Mr. Mustafizur Rahman Siddiqi, son of Mr. Mohammad Hossain Chowdhury was born on March 1, 1925, in Sitakunda, Chittagong. After his schooling in Sitakunda he pursued higher education in Calcutta. He completed his M.Com. From Calcutta University in 1947. He served as Lecturer, Dhaka University from 1948-1950. He took a higher degree in commerce from London University and followed with the final examination of the institute of Taxation and Chartered Accountancy (Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales) in 1954. He was elected member of both Royal Economic Society and the Royal Statistics Society.

After the return from U.K, he joined James Finlay P.L.C. as Chief Accountant in 1955. He joined the A.K. Khan Group of industries as Finance Director (1958-1964).

His career as an entrepreneur started in 1962. He played a leading role in the   establishment of a number of new ventures as Managing Director and/or Chairman. These companies were: A.K. Khan Jute Mills Ltd., Eastern Insurance Company Ltd. (now part of Sadharan Bima Corporation), S.K.M Jute Mills Ltd., National Motors Ltd., Crescent Motors Ltd., Therapeutics (Bangladesh) Ltd. Sidko Limited, Sidko Limited (Garments Division) and Federal Insramce Company Limited. He was also a sponsor Director of the Eastern Mercantile Bank Ltd. (First East Pakistani Bank, at present Pubali Bank Ltd.) and the Founding Vice Chairman of Al Baraka Bank Bangladesh Ltd.

Apart from a distinguished career as an entrepreneur, Mr Siddiqi was also a leading figure in government and politics. He was elected member of the Pakistan National Assembly in 1962 as an independent candidate. He joined the Awami League Party in 1964 and was elected as it’s treasurer. He was also elected president of Chittagong District Awami League from 1964-1972. He was again elected member of the national Assembly of Pakistan in 1970 and member of Bangladesh Jatiya Sangsad in 1973. The remarkable point of his political career was his leading role in the liberation War, when as president of district Awami League and Convenor of Sangram Parishad of Chittagong. He organized the resistance against the Pakistan Army and established the Shadin Bangia Beter Kendra,(initially at Kalurghat Relay Station). He initiated the activities of the Bangladesh Government in exile and subsequently made Chairman of the Eastern Zone (Command) comprising five districts of Chittagong Division and Districts of Barisal, Faridpur and Dhaka. In July 1971, he was sent to U.S.A. and Canada as an envoy of the Bangladesh government in exile for getting support from government and the People of U.S.A and Canada.

After Liberation in 1972, he was appointed Minister for Commerce and Foreign Trade in the first Bangladesh Cabinet. In 1973 as a special envoy of the Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman he met the heads of the States and Government of the U.S.A. Canada Britain, Italy, France and West Germany and lobbied for the repatriation of the stranded Bangladeshis form Pakistan. He was appointed Ambassador to the U.S.A and Mexico in July 1975 by the Bangabandhu Government. He retired from active Polities in 1980 despite being approached by successive regimes.

Mr. M. R. Siddiqi was equally well known as a social worker. His selfless service and dedicated leadership over the years towards the cause of Lionism. Earned him respect and love from his fellow lions who came to regard him as “Father of Lionism” in Bangladesh. He joined the lions movement in the then East Pakistan from the very beginning in 1958. In 1960 a devastating cyclone and tidal bore hit the coastal areas on Chittagong (Halishahar, Kattali and Sitakunda). It was under his dynamic leadership (as president of Chittagong Lions Club) that a massive relief operation was undertaken, for which he was awarded “The Lions Humanitarian Award” the most prestigious in Lions International. At that time he was the 3^rd person in the world to receive this rare honor. The International publication “Fifty years of lionism” contains Chapter of these relief activities of the Lions of Chittagong. Later in recognition of his service Lion Siddiqi was also made an honorary “International Counsellor”. In the initial stage, all the Clubs in East Pakistan were under district 305 (Pakistan). It was again with his initiatives that a separate provisional Lions District 305E (Pakistan) was formed in 1962 with him as the First District Governor.

In 1966 Lions Siddiqi introduced the concept of Lions Foundation through the formation of the “Chittagong Lions Foundation”, the first of its kind in the history of Lionism. The idea of a Lions Foundation was the brainchild of Lion Siddiqi which was later emulated in the world of Lionism. It may be mentioned that “The Lions International Foundation” was established two years later in 1968 in Lions Headquater in Chicago, U.S.A. To ensure better management and involve more Lions “The Chittagong Lions Eye Hospital” (the foundation stone was laid by District Governor Lion M.R. Siddiqi on 5^th January 1963) was the first of its kind initiated by the Lions of South East Asia and Indo-Pak Sub-continent. Subsequently “The Bangladesh Lions Foundation” and “The Lions Eye Hospital” at Agargaon, Dhaka were established in 1983, again under the able Chairmanship of Lion Siddiqi.

After the emergence of Bangladesh in 1972 Lion Siddiqi again took the lead to organize the Lions Clubs. He along with his colleague and close friend Deputy District Governor Lion Mohd. Khaled visited district after district to re-organize and form new clubs all over Bangladesh. During this period a large number of projects of district 315E were taken up by his initiatives and encouragement.

He was the forum Chairman of “The 17^th Africa and South West Asia Lions International Lion Forum” held in Dhaka in 1989. In recognition of his leadership and guidance, he received numerous awards from time to time. Lion M.R. Siddiqi was District Governor for four terms of District 305E (Pakistan) for the year 1962-63, 1963-64 and District 315 (Bangladesh) for the year 1972-73, 1973-74 probably a record in Lionism.

Apart from Lions, he was president of OISCA (Bangladesh Chapter), Chairman, Under-Privileged Children Education Programme (UCEP) and Founder of Latifa Siddiqi Girls High School at Sitakunda. He had innumerable leadership positions in associations and organizations of various types, including presidency of Insurance Association of Pakistan Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Bangladesh Aushad Shilpa Samity to name a few. He was also the founder President of Bangladesh Japan Friendship Society. He was the Convenor of Bangladesh Chamber of Industries which he helped to establish in 1985.

On 9^th February 1957 he married Latifa Khan, eldest daughter of  Mr. A.K. Khan, a pioneer industrialist of the then East Pakistan and Former Central Minister of Government of  Pakistan. They had five sons-Faisal. kamal, shams, Amar and Omar.Mr. Siddiqi passed away at the age of sixty-seven on 6^th February 1992 in Dhaka.

His intellectual rigor, strong leadership, integrity, determination and dedication made him a man of institution.  Mr. Mustafizur Rahman Siddiqi will be remembered as long as the Lionism exists in Bangladesh.