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{{Short description|President of Bangladesh in 1975}}
{{multiple issues|
{{POV|date=September 2022}}
{{original research|date=September 2022}}
{{more citations needed|date=September 2022}}
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{{EngvarB|date=February 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad
| native_name = খন্দকার মোশতাক আহমেদ
| native_name_lang = bn
| image = খন্দকার মোশতাক আহমেদ (cropped).jpg
| caption = Sculpture of Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad
| office = [[President of Bangladesh]]
| term_start = 15 August 1975
| term_end = 6 November 1975
| predecessor = [[Sheikh Mujibur Rahman]]
| successor = [[Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem]]
| birth_date = 1918
| birth_place = [[Daudkandi Upazila|Dashpara]], [[Comilla District]], formerly [[Tippera District]], [[Bengal Presidency]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1996|03|05|1918|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Dhaka]], Bangladesh
| party = [[East Pakistan Awami Muslim League|Awami League]] (1949–1975 )
| otherparty = [[All-India Muslim League]] (Before 1949) [[BAKSAL|Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League]] (1975)
| alma_mater = [[University of Dhaka]]
}}
'''Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad''' (also spelled '''Khandakar Mushtaq Ahmed'''; {{circa|1918}} – 5 March 1996) was a Bangladeshi politician. He was the [[President of Bangladesh]] from 15 August to 6 November 1975, after the [[assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman]]. He was part of the conspiracy that brought about the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 15 August 1975. He took on the role of president immediately after the assassination, praised the assassins as "sons of the sun" and put cabinet ministers loyal to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in jail.<ref name="Bangla Tribune">{{cite news |first= Emran | last= Sheikh | date= 15 August 2019 | title=Khondaker Mostaq er uthan poton | trans-title= Rise and fall of Khondoker Mostaq | url= https://www.banglatribune.com/527945/খন্দকার-মোশতাকের-উত্থান-পতন |language= Bengali }}</ref><ref name=bpedia>{{cite book |last=Khan |first=Saleh Athar |year=2012 |chapter=Ahmad, Khondakar Mostaq |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Ahmad,_Khondakar_Mostaq |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref>

==Background==
Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad was born between 1918 and 1919, into a [[Bengali Muslim]] family in the village of Dashpara in [[Daudkandi Upazila|Daudkandi]], [[Comilla]] (formerly [[Meghna Division|District of Tippera]]). He completed his [[Bachelor of Laws]] degree at the [[University of Dhaka]] and entered politics in 1942. He was one of the founder joint secretaries of the [[All Pakistan Awami Muslim League|East Pakistan Awami Muslim League]].<ref name=bpedia/>

==Political career==
Ahmad was elected a member of the [[East Pakistan Provincial Assembly]] in 1954 as a candidate of the [[United Front (East Pakistan)|United Front]]. After the central government of Pakistan dissolved the United Front, Ahmad was jailed in 1954 along with other Bengali leaders. He was released in 1955 and elected the chief whip of the United Front parliamentary party.

In 1958, with the promulgation of [[martial law]], he was arrested by the regime of [[Ayub Khan (Field Marshal)|Ayub Khan]].

During the [[6 Point Movement]], Ahmad was again jailed in 1966. Following his release, Ahmad accompanied [[Sheikh Mujibur Rahman]] (then the most senior leader of the Awami League) to the all-parties conference called by Ayub Khan in [[Rawalpindi]] in 1969.

