[2][3] Afzal was born into a Bengali Muslim family of Syeds from the village of Shayestabad in the Backergunge District of the Bengal Presidency.
Having successfully defeated the All-India Muslim League's candidate former Deputy Magistrate Lihaz Uddin of Kaukhali in the Firozpur North constituency, Huq gave up this seat to Afzal.
[7] On 12 November 1947, he attended a Tamaddun Majlish literary conference at the Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall where he expressed his support for the Bengali language movement alongside Health Minister Habibullah Bahar Chowdhury and Civil Supplies Minister Nurul Amin.
[14] Among those that signed the letter are Mohammad Akram Khan, Abdullah al-Baqi, Muhammad Shahidullah, Habibullah Bahar Chowdhury, Mizanur Rahman (Deputy Minister of Education), Syed Abul Hasnat Muhammad Ismail (Deputy Inspector-General of Police), Ajit Kumar Guha, AQM Adamuddin (Professor, Naogaon Islamic Intermediate College), Abul Kalam Shamsuddin, Shamsunnahar Mahmud and Shaikh Sharafuddin (Professor, Islamic Intermediate College).
[15][16] On 28 June 1948, Afzal laid the foundation of the main building of the Sri Sundari High School in Lalpur, Natore.