Akbar Ali Khan (1944 – 8 September 2022)
was a Bangladeshi economist and educationist who served as a bureaucrat until 2001. He was a sub-divisional officer of
Habiganj
Habiganj ( bn, হবিগঞ্জ) is a major town and district headquarters of Habiganj District in the division of Sylhet, Bangladesh.
Population: Total population of Habiganj is about 95,000
Railroad
*Habiganj Bazar–Shaistaganj–Ba ...
during the
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...
when he decided to join the war. Later he served as an official of the
Mujibnagar Government
The Provisional Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, popularly known as the Mujibnagar Government, was established following the declaration of independence of East Pakistan as Bangladesh on 10 April 1971. Headed by prime minis ...
. After independence, he rejoined the civil service and reached the highest post of Cabinet Secretary. In the meanwhile, he also worked as a university teacher. Towards the end of 2006, he became one of the advisers of the
Caretaker Government
A caretaker government is a temporary ''ad hoc'' government that performs some governmental duties and functions in a country until a regular government is elected or formed. Depending on specific practice, it usually consists of either randomly se ...
led by President
Iajuddin Ahmed
Iajuddin Ahmed (1 February 193110 December 2012) was the President of Bangladesh, serving from 6 September 2002 until 12 February 2009. From late October 2006 to January 2007, he also served as Chief Advisor of the caretaker government. From Oc ...
. He resigned along with three other advisers, namely,
Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury
Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury (born 9 September 1948) was a Bangladesh Army general who was 11th Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh Army from 16 June 2002 to 15 June 2005. He was the last officer to serve in this position who had first been comm ...
,
C M Shafi Sami
CM Shafi Sami a Bangladeshi diplomat. He was selected as an adviser of the caretaker government of Bangladesh under President Iajuddin Ahmed and resigned after about a month with three other advisers Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury, Akbar Ali Khan and ...
and
Sultana Kamal on the grounds of dissatisfaction with President Dr. Iajuddin Ahmed caretaker government. According to them, there was no scope to contribute in the caretaker government to create a congenial atmosphere for holding a free and fair election. In October 2007, the
Government of Bangladesh
The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ সরকার — ) is the central executive government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Con ...
constituted a Regulatory Reforms Commission (RRC) with him as the chair.
Early life and education
Khan was born in
Nabinagar
Navinagar is a city cum Nagar Panchayat in Aurangabad district in the Indian state of Bihar, and is the location of Nabinagar Super Thermal Power Project.
Geography
Nabinagar is located at . Its average elevation is 138 metres (452 f ...
,
Brahmanbaria
Brahmanbaria ( bn, ব্রাহ্মণবাড়িয়া, Brāhmaṇabāṛiẏā) is a city of Bangladesh and the capital of Brahmanbaria Sadar Upazila as well as Brahmanbaria District. It is the second largest city after Cumilla ...
, a
sub-division of the-then
Comilla
Comilla (; bn, কুমিল্লা, Kumillā, ), officially spelled Cumilla, is the fifth largest city of Bangladesh and second largest in Chittagong division. It is the administrative centre of the Comilla District. The name Comilla was ...
district. He attended
Nabinagar
Navinagar is a city cum Nagar Panchayat in Aurangabad district in the Indian state of Bihar, and is the location of Nabinagar Super Thermal Power Project.
Geography
Nabinagar is located at . Its average elevation is 138 metres (452 f ...
Pilot High School. He passed I.Sc. from
Dhaka College
Dhaka College ( bn, ঢাকা কলেজ also known as DC) is the oldest secular educational institution of Bangladesh located in Dhaka. It offers higher secondary education ( HSC). It has Honours and Masters programs as well which are aff ...
in 1961. He then studied history at the
University of Dhaka
The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...
and completed his bachelor's and master's from there in 1964 and 1965 respectively, with first class, topping the list on both the occasions. Before joining the then Civil Services of Pakistan he served as a teacher in BUET for some time. After a foundation course at the Civil Service Academy in
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
(1967–68), he was posted as the sub-divisional officer (SDO) of now defunct sub-district
Habiganj
Habiganj ( bn, হবিগঞ্জ) is a major town and district headquarters of Habiganj District in the division of Sylhet, Bangladesh.
Population: Total population of Habiganj is about 95,000
Railroad
*Habiganj Bazar–Shaistaganj–Ba ...
in 1969. His uncle Yakub Ali Khan was a former Gov High official.
