Mirza Ruhul Amin

Mirza Ruhul Amin (Bengali: মির্জা রুহুল আমিন) was a Jatiya Party (Ershad) politician and a former member of parliament for Thakurgaon-2. His son, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, is the secretary general of Bangladesh Nationalist Party.^[2]

Mirza Ruhul Amin
Minister of Social Welfare
In office 23 December 1987 – 27 March 1988
Succeeded by	Rezwanul Haque
Minister of Fisheries and Livestock
In office 1 August 1987 – 31 December 1987
Preceded by	Sirajul Hossain Khan
Succeeded by	Abdus Salam
Minister of Agriculture
In office 1 December 1986 – 9 August 1987
Preceded by	Mohammad Abdul Munim
Succeeded by	Mohammad Mahbubuzzaman
Minister of Land
In office 9 July 1986 – 30 November 1986
Preceded by	Zakir Khan Chowdhury
Succeeded by	AKM Maidul Islam
Member of Parliament
In office 3 March 1988 – 6 December 1990
Preceded by	Dabirul Islam
Succeeded by	Dabirul Islam
Constituency	Thakurgaon-2
In office 18 February 1979 – 24 March 1982
Preceded by	Ali Akbar
Succeeded by	Mizanur Rahman Manu
Constituency	Dinajpur-4
Personal details
Born	28 February 1921 Atwari, Panchagarh, Bengal Presidency[1]
Died	19 January 1997(1997-01-19) (aged 75)
Political party	Jatiya Party (Ershad)
Other political affiliations	Bangladesh Nationalist Party
Spouse	Fatima Amin
Relations	Mirza Ghulam Hafiz (Brother)
Children	Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir
Parent	Mirza Azim-ud-din Sarkar (Father)

Early life and education

He was born on 28 February 1921 in Atwari, Panchagarh, Bengal Presidency. His elder brother Mirza Ghulam Hafiz was a politician who later served as the Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad from 1979 to 1982. His alternative elder brother Wing Commander S.R. Mirza served in the Pakistan Air Force and was retired from the Pakistan Air Force in 1969. He passed matriculation from Thakurgaon Government Boys High School in 1938. He completed his Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Calcutta.

Career

Ruhul Amin served in the East Pakistan Assembly from 1962 to 1969.^[3] He demanded a bridge on Jamuna bridge back in 1962 in the East Pakistan Legislative Assembly. He joined the Bangladesh Nationalist Party after independence. He was elected to parliament from Thakurgaon-2 as a Jatiya Party candidate in 1988.^[4] He had served as the minister of land and agriculture in the cabinet of Hussain Mohammad Ershad.^[5][6]

In 2016, Bangladesh Awami League leader Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury alleged that Mirza Ruhul Amin was a "War Criminal" but the list of collaborators published by the Bangladesh Awami League government does not include his name.^[7] Interestingly, similar claims have been made recently by Bangladesh Jamat-E-Islami, which was a collaborator of Pakistani Army in 1971; whereas, Mirza Ruhul Amin and his family were in Islampur, India, in 1971.

Mirza Ruhul Amin was a very progressive man. With his own hands and inititatives, girls' schools and colleges were built in Thakurgaon. He was a very popular person. He was the elected chairman of the municipality for about 25 years.

Personal life

Amin was married to Fatema Amin and has 7 children including Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.^[8]

Death

Mirza Ruhul Amin expired in 1997. Then prime minister Sheikh Hasina and other politician expressed condolence. Mirza Ruhul Amin auditorium in Thakurgaon was named after him.^[9]