Bangladesh names Ashikuzzaman as new ambassador to Kuwait

Bangladesh has decided to appoint Major General Md Ashikuzzaman as the new ambassador to Kuwait, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday.

Ashikuzzaman will replace Ambassador SM Abul Kalam, who is reported to have links to human trafficking and money laundering charges pressed against Bangladesh MP Shahid Islam in Kuwait.

Laxmipur-2 MP Shahid was arrested on charges of human trafficking and money laundering in Kuwait on Jun 8. Prosecutors brought charges against Shahid after hearing testimonies of five Bangladeshi workers.

They claimed to have paid up to 3,000 dinars in exchange for being brought to Kuwait. They were also paying annual sums to renew their residency visas.

Shahid Islam, nicknamed Papul, was sent to Kuwait’s central prison for 21 days in two terms after interrogations of 17 days on June 23. Kuwaiti public prosecutors extended his detention for another 21 days.

Kuwait had earlier frozen the bank accounts of Shahid and his company following his arrest. Shahid holds about five million Kuwaiti dinars, or Tk 1.38 billion, in those accounts.

After the charges against Shahid came to light, some media reports mentioned his alleged links to Ambassador Kalam.

Major General Md Ashikuzzaman was commissioned to Bangladesh Army in 1988, the foreign ministry said.

“He also served three United Nations peace support missions in Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and D R Congo. Right before his appointment as the ambassador, he was serving as senior directing staff (army) in the National Defence College, Bangladesh.”

He obtained his Master’s in Defence Studies and Master’s in Strategic Studies from the National University, Bangladesh. Ashikuzzaman is married to Nahid Niaz Shilu with two sons. He is an active golfer and an artist.