Shahabuddin Ahmed | |
|---|---|
শাহাবুদ্দিন আহমেদ | |
 | |
| 12th President of Bangladesh | |
| In office 9 October 1996 – 14 November 2001 | |
| Prime Minister | Sheikh Hasina Latifur Rahman (acting) Khaleda Zia |
| Preceded by | Abdur Rahman Biswas |
| Succeeded by | A. Q. M. Badruddoza Chowdhury |
| Acting 6 December 1990 – 10 October 1991 | |
| Prime Minister | Khaleda Zia |
| Preceded by | Hussain Muhammad Ershad |
| Succeeded by | Abdur Rahman Biswas |
| 6thChief Justice of Bangladesh | |
| In office 14 January 1990 – 31 January 1995 | |
| Appointed by | Hussain Muhammad Ershad |
| President | Hussain Muhammad Ershad Himself Abdur Rahman Biswas |
| Prime Minister |
|
| Preceded by | Badrul Haider Chowdhury |
| Succeeded by | Muhammad Habibur Rahman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1930-02-01)1 February 1930 Pemal,Bengal,British India |
| Died | 19 March 2022(2022-03-19) (aged 92) Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Political party | Awami League |
| Education | MA (international relations) |
| Alma mater | University of Dhaka |
Shahabuddin Ahmed[a] (1 February 1930 – 19 March 2022) was aBangladeshi head of state who served as thepresident of Bangladesh from 1996 to 2001, and thechief justice of Bangladesh from 1990 to 1995.[1] He previously served as the acting president during 1990–91 whenHussain Muhammad Ershad resigned from the post. He headed acaretaker government and oversaw a general election in February 1991.[1]
Ahmed was born on 1 February 1930 in Pamal village inKendua,Netrokona. His father Talukdar Resat Ahmed Bhuiyan was a philanthropist. After passing the matriculation and intermediate examinations he gained admission into theUniversity of Dhaka in 1948, obtained a bachelor's degree in economics in 1951 and a master's in international relations in 1952 as a resident student of Fazlul Haq Hall. He attended a special course in public administration at theUniversity of Oxford.[2][1]
Ahmed joined theCivil Service of Pakistan in 1954, completed training in theLahore Civil Services Academy and at the University of Oxford. He was sub-divisional officer ofGopalganj and Natore. In addition he was a deputy commissioner ofFaridpur. In 1960, he was transferred to the judicial branch. He worked as additional district and session judge of Dhaka and Barisal, and as district and sessions judge ofComilla andChittagong. In 1967, he served as a registrar of the High Court of the thenEast Pakistan in Dhaka. He was elevated to the bench of the High Court on 20 January 1972 and acted on deputation at the Labour Appellate Tribunal for two years, 1973 and 1974.[1]
Ahmed was appointed a judge of the appellate division of theSupreme Court of Bangladesh on 7 February 1980 and was confirmed in this office on 15 April 1981. Ahmed was the chairman of the Commission of Inquiry established under the Commission of Inquiry Act on police firing on the students in mid-February 1983. He was the chairman of the National Pay Commission in 1984 and submitted a report which provided the basis for the upward revision of pay scales.
Ahmed was appointed thechief justice of Bangladesh on 14 January 1990. Following a public agitation which was led by opposition political parties bent on changing the autocratic system of government and the resignation of the government headed by the then presidentHussain Muhammad Ershad, on 6 December 1990, the-then vice-presidentMoudud Ahmed resigned and Ahmed was appointed the new vice-president. Later that day Ershad resigned and Ahmed took over as the acting president of the country.
Ahmed was chosen by all political parties including Ershad to hold the interim government that would oversee the neutral election toparliament.[1] He administered the oath of office to his council of advisors atBangabhaban on 9 December 1990 and held the first meeting on 15 December 1990. After theFifth National Parliamentary Elections held on 27 February 1991, Ahmed handed over the parliamentary ruling power to the newly elected Prime MinisterKhaleda Zia. He resigned from the presidency on 9 October 1991 and the next day returned to his previous post of chief justice from which he eventually retired on 1 February 1995.[1]
Ahmed was elected president unopposed on 23 July 1996 after having been nominated by theAwami League government and sworn in on 9 October the same year.[1] He retired from office on 14 November 2001.[1] When theAwami League lost theparliamentary elections in 2001, he was dubbed a "betrayer" bySheikh Hasina. He lamented "I am an angel if anything is done according to their desire, otherwise I am a devil."[3]
Ahmed was chairman of theBangladesh Red Cross Society, from August 1978 to April 1982 in addition to his duties as a judge of the Supreme Court. He set up a number of rural hospitals maternity centres, in particular, the Teligati Red Cross Hospital (Netrakona) which was financed by the Swiss Red Cross. He was a member of the Bangladesh government delegation to the 10th Conference of Foreign Ministers of the Islamic countries (OIC) held inFez, Morocco in 1979 where the question of setting up an International Islamic Red Crescent Society was debated. On his initiative family planning and population control was included in the main function of the Bangladesh Red Cross.
Ahmed was married to Anowara Begum from 1937 to 2018. Together they had two sons and three daughters.[4] In 2008, a lake inGulshan, Dhaka was namedRastrapati Bicharpati Shahabuddin Ahmed Park after Ahmed.[5]
In February 2022, Ahmed was taken to theintensive care unit (ICU) of theCombined Military Hospital (CMH) due to anaging-associated disease.[6] He died on 19 March 2022 at the Combined Military Hospital at the age of 92.[7][8]Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed Park in Gulshan was named after him.[9]
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| National | |
