Ex-president Badruddoza Chowdhury passes away

Former President of Bangladesh Prof AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury has passed away at the age of 94.

He breathed his last at 3:15am today while undergoing treatment at the Uttara Women’s Medical College, which he founded, his Press Secretary Jahangir Alam confirmed.

He is survived by his wife, one son, two daughters, and numerous relatives and well-wishers.

Due to a lung infection, Badruddoza was admitted to Uttara Women’s Medical College Hospital on October 2. That day, his daughter, Dr Shayla Chowdhury, informed that her father had previously suffered from ischemic heart disease.

A prominent physician and veteran politician, Badruddoza, was born on October 11, 1930, in Cumilla city (the famous ‘Munshif Bari’) at his maternal grandparents’ house.

The founding secretary-general of the BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party), his father, Advocate 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.

Badruddoza was an outstanding student. He 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.

Badruddoza was a fellow of the three Royal Colleges of Physicians in the United Kingdom: London, Edinburgh, and Glasgow (FRCP) and an honored FCPS in Bangladesh.

He was a leading professor in the field of disease science, an expert physician, and a record-holding presenter of television programmes on disease science. A successful parliamentarian, Badruddoza has given speeches at the United Nations three times. He was a recipient of the Independence Award and the author of many books.

Badruddoza 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. Most recently, he was re-elected as a Member of Parliament in 2001 and served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Begum BNP government from October to November of that year.

Badruddoza was elected president of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh on November 14, 2001. He resigned from the presidency on June 21, 2002, due to political reasons.

On May 8, 2004, Badruddoza founded a political party named Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh. He was serving as the party’s president.

His wife’s name is Hasina Wardah Chowdhury. 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.