 martial law regime and during the 1966 Six-Point Movement. After his release in 1969, he accompanied Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to a significant all-parties conference in Rawalpindi; in 1970 he was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan. (en.wikipedia.org)

During Bangladesh’s liberation war, he joined the Mujibnagar government-in-exile as the country’s first Minister of Foreign Affairs, and also served as Minister of Law, Justice & Parliamentary Affairs. After independence under Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s leadership, he held multiple cabinet portfolios including Minister of Land Revenue (from January 1972) and later Minister of Commerce (March 1973 to May 1975). (en.wikipedia.org)

On 15 August 1975, following the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, he assumed the presidency of Bangladesh. As president, he controversially praised the assassins as “sons of the sun,” replaced the national slogan “Joy Bangla” with “Bangladesh Zindabad,” and renamed Bangladesh Betar to “Radio Bangladesh.” He also implemented an Indemnity Ordinance granting immunity to those involved in the killings, and ordered the imprisonment of key Awami League leaders. (en.wikipedia.org) On 3 November 1975, during the event known as Jail Killing Day, four imprisoned national leaders—Tajuddin Ahmad, Syed Nazrul Islam, A. H. M. Qamaruzzaman and Muhammad Mansur Ali—were murdered inside Dhaka Central Jail; reports indicate these killings occurred under his authority. He was then removed from power and deposed by a coup on 6 November 1975. (en.wikipedia.org)

Following his removal, he was imprisoned and upon release in 1976 or 1978, formed a new political party called the Democratic League. The party failed to gain traction and remained marginal until his death. Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad died on 5 March 1996 in Dhaka, aged 78. (en.wikipedia.org)