M Shahed Rahman, Chief Correspondent London:

A memorial meeting organised by the UK Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee was held on 2 December at a college in Commercial Road, East London on the occasion of the 5th death anniversary of Bangladesh's noble friend Barrister Nora Shariff.

The newly appointed Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem was present as the chief guest while the Deputy High Commissioner Zulqar Nain was present as the special guest in the event conducted by Nirmul Committee’s General Secretary Jamal Ahmed Khan and chaired by Nirmul Committee’s President Nooruddin Ahmed. The president of the United Kingdom Awami League Sultan Mahmud Shariff and journalist columnist Abdul Gaffar Choudhury were present as chief speakers.

Maulana Kutub Uddin recited from the Quran at the beginning of the remembrance meeting. Then Jamal Khan presented a brief life sketch of Barrister Nora Shariff. He said Barrister Nora Shariff was Irish, born in Ireland's capital Dublin. Nora Shariff graduated as a linguist from Dublin, then went to study agriculture in France. From there she came to London and met Sultan Shariff, during the six-point movement.

Nora Shariff married Sultan Mahmud Shariff on 30 September 1968. Following Bangladesh’s’ independence Nora Shariff spent three years in Bangladesh, as a teacher in the law department of Dhaka University. She returned to England after the assassination of Bangabandhu in August 1975. For the last four decades, she had been active in almost every democratic cause related to Bangladesh.

Since the beginning of the justice process at the International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh in 2010, she had been a very active member of ICSF having played an integral role in the organisation’s Europe based networking and lobbying activities, and regular workshops for activists to support the ICT and the justice process. Nora Shariff used to wear sari as a Bengali woman. She knew Latin language and was fluent in Irish, English, Bengali, French and Italian also.

She always spoke to Bengalis in Bengali. In 1971, of our foreign friends who stood beside Bangladesh to contribute and participated in the liberation war were honoured by the Bangladesh government. In 2012, in recognition for her contribution in the Liberation War of Bangladesh, she was honoured with the ‘Friends of Bangladesh Liberation War’ by the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.

Chief guest Bangladesh’s High Commissioner Saida Muna Tasneem proposed of setting up a Foundation in London so that future generation would know more about Nora Shariff. Chief speaker journalist Abdul Gaffar Choudhury said that Nora Shariff helped to send a lawyer to assist Bangabandhu in the Agartala conspiracy case and did a lot of work towards war crimes trial.

Others who spoke at the event were two daughters of Sultan Mahmud Shariff and Nora Shariff, Razia and Fauzia, Acting General Secretary of the United Kingdom Awami League Naimuddin Riaz, Vice President Zalal Uddin, Organizing Secretary Abdul Ahad Chowdhury, Sajjad Miah, Mohila Awami League’s Khaleda Qureshi, Anjuman Aara Anju, Husneara Matin, Nazma Hussein, Nirmul Committee’s advisor freedom fighter Khalil Kazi, freedom fighter Lukman Hossain,

Bengali TV’s Samadul Haque, ATN’s Urmi Mazhar, JASOD’s Mojibul Haque Moni, , Shahin Akhtar, Nasima Rahim, Shahin Nahar, Salma Akhtar, Rozi, Shahnaz Shumi, Mita Kamran, Munira Molly, Miftat Noor, Mahmuda Moni , Nirmul Committee’s Ruby Haque, Pushpita Gupta, Smriti Azad, Salma Akhter Josna, Jubo Mohila League’s Sajia Snigdha & Jennifer. People of all levels of the community were present at the event.

On 29 November 2013, after months of battle with cancer, Nora Shariff passed away in her London home at the age of 70 years. She will always be fondly remembered as a true friend of Bangladesh.

jptoday - b. d. nath