Dhaka: Education Adviser Professor Dr. Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar today emphasized that Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani’s political approach was consistently aligned with the people’s interests. “He always stood beside poor farmers, workers and oppressed communities, prioritizing people’s politics over power politics,” said Dr. Abrar during the inauguration of a two-day international conference titled “Decolonization and Maulana Bhashani” at the Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban auditorium of Dhaka University.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Dr. Abrar portrayed Maulana Bhashani as not merely a political leader but as the moral conscience of the people and a far-sighted anti-imperialist statesman. He highlighted Bhashani’s belief that political independence was intertwined with economic security, cultural dignity, and human respect. This perspective allowed Bhashani to recognize the inequalities of the Pakistani regime early on and prompted his historic “Assalamu Alaikum” speech in 1957.
The education adviser further elaborated on Bhashani’s view of education as a means to awaken consciousness and build courage to resist injustice, noting that education disconnected from real life could not lead to liberation. Presiding over the session, Professor Emeritus Serajul Islam Choudhury described Maulana Bhashani as a social revolutionary and visionary statesman dedicated to the people’s liberation.
Professor Choudhury remarked that Bhashani focused on issues affecting rivers, farmers, workers, and marginalized communities, advocating for equality, social ownership, and democratic socialist transformation instead of pursuing electoral power. In his welcome address, Professor Ashfaque Hossain, Director of the Center for Advanced Research in Arts and Social Sciences (CARASS), highlighted Bhashani’s significant role in peasant movements across colonial Bengal, Assam, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, urging a re-evaluation of his contributions to the history of peasant struggles in the region.
Organized by CARASS of Dhaka University, the conference featured a photo exhibition on Maulana Bhashani’s life and struggles after the inaugural session. On the second day, scheduled for December 24, panel discussions will explore Bhashani’s worldview, political thought, and role in the decolonization process.