Nur’s step from char to national parliament

Nurul Haque (Nur), who hails from a middle-class family in the remote river ‘island’ union of Char Biswas in Galachipa upazila of Patuakhali, has been elected as a member of parliament (MP).

He won the Patuakhali-3 (Galachipa–Dashmina) constituency in the 13th national parliament election.

At 34 years of age, he overcame numerous obstacles posed by his rivals during the campaign. He also faced repeated attacks and lawsuits.

Nurul Haque’s father, Idris Hawlader, is a former member of the Char Biswas Union Parishad (UP).

Nur’s mother, Nilufa Begum, passed away when he was two and a half years old. He is the fourth among three brothers and five sisters. He studied up to the seventh grade at Char Biswas Janata Secondary School.

Nur moved from his village to enrol in the eighth grade at Golam Nabi Secondary School in Kaliakoir upazila of Gazipur.

He passed the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination in 2010 and completed his Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) in 2012 from Uttara High School and College in the capital.

He studied for one year at Patuakhali Science and Technology University before enrolling in the Department of English at the University of Dhaka in the 2013–14 academic session.

During his university years, he was involved in student politics for some time under the banner of the Bangladesh Chhatra League.

In 2019, Nurul Haque was elected vice-president (VP) of the Dhaka University Central Students Union (DUCSU). Through this election, he gained nationwide recognition.

In 2018, Nurul Haque led the quota reform movement under the banner of the Sadharon Chhatra Odhikar Songrakkhan Parishad.

In the same year, economist Reza Kibria and Nurul Haque announced the formation of the Bangladesh Gono Odhikar Parishad. On 26 October 2021, the party formally declared its name at Paltan in Dhaka.

Later, on 10 July 2023, a factional council elected Nurul Haque as president.

On 22 December 2019, Nurul Haque led a rally at the feet of the Raju Memorial Sculpture on the Dhaka University campus, expressing solidarity with protests against India’s Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

During clashes with activists of Muktijuddho Mancha, he and his associates sustained injuries. Following the incident, authorities filed a case at Shahbagh police station on 24 December, and police arrested several of his associates.

Until December 2019, Nurul Haque faced nearly seven attacks in connection with consecutive protest movements.

Most recently, on 29 August 2025, he sustained serious injuries at the hands of law enforcement officers while participating in a sit-in programme at the central office of the Jatiya Party (JaPa) and later sought medical treatment abroad.

Earlier, in 2024, authorities arrested him during the anti-quota movement; he spent five days on remand and a period in custody.

In 2023, activists of the Bangladesh Chhatra League attacked him at a student rally in the TSC area, after which he received treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

On 14 August 2019, while visiting his home during Eid, activists of the local Awami League allegedly attacked him and seriously injured him.

In addition, authorities filed a case against him during the DUCSU election over allegations of assaulting the provost of Rokeya Hall and vandalism.

According to the affidavit he submitted for the 13th national parliament election, 15 lawsuits have been filed against him to date. His younger brother, Aminul Islam Nur, claims that his brother has faced 28 attacks so far.

In his personal life, Nurul Haque is married. His wife, Maria Akter, teaches at a secondary school. They have two daughters and one son.

Nur’s father, Idris Hawlader, 80, told Prothom Alo, “In the eighties, I lost two daughters in a boat accident. Later, in the nineties, Nur’s mother, Nilufa Begum, passed away.

Despite so much grief, I arranged for Nur to study in Dhaka. I dreamed that my son would become a physician.

When he became involved in politics and faced attacks and cases and went to prison, I could not sleep for many nights. With so much anxiety about my son, I never imagined that he would become an MP.”