UK AL President Sultan Sharif dies
Published: 23 August 2025, 9:03:03
London Office : Sultan Mahmud Sharif, president of the UK chapter of the Awami League and a key organiser of the Liberation War from abroad, has died in London.
The 85-year-old passed away on Saturday at a hospital in the British capital.
He is survived by two daughters and several grand children.
Born on Jan 16, 1941, in Sarukhali village in Barishal, Sharif became active in student politics early on.
While studying at Dhaka University, he served as general secretary of the Chhatra League unit at Iqbal Hall, now Sergeant Zahurul Haque Hall.
In the 1960s, he took part in major political movements, including the campaign against Ayub Khan, the movement for the release of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, and the protest demanding Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s release.
He also joined the nationwide agitation to reject the Sharif Education Commission report.
In 1966, as president of the Pakistan Youth Federation, he arranged for the Six-Point Movement documents to be printed and distributed in the UK.
Two years later, amid the Agartala Conspiracy Case, he led several protest marches towards the Pakistan High Commission in London.
On Feb 2 1969, Sharif led around 8,000 Bangladeshi expatriates in a march from Hyde Park to the High Commission.
That day, he removed the Pakistani flag and hoisted a black flag in its place. A photo of the moment appeared on the front page of The Times the following morning.
During the same period, Sharif and his Irish-origin wife, barrister Nora Sharif, played a role in arranging British lawyer Thomas Williams to travel to Dhaka to defend Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the Agartala case.
Following the formation of the London Awami League, he was appointed its general secretary.
In August 1970, when Pakistani military ruler Yahya Khan visited London’s Claridge’s Hotel, Sharif led a protest there on behalf of the organisation.
In 1971, he remained active as an organiser among Bangladeshi expatriates, playing a key role in building international support for Bangladesh’s independence.
He and his colleagues distributed the weekly “Janamat” outside the Pakistan High Commission in London.
In April that year, he travelled to Bangladesh to join the Liberation War directly.
After the war, Sharif briefly returned to Bangladesh. He became a secretariat member of the newly formed Jubo League in 1972 and joined its presidium the following year.
Following the assassination of Mujib on Aug 15, 1975, he campaigned for justice while living abroad.
Since 2011, he had been serving as president of the UK Awami League.