In 1970 he was elected a member of the [[National Assembly of Pakistan]].<ref name=bpedia/>

===Government of Bangladesh in exile===
At the onset of the [[Bangladesh Liberation War|Bangladesh War]] of Independence and Mujib's arrest, Ahmad and other Awami League leaders gathered in [[Meherpur]] to form the [[Mujibnagar Government|Government of Bangladesh in exile]]. [[Syed Nazrul Islam]] served as the acting president while Mujib was declared president, [[Tajuddin Ahmad]] was appointed prime minister and Khondakar Mostaq Ahmed was made the foreign minister.<ref>{{cite news |title=PM pays homage to Bangabandhu to mark Mujibnagar Day |url=http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2015/04/17/pm-pays-homage-to-bangabandhu-to-mark-mujibnagar-day |newspaper=bdnews24.com |access-date=12 July 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Historic Mujibnagar Day being observed |url=https://archive.dhakatribune.com/uncategorized/2014/04/17/historic-mujibnagar-day-being-observed |newspaper=Dhaka Tribune |date=17 April 2014 |access-date=5 March 2022}}</ref> In this capacity, Ahmad was to build international support for the cause of Bangladesh's independence. But his role as the Foreign Minister became controversial as he wanted a peaceful solution, remaining within Pakistan in line with the [[Six point movement|Six Point Charter of his leader Sheikh Mujib]]. [[Zafrullah Chowdhury]] alleges that Ahmad did not act alone in this regard and that Awami League leaders were involved.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ahmed |first1=Taib |last2=Islam |first2=Khadimul |date=16 December 2014 |title='Mujib Bahini didn't fight liberation war' |url=http://newagebd.net/77152/mujib-bahini-didnt-fight-liberation-war/#sthash.ZMNsQNLM.dpbs |newspaper=New Age |location=Dhaka |access-date=19 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150211144858/http://newagebd.net/77152/mujib-bahini-didnt-fight-liberation-war/ |archive-date=11 February 2022}}</ref>

After the liberation, Ahmad was appointed the Minister of Power, Irrigation and Flood Control in 1972 as part of the [[Second Sheikh Mujib cabinet]]. In 1973, he took charge of the Ministry of Commerce in the [[Third Sheikh Mujib cabinet]]. He was a member of the executive committee of [[Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League]] (BAKSAL) which was formed in 1975.<ref name=bpedia/>

==Presidency==
Sheikh Mujib and all members of his family, except his daughters, who were in [[West Germany]] at the time, were [[Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman|assassinated]] by a group of [[Bangladesh Army|army]] personnel on 15 August.

Ahmad immediately took control of the government, proclaiming himself President.<ref>{{cite news |title=Muhammad Ali in Bangladesh: 35 Years Ago The Champ Visited A New Nation In Turmoil|website=International Business Times |url=http://www.ibtimes.com/muhammad-ali-bangladesh-35-years-ago-champ-visited-new-nation-turmoil-1382005 |access-date=5 March 2022}}</ref> All three services chiefs were dismissed and replaced by next in line seniors. Major General [[Ziaur Rahman]] was appointed [[Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh Army]], replacing [[K M Shafiullah]]. Air Vice Marshal A. K. Khandekar was replaced by AVM M G Ghulam Tawab. Mushhtaq reportedly praised the plotters who killed Sheikh Mujibur Rahman calling them ''Shurjo Shontan'' (sons of the sun).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tripathi |first1=Salil |title=Of course, we killed him ... he had to go |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/uncategorized/2014/11/18/of-course-we-killed-him-he-had-to-go |newspaper=Dhaka Tribune |access-date=12 July 2022}}</ref> Mushtaq Ahmad also ordered the imprisonment of leaders [[Syed Nazrul Islam]], [[Tajuddin Ahmad]], [[A. H. M. Qamaruzzaman]] and [[Muhammad Mansur Ali]]. He replaced the national slogan of ''Joy Bangla'' with ''Bangladesh Zindabad'' slogan and changed the name ''[[Bangladesh Betar]]'' to 'Radio Bangladesh'. He proclaimed the [[Indemnity Act, Bangladesh|Indemnity Ordinance]], which granted immunity from prosecution to the assassins of Mujib.<ref name=bpedia/> Mujib's daughters [[Sheikh Hasina Wazed]] and [[Sheikh Rehana]] were barred from returning to Bangladesh from abroad. BAKSAL and pro-Mujib political groups were dissolved.

