A Story of a Famous Man in Bangladesh

"Engineer Moinul Islam"

Excluding the city of Dhaka from this famous person, I have enough doubts whether the present generation of Comilla city and our generation knows very well.

Even in print and electronic media there is no written and commemorative / discussion about this sports leader, so that people will know, be proud, encourage and inspire present and future generations from his multifaceted activities.

Moreover, the centenary of his birth passed away in February this year.
But he was one of the best sports organizers in the country before and after independence.
He was the President and Chief Patron of the traditional Dhaka Mohammedan Sporting Club for a long time.

There is even a huge picture of him hanging on the wall of the office room of Dhaka Mohammedan Club with the logo of the club paying homage to him.

We have to go a long way to find out about him.

He was born in 1920 in the traditional Maulvi house of Maulvi Para in Comilla city. He died in Dhaka in 1975.

He was an accomplished child of our Comilla Zilla School,
And his father, Maulvi Rafiquddin Ahmed, was an eminent English teacher and assistant headmaster of the Comilla district school.

Mr. Islam graduated from Shibpur Engineering College (now known as Indian Engineering, Science and Technology) in West Bengal, India during World War II. It was then the only engineering college in Bengal during the British rule.

He started his career during the Second World War by joining the Public Works Department of the Government of Bengal as an Engineer.
He had considerable influence in the engineering profession in the then East Pakistan, and led through the Institute of Engineers.

Mr. Islam was appointed by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the first Engineer Secretary (Works Secretary) of the Ministry of Housing after the independence of Bangladesh.

Besides, he was a close friend of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

He was one of the leading figures in the world of sports and played a leading role in the development of East Pakistani football.

He was from Dhaka Mohammedan Sporting Club ...
Founder president of the renaissance period 1958-1981.
And chief patron 1981-1985.
Such a record of sustainable leadership that does not match to this day.

He was instrumental in introducing professional football in East Pakistan.
It started on a modest scale in 1958 when he invited some high caliber footballers from West Pakistan to play for Mohammedan Sporting Club in the Dhaka First Division Football League.

A residential camp was set up on the club grounds with full board and lodging. Even local players were encouraged to stay in the camp during the football season with the aim of helping to build sincerity and confidence among the team members.
In addition to the full board and accommodation arrangements, the trio arranged return tickets and satisfactory payments for West Pakistan players.

This type of integrated team formation soon attracted the attention of other local football clubs, such as Victoria Sporting, Wanderers Club and others.

Over the next few years, many high profile footballers from West Pakistan started playing for various clubs in Dhaka. In the following years, players from Sri Lanka (Ceylon), India and some Southeast Asian countries also started participating.

Compensation of players was structured in his time and professional football was established with extremely handsome players handsome salary. This included local players.

In addition to football, Mr. Islam was a patron of other sports activities.

He was the President of the East Pakistan Swimming Federation and at his initiative famous long distance swimmer Brojan Das, who was already well known for his swimming success in East Pakistan, competed in the English Channel swimming competition in 1958 and became the first Asian to cross the Channel.

Mr. Islam was the President of East Pakistan Sports Federation (EPSF) and

Under his leadership, the Dhaka Stadium was expanded into a multi-storey structure in the mid-sixties.

He was involved in the leadership of big civic organizations like Rotary Club and Dhaka Club.

He organized a football tournament in Comilla in memory of his grandfather titled "Rakibuddin Memorial Gold Cup". We also had the good fortune to sit in the gallery of Comilla Stadium for many years.

Although the tournament has ceased to exist for many years for unknown reasons, the trophy is currently housed in the treasury of the Comilla Deputy Commissioner's Office.
He established a high school in Comilla in memory of his father Rafiquddin Ahmed.

Mr. Islam played a leading role in public welfare activities.
One could also say that he created a few millionaires both in East Pakistan and in Bangladesh by supporting their entrepreneurial activities.

Mr. Islam had a magnetic personality and generosity of spirit that have touched the lives of many. He will always be remembered and even revered as one of Comilla’s and Bangladesh’s finest.

Thanks