Shahabuddin Ahmed

Shahabuddin Ahmed was a Bangladeshi statesman who served as the president of Bangladesh from 1996 to 2001. He also held the position of chief justice between 1990 and 1995.

Early life and education

Ahmed was born on 1 February 1930 in Pemai village, which was then part of the British Bengal Presidency. This location is known today as Kendua in the Netrokona District of Bangladesh. His father, Talukdar Resat Ahmed Bhuiyan, worked as a philanthropist. After he completed his matriculation and intermediate examinations, Ahmed gained admission to the University of Dhaka in 1948. He obtained a bachelor's degree in economics in 1951 and a master's degree in international relations in 1952 while residing at Fazlul Haq Hall. He later attended a special course in public administration at the University of Oxford.

Career

Ahmed joined the Civil Service of Pakistan in 1954. He completed his professional training at both the Lahore Civil Services Academy and the University of Oxford. During his early career, he served as the sub-divisional officer of Gopalganj and Natore. He also worked as a deputy commissioner of Faridpur. In 1960, he transferred to the judicial branch. He held roles as an additional district and session judge in Dhaka and Barisal, while he also served as a district and sessions judge in Comilla and Chittagong.

In 1967, he functioned as a registrar of the High Court of the then East Pakistan in Dhaka. He was elevated to the bench of the High Court on 20 January 1972. For two years, specifically during 1973 and 1974, he acted on deputation at the Labour Appellate Tribunal. Ahmed was appointed a judge of the appellate division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh on 7 February 1980. He received confirmation in this office on 15 April 1981.

Ahmed served as the chairman of the Commission of Inquiry established under the Commission of Inquiry Act regarding police firing on students in mid-February 1983. In 1984, he chaired the National Pay Commission and submitted a report that provided the basis for upward pay scale revisions. He was appointed chief justice of Bangladesh on 14 January 1990. Following public agitation and the resignation of President Hussain Muhammad Ershad on 6 December 1990, vice-president Moudud Ahmed resigned. Ahmed was then appointed as the new vice-president. Later that same day, Ershad resigned, which led to Ahmed taking over as acting president.

All political parties chose Ahmed to lead an interim government that would oversee neutral elections. He administered the oath of office to his council of advisors at Bangabhaban on 9 December 1990. After the general election took place on 27 February 1991, Ahmed handed parliamentary power to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. He resigned from the presidency on 9 October 1991 and returned to his post as chief justice. He eventually retired from that position on 1 February 1995.

Ahmed was elected president unopposed on 23 July 1996 after receiving a nomination from the Awami League government. He was sworn in on 9 October 1996 and remained in office until 14 November 2001. When the Awami League lost parliamentary elections in 2001, Sheikh Hasina called him a "betrayer." Ahmed responded to this by stating that he is an angel if actions follow their desires, but a devil otherwise.

From August 1978 to April 1982, he served as the chairman of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society. He established several rural hospitals and maternity centres, including the Teligati Red Crescent Hospital in Netrakona. This facility was financed by the Swiss Red Cross. He also participated in the 10th Conference of Foreign Ministers of the Islamic countries in Fez, Morocco, in 1979. On his initiative, the society included family planning and population control as main functions.

Personal life

Ahmed was married to Anowara Begum. The couple had two sons and three daughters, including Sitara Parvin. Parvin worked as a professor of mass communication and journalism at the University of Dhaka. She died in a road accident in the USA during 2005. In February 2022, Ahmed was admitted to the intensive care unit of the Combined Military Hospital due to an aging-associated disease. He died on 19 March 2022 at the age of 92.

Awards and recognition

In 2008, a lake in Gulshan, Dhaka, was named Rastrapati Bicharpati Shahabuddin Ahmed Park in his honor. Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed Park in Gulshan serves as a lasting memorial to his life.