Supreme Court lawyer Toufiq Nawaz, remembered by friends as a private and accomplished flute player as well as a dedicated legal professional, was laid to rest at Banani graveyard in Dhaka on Thursday. He was the husband of former minister and Awami League leader Dipu Moni.

His funeral prayer was held after Zuhr at Gulshan Azad Mosque. At around 2.45pm, he was buried beside the grave of his father, Aminur Rahman. His mother, Khairun Nessa, is also buried nearby.

Nawaz, who was 76, died on Tuesday night at Continental Hospital in Dhaka, formerly known as United Hospital. He had been suffering from complications affecting his kidneys and liver for a prolonged period. He had also suffered a stroke in 2019, which significantly affected his physical condition.

A private man with a passion for music

Nawaz was known primarily as a lawyer, but those who knew him from childhood remembered another side of his personality. He regularly played the flute and was also fond of cricket.

His childhood friend, lawyer and politician Mohsin Rashid, said Nawaz came from a family with a strong connection to flute music. His father, Aminur Rahman, played the flute, while his son Touqir Nawaz also became a skilled flautist.

Nawaz himself performed solo flute recitals, according to Rashid, who had known him since their school days.

“He was a private person,” Rashid recalled. “He played cricket and the flute. Playing the flute was part of their family tradition.”

Nawaz received his early education at St Gregory’s School in Dhaka. Rashid said they had studied together from Class Three. After completing his education in Dhaka, Nawaz graduated from Oxford, where he became acquainted with Dr Kamal Hossain.

After completing his legal studies, Nawaz returned to Bangladesh and began his legal career at Hossain’s chamber, according to his childhood friend.

Several of Nawaz’s former classmates attended his funeral on Thursday, including Rashid, Syed Ashraful Haque and Monirul Alam. One friend, who declined to reveal his identity, described Nawaz as an exceptionally good and honest person.

Remembered for work on national interests

For Nawaz’s friends, his professional legacy extended beyond his legal practice. Rashid said he was deeply committed to Bangladesh and remained active on matters involving the country’s interests.

According to Rashid, Nawaz played an important role behind Bangladesh’s legal efforts concerning the country’s maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal.

“He always fought for Bangladesh,” Rashid said, adding that Nawaz remained active in the legal field whenever national interests were involved.

His friends also remembered his resilience after suffering the stroke in 2019. One of them said that although Nawaz had been left with very limited physical movement, he remained mentally alert and could communicate through his eye movements.

The last known meeting between Nawaz and his wife took place on 27 May, when relatives took him to court in a wheelchair to see Dipu Moni, who was then in custody.

Dipu Moni granted parole for funeral

At the time of her husband’s death, Dipu Moni was being held at Munshiganj jail in connection with several cases following the 2024 movement. She was granted 12 hours of parole so that she could attend her husband’s funeral and burial.

She was released from Munshiganj jail at 6.15am on Thursday and taken to Dhaka in a prison van under tight police security. She reached her residence in Kalabagan at about 8.15am.

Nawaz’s body was also taken to the Kalabagan residence in the morning and placed in a freezer van in the garage beneath the building. Five people, including the muezzin of the local Bashir Uddin Road Mosque, were seen reciting the Quran beside the vehicle.

Security was maintained around the residence throughout the morning. Police questioned people entering the premises.

Relatives said Dipu Moni was devastated by her husband’s death. A relative who had travelled from Chandpur said she was emotionally distressed and did not want to eat.

Jakiya Sultana Shefali of Chandpur Awami League was among those who visited her to offer support. She said Dipu Moni was not well emotionally and that several other party workers had also met her.

Final farewell under heavy security

Shortly after 12.15pm, Nawaz’s body was taken from Kalabagan towards Gulshan Azad Mosque. Dipu Moni followed shortly afterwards in a prison van.

While the funeral prayer was being performed after Zuhr, she remained inside the vehicle outside the mosque. After the prayer, she was allowed to get out and see her husband for the final time.

The atmosphere became emotional as she stood beside his body before the funeral procession moved towards Banani graveyard.

At around 2.45pm, Nawaz was buried in the rain beside his father’s grave. His daughter, Dipanbita Nawaz, took part in the burial by placing soil on her father’s grave.

A prayer was held after the burial, attended by Dipu Moni, relatives, friends and Awami League supporters. Mawlana Omar Faruk, imam of the Banani graveyard mosque, led the prayer.

Afterwards, Dipu Moni asked the imam to pray for her late husband.

The burial was completed under tight security provided by Dhaka Metropolitan Police and prison security personnel. After paying her respects at her husband’s grave, Dipu Moni also visited the grave of her father, MA Wadud, who was among the founding figures of the Awami League.

She was then taken back to the prison van in the rain. Munshiganj District Magistrate Syeda Nurmahal Ashrafi said Dipu Moni was returned to jail at 5.58pm on Thursday, within the period authorised for her parole.

For those who knew him personally, Toufiq Nawaz leaves behind a life that extended well beyond the courtroom. He was a lawyer committed to matters of national interest, a cricket enthusiast and a musician who maintained a close relationship with the flute, following a family tradition that spanned generations. Despite living largely away from public attention, his friends say he remained devoted to his professional responsibilities and to causes connected with Bangladesh’s interests.