Abdul Kader Siddique

Abdul Kader Siddique (Bengali: আবদুল কাদের সিদ্দিকী) is a Bangladeshi politician. He served as a Mukti Bahini member and organizer of the Bangladesh Liberation War. He fought with an estimated 17,000-strong guerrilla force in the Tangail region against the Pakistan Army.[2] The army was called Kaderia Bahini (Kader's Army). At the end of the war in 1971, Siddique's forces entered Dhaka along with the Indian forces, signaling the end of the war.[3] He was awarded Bir Uttom by the Government of Bangladesh. Since 1999, he has been serving as the leader of his newly formed party, the Krishak Sramik Janata League.[4]

Abdul Kader Siddique
আবদুল কাদের সিদ্দিকী
Siddique in 2017
Member of Parliament (Bangladesh)
In office
1996–1999
Preceded byHumayun Khan Panni
Succeeded byShawkat Momen Shahjahan
ConstituencyTangail-8
In office
2001–2008
Preceded byShawkat Momen Shahjahan
Succeeded byShawkat Momen Shahjahan
ConstituencyTangail-8
Personal details
Born1947 (age 75–76)
Dacca, East Bengal, Pakistan (Now, Dhaka, Bangladesh)
Political partyKrishak Sramik Janata League (since 1999)
Other political
affiliations		Bangladesh Awami League (1996-1999)
SpouseNasrin Siddique
RelativesAbdul Latif Siddiqui (brother)[1]
Awards Bir Uttom
Military service
Branch/service Mukti Bahini
Battles/warsBangladesh Liberation War

Career

During the Bangladesh Liberation war, he formed Kaderia Bahini to fight against the Pakistan military. The Kaderia Bahini, as it is said, had approximately 17 thousand personnel. He was loyal to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.[5]

After the Independence of Bangladesh, Siddique went back to his home town of Tangail where he enjoyed considerable patronage from the Awami League, the party of Prime Minister Mujibur Rahman.[6]

After the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975, Siddiqui and his followers organised attacks on the authorities of Khondakar Mushtaque's government. Elements loyal to Siddiqui operated from bases in Assam province in India and were actively supported by India's Border Security Force.[6] In the insurgency against the military government of Bangladesh 104 rebels were killed and more than 500 were injured. The insurgency lasted more than two years.[7] He was tried by a military court on July 24 1978 ,and sentenced to 7 years in jail. He was accused of killing a major and a number of soldiers of Bangladesh Army after the Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman following the 15 August 1975 Bangladesh coup d'état.[8] On December 6 ,1990, he returned to Bangladesh from self imposed exile in India.

Siddique was elected member of the parliament of Bangladesh from different constituencies of Tangail.

In 1996, Siddique was elected to Parliament as a Bangladesh Awami League candidate from Tangail-8.[9] In 1999, Siddique quit Awami League. He then resigned from the parliament and formed his own party the Krishak Sramik Janata League.[4] This triggered a by-election, which he lost to the Bangladesh Awami League candidate, Shawakat Momen Shahjahan. Siddique was elected to parliament from Tangail 8 in the 2001 Bangladesh General Election as a candidate of the Krishak Sramik Janata League.[9] On October 17, 2006, his rally was attacked by Bangladesh Chhatra League activists, leaving 11 injured in Jamalpur District.[10]

In 2017, Bangladesh High Court disqualified Siddique from contesting a by-election from Tangail-4 because he had defaulted on a loan. He tried to contest the 2018 Bangladesh General Election from Tangail-4 and Tangail-8 but his candidacy was rejected by the Bangladesh Election Commission.[11] He, along with his party, joined the Jatiya Oikyafront to contest the election against the Bangladesh Awami League alliance.[12][13] His daughter, Kuri Siddique, also applied for nomination from Tangail-8 in case his candidacy was rejected.[14] The Election Commission rejected the appeal filed by Siddique, challenging the cancellation of his nomination on December 8.[15]

Personal life

Siddique is married to Nasrin Siddique.[16] His elder brother Abdul Latif Siddiqui is also an Awami League politician who served as the member of parliament and the minister of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology.[1] Their other two younger brothers are Murad Siddiqui and Azad Siddiqui.[17]

References
  1. "Kader Siddique's nomination cancelled, his party calls Tangail shutdown for Wednesday". Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  2. Brian May, "Indian Army Arrests 'Tiger of Tangail' After Dacca Bayoneting", The Times, December 21, 1971, pg. 4.
  3. Ahmed, Helal Uddin (2012). "Mukti Bahini". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  4. "Quader holds talks with Kader Siddique". The Daily Star. July 26, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  5. De, Barun; Samāddāra, Raṇabīra (1997). State, development, and political culture: Bangladesh and India. Har-Anand Publications. p. 137. ISBN 9788124104552.
  6. Lifschultz, Lawrence (1979). Bangladesh: The Unfinished Revolution. Zed Press. p. 64. ISBN 0-905762-07-X. Kader Siddiqui appalled both Bengalis and foreigners when, in public, shortly after the liberation of Dacca, he personally bayoneted three alleged collaborators to death. The entire incident was filmed from start to finish by foreign film crews whom he had invited to the spectacle. He returned to Tangail after independence and became the recipient of substantial Awami League patronage. Following the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in August 1975, Siddiqui and his followers began to offer resistance to the post-coup authorities headed by Khondakar Mustaque. Elements identifying themselves with Siddiqui gradually withdrew to India and, with the active and direct assistance of the Indian Government's Border Security Force, set up training camps in the Assam border area.
  7. Ltd, Banglainsider. "Those who protested that day". en.banglainsider.com. Archived from the original on January 12, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  8. Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Refworld | Bangladesh: Information on Mr. Abdul Kader Siddiqi (Siddique/Siddiqui)". Refworld. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  9. "4 Siddique brothers to contest from Tangail constituencies". Dhaka Tribune. November 26, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  10. "Kader Siddiqui's rallies attacked in Jamalpur". The Daily Star. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  11. "Kader Siddique's candidacy rejected". Dhaka Tribune. December 2, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  12. "Kader joins Oikyafront". The Daily Star. November 5, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  13. "Kader Siddique joins Oikya Front". Daily Sun. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  14. "Kader Siddique and daughter submit nomination forms in Tangail 8". Dhaka Tribune. November 28, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  15. "EC rejects Kader Siddique's appeal". Dhaka Tribune. December 8, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  16. "Wanted Kader Siddiqui waiting for police at home". bdnews24.com. November 13, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  17. "Four Siddiqui brothers to run in Tangail-3,4,5,8". The Daily Star. December 4, 2008. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.