Former President and veteran politician Dr AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury passed away at a hospital in the capital early Saturday. He was 94.
B Chowdhury, who was admitted to Uttara Women’s Medical College Hospital on Wednesday with lung infection, breathed his last around 3:15 am, said his daughter Dr Shayla Chowdhury.
He is survived by his wife, one son, two daughters, and a host of relatives and well-wishers.
B Chowdhury will be buried at his family graveyard at Majidpur Dayhata in Munshiganj on Sunday, said his press secretary Jahangir Alam.
His first namaz-e-janaza was held at Uttara Women's Medical College and Hospital premises at 8:00 am on Saturday. The second janaza will be held at Baitul Atik Jame Mosque at Baridhara on Road 8 after Zohr prayers, the third one at Munshiganj stadium at 10 am on Sunday and the fourth one at his village home Majidpur Dayhata after Zohr prayers.
A prominent physician and the founding secretary-general of the BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party), B Chowdhury was born on October 11, 1930, in Cumilla city (the famous 'Munshif Bari') at his maternal grandparents' house.
His father Kafil Uddin Chowdhury was the co-chairman of the Krishak Praja Party, general secretary of the United Front, and a member of the then provincial cabinet of East Pakistan.
His ancestral home is in Majidpur Dayahata village, Srinagar upazila of Munshiganj.
B Chowdhury completed his matriculation in the first division from the famous St. Gregory's School in Dhaka in 1947 and passed the ISC in the first division from Dhaka College in 1949. He earned his MBBS degree from Dhaka Medical College in 1954-55. He was on the merit list in all examinations.
He was a fellow of the three Royal Colleges of Physicians in the United Kingdom: London, Edinburgh, and Glasgow (F.R.C.P) and an honored F.C.P.S. in Bangladesh.
A successful parliamentarian, B. Chowdhury delivered speeches at the United Nations three times. He was a recipient of the Independence Award and the author of many books.
B Chowdhury entered politics at the request of former President Ziaur Rahman in 1978. He was first elected as a Member of Parliament from Srinagar, Munshiganj, in 1979 and served as a cabinet minister.
He was re-elected as a Member of Parliament in 1991 and initially served as Minister of Education and later as Deputy Leader of Parliament. In 1996, he served as the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. He was re-elected as a Member of Parliament in 2001 and served as the Foreign Affairs Minister of the BNP government from October to November of that year.
Professor Badruddoza Chowdhury was elected President of Bangladesh on November 14, 2001. He resigned from the presidency on June 21, 2002.
On May 8, 2004, B Chowdhury founded a political party named Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh. He was serving as the party's president.
His elder daughter, Moona Chowdhury, is a barrister by profession. His younger daughter, Shayla Chowdhury, is a physician and teaches at Dhaka’s Uttara Women’s Medical College. His only son, Mahi B Chowdhury, is a politician and media personality.