Majumder–Zia family

The Majumder–Zia family (Bengali: মজুমদার–জিয়া পরিবার), or simply the Zia family (জিয়া পরিবার), is one of the two most prominent Bangladeshi political families, alongside the Sheikh family, it leads the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Members of the family include – Ziaur Rahman served as army chief and later President of Bangladesh and Khaleda Zia as Prime Minister of Bangladesh, while several others have been members of the parliament.

Zia family জিয়া পরিবার
Zia couple in 1979
Current region	Bangladesh United Kingdom Malaysia
Place of origin	Bengal (Mandal Family) Afghanistan (Majumdar Family)
Founder	Muminuddin Mandal (Zia family) Murad Khan (Majumder family)
Current head	Khaleda Zia
Members	Ziaur Rahman Khaleda Zia Tarique Rahman Arafat Rahman
Distinctions	Political prominence within the Bangladesh Nationalist Party

Background of the families

Mandals of Mahishaban

Kakar Mandal was the great-grandson of Muminuddin Mandal (d. 1840), a powerful leader and Mandal from the village of Mahishaban in Gabtali, Bogra. Muminuddin Mandal's influence was spread out across Gabtali, Sukhanpukur and other areas west of the Jamuna River.^[1]

• Kamaluddin Mandal (born 1854): He was the only son of Kakar Mandal. He was a moulvi and local educationist who served as the principal of Bagbari Minor School. He moved from Mahishaban to Bagbari after marrying Begum Meherunnisa. His wife's ancestors migrated from Iran to Balurghat, Ghoraghat during the Mughal period, and moved to Bogra during the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb. It was from this marriage that Kamaluddin Mandal inherited land from that landowning family in the village of Bagbari and moved there.^[2]

1. Mahmud Mandal: Skin merchant
2. Zahiruddin Mandal: Landlord
3. Mazhabuddin Mandal
4. Moazzam Hossain Mandal: Engineer.
5. Mansur Rahman Mandal (died 1966): chemist who specialised in paper and ink chemistry and worked for a government department at Writers' Building in Kolkata. He married Jahanara Khatun
   1. Rezaur Rahman Mandal, marine engineer
   2. Mizanur Rahman Mandal, economist
   3. Ziaur Rahman (see below)
   4. Ahmad Kamal Mandal (d. 2017)^[3]
   5. Khalilur Rahman Mandal (d. 2014): He was a pharmacist based in Maryland and had three daughters.^[4]
6. Major Muhammad Mamtazur Rahman Mandal: Medical officer for Pakistan Army
7. Mahfuzur Rahman Mandal: Income tax practitioner
8. Fatema Khatun: Married an SDO under the Maharaja of Cooch Behar
9. Rahima Khatun: Married detective Muhammad Shamsuddin

Khan Majumdars of Fulgazi

• Murad Khan: Pashtun merchant who arrived to Chittagong in the 17th century, but later moved to Sripur in Fulgazi due to devastating floods in Chittagong^[5] He had four sons: Nahar Muhammad Khan, Tahir Muhammad Khan, Phul Muhammad Khan and Arif Muhammad Khan.

1. Phul Muhammad Khan (son of Murad Khan): He fought under Shamsher Ghazi against the Twipra Kingdom, and gained the title of Ghazi. The area came to be known as Phulgazi, or Fulgazi, after him.
2. Nahar Muhammad Khan (son of Murad Khan): responsible for building a large reservoir in his palace in 1701, To the west of this reservoir, the family built a three-domed mosque which is now known as the Sripur Jami Mosque and continues to be used today. The Maharaja of Tripura signed a peace treaty with Shamsher Gazi and his forces which included Nahar and Phulgazi. The treaty mentioned that Nahar received 80 droṇ of revenue-free land, 14 zamindari mouzas and the title of Majumdar. These 14 mouzas make up the modern-day Fulgazi Upazila^[5]
3. Azgar Ali Majumdar (eldest of the five sons of Nahar Muhammad Khan): had five sons named Aqamat Ali Majumdar, Hashmat Ali Majumdar, Bashrat Ali Majumdar, Salamat Ali Majumdar and Mafizul Islam Majumdar

