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Published : 05 Oct 2024, 11:58 AM
Former president AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury has died at the age of 94.
He passed away while undergoing treatment at Medical College For Women and Hospital in Dhaka’s Uttara around 2:45am on Saturday, his Press Secretary Jahangir Alam said.
The former president leaves behind his wife Hasina Warda Chowdhury, a son, and two daughters.
Badruddoza’s elder daughter Muna Chowdhury is a barrister and his younger daughter Shayla Chowdhury is a doctor and teaches at Medical College For Women.
His son, Mahi B Chowdhury, is a politician who is the joint secretary general of Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh, or BDB. He was elected as an MP three times from Munshiganj-1 constituency.
Badruddoza, a veteran politician and medical professional better known as B Chowdhury, was admitted to the hospital founded by him due to a lung infection on Oct 2.
At 1:30am that night, his daughter Shayla said, “The condition is critical. My father has been put on life support.”
His family said the funeral prayer for Badruddoza was held at Medical College For Women premises at 8am and another will be held at Baitul Atik Jame Mosque in Baridhara after Zuhr prayers.
The mortal remains will be taken to Munshiganj on Sunday. He will be buried at his family graveyard following two more funeral prayers at Munshiganj Stadium and his village home in Majidpur Dayhata, respectively.
Badruddoza was born at his maternal grandparent’s house in Cumilla on Oct 11, 1930. His father, advocate Kafiluddin Chowdhury, was vice-president of the Krishak Praja Party and general secretary of the United Front and a member of the provincial cabinet of the then East Pakistan.
He passed his SSC from St Gregory's School in 1947 and HSC from Dhaka College in 1949. He earned his MBBS degree from Dhaka Medical College in 1954-1955.
He later obtained FRCP and SCPS from the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and Glasgow in London.
As a renowned medicine department physician in Dhaka, he had served the people for a long time.
Badruddoza gained wide popularity by directing a programme titled ‘Apnar Daktar’ on Bangladesh Television.
Late president Ziaur Rahman appointed the renowned doctor the first secretary general of his nationalist party - BNP - in 1978 to involve him in politics.
He was elected to parliament in 1979, 1991, 1996, and 2001 from Munshiganj’s Sreenagar with BNP’s paddy sheaf symbol.
He was deputy prime minister in the Ziaur Rahman government and education and foreign minister in Khaleda Zia’s cabinet.
Badruddoza was elected president of Bangladesh on Nov 14, 2001.
He resigned from the position on Jun 21, 2002, due to a difference in political views with BNP.
The former president later left BNP and founded BDB on May 8, 2004. He was the president of the party until his passing.
