AMA Muhith’s body kept at Shaheed Minar
Former finance minister AMA Muhith’s body has been taken to the Central Shaheed Minar where people from all walks of life are paying their last respects to the former minister. The body will be then taken to Sylhet for burial.
The first namaz-e-janaza of former finance minister AMA Muhith was held in Azad Mosque in the capital’s Gulshan on Saturday.
People from all walks of life joined the janaza that was held at 11:05pm.
Meanwhile, the janaza that was scheduled to be held at Parliament Plaza in the capital was postponed due to unavoidable reasons.
Economist, diplomat, freedom fighter, former finance minister and ruling Awami League’s advisory council member Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, 88, died at a hospital in Dhaka at around 12:55am on Saturday.
AMA Muhith was born on 25 January 1934 at his home in Sylhet's Dhopadighirpar to Abu Ahmad Abdul Hafiz and Syeda Sahar Banu Chowdhury. His father was a veteran lawyer and politician of Sylhet. He was the third of fourteen siblings.
Muhith earned his bachelor's (Honours) degree in English literature in 1954 from Dhaka University, securing first class. He earned his master's degree in the same subject the next year. In 1955, he became the vice president (VP) of Salimullah Hall students' union.
After joining Pakistan Civil Service (CSP) in 1956, he served in different departments of East Pakistan, Central Pakistan and then Bangladesh. He was appointed as the secretary of planning in 1972 and secretary of the external resource department of Finance and Planning Ministry in 1977.
He studied at Oxford University in 1957–1958 and completed a master of public administration at Harvard University in 1964.
AMA Muhith was finance and planning minister in 1982-83 during Ershad regime. He was elected ESCAP member at that time. Muhith joined Awami League in 2001. He was elected member of parliament from Sylhet-1 constituency in 2008 and 2014.
As finance minister of the Awami League government, he presented the budget in parliament for 10 years at a stretch.
AMA Muhith also played a glorious role in Bangladesh’s liberation war. In 1971 he had been serving at the Pakistan embassy in the US when he declared his allegiance to Bangladesh. He mobilised support abroad for the Bangladesh Liberation War. That is why in 2016 he was accorded the highest civil honour of state, Swadinata Padak.
On 25 July 2021 AMA Muhith contracted coronavirus. In the beginning of March this year he took ill again and was hospitalised. After recovering, on 14 March he even went on a visit to Sylhet. On 16 March the Sylhet City Corporation gave him the 'Guni Shrestha Sammanona' (award for highest merit).
He has authored 40 books, in English and Bangla.