Noted politician and top most senior member of Awami League (AL) Advisory Committee Dr SA Malek was laid to rest in a befitting manner at Martyred Intellectual Graveyard in capital’s Mirpur area after two namaj-ejanazas in the capital Wednesday.
Dr S A Malek, a former member of parliament (MP) and political advisor to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, also the President of Bangabandhu Parishad, died of a massive heart attack at a city hospital on Tuesday night at the age of 86.
Minister of Science and Technology Dr Yeafesh Osman, Bangabandhu Parishad General Secretary Professor ABM Farooque, Joint General Secretaries of the organization Sheikh Abdullah Al Mamun, Matiur Rahman Laltu and Professor Feroz Ahmed and other parishad leaders working at different Banks, Insurance companies, among others, attended the burial.
Huge number of ruling Awami League and Bangabandhu Parishad leaders participated to the second Namaj-e-Janaza held after the Johr prayer at Kalabaghan field premises at 2pm.
Prior to this, the first Namaj-e-Janaza of the veteran freedom fighter was held at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) premises in the early morning.
After the second Namaj-e-Janaza, Awami League (AL) Advisory Council Member and 14-party alliance spokesperson Amir Hossain Amu paid rich tributes to former political advisor to the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Dr SA Malek on behalf of the Prime Minister.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, AL leaders SM Kamal Hossain, Advocate Afzal Hossain, Sujit Roy Nandi, Dr Abdus Sobhan Golap, Abdus Sobur, Sayem Khan and Syed Abdul Awal Shamim, former vice-chancellor of the Dhaka University and Bangabandhu Parishad Presidium members professor Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique, Vice-Chancellor of the Dhaka University Dr. Md. Akhtaruzzaman, Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Barrister sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, Bangabandhu Parishad Presidium Member and senior Journalist Ajit Kumar Sarkar and former president of Bangladesh ChHatra League HM Badiuzzaman Sohag also paid tributes to the noted politician.
A doa-mahfil recalling the contributions of Dr SA Malek will be held at the 11th floor of the Pani Bhaban, located at Panthpath intersection and Green Road after Asar prayer on December 9(Friday).
He is survived by two sons and two daughters, a host of relatives and admirers.
Malek was born on August 18, 1936, at Tangail while his father late Alhaj Sheikh Abdur Razzak was posted there as a forest officer.
His ancestral home is at Syed Mahalla of Mulghar union under Fakirhat Police Station in Bagerhat district.
In 1954, he passed the matriculation examination from the local Khararia English High School. He passed his I.Sc from P C College of Bagerhat in 1956 and had his B.Sc degree from Dhaka University in 1958.
Later, he obtained his M.B.B.S. degree from Dhaka Medical College. He was a meritorious student. Being a conscious politician, he took an active part in all the democratic movements of the country right from the historic language movement in 1952.
Malek considers his participation in Bangladesh's glorious War of Liberation to be the greatest event of his life.
As a dissenting political worker, he had to suffer repression and imprisonment due to political reasons at various times of his life.
In 1973, he was elected parliament member as an Awami League nominee from the then Faridpur-1 (Goalondo-Rajbari) constituency.
Dr. Malek played a very vital role in putting up an effective resistance movement after Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was brutally killed along with most of his family members on August 15, 1975.
For this reason, he was compelled to take refugee outside of the country at one stage. After returning home in 1980, he concentrated properly on reorganizing the Bangabandhu Parishad.
He performed the responsibility of the general secretary of the organization for the last two and a half decades and presently was performing as its president.
Dr. Malek has played a pivotal role in uniting all progressive intellectuals of the country who uphold the spirit of independence, democracy and the War of Liberation.
He was loyal to the ideology of Bangabandhu, honest, courageous, and averse to publicity.
He earned fame and name as an effective allopathic doctor in his early career. Later, he developed himself as a specialist homeopathic and an eminent columnist.
Malek was made the Political Adviser to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 1996. He was the author of the Stream of Thoughts: Part I, II and III, Abarudha Ganotantrer Du Dashak, Rajniti.