Nation bids final farewell to Prof Abul Quasem Fazlul Huq

The nation's literary community came together at Bangla Academy to bid a final farewell to its President, distinguished thinker and literary critic Professor Abul Quasem Fazlul Huq.

Earlier on Monday (July 6), his body was brought to Bangla Academy, where an atmosphere of profound grief enveloped the premises as colleagues, former students, writers, cultural personalities and countless admirers gathered to bid him a final farewell.

His coffin was draped in floral tributes from Bangla Academy, the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and the National Poetry Council, while mourners stood in solemn silence to honour the towering intellectual.

Eminent personalities from Bangladesh's literary and cultural circles—including linguist Monsur Musa, novelist Anwara Syed Haq, folklorist Simon Zakaria and writer Sarker Amin—offered floral tributes and bid a heartfelt farewell to one of the country's finest literary minds.

Speaking after the tribute ceremony, Cultural Affairs Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury described Prof Abul Quasem Fazlul Huq as a progressive, secular and socially conscious intellectual whose contributions to Bangladesh's intellectual discourse and the advancement of free thought would be remembered for generations.

Recalling him as a former teacher at the University of Dhaka, the minister said Prof Abul Quasem Fazlul Huq was deeply committed to the welfare of the country, its people and the oppressed. He also praised the late academic's humanity following the 2015 killing of his only son, publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan, noting that he chose compassion over revenge despite the personal tragedy.

The minister also said the Ministry of Cultural Affairs would take necessary initiatives to preserve Prof Fazlul Haq's legacy and ideals.

Bangla Academy Director General Professor Mohammad Azam said Prof Fazlul Haque was one of the most influential contemporary Bengali thinkers and literary critics. Even after assuming the academy's presidency, he remained actively involved in its academic and literary activities, regularly contributing through writing, discussions and intellectual guidance.

He also announced that Bangla Academy would soon organise a national memorial meeting in his honour and publish a commemorative volume documenting his life, works and intellectual contributions.

Following the first funeral prayer at Bangla Academy, the body was taken to the Central Shaheed Minar for public homage. It was later scheduled to be brought to Aparajeyo Bangla, followed by a second funeral prayer at the university's central mosque before burial at the Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals' Graveyard.