Atiqul in Annisul’s chair: From BGMEA boss to Dhaka North City mayor

Both of them once headed readymade garment entrepreneurs’ lobby BGMEA before their ever-growing ambitions brought them to politics.

Now Atiqul Islam is going to sit in late Annisul Huq’s chair once again, this time as the mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation.

Atiqul, who secured the ruling Awami League’s support like Annisul did in 2015, won Thursday’s by-election to DNCC mayor’s post with a massive margin of 839,302 votes.

His nearest candidate the Jatiya Party’s Shafin Ahmed drew a paltry 52,429 votes.  

The bypolls were held to get a mayor for little over a year until the next city corporation elections after the post fell vacant when Annisul died in 2017.

Four years ago, Annisul surprised many by launching a campaign for the Awami League’s support to become mayor.

He got 460,117 votes to ge the better of BNP leader Mohammed Tabith Awal by a margin of 135,037 votes after the party had announced boycott halfway through polling.

The BNP, its allies and most other parties have stayed away from the by-election completely. They  have accused the Awami League of vote rigging, referring to its landslide victory in the Dec 30 parliamentary polls.

Rains added to the gloom of the by-election and the turnout finally stood at 31.05 percent while it was around 37 percent in the 2015 election.

Before the win, Atiqul had pledged to make Dhaka North a “healthy, moving and modern” city and to complete the unfinished projects started by his predecessor in his manifesto. Annisul had pledged a “smart” Dhaka.

The mayor-elect has also promised to take measures to eliminate mosquitos, reduce air pollution, set up playgrounds, develop drainage system, and build multi-storey and underground parking lots.

“The manifesto has not been prepared keeping the tenure in mind, but far-seeing plans,” Atiqul, who is turning 58 next July 1, had said when journalists had pointed that he would have only a year to deliver on his promises, dropping a broad hit that he is in for the long haul.

Hailing from Cumilla’s Daudkandi and born in his police officer father’s workplace Nilphamari, Atiqul grew up in the capital.

He is the youngest of late Momtazuddn Ahmed and Mazeda Khatun’s 11 children.

He joined business with his brother Shafiqul Islam, an engineer, in 1985 after passing SSC and HSC examinations from BAF Shaheen School and College. He graduated while doing business.

He now runs 16 companies, including Islam Garments with around 19,000 employees.

His brother Justice Md Tafazzul Islam is a former chief justice and retired lieutenant colonel Moinul Islam headed Border Guard Bangladesh during the reforms to the paramilitary force after the BDR mutiny.

Atiqul’s wife Shaila Sagufta Islam is a dental surgeon and their only daughter is Bushra Afreen.

The businessman headed BGMEA in the 2013-14 term when it launched Dhaka Apparel Summit.

He also heads the Centre of Excellence for Bangladesh Apparel Industries or CEBAI, which works for the improvement of workplace environment and products.

He took charge of Bangladesh Volleyball Federation as its president in 2015 and Bangladesh won the Bangabandhu International Volleyball Tournament for the first time in 2016 when he was still heading the federation.

He is also one of the founders of Bangladesh Club and Hati Hati Khai Khai at Uttara for physical exercise, games and social activities.