Abu Ahmad Abdul Hafiz

Abu Ahmad Abdul Hafiz (; 2 June 1900 – 9 February 1985), also known by his daak naam Wakil Mia , was a Bengali lawyer, teacher and politician who had a leading role in the Pakistan Movement and the reincorporation of the Sylhet district into East Bengal.

Early life and education Abu Ahmad Abdul Hafiz was born on 2 June 1900, to a Bengali Muslim family in Sonarpara, Sylhet. His father was Khan Bahadur Abdur Rahim, the son of Munshi Abdul Qadir of Rainagar Mahalla. His father was a graduate of Calcutta University and later joined Assam Civil Service as a deputy magistrate. At one point of time his father was the Manager of Prithimpassa Nawab Estate. His paternal grandmother, Moti Bibi, was the daughter of Muhammad Uzayr, an influential leader of Rainagar. The family, originally from Darzipara, later moved from Sonarpara to the Mukhtar Khan Kirmani neighbourhood. At the age of three years, Abdul Hafiz's mother Hafiza Banu, daughter of Abdul Qadir of nearby Pathantula, passed away (although his father maintained close ties with her family). Her paternal uncle was Moulvi Abdul Karim and her brother, Abdul Hamid, was the Education Minister of Assam and later Pakistan.

Abdul Hafiz's paternal uncle, Abdur Rashid, was a close mentor during his childhood.

His activist career began with his involvement in the Khilafat Movement during his youth which called for the restoration of the Ottoman Caliphate. At the time, his father was working in Nowgong, and subsequently sent Abdul Hafiz to the care of his maternal uncle Abdul Hakim Qurayshi, a professor at the Rajshahi College. Abdul Hafiz then studied at this college where he gained his BA in 1922.

He then proceeded to study at the University of Calcutta. His teachers included Abdullah Suhrawardy, Moulvi Abdul Karim, Sir Abdur Rahim, his father's classmate A. K. Fazlul Huq and Ashutosh Mukherjee. During his time there, he served as the secretary of the Surma Valley Students Association. He graduated in 1925 with a MA in Arabic and a BL. This latter role allowed him to develop close relations with Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Syama Prasad Mukherjee, Sir Azizul Haque and Bidhan Chandra Roy. After establishment of the Comilla Education Board, he served as member of its Selection Committee. Among his efforts was inviting Sahul Usmani from Bihar to give a pro-partition speech to the masses in Sylhet, as well as assisting the Radcliffe Boundary Commission. Abdul Hafiz disassociated himself from the Muslim League in 1952, and began to dedicated his life instead to education and social welfare.

Death and legacy Abu Ahmad Abdul Hafiz died in Bangladesh on 9 February 1985. During his birth centenary in 2000, his biography was published in the Bengali language. Within this, the award-winning Bengali poet, Dilwar Khan, dedicated the poem Nodir Uttoradhikare to him. He had fourteen children in total including Professor Dr. Abu Ahmad Abdul Muhsi, Dr. AK Abdul Mubin and National Professor Dr. Shahla Khatun. His son, Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, was the former Finance Minister of Government of Bangladesh. Another son, Abul Kalam Abdul Momen, was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Government of Bangladesh.