On 3 November, in what became infamously known as the "Jail Killing Day",<ref name="Hasina extends deadline">{{cite news |last=Habib |first=Haroon |date=4 November 2006 |title=Hasina extends deadline |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/hasina-extends-deadline/article3043128.ece |newspaper=The Hindu |access-date=30 November 2022}}</ref> the four imprisoned leaders [[Tajuddin Ahmad]], [[Syed Nazrul Islam]], [[A. H. M. Qamaruzzaman]], and [[Muhammad Mansur Ali]], who had refused to co-operate with Mostaq,<ref name="Newton2014">{{cite book |last=Newton |first=Michael |date=2014 |title=Famous Assassinations in World History: An Encyclopedia [2 volumes] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F4-dAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA14 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |page=14 |isbn=978-1-61069-286-1}}</ref> were killed inside [[Dhaka Central Jail]] by a group of army officers on the instruction of President Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad.<ref>{{cite book |last=Dasgupta |first=Sukharanjan |title=Midnight Massacre in Dacca |year=1978 |location=New Delhi |publisher=Vikas |pages=77–78 |isbn=0-7069-0692-6 |quote=Khondakar also knew that the situation was bound to be grave once Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmed, Kamaruzzaman and Mansur Ali were released ... Khondakar had them arrested under various pretexts shortly after Mujib's assassination, who remained in Dacca Jail. Khondakar ordered the assassination of the jailed four leaders.}}</ref> However, Mushtaq Ahmad was ousted from power on 6 November following a coup on 3 November led by Brigadier [[Khaled Mosharraf]] and Colonel [[Shafat Jamil]] among others.<ref name="Borders 1975">{{cite news|first1=William|last1=Borders|access-date=16 August 2020|title=President of Bangladesh Resigns, Nearly 3 Months After Coup, in Confrontation With Military Officers|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/11/06/archives/president-of-bangladesh-resigns-nearly-3-months-after-coup-in.html|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=6 November 1975|issn=0362-4331|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref>

==Later life and legacy==
Ahmad was imprisoned by Brigadier General [[Khaled Mosharraf]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Khaled |first=Mahjabeen |date=6 November 2015 |title=A matter of national interest |url=https://archive.dhakatribune.com/uncategorized/2015/11/06/a-matter-of-national-interest |newspaper=Dhaka Tribune |type=Op-ed |access-date=5 March 2022}}</ref> and later by the Ziaur Rahman administration until 1978. Upon his release, he formed Democratic League and attempted to resuscitate his political career, but to no avail. He spent his last years in Dhaka and died on 5 March 1996.

Ahmad was named in the investigation of the murder of Sheikh Mujib launched in 1996 by his daughter [[Sheikh Hasina]], who had just won the national elections to become [[Prime Minister of Bangladesh]]. Hasina blamed Ahmad for her father's death.<ref>{{cite news |title=Zia involved in Mujib killing: PM |url=http://newagebd.net/25515/zia-involved-in-mujib-killing-pm/ |newspaper=New Age |location=Dhaka |access-date=5 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140806113345/http://newagebd.net/25515/zia-involved-in-mujib-killing-pm/ |archive-date=6 August 2022}}</ref> Due to his death, he was not charged or tried. Historians and critics{{who|date=January 2022}} assert that Ahmad was one of the key plotters of Mujib's murder. He has been criticized by Bangladeshi liberal public for legitimizing political murders by protecting Mujib's killers.

==See also==
* [[BM Abbas]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Presidents of Bangladesh}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmad, Khondaker Mostaq}}
[[Category:1910s births]]
[[Category:1996 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Comilla District]]
[[Category:University of Dhaka alumni]]
[[Category:Awami League politicians]]
[[Category:Bangladeshi Muslims]]
[[Category:Presidents of Bangladesh]]
[[Category:Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman]]
[[Category:Foreign ministers of Bangladesh]]
[[Category:Commerce ministers of Bangladesh]]
[[Category:1st Jatiya Sangsad members]]
[[Category:Heads of government who were later imprisoned]]
[[Category:Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League executive committee members]]
[[Category:Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League central committee members]]

Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad - Revision history

Bot at 08:59, 17 October 2022