• • Aqamat Ali Majumdar (son of Azgar Ali Majumdar): had no sons
  • Basharat Ali Majumdar (son of Azgar Ali Majumdar): was a father of two
  • Hashmat Ali Majumdar (son of Azgar Ali Majumdar): son:
    • Mazharul Husayn Majumder (son of Hashmat Ali Majumdar): He was also known as Muzzammil Ali Majumdar and became a Sufi pir by the sobriquet of Pir Pagla Dervish (died November 1975)
  • Mafizul Ali Majumdar (son of Azgar Ali Majumdar): He died before marriage
  • Salamat Ali Majumdar (son of Azgar Ali Majumdar): He had five sons; most notably Iskandar Majumdar, Mokaddes Hossain Majumder and Zamshed Hossain Majumdar
    • Iskandar Majumder (son of Salamat Ali Majumdar): tea-businessman who married Begum Taiyaba and migrated to Dinajpur. He had three daughters and two sons.
      • Selima Islam: She married M. Rafiqul Islam, was the former vice-chancellor of Islamic University, Bangladesh, professor of economics at the University of Rajshahi and treasurer of Pundra University of Science and Technology
        • Shahrin Islam Tuhin, was a former member of Parliament (1996) and son of Selima Islam and M. Rafiqul Islam.
        • Saiful Islam Duke retired Lieutenant Commander of Bangladesh Navy and son of Selima Islam and M. Rafiqul Islam.
      • Khurshid Jahan (1939–2006), former Minister of Women and Children Affairs (2001–2006)^[6]
      • Khaleda Khanam Putul (see below)^[7]
      • Sayeed Iskander Majumdar (1953–2012), former parliamentarian (2001–2006) and founding chairman of Islamic TV^[8]
      • Shamim Iskander Majumdar, politician

2. Zamshed Hossain Majumdar (son of Salamat Ali Majumdar), was a prominent businessman, Social and political leader in Feni District, had six sons and four daughters

1. Zakir Hossain Majumdar Chaad, martyr in 1971 war
2. Zahid Hossain Majumdar Nonaai, businessman and politician
3. Zohirul Quium Majumdar Nantu, Government job holder and founding chairman of Islamic TV.^[8] had two sons and a daughter

Members of the Majumder-Zia family

• Ziaur Rahman (President of Bangladesh, 1979–1981; fighter and military administrator)
• Begum Khaleda Zia (wife of Ziaur Rahman; Prime Minister of Bangladesh, 1991–1996 and 2001–2006), daughter of Taiyaba Majumder and Iskandar Majumder
  • Tarique Rahman (born 1965): eldest son of Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia and Senior Vice-Chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party^[9]
  • Dr. Zubaida Rahman: wife of Tarique Rahman and daughter of navy chief Mahbub Ali Khan and Syeda Iqbal Mand Banu
    • Zaima Rahman: only daughter of Tarique Rahman and Dr. Zubaida Rahman
  • Arafat Rahman (1969–2015): youngest son of Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia and Former Chairman of the Development Committee of Bangladesh Cricket Board^[10]
  • Sharmila Sithi: wife of Arafat Rahman
    • Zahia Rahman: eldest daughter of Arafat Rahman and Sharmila Sithi
    • Zaifa Rahman: youngest daughter of Arafat Rahman and Sharmila Sithi.

Family tree

Family of Mandals of Mahishaban

Muminuddin Mandal

Kakar Mandal

Kamaluddin Mandal

Mazhabuddin Mandal

Mahmud Mandal

Mansur Rahman Mandal

Jahanara Khatun

Zahiruddin Mandal

Moazzam Hossain Mandal

Mizanur Rahman Mandal

Rezaur Rahman Mandal

Ziaur Rahman

Khaleda Zia

Ahmad Kamal Mandal

Khalilur Rahman Mandal

Tarique Rahman

Zubaida Rahman

Sharmila Sithi

Arafat Rahman

Zaima Rahman

Zahia Rahman

Zaifa Rahman

Family of Ziaur Rahman

Ziaur Rahman

Khaleda Zia

Tarique Rahman

Zubaida Rahman

Sharmila Sithi

Arafat Rahman

Zaima Rahman

Zahia Rahman

Zaifa Rahman

Family of Khan Majumdars of Fulgazi

Murad Khan

Nahar Muhammad Khan

Phul Muhammad Khan

Azgar Ali Majumdar

Aqamat Ali Majumder

Salamat Ali Majumdar

Hashmat Ali Majumdar

Mafizul Ali Majumdar

Zamshed Hossain Majumdar

Iskandar Majumder

Taiyaba Majumder

Selima Islam

M. Rafiqul Islam

Khurshid Jahan

Khaleda Zia

Ziaur Rahman

Sayeed Iskander

Nasrin Iskandar

Shamim Iskander

Kaniz Fatima

Shahrin Islam Tuhin

Saiful Islam Duke

Shahriar Haque Don

Tarique Rahman

Arafat Rahman

Shams Iskander

Shafin Iskander

Ovik Iskandar

Eric Iskandar

Orin Iskandar

Ananya Iskander

See also

• Sheikh family
• List of political families