Akhtaruddin Ahmad (; born 1930) was an

East Pakistani East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, wit ...

barrister and politician. He was a member of the 3rd

National Assembly of Pakistan The National Assembly of Pakistan, also referred to as ''Aiwān-ē-Zairīñ'', is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, with the upper house being the Senate of Pakistan, Senate. As of 2023, the National Assem ...

and later moved to

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

Biography

Akhtaruddin Ahmad was born in 1930 to a

Bengali Muslim Bengali Muslims (; ) 'Mussalman'' also used in this work./ref> are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising over 70% of the global Bengali population, they are the second-largest ...

family in the village of Nabagram, Jhalkathi, then part of the

Backergunge District Backergunge, Backergunje, Bakarganj, or Bakerganj is a former district of British Bengal, East Pakistan and Bangladesh. It was the southernmost district of the Dacca Division. The district was located in the swampy lowlands of the vast river delta ...

of the

Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal until 1937, later the Bengal Province, was the largest of all three presidencies of British India during Company rule in India, Company rule and later a Provinces o ...

(now

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

). After obtaining his bachelor's with honors from

Brojomohun College Govt. Brojomohun College, Barishal, commonly known as BM College, is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Bangladesh. It is located in the city of Barishal in south-western Bangladesh. History On June 14, 1889, Ashwini Kumar Dut ...

Barisal Barisal ( or ; , ), officially known as Barishal, is a major city that lies on the banks of the Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh. It is the largest city and the administrative headquarter of both Barisal District and Barisal Divi ...

, he enrolled at the

University of Dacca The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka was founded in 1921 ...

. There, in 1952, he completed his post-graduation in political science—the same year he became a member of the

Constituent Assembly of Pakistan The Constituent Assembly of Pakistan was the supreme federal legislature of the Dominion of Pakistan. It was established in August 1947 with the primary tasks of framing Constitution of Pakistan of 1956, a constitution; and serving as an interim ...

—and later, in 1954, earned a postgraduate degree in law. During this period, he served as president of the East Pakistan Muslim Students' League. In 1958, he returned to the country as a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

from Britain and began practicing law at the Dacca High Court. He was a member of the 3rd National Assembly of Pakistan, representing Bakerganj-4. He was affiliated with the

Convention Muslim League The Convention Muslim League (CML) also called Pakistan Muslim League - Convention was a faction of the Pakistan Muslim League that split-off in 1962, in support of the military regime of the President of Pakistan, General Ayub Khan. The opposi ...

and served as its vice-president, as well as president of the Pakistan Peasants and Workers Confederation. During the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

in 1971, he was appointed as commerce and industry minister in the

Malik ministry The Malik ministry was an interim cabinet formed in East Pakistan, Pakistan's former eastern province, during the Bangladesh War of Independence. This cabinet, characterized as a civilian form of military rule, was established on 17 September 1971 ...

of East Pakistan. After Bangladesh gained independence, on 24 December 1971, the

Government of Bangladesh The government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh () is the central government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Constitution of Bangladesh comprising the executive (the president, prime minister and cabinet), the ...

arrested him for collaborating with Pakistan during the war. He was released on 30 November 1973 after the government declared a general amnesty for detained cabinet members. Later, he moved to Saudi Arabia, where he began working as a legal advisor for

Saudia Saudia (), formerly known as Saudi Arabian Airlines (), is the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia based in Jeddah. The airline's main hubs are the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the ...

References

1930 births People from Jhalokati district 20th-century Bengalis Bengali Muslims Possibly living people Bangladeshi lawyers Expatriates in Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabian people of Bengali descent Provincial ministers of East Pakistan Pakistani MNAs 1962–1965 People of the Bangladesh Liberation War Saudia Brojomohun College alumni University of Dhaka alumni Members of Lincoln's Inn Pakistan Muslim League politicians {{Pakistan-MNA-stub