Anwar Zahid a bright star in Bangladeshi nationalism, journalism

Yesterday (Friday) was the birth anniversary of prominent journalist, writer and politician Anwar Zahid. He was born on June 12, 1938, in Narikelbaria village of Ghorashal Union, Jhenaidah. Anwar Zahid died on August 13, 2008. He was a bright star in Bangladeshi Nationalism, and Journalism.

His father was AM Delwar Hossain and mother was Razia Begum. He passed the entrance examination from Jhenaidah Model High School in 1956. He studied at Khulna BL College, Rajshahi Government College and Dhaka University.

He was elected general secretary of Sahitya Majlis in 1955. He served as assistant editor of Dainik Ittehad in 1956. He was assistant editor of Dainik Sangbad in 1959, assistant editor of Dainik Ittefaq in 1960, editor of Saptahik Janata in 1963, deputy editor of English weekly Holiday in 1966, executive editor of Saptahik Ganobangla in 1970, news editor of Daily People in 1972 and executive editor of Bangladesh Times.

He was last the advisory editor of Dainik Inqilab. He served as the general secretary of Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) in 1962, 63, 64, vice-president in 1965 and 66, and president in 1978 and 83.

Although Anwar Zahid entered the field of politics with an initiation into leftist politics, he presented a new model of politics to the people by combining the politics of nationalist and Islamic values.

Earlier, He played an important role in the 1952 Language Movement in Jhenaidah. He joined the Students’ Union in 1954. In 1956, he was elected GS of the Students’ Union of Rajshahi Government College. In 1965, he was elected a member of the central committee of the All-Pakistan NAP.

When NAP was divided into two parts in 1976, he served as the joint editor of NAP under the leadership of Maulana Bhashani. When NAP was reorganized in 1977, he became a central member.

In 1978, he played a vital role in the formation of the Nationalist Front and the preparation of its manifesto under the leadership of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman. In 1986, he joined the Jatiya Party and was elected from the Jhenaidah-2 constituency in the third national parliamentary election. He then served as the Minister of Information, Relief and Labor and Manpower in the Ershad government. He joined the BNP in 1996 and was the Information Advisor to the BNP Chairperson until 2001.

Anwar Zahid has provided the fruitful leadership of nationalist and democratic politics after the oppressed people’s leader Maulana Bhashani and national leader Mashiur Rahman Jadu Mia. When politicians are accused of corruption, Anwar Zahid could be presented as an example of honesty.
Anwar Zahid, despite his harsh criticism of his political opponents, never used abusive or obscene language towards anyone, which is becoming increasingly rare in today’s politics. He pursued the politics of national unity throughout his life.

Anwar Zahid made the ultimate sacrifice for nationalist politics. He was the architect of the unimaginable unity that began between forces that believed in nationalist and religious values. Sadly, that architect was pushed aside at some point.