A friend remembers Syed Ashraf’s journey through war, loss and fears  

They fought the Liberation War together, and together they led the Chhatra League in Mymensingh.

Kazi Mobarak Hossainbdnews24.com
Published : 4 Jan 2019, 06:31 AM
Updated : 4 Jan 2019, 09:24 AM

Nazim Uddin Ahmed thought we would be sworn in to parliament together with his friend. But that dream is now drowned in grief.

Ahmed’s friend Syed Ashraful Islam died battling cancer at a hospital in Thailand, just hours after he asked to be allowed time for taking oath of office. 

Ahmed, who won from Mymensingh-3, was at the parliament taking his oath with other Awami League MPs on Thursday morning. 

Syed Ashraful due to his illness could not be present during this year’s election, but still emerged the winner from Kishoreganj-1 for the fifth time.

He sent a letter from Bangkok’s Bamrungrad Hospital asking the speaker to be allowed some time before he can be sworn in.  

Ahmed had failed once before to share the oath room with his old friend. Ashraf was already sworn in and a member of the cabinet when Ahmed won a by-election in 2016.  

After hearing of Ashraf’s death, Ahmed recalled for bdnews24.com their days spent together as freedom fighters and political comrades. 

“We trained together in the BLF (Mujib Bahini). We worked in BLF led by Razzak Bhai (late Abdur Razzak). We were fighting in the Rangpur and Sylhet regions,” Nazim told bdnews24.com.

Ahmed and Ashraf formed the leadership of Chhatra League’s unit at Mymensingh before the Liberation War in 1971.

“We were in student politics from 1969 to 1972. For four years, we were in charge of the Mymensingh district wing of the Chhatra League. We worked together for the historic 6-points and 11-points movements.”  

“I was the president. He was two and a half years younger but we were equals. Ashraf never called me by my name. Whenever he saw me, he would say: ‘there’s my leader!”

“We starved but were still in politics. There were times both of us had no money. We went into hiding to survive the tough times our party faced. We were underground together for a long time, and we couldn’t even go home to get some money,” said Ahmed.

Ashraf is the eldest son of Syed Nazrul Islam, the close companion of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who headed the war-time government fighting for liberation from Pakistan.

After the 1975 assassination of Bangabandhu, Syed Nazrul was murdered in jail along with three other top national leaders.    

“His father was reluctant to allow Ashraf into politics but his son’s interest and all of our persuasion later compelled him to change his mind.”

“Ashraf was a meritorious student. He was studying in Intermediate first year when he became the general secretary (of Chhatra League’s Mymensingh unit),” said Ahmed.

Ashraf went away to the United Kingdom after his father was killed in jail, and from there he played a key role in organising the Awami League in London.

He became a parliamentarian upon his returned home in 1996 and served as state minister in the cabinet of Sheikh Hasina, eldest daughter of the Father of the Nation. 

During the emergency rule in 2007, Ashraf took charge of the Awami League when Hasina was detained by an army-backed caretaker government. The party took the helm of power sweeping the results of election held in 2008.

As reward of his sincerity, Ashraf was made the general secretary in the next council of the Awami League. He served two terms as general secretary and became a presidium member.

He was still holding the office of public administration minister before his death.   

“Syed Ashraf had all the qualities of a great politician – sincere and honest. The Awami League does not have many leaders like him. A political leader with great merit, that’s who he was.”