Shawdesh desk:

Former Bangladesh president and veteran politician Professor AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury died in a Dhaka hospital early Saturday.

His son, Mahi B Chowdhury, announced the news on his verified Facebook page, asking the nation to pray for his father’s soul.

Professor B Chowdhury, who was 94, was admitted to a hospital in Uttara on Wednesday due to lung infections.

His condition had deteriorated, leading to his hospitalisation at Uttara Medical College for Women and Hospital, as reported by his daughter, Shaila Chowdhury.

She mentioned that her father had a history of ischemic heart disease and had been struggling with various age-related health issues.

Born on October 11, 1930, Chowdhury served as the 14th President of Bangladesh from November 14, 2001, until his resignation on June 21, 2002.

He was elected as a member of parliament from the Sreenagar constituency in Munshiganj multiple times—1979, 1991, 1996, and 2001—representing Bangladesh Nationalist Party. During Khaleda Zia’s government, he held the positions of minister of education and minister of foreign affairs.

In 1996, while the Bangladesh Nationalist Party was in opposition, he served as deputy leader of the opposition in parliament.

B Chowdhury entered politics in 1978 at the invitation of former President Ziaur Rahman, transitioning from a medical career to join the BNP, where he became the founding secretary general and later served as deputy prime minister.

After parting ways with the BNP, he established a new political party, Bikalpodhara Bangladesh, on May 8, 2004, and remained its president until his passing.