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Former president of Bangladesh Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed died from old age complications at the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka on Saturday. He was 92.
The former president breathed his last around 10:30am, said Md Saifur Rahman, special officer of the Supreme Court.
He was suffering from different age-related complications and had been undergoing treatment at the CMH since February.
Shahabuddin, who was the chief justice of Bangladesh, served the office of the president twice – for the first time as the interim president after the fall of military ruler HM Ershad in 1990-91 and for the second time 1996-2001.
He is survived by two sons and two daughters. His wife Anwara Begum and eldest daughter Sitara Parvin died earlier.
The first namaz-e-janaza of the former president was held on Saturday afternoon at his native village in Kendua of Netrakona while his second namaz-e-janaza will be held at 10am in Dhaka on Monday.
Justice Shahabuddin will be buried at Banani graveyard on Monday.
Born in 1930 in Netrakona, Shahabuddin served as the chief justice of Bangladesh from 1990 to 1995. In February 1991, he formed an interim government with apolitical people at the consensus of all three political alliances that waged movement against the Ershad regime. Holding of a free and fair general election in the country by his interim administration earned him widespread acceptance across the political arena.
On July 23, 1996, Shahabuddin was elected the president of the country unopposed, after being nominated by the Awami League government. He retired from office in 2001.
President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in separate messages condoled the death of Justice Shahabuddin. They expressed sympathy to the bereaved family.
Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique also expressed profound shock at the demise of Justice Shahabuddin and prayed for the eternal salvation of the departed soul and expressed sympathy to the bereaved family.
Early life
After completing his master’s in international relations in 1952, Shahabuddin Ahmed joined the Civil Service of Pakistan in 1954 and successfully completed training at the Lahore Civil Service Academy and attended a special course on Public Administration at the University of Oxford.
After serving as a magistrate for sometimes and then as a sub-divisional officer in Gopalganj and Natore, Shahabuddin was promoted to the post of additional deputy commissioner.
Career in judiciary
He was transferred to the judicial branch in June 1960 thus ending his career in the executive branch of the administration.
He subsequently served as additional district and sessions judge in Dhaka and Barisal and as district and sessions judge of Cumilla and Chattogram. In 1967, Ahmed was appointed the Registrar of the High Court in Dhaka.
Shahabuddin was elevated to the bench as a judge of the High Court Division on January 20, 1972. On deputation, he also served as the chairman of the Labour Appellate Tribunal in 1973-74. Thereafter, he returned to the High Court Division as a judge.
Shahabuddin was appointed a judge of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh on February 7, 1980.
Justice Shahabuddin was the chairman of the Commission of Enquiry constituted to inquire into the causes of police firing on the agitating students of Dhaka University in mid-February of 1983 that led to the deaths of several students.
He attended the International Appellate Judge’s Conference held in Washington DC in September 1990.
Shahabuddin was appointed the Chief Justice of Bangladesh on January 14, 1990.
Career as president
A peaceful revolution took place in the country in early December 1990 fierce protests led by opposition political parties against the autocratic system of the government and demanding the resignation of then government headed by HM Ershad.
Consequently on December 6, 1990, then Vice-President Moudud Ahmed resigned and Chief Justice Shahabuddin was appointed in his place.
On that very day, Ershad resigned and handed over power to Shahabuddin who became the head of the government as acting president of the country. He formed a caretaker government with neutral non-political persons and held a free and fair election in the country in February 1991.
During this period, he gave back the freedom of the press by amending a number of laws, including the Special Powers Act. Thereafter on the election of the president, Shahabuddin resumed his duties on October 10, 1991, as the chief justice.
On July 23, 1996, having been nominated by the Awami League, Shahabuddin was elected the country’s president sworn in on October 9. There were some controversies when Shahabuddin had differences of opinion with the government as he tried to remain neutral.
Philanthropy
Shahabuddin also served as chairman of the Bangladesh Red Cross Society from August 1978 to April 1982.
