Defence Secretary Abdullah Al Mohsin dies from COVID-19

Defence Secretary Abdullah Al Mohsin Chowdhury has died in hospital care after contracting COVID-19, the illness caused by novel coronavirus.

Mohsin passed away during treatment in Dhaka's Combined Military Hospital at 9:30am Monday, Selina Haque, additional secretary to the defence ministry, confirmed.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed deep shock at the death of Mohsin and offered her condolences to the bereaved family.

Mohsin was admitted to CMH on Jun 2 after testing positive for the coronavirus infection. Later, he was moved into intensive and received plasma therapy as his condition deteriorated.

The younger brother of former principal secretary Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, Mohsin was promoted to the rank of senior secretary on Jun 14 while he was hospitalised.

Born in Cumilla in 1963, Mohsin secured an MSc in Soil Science from Dhaka University. Later, he completed MA in Governance Studies from Northern University in Dhaka.

A member of the 1985 BCS batch, Mohsin served the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Industries, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and the Prime Minister's Office in different capacities.  He was the secretary to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change before his stint at the defence ministry.