[
]
Career
During Bangladesh liberation war
Khan actively participated in the
civil disobedience
Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal of a citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders or commands of a government (or any other authority). By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be called "civil". Hen ...
movement in March 1971 before the commencement of the war of liberation on 25 March 1971. When the war began, he decided to supply ammunition to the guerrilla fighters, yet in the capacity of the SDO of Habiganj. As the
Mujibnagar government
The Provisional Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, popularly known as the Mujibnagar Government, was established following the declaration of independence of East Pakistan as Bangladesh on 10 April 1971. Headed by prime minis ...
was yet to be formed and war of liberation remained to be formally launched, many police officers disagreed to give arms and ammunition without a written order. Khan fearlessly gave written note ordering to provide the freedom fighters with food and money. Collecting from the sub-divisional treasury, he arranged to send nearly three Crore taka to
Agartala
Agartala () is the capital city of the Indian state of Tripura, and is one of the largest cities in northeast India. The city is governed by the Agartala Municipal Corporation. The city is the seat of the Government of Tripura. It is located on ...
by a truck to help run the Bangladesh Government to be formed on 17 April 1971. Later he left Bangladesh, the then
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Scheme, One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India ...
, and moved to Agartala, India across the border to physically participate in the war of liberation. He said, "After reaching Agartala we focused on building up an 'eastern administration'. Our main aim was to support the freedom fighters and to help the refugees who had escaped Bangladesh and lived in camps. We established a connection with the
Mujibnagar Government
The Provisional Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, popularly known as the Mujibnagar Government, was established following the declaration of independence of East Pakistan as Bangladesh on 10 April 1971. Headed by prime minis ...
after a few months of its formation on 17 April 1971. During the initial months, we had to struggle single-handedly". In July, he was asked to come to Kolkata (
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
) to join the government. There he began working at the Cabinet division as a deputy secretary. Later, in August, he was transferred to the Defense Ministry.
[He was sentenced to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment in absentia by a Pakistan military court for his active participation in the Liberation War of Bangladesh.
]
After 1971
After the independence of Bangladesh in the December 1971, Akbar Ali Khan was appointed in the Establishment Ministry of the government of Bangladesh. He worked there for six months and helped in the rehabilitation of the freedom fighters and also people who came back from Pakistan. From there he was transferred to the Education Ministry. In 1973 he decided to retire to take up teaching again as the profession. Although he submitted his resignation, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ( bn, শেখ মুজিবুর রহমান; 17 March 1920 – 15 August 1975), often shortened as Sheikh Mujib or Mujib and widely known as Bangabandhu (meaning ''Friend of Bengal''), was a Bengalis, Beng ...
, the then prime minister of the country, did not accept it. Instead, he was granted leave of absence with a lien to teach in a university. He taught at the Jahangirnagar University
Jahangirnagar University ( JU) is a publicly funded university located in Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the only fully residential university in Bangladesh. It operated as a project until 1973, when the 'Jahangirnagar Muslim University Act' w ...
until receiving the Commonwealth Scholarship
The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) is an international programme under which Commonwealth governments offer scholarships and fellowships to citizens of other Commonwealth countries.
History
The plan was originally proposed b ...
to pursue higher education. He studied at the Queen's University, Canada
Queen's University at Kingston, commonly known as Queen's University or simply Queen's, is a public research university in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Queen's holds more than of land throughout Ontario and owns Herstmonceux Castle in East Suss ...
for PhD in economics. Upon his return to Bangladesh in 1979, he was shortly promoted to Associate Professor
Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''.
Overview
In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a ...
of the Jahangirnagar University. However, eventually, he left teaching and returned to Bangladesh Civil Service.
In 1984, he joined the Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre
Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPATC) is a training institute for the public sector. It was founded in 1984, and is situated in Savar, Dhaka District
Dhaka District ( bn, ঢাকা জেলা, Dhaka jela) is a distri ...
(BPATC) as a member of the directing staff (MDS). Thereafter, until 1987, he worked at the Rural Development Board, in the Water Resource Ministry and in the Bangladesh Public Service Commission. Later he was appointed in the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington, D.C. as its economic minister.
After completion of his tenure in Washington, Dr. Khan returned home and joined the Banking Division of the Finance Ministry as an Additional Secretary. During the period he re-organized BCCI Bank and took over BASIC Bank.
