In 1880 Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani was born in Dhangara village in Sirajganj, Bengal Presidency. He was the son of Sharafat Ali Khan. Between 1907 and 1909 he received religious education at the Deoband Madrasah. The association of Mahmudul Hasan (known as Shaikhul Hind) and other progressive Islamic thinkers inspired Bhasani against British imperialism. In 1909 he started teaching in a primary school at Kagmaree, Tangail. From 1909 to 1913 he worked with political extremists.[vague] In 1914 he revolted against the Christian missionaries in the Netrakona and Sherpur areas of East Bengal. Because of his educational background he received the title Maulana.After the establishment of India and Pakistan in 1947, following the exit of the British, Bhashani planned his anti-establishment course of action. On 23 June 1949, he founded East Pakistan Awami Muslim League. Bhasani was elected its president with Shamsul Huq as its General Secretary. On 24 July 1949 he organized the first meeting of Awami Muslim League at Armanitola, Dhaka, in which Yar Mohammad Khan contributed and finally established the party inside Dhaka city.
During the Kagmaree Conference of Awami League held on 7–8 February 1957, Bhashani left the West Pakistani authority which acted negatively against East Pakistan.[16] On 24–25 July 1957, Bhashani convened the conference of All Pakistan Democratic Activists. On 25 July he formed the East Pakistan National Awami Party (NAP). Bhashani was elected the President with Mahmudul Huq Osmani, the General Secretary. Pakistani presidential election, 1965On 31 January 1952 he formed the "All Party Language movement Committee" at the Dhaka Bar Library. He campaigned for the recognation of Bangla as a national language in Pakistan.[14] The National Democratic Front was established under his leadership on 4 December 1953. He renamed Awami Muslim League as the Awami League by removing "Muslim" from its official name in the council session of Awami League held on 21–23 October 1953. In May 1954 he went to Stockholm. He was barred from returning to East Pakistan by the government of Iskander Mirza and branded a communist.[15] In 1956 Bhashani went on a hunger strike in demand of food for the famine affected people from 7 to 23 May.
He played a crucial role in the opposition decision to nominate Fatima Jinnah, instead of Azam Khan. Fatima Jinnah was initially scornful of an opposition attempt to nominate her, however on Bhashanis personal intervention, she agreed to be their joint candidate.[17][verification needed]
Despite this pleged support for Fatima Jinnah, Bhashani is controversially alleged to have become inactive during the opposition Presidential campaign because of Ayub Khan's pro-China leanings.[18]
He organized the Cooperative for the Cultivators of East Pakistan on 2–3 January 1968. He was elected the founder Chairman. On 15 June 1968 Bhashani founded the Cooperative for the Provincial Fish Tradesmen at Dhaka Bar library. On 12 October of the same year, he was arrested by President General Ayub Khan's government from the Mirzapur hospital, Tangail.[citation needed]
In 1967 Bhashani protested against the governmental ban against Rabindranath Tagore.[citation needed] In 1969 Bhashani launched a movement to withdraw the Agartala Conspiracy Case and for the release of Sheikh Mujib and other co-accused persons, which eventually accelerated the fall of Ayub Khan.[19] In 1970 Bhasani called for the Independence of East Pakistan per the 1940 Lahore Resolution.[20] When the Bangladesh Liberation War started on 26 March 1971, Bhasani was confined in India. He was returned by the Indian Army to Bangladesh just after the war ended.[citation needed]
Bhasani with his National Awami party had organised an International Kisan conference from March 23–25, 1970 in Toba Tek Singh District.In the conference he asked the Government of Pakistan to hold a referendum, asking the population if they wanted Islamic Socialism. He warned that there might be guerrilla warfare if the military government failed to do so.[4]
The Muslim League Government both in the centre and the province of East Pakistan lost considerable popularity after the Language Movement of 1952. It was seen as not being capable or interested in protecting the interest of East Pakistan. In 1954, election was going to be held in the province and a new political party emerged to challenge the Muslim League. It was called United Front and comprised the party of Bhashani and the Krishak Sramik Party of A. K. Fazlul Huq, former Prime Minister of Bengal. The Awami League, under Shahid Suhrawardy also joined the alliance. The United Front won the provincial election in East Pakistan by defeating the Muslim league.[21]
In the elections of 1954, Jukta Front successfully defeated Muslim League and its leader Prime minister Nurul Amin lost his parliament seat to a young student leader Mr. Khaleque Nawaz Khan and jukto front formed the provincial government of East Pakistan. However, the government was arbitrarily dismissed.
Bhashani asked China to aid Bangladesh in the liberation war. His request was not answered by China.