Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Monday expressed deepest condolence and grief at the sad demise of Ambassador Q. A. M. A. Rahim, the seventh Secretary General of SAARC. “Ambassador Rahim was a distinguished Bangladeshi diplomat and I remember his contribution to our beloved motherland and in improving the SAARC process as the Secretary General," Dr Momen said. Read:2 senior UN officials in city; visit to Bhasan Char planned The Foreign Minister extended his deepest sympathies to the bereaved family members and prayed for salvation of the departed soul.  He also prayed to the Almighty to grant his family members courage to bear this irreparable loss.  Read:FAO lauds Hasina's leadership in attaining food security in Bangladesh Q.A.M.A. Rahim, a Bangladeshi diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation from January 11, 2002 to February 28, 2005, passed away on Monday. Rahim breathed his last at 12:30pm on Monday. He was 80.  He left behind his wife, two sons, host of relatives and well wishers to mourn his death. He was buried at Uttara, sector  12 after Namaj-e-Janaza (after Asr prayers)

Former Bangladesh foreign secretary and immediate-past high commissioner to India Syed Muazzem Ali was fondly remembered as an astute diplomat, fine human being, a brave freedom fighter and a genuine friend of India.