Staff Reporter :
The second death anniversary of Barrister Mainul Hosein – former Adviser to the Caretaker Government and prominent lawyer – was observed on Tuesday with deep mourning and respect.
The widely respected and admired personality, Barrister Mainul Hosein, breathed his last on this day (December 9 in 2023) at the age of 83 while undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in the capital.
Always cheerful, friendly, polite, humble, warm, and full of vitality, Mainul Hosein was the eldest son of legendary journalist and founder of the Daily Ittefaq, Tofazzal Hossain Manik Mia.
Mainul Hosein was the founder of the English daily The New Nation. He was also Chairman of the Editorial Board of The Daily Ittefaq.
On the occasion of his second death anniversary, prayers and Qur’an recitation were held at his grave in the Azimpur graveyard.
Family members, relatives, and well-wishers offered Fatiha at his gravesite.
Barrister Mainul’s elder son Javed Hosein, younger son and Managing Editor of The New Nation Arshad Hosein, nephew Mohibul Ahsan, granddaughter Arysha Hosein, along with family members and journalists, officials, and employees of The Daily Ittefaq and The New Nation, were present at the event.
After the Zuhr prayers, a prayer gathering was organized by the family at the Manik Mia Foundation auditorium in the Ittefaq Bhaban at 1. RK Mission Road.
Prayers were offered seeking forgiveness for the departed soul of Barrister Mainul Hosein.
His elder son Javed Hosein, younger son Arshad Hosein, Editor of the Daily Naya Diganta Salauddin Muhammad Babar, journalists from various newspapers, lawyers, and officials and employees of The New Nation, were present.
It may be recalled that in 1973, during the formative period of Bangladesh’s Constitution, he was elected as a Member of the First National Parliament from his ancestral home district, Pirojpur.
In 1975, following the introduction of the one-party BAKSAL system through the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, he voluntarily resigned from Parliament in support of democracy.
In 2007, under the caretaker government led by Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed, he served with distinction as Adviser in charge of the Ministries of Information, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Housing and Public Works, and Land.
He was a fierce critic of military dictatorship. Owing to his strong and uncompromising stance, he was regarded as the conscience of the nation and a bold voice of protest.
He also served as the elected President of the Supreme Court Bar Association during 2000-2001, and was a former member of the Senate and Syndicate of Dhaka University.
This highly respected senior lawyer played a key role in protecting constitutional governance and in separating the judiciary from the executive branch.
In several constitutional matters, he provided important opinions before the court as amicus curiae. Barrister Mainul Hosein also conducted numerous significant and widely discussed cases.
Barrister Mainul Hosein, who fought throughout his life for democracy, the voting rights of the people, judicial independence, human rights, an end to extrajudicial killings, the rule of law, and freedom of the press, will be remembered forever in Bangladesh’s political landscape.
