Veteran freedom fighter, former minister and Bangladesh Awami League presidium member Engi-neer Mosharraf Hossain died on Wednesday morning while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in the capital. He was 83.
Family members said the seven time lawmaker from Chattogram 1 constituency breathed his last at around 10am after suffering from age related complications.
A recipient of the Independence Award in 2019, Mosharraf Hossain played an active role in the Liberation War and in the country's parliamentary politics for several decades.
Born in 1943 in Dhum Union of Mirsarai in Chattogram, he was the son of former East Pakistan Provincial Council member S Rahman. He studied at Chittagong Collegiate School and later enrolled in mining engineering at the Engineering and Technical University in Lahore, where he became involved in the historic Six Point Movement.
During his student years, he served as president of the East Pakistan Students' Council and organised political activities supporting Bengali autonomy. After returning to the then East Pakistan, he joined Awami League politics under the guidance of veteran leader M A Aziz and was elected to the Provincial Council in 1970 at the age of 27.
During the Liberation War in 1971, Mosharraf Hossain led resistance operations in Chittagong under Sector 1. According to party leaders, forces under his command blew up the Shubhpur Bridge to obstruct the advance of Pakistani troops from Comilla.
Following independence, he was elected to parliament in 1973, 1986, 1996, 2008, 2014 and 2018. He served as opposition whip in 1986, minister for civil aviation and tourism in 1996 and later as minister for housing and public works in 2015.
He also held several organisational positions within the Awami League, including general secretary and president of the Chittagong North district unit, before becoming a presidium member of the party.
He is survived by his wife Ayesha Sultana, former lawmaker Mahbub Rahman Ruhel, three sons, one daughter and numerous political associates and well wishers.
According to family sources, his first funeral prayer will be held at the Jamiatul Falah Mosque premises at 11am today, followed by another funeral prayer after Zuhr at S Rahman College in Mirsarai. He will later be buried at the family graveyard in his native village.
