Rafique-Ul Huq: On the right side of history

It was the year 2007. The caretaker government regime had arrested two of the most popular political leaders of Bangladesh — the current Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia. 

When the hopes of a return to democracy seemed to be dwindling, Rafique-Ul Huq stepped forward. Not belonging to any political party, he defended both of the leaders in the trials and successfully got them out of their special prison. 

This is just one of the incidents that turned him into a much-talked-about legal practitioner. Neutrality in politics made him trustworthy to people from all political parties. 

But Rafique-Ul Huq is not remembered only as a lawyer, or a former attorney general, he is also remembered as someone who cared for the people of Bangladesh. 

He donated huge amounts of his hard-earned money to several hospitals to develop the health sector of the country. He was a part of the board of directors in many private hospitals, including the Ad-Din Hospital, where he breathed his last Saturday morning.  

“During Ershad’s regime, false cases were filed against many. Rafique-Ul Huq fought for them, ignoring all political pressure,” Senior Lawyer Amir Ul Islam told BBC.

Born on November 2, 1935, Rafique-Ul Huq completed his MA and LLB degrees from Calcutta University in the ‘60s. 

He joined the Calcutta High Court as an advocate in 1960, a year before he became a Barrister. 

Rafique-Ul Huq returned to Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) and joined the High Court in Dhaka in 1962. 

However, he soon became an advocate in the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 1965. 

After the Liberation War, he was appointed as a senior advocate in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh. 

In 1990, Rafique-Ul Islam became the Attorney General of Bangladesh.