A. S. M. Abdur Rab (born 1945)[1] is a Bangladeshi politician. He is the founder secretary general of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal.[1] In 1985, Rab and his followers left the party and formed a new party Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-JSD, known as JSD (Rab).[2] He served as the Jatiya Sangsad Member from Lakshmipur-4 and the Minister of Shipping and later the Minister of Fisheries and Livestock during 1996-2001 of the first Sheikh Hasina Cabinet.[3]

A. S. M. Abdur Rab
আ. স. ম. আবদুর রব
Abdur Rab at Jatiya Oikya Front event
Abdur Rab at Suhrawardy Udyan in November 2018
3rd Leader of the Opposition
In office
3 March 1988 – 27 February 1991
PresidentHussain Muhammad Ershad
Shahabuddin Ahmed
Prime MinisterMoudud Ahmed
Kazi Zafar Ahmed
Preceded bySheikh Hasina
Succeeded bySheikh Hasina
Minister of Shipping
In office
1999–2001
Prime MinisterKhaleda Zia
Preceded byM. K. Anwar
Syed Manzur Elahi (acting)
Succeeded bySyed Manzur Elahi (acting)
Akbar Hossain
Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock
In office
25 December 1998 – 13 June 2001
Prime MinisterKhaleda Zia
Preceded byQazi Fazlur Rahman (acting)
Satish Chandra Roy
Succeeded bySadeque Hossain Khoka
Jatiya Sangsad Member from Lakshmipur-4
In office
1996–2001
Preceded byAbdur Rab Chowdhury
Succeeded byA. B. M. Ashraf Uddin
Personal details
Born1945 (age 78–79)
Noakhali, East Bengal, British India
NationalityBangladeshi
Political partyJatiya Samajtantrik Dal-JSD
Occupationpolitician

Early life

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Rab was born in 1945.[1] He was general secretary of the student political organization East Pakistan Chhatra League from 1969 to 1970.[4] He was the leader of the 1969 mass uprising in East Pakistan.[5] He was the first person to hoist the Flag of Bangladesh on 2 March 1971 as the vice president of Dhaka University Central Students' Union.[1][6]

Career

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He is one of the organizers of the liberation struggle of Bangladesh. Under the leadership of Chhatra League leader Noor Alam Siddiqui, Abdul Kuddus, A S M Abdur Rab and Shajahan Siraj, the flag of independent Bangladesh was hoisted in Dhaka University on 2 March 1971. A flag of independent Bangladesh was first inaugurated by ASM Abdur Rab. In the historic Bot-tala of Dhaka University, A S M Abdur Rab handed over the flag of Bangladesh to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. After the independence of Bangladesh, Rab formed the left-wing Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (National Socialist Party). He along with Serajul Alam Khan and Shajahan Siraj, took a stand against the government led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.[7] He led the rally on 17 March 1974 towards the residence of the Home Minister at Ramna amid Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini led firing upon the crowd. Rab is a survivor of the 1974 Ramna massacre. President Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem released M. A. Jalil and Rab after taking power because of the involvement of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal in the coup d'état in November 1975.[8]

Rab became the leader of the opposition in 1988 and also served as a minister of Sheikh Hasina's cabinet from 1996 to 2001 as the Minister of Shipping and later the Minister of Fisheries and Livestock.[9][10][11]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "A S M Abdur Rob". The Daily Star. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  2. ^ "Inu fails to convince dissidents". The Daily Star. 14 March 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  3. ^ "Hasina's cabinet sets a record". Gulf News. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  4. ^ বিগত কমিটি সমূহ [Past Committees]. Bangladesh Chhatra League (in Bengali).
  5. ^ "B Chy, Kader Siddiqui, Rob form new alliance". The Daily Star. 26 December 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  6. ^ "Jaago Bangladeshi Jaago". The Daily Star. 25 March 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  7. ^ Obaidullah, A. T. M. (1999). Bangladesh Public Administration: Study of Major Reforms, Constraints and Strategies. Academic Press and Publishers. p. 189. ISBN 9789840801442.
  8. ^ Maniruzzaman, Talukder (1982). Group interests and political changes: studies of Pakistan and Bangladesh. South Asian Publishers. p. 178. ISBN 9780836408928.
  9. ^ Ahsan, Syed Badrul (23 February 2007). "All those Peripatetic People". The Daily Star. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  10. ^ "JSD (Rab) calls 48-hr hartal in Ramgati". The Daily Star. 17 January 1999. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  11. ^ "Italy can help build telecom & energy sector infrastructure". The Daily Star. 10 January 1998. Retrieved 26 July 2018.