1937-2020

Former deputy speaker Col (retd) Shawkat Ali, who was one of the accused in the historic Agartala Conspiracy Case, passed away at the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka yesterday. He was 83.

A valiant freedom fighter, Shawkat had been suffering from multiple old age complications, including kidney- and heart-related problems. He was admitted to the hospital on October 29 with pneumonia.

He was put on life support on November 5, Udoy Shawkat Ali, grandson of the former military official, told The Daily Star.

Shawkat left behind his wife, two sons, a daughter and a host of relatives and well-wishers.

He was in jail for 13 months as an accused in the Agartala Conspiracy Case before the country's independence.

During the autocratic regime of late military ruler HM Ershad, he had been behind bars for 16 months -- from May 1982 to September 1983.

He was also jailed in 2003 during the tenure of the then BNP-Jamaat government.

On February 23, 2011, he told parliament the charges brought against them in the Agartala Conspiracy Case were true.

He also said they had formed Sangram Parishad under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for secession of East Pakistan from Pakistan and the case actually laid the foundation of the country's independence.

Shawkat said as part of the plan called "Agartala Plot", navy steward Mujibur Rahman and educationist Mohammad Ali Reza went to Agartala to seek India's support for the independence of Bangladesh.

He was a captain in the Pakistan Army in 1968 when he was accused in the Agartala Conspiracy Case. He was accused No-26 among the total 35.

He was supposed to be tried by court martial, but the then Pakistan government felt it would benefit more from a civil trial. However, the case was withdrawn the following year amid public protest.

Shawkat was forced to retire from Pakistan Army in 1969.

The Agartala Conspiracy Case, which had set a new course in the history of the country's independence struggle, was filed in early 1968 implicating Bangabandhu as the prime accused and 34 other Bangalee civil servants, army, navy and air force officers and politicians over "hatching a plot".

The case ultimately resulted in the fall of Gen Ayub Khan in 1969 and subsequently led the nation towards the 1971 Liberation War.

Shawkat was reinstated into the army after the formation of the Bangladesh Forces in 1971 to fight the Liberation War.

The valiant freedom fighter was forced to retire the second time when he was a colonel in 1975 working as the director of Ordnance Services following the assassination of Bangabandhu.

Shawkat was elected MP from Shariatpur-2 six times. He was elected unanimously the deputy speaker of the ninth parliament on 25 January 2009, following a landslide victory of the Awami League.

He was also a lawyer registered with the Supreme Court.

Shawkat had completed his LLB from University of Dhaka in 1958 before he joined the Pakistan Army as a commissioned officer the following year.

CONDOLENCES

Condolences poured in after his demise yesterday. President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in separate messages expressed deep shock at the death of the veteran politician.

Hamid in his message said, "Despite being a military officer, the courageous role he had played for the freedom of the country putting his life at risk is really unparalleled."

The premier in her message said, "With his death, the country has lost a veteran leader of the masses and I myself lost a trusted colleague of Bangabandhu's ideal."

Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Opposition Leader Raushan Ershad, Law Minister Anisul Haq, Health Minister Zahid Maleque, Expatriates Welfare Minister Imran Ahmad, Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, Planning Minister MA Mannan, Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee and top leaders of different political and socio-cultural organisations, distinguished personalities expressed their condolences at Shawkat's death.

BURIAL

People from all walks of life paid tributes to the valiant freedom fighter at the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital around 3:30pm yesterday.

After Maghrib prayers, his first namaz-e-janaza was held at the Baitul Mukarram national mosque.

His body will be flown to Naria of Shariatpur by an armed forces helicopter around 10:00am today.

Later, Shawkat's body will be taken to Naria Shaheed Minar where people from all strata of society will pay their respect to him.His second namaz-e-janaza will be held at the ground of Naria BL High School after Johr prayers today before his burial at his village home in Naria.