Mr. Haq played a pioneering role in Rotary activities while he was in Comilla. He was posted as Director of Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD) in 1968. Soon after joining the Academy he invited several eminent persons of Comilla to explore the possibilities of organising a Rotary Club. Every Wednesday evening they started to meet and discuss topics of interest, such as, basic education for adults, primary education of the children, special education for women and so on.

As a member of the Rotary Club of Dhaka at that time, he encouraged and assisted the would-be Club to apply for admission into Rotary International. In June 1970, the Rotary International affiliated them and Aziz-ul Haq became the Charter President of Rotary Club of Comilla.

At their first installation Rotarian Akhter Malik of Peshawar was present as the District Governor of Rotary District 327. Rotarian District Governor Kasim Dada of Karachi, late Justice Abu Sayeed Chowdhury, Rotarian Abdur Rahim Khan, Rotarian A.F.M. Abdul Haq were also present at the first installation meeting of Rotary Club of Comilla. At that time, one of service projects of the new Club was "Each One, Teach One" that was implemented through teachers and students of a primary school.

In 1973, Aziz-ul Haq retired from the Academy and returned to Dhaka and was inducted as a member of a new club, the Rotary Club of Ramna. He again moved to Comilla in 1979 as the Director of the regional Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP) at its office at BARD campus, Kotbari, Comilla. Now CIRDAP headquarters is in Dhaka.

The Rotary International initiated its 3H (Health, Hunger and Humanity) programme in 1984. The Rotary Club of Comilla formulated a programme on facilitating production of fish fry to raise protein content in food. The Rotary International deputed Rtn. Ray de Zylva, a Rotary Volunteer from New Zealand to examine usefulness and feasibility of the project. The Rotary Foundation after careful scrutiny sanctioned a sumptuous 3H Grant of US$486,000 for five years. The project entitled 3H 84-7 Inland Fishery in Bangladesh (IFB), surfaced in Comilla and started working on production of quality fish fry in each union (cluster villages - 171 in Comilla district). The Club hired necessary technical personnel to implement the project under the careful supervision and guidance of the Rotary Club of Comilla with Rotarian Aziz-ul Haq as its centre-pin.

Between 1984 and 1988, 250 union fish nurseries were established which supplied carp fish fry to villagers. The Rotary Club of Comilla proved its efficiency in production and supply of quality fish-fry and spread of fish culture in the district of Comilla and also in Chandpur, Feni, Noakhali, Chittagong, Brahmanbaria and Habiganj. This was proved to be a great service to the people in increasing supply of much-needed protein. The project was signalled as a "Candle" representing Rotary's spirit of service. Among a few others from different parts of the Rotary World, Rotarian Aziz-ul Haq was also invited to represent his Club.

With a great success in Inland Fisheries in Bangladesh, the Rotary Club of Comilla was encouraged to sponsor another project Integrated Farming in Bangladesh (IFIB) in 1990 to assist enterprising fish culturists in involving themselves in other allied development activities. The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International made a grant of US$260,579 available for the project. Farmers in the project areas had responded with enthusiasm, gratitude and optimism.

Integrated Farming made simultaneous efforts to promote fishery, horticulture, poultry and forestry development with a view to increasing production of nutritious food, generating employment, and raising house-hold income through better use of limited land and water resources. The project ended in December 1994, giving training to 849 farmers and supplying credit to 133 farmers. The other trained farmers were also encouraged to adopt integrated farming practices.

The IFB and IFIB projects were applauded by the Rotarians of the Rotary World as examples of spectacular development with dignity. Rotarian Aziz-ul Haq used to pay frequent visit to the project offices and project sites. He always provided guidance to the project steering committee and the management personnel of the project.

With his guidance, the Rotary Club of Comilla also established a 20-bed Eye Hospital in '90s on a plot of land donated by a Rotarian from Comilla who resides in Thornton, in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Thornton Health, U.K. and support from the Rotary Foundation. In recent years, the Club opened a Children's Library and a Computer Training Centre at its own building in Comilla town.

Rtn Azizul Haq was always up with the spirit of Rotary service until God took him to the other world (Sep 3 was his death anniversary). In recognition of his outstanding service, the members of the Rotary Club of Comilla named their Club building after him as "Aziz-ul Haq Rotary Centre". The Rotary International awarded him with several awards: Rotary's Service Above Self; President Citation for Meritorious Service; and Rotary Foundation "Candle" representing Rotary's spirit of Service.

The persons who have devoted their lives to the cause of mankind always find out a way so that they can easily reach the people. Aziz-ul Haq liked the Rotary Clubs as his media. With his contribution to the nation through Rotary activities, he virtually served the mankind.

Haripada Bhowmik works in the Accounts Section of CIRDAP.