He worked in the Environmental Ministry before his promotion as a permanent secretary
A permanent secretary (also known as a principal secretary) is the most senior Civil Service (United Kingdom), civil servant of a department or Ministry (government department), ministry charged with running the department or ministry's day-to-day ...
to the government in 1993. In the capacity of Secretary, Internal Resources Division, he worked as the Chairman of the National Board of Revenue until 1995. Between 1995 and 2001, he worked as the Finance Secretary of the country. As finance secretary he opposed the purchase of BNS Bangabandhu due to financial condition of Bangladesh. He was overruled by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. As he retired, government chose to nominate him as Alternative Executive Director of the World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...
, Washington where he served until 2005.[
]
Dhaka University scandals
During the period of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's Prime Ministership, a scandal arose in the Dhaka University teachers about being Rajakar or not. As the Prime Minister asked the Education Minister to make an inquiry into the matter, he handed it over to Khan. Khan was apprehensive about this investigation as the law rejects the investigation which was not enough to cover it.
So he filed an investigation as he was ordered and provided a note mentioning about his opposing points. Perusing his note of dissent, President Abu Sayeed Chowdhury
Abu Sayeed Chowdhury (31 January 1921 – 2 August 1987) was a jurist and the President of Bangladesh. Besides that, he held the positions of the Chairmen of the United Nations Commission on Human rights, the vice-chancellor of the University ...
asked the Education Minister to convince Prime Minister about Khan's points. In this connection, Dr. Khan said, "Every time I did not like or felt something that was against the law, I gave written notes, and in most cases, my experience is saying it was bound to be accepted".[
]
Last activities
Retiring from World Bank, Khan established Centre for Government Studies at the BRAC University
BRAC University ( bn, ব্র্যাক বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়, also known as BracU) is a private research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was established in 2001 as a branch of Sir Fazle Hasan Abed's BRAC un ...
. He worked there as a visiting professor. He became a public face as he appeared in different TV Talk Shows to explain the current political and economic situation of the country. Besides, he did research on the historic and economic process of the country.[ On 30 October 2007, Khan was appointed the chairman of the Regulatory Reform Commission to modernise old and ineffective laws of the country.
However, he resigned from the post of Chairman of Regulatory Reforms Commission on 16 October 2009 citing the cause that the government is not co-operating with the work of the commission. Khan served as a trusty board member of ]Transparency International Bangladesh
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) is the Bangladeshi branch of the Berlin-based Transparency International, a civil society organisation dedicated to fighting against corruption.
History
TIB started its activities in 1996. In 2016 it ...
since 2013.
Death
When Akbar Ali Khan fell ill, he was being taken to the Evercare Hospital Dhaka but he died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Doctors declared him dead at 10:50 pm on 8 September 2022 after an ECG
Electrocardiography is the process of producing an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), a recording of the heart's electrical activity. It is an electrogram of the heart which is a graph of voltage versus time of the electrical activity of the hear ...
.
Bibliography
* ''Abak Bangladesh Bichitra Chhalanajale Rajneeti''
* ''Pararthaparatar Arthaneeti'', In this book, he expressed the complex aspects of economic phenomenon in the lucid, unorthodox style of John Kenneth Galbraith
John Kenneth Galbraith (October 15, 1908 – April 29, 2006), also known as Ken Galbraith, was a Canadian-American economist, diplomat, public official, and intellectual. His books on economic topics were bestsellers from the 1950s through t ...
.[
* ''Ajab O Jabar-Ajab Arthaneeti''
* ''Gresham's Law Syndrome And Beyond''
* ''Friendly Fires, Humpty Dumpty Disorder, and Other Essays: Reflections on Economy and Governance in Bangladesh''
* ''Discovery of Bangladesh - Explorations into Dynamics of a Hidden Nation''
* ''Bangladesher Sattar Anwesha''
* ''Chabikathir Khonje: Natun Aloke Jibananander 'Banalata Sen
* ''Andhakarer Utsa Hate: Sahitya, Samaj, Paribesh O Arthaneeti Samparke Alor Sandhan''
* ''History of Bangladesh'', ]Asiatic Society of Bangladesh
The Asiatic Society of Bangladesh is a non political and non profit research organisation registered under both Society Act of 1864 and NGO Bureau, Government of Bangladesh. The Asiatic Society of Bangladesh was established as the Asiatic Society ...
published this book where he explored the historical and social emergencies of Bangladesh as well as the growth of Islam in the country.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Akbar Ali (economist)
1944 births
2022 deaths
People from Brahmanbaria district
Dhaka College alumni
University of Dhaka alumni
Queen's University at Kingston alumni
Bangladeshi civil servants
Bangladeshi economists
World Bank people
Jahangirnagar University faculty
Advisors of Caretaker Government of Bangladesh
Date of birth missing