Nurul Huq Choudhury

Zamindar Nurul Huq Choudhury
নুরুল হক চৌধুরী
Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan
In office 1955–1969
Preceded by	Constituency started
Succeeded by	Mosharraf Hossain Chowdhury
Constituency	Dinajpur-I
Parliamentary Secretary
In office 1962–1965
Constituency	Ministry of Communications
In office 1965–1969
Constituency	Ministry of Commerce
Personal details
Born	1902 Thakurgaon, Dinajpur District, Bengal Presidency
Died	1987 (aged 84–85)
Political party	Muslim League
Relations	Rezwanul Haque Idu Chowdhury (cousin)
Education	Carmichael College Debiganj High School
Alma mater	University of Calcutta (BL) Calcutta Islamia College (BA)

Nurul Huq Choudhury (Bengali: নুরুল হক চৌধুরী; 1902–1987) was a Bangladeshi politician, minister and lawyer. He was the final Zamindar of Balia, and served as a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan for three consecutive terms.^[1]

Early life and education

Choudhury was born in 1902 to a Bengali Muslim zamindar family in the village of Little Balia in Thakurgaon, Dinajpur District, Bengal Presidency. The zamindari of Balia was founded by his grandfather, Meher Bakhsh Choudhury, who was succeeded by his father, Hekmatullah Choudhury. His cousin Rezwanul Haque Idu Chowdhury was a politician.

Choudhury passed his matriculation from Debiganj High School and his Intermediate of Arts from the Carmichael College in Rangpur. After that, he completed his Bachelor of Arts with Distinction from Calcutta Islamia College and Bachelor of Law from the University of Calcutta respectively.

Career

Choudhury began his career as a lawyer but later went into politics. He eventually became the co-president of the Dinajpur District Board for five years and contributed in the establishment of various charity clinics in the Thakurgaon and Panchagarh regions. Choudhury initially joined the Congress Party but later joined the Muslim League. He served as the president of the Thakurgaon subdivisional Muslim League throughout the Pakistan Movement. He was elected to the 2nd National Assembly of Pakistan in 1955,^[2] and served another two terms under the Basic Democracy system.^[3][4]

Thakurgaon municipality was founded in 1 March 1958 with Nurul Huq Choudhury as its inaugural chairman. He served as the Minister of Central Public Works Department.^[5] Choudhury was the former parliamentary secretary of the Ministry of Communications from 1962 to 1965 and Ministry of Commerce from 1965 to 1969. Through his initiative, many post offices and roads were set up and constructed in various thanas and unions in Thakurgaon subdivision. Choudhury also contributed towards the founding of the Thakurgaon Sugar Mill, Kachari Jame Mosque and Thakurgaon-Panchagarh-Tetulia highway. He also restarted the use of the Thakurgaon Airport for some time. Choudhury has also served as a long-time secretary of the Thakurgaon Government Girls High School.^[1]

Personal life

Choudhury was a Sunni Muslim and completed the Hajj.^[1]

Death

Choudhury died in 1987.^[1]

References

1. "ঠাকুরগাঁও জেলার প্রখ্যাত ব্যক্তিত্ব". Bangladesh National Portal (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
2. Constituent Assembly of Pakistan Debates: Official Report. Manager of Publications. 1956. p. 2779.
3. "LIST OF MEMBERS OF THE 3RD NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF PAKISTAN FROM 1962-1964" (PDF). na.gov.pk. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
4. "LIST OF MEMBERS OF THE 4TH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF PAKISTAN FROM 1965-1969" (PDF). na.gov.pk. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
5. Gupta, Jyoti Sen (1963). Eclipse of East Pakistan: Chronicles of Events Since Birth of East Pakistan Till October, 1963. RENCO. p. 147.