Obaidul Quader

Obaidul Quader (born 1 February 1952) is a Bangladeshi politician. He has served as the General Secretary of the Bangladesh Awami League since October 2016. Quader was previously the Minister of Road Transport and Bridges from 2011–2024 and represented the Noakhali-5 Jatiya Sangsad member from 2009–2024. He was also the Media Adviser for the Bangladesh Awami League and regularly conducted press conferences on their behalf. Quader also served as the State Minister for Youth and Sports between 1996 and 2001.

Quader has been accused as one of the key perpetrators of the July massacre. He is wanted by the Bangladesh Police on charges of crimes against humanity during the july revolution of 2024.

He was reported to have been seen in Kolkata, India on April 2025.

Early life and education

Obaidul Quader was born on 1 January 1950 to Mosharrof Hussain and Begum Fazilatunnesa in Bara Rajapur village, in what is now Companiganj Upazila, Noakhali, Bangladesh. He has six sisters and three brothers, including Abdul Kader Mirza, the incumbent mayor of Basurhat municipality in Companiganj. He completed his matriculation with a first division from Basurhat A. H. C. Government High School and Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) from Noakhali Government College. He obtained a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Dhaka.

Career

Quader has been involved in politics since his college years. In 1966, he played an active role during the six point movement. He was also engaged in the mass uprising and the eleven-point movement in 1969. He joined the Independence War of Bangladesh as the commander of Companigonj Thana Mujib Forces. After 1975, Quader was imprisoned for two and a half years. While in prison, he was chosen as president of the central committee of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, serving two consecutive terms. He worked as the assistant editor of the newspaper '' Daily Banglar Bani'' for a long time.

Quader became a member of parliament for the constituency Noakhali-5 in the parliamentary elections of 12 June 1996. He served as State Minister of Youth, Sports, and Cultural Affairs from 23 June 1996 to 15 July 2001, and was the first senior joint general secretary of the Bangladesh Awami League from 26 December 2002 to 26 July 2009. He was arrested on 9 March 2007, by the Caretaker government of Bangladesh and remained in prison for 17 months and 26 days before being released on bail on 5 September 2008.

On 5 December 2011, Quader was appointed as Minister of Communication. He took his seat in parliament on 5 January 2014, for the Noakhali-5 constituency for the third time in the 10th parliamentary election. He became the general secretary of the Awami League in October 2016 at the party's 20th council. Quader retained the general secretary post in the Awami League’s 22nd national council for a third consecutive term.

Following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League regime, Quader's home in Noakhali was vandalized and burned down in February 2025.

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Controversies

Allegations of instigating conflicts and massacres

During the 2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement, Quader was accused of inciting violence by encouraging members of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of the Awami League, to confront student protesters. On 15 July 2024, Quader reportedly stated that the BCL was prepared to respond to what he described as the audacity of anti-quota protesters who had demonstrated in their respective universities the previous night. On 17 July, he urged party members to remain vigilant and position themselves in every ward across the country to counter what he called the "evil efforts" of the protesters.

Reports indicate that over hundreds of individuals died during the protests that followed. In July and August 2024, a mass uprising against the Awami League regime occurred, which were met with violent suppression, reportedly resulting in the deaths of over 1,000 individuals, which is often referred to as the July massacre. On 5 August 2024, following the uprising, the government was overthrown with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigning and fleeing the country.

Following the fall of the government, Quader was reported missing. On 13 August 2024, a murder complaint was filed in a Dhaka court against Quader, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and four other former government officials, alleging their involvement in the killing of a grocer during the protests on 19 July.

Allegations of corruption

Quader was arrested by the joint forces under the military-backed caretaker governments on charges of corruption on 9 March 2007, and corruption charges were framed against him and his wife for accumulating wealth illegally and concealing them in income file records. He was also accused of providing fake sources of income by the Anti-Corruption Commission of Bangladesh.

In 2019, Netra News revealed that Quader has a collection of dozens of expensive wristwatches that cost tens of thousands of US dollars. Wristwatches in his possession include brands like Rolex, Ulysse Nardin and Louis Vuitton. According to the whistleblower, Quader receives watches from contractors of the megaprojects in lieu of undue favours. Obaidul Quader later accepted of owning the expensive wristwatches cited in the report to the media and claimed that the watches were gifted to him by Awami League supporters and leaders. In April 2023, in an interview with Voice of America, he admitted that he has a rich collection of wristwatches and he accepted expensive gifts from party supporters.

However, the claim of receiving expensive gifts suggests Quader has violated the Toshakhana (Maintenance and Administrative) Rules 1974. Section 4(b) of the rules mentions that the ministers can only accept gifts up to 30,000 Bangladeshi takas (equivalent to USD 300) without handing them over the treasury of the government. Transparency International Bangladesh chapter raised question on his acquiring of expensive wristwatches.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Obaidul Quader
1950 births
Living people
People from Companiganj Upazila, Noakhali
Politicians from Chittagong Division
University of Dhaka alumni
Awami League politicians
State ministers of cultural affairs of Bangladesh
State ministers of youth and sports of Bangladesh
Ministers of road transport and bridges of Bangladesh
Ministers of commerce of Bangladesh
7th Jatiya Sangsad members
9th Jatiya Sangsad members
10th Jatiya Sangsad members
11th Jatiya Sangsad members
12th Jatiya Sangsad members
General secretaries of Awami League
People indicted for crimes against humanity
Bangladeshi exiles
Fugitive politicians
Exiled Bangladeshi politicians