State Minister Abdullah dies of heart attack at 74

Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, the state minister for religious affairs, has died at the age of 74.

He passed away while undergoing treatment at the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka around 11:45pm on Saturday, his Private Secretary Khandaker Yasir Arafat said.

The technocrat minister suffered a heart attack, according to Arafat.

An official of the ministry said Abdullah was taken to the hospital when he fell ill at his Bailey Road home around 10:30pm.

Having worked as the parliamentary representative of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Gopalganj-3 constituency several times, he took charge of the ministry as state minister after the 2018 election.

President Md Abdul Hamid and Hasina have mourned the state minister.

Born at Kekania in Gopalganj on Sept 8, 1945, Abdullah was the third among seven children of Sheikh Mohammad Matiur Rahman and Rabeya Khatun.

He graduated from Azam Khan College in Khulna in 1966 and obtained MCom and MA degrees from the Dhaka University after independence. He also completed LLB.

Starting his career as a school headmaster, he later switched to the legal profession.

He started doing politics when he was a student. Abdullah passed the Bangladesh Civil Service exams in 1973 but opted for politics and eventually became the general secretary of the Awami League’s Gopalganj unit. He had been working as the religious affairs secretary of the ruling party’s central committee as well.