Abdus Sattar

Abdus Sattar was a Bangladeshi statesman and a prominent leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). He served as the president of Bangladesh from 1981 to 1982 after winning a popular vote. A jurist by profession, he held various constitutional offices across British India, East Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

Early life and education

Abdus Sattar was born on 1 March 1906 in Birbhum within the Bengal Presidency of British India. He pursued higher education at the University of Calcutta where he obtained his LLB and a Master of Law. In 1931, he joined the Calcutta High Court Bar as a junior in the chambers of A.K. Fazlul Huq. He eventually specialized in municipal law during this period.

He became a protégé of A. K. Fazlul Huq, who served as the first Prime Minister of Bengal. Sattar acted as an activist for the Krishak Praja Party and worked within various municipal bodies in Calcutta. Following the Partition of British India in 1950, he moved to Dacca in the Dominion of Pakistan. He subsequently joined the Dhaka High Court Bar.

Career

Sattar was elected to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan in 1955. In 1957, he served as both the Home Minister and the Education Minister of Pakistan under Prime Minister Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar. He held a position as a justice in the Dhaka High Court from 1957 until 1968. During this time, he also presided over cases within the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

In 1969, he was appointed the Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan. He organized the first general election of Pakistan in 1970, an event that resulted in a historic parliamentary majority for the Awami League. However, the military junta led by General Yahya Khan denied the handover of power. During the Bangladesh Liberation War, Sattar remained stranded in Islamabad and was interned by the Pakistani government.

He returned to independent Bangladesh in 1973 as part of the repatriation of Bengali officials. His professional roles included serving as chairman of the Bangladesh Life Insurance Corporation from 1973 to 1974. He also chaired the Journalist Wage Board between 1974 and 1975. In 1975, he became an adviser to President Justice Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem and managed the Ministry of Law and Parliamentary Affairs.

Lt. General Ziaur Rahman appointed Sattar as vice president in 1977. After multiparty politics returned, he joined the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in 1978. When Zia was assassinated in May 1981, Sattar became the acting president while recovering in a hospital. He won the 1981 presidential election by defeating his principal challenger, Kamal Hossain.

His presidency faced significant challenges including political turmoil and military interference. He formed a National Security Council to involve the Bangladesh Armed Forces in national development. In January 1982, he was elected unopposed as the president of the BNP. His rule ended on 24 March 1982, when General Hussain Muhammad Ershad led a bloodless coup. Military leaders forced him to sign a statement relinquishing his power.

Earlier in his career, he served as the president of the Pakistan Football Federation between 1960 and 1961.

Personal life

Sattar lived a quiet life in Dhaka with his wife. He had no children. Regarding his relationship with Ziaur Rahman, Sattar stated that he loved him like a son. He noted that he loved Zia because the leader attempted to build the country in a better way.

He died at Suhrawardy Hospital in Dhaka on 5 October 1985. He was 79 years old at the time of his death.