Fazlul Bari

Muhammad Fazlul Bari (1 January 1922 – 27 March 1971) was a Pakistani politician, newspaper editor, and government official. He served as a provincial minister of East Pakistan during the 1960s, holding the portfolios of Revenue, Civil Assistance and Rehabilitation (1964–1965) and Health, Labour and Social Welfare (1965–1969). He was killed in Bogra on 27 March 1971 during Operation Searchlight, the military crackdown launched by the Pakistan Army at the outset of the Bangladesh Liberation War.

Early life Bari was born on 1 January 1922 in Chandania village of Bogra District, Bengal Presidency, British India, in the area now comprising Shibganj Upazila of Bogra District, Bangladesh, into the family of Maulvi Moyez Uddin. He began involvement in student politics in 1937 and completed his secondary education at Bogra Zilla School in 1939.

Career In 1953, Bari was appointed vice chairman of the Bogra District Board, a position he held for five years, subsequently serving as vice chairman of the Bogra District Council for a further five years. In 1965, he was appointed Provincial Minister of Health, Labour and Social Welfare, succeeding Maung Shwe Prue Chowdhury, and held this post until 1969.

Death On 27 March 1971, the second day of Operation Searchlight, the Pakistan Army's military offensive against the Bengali population of East Pakistan, Fazlul Bari was shot and killed by Pakistani forces at his residence in Bogra. He was 49 years old. His death occurred in the opening days of the Bangladesh Liberation War, which concluded with the independence of Bangladesh in December 1971.