Bangladesh at present has nine women diplomats serving as ambassadors in various countries around the world and also at a secretary level in the foreign ministry. Prothom Alo has spoken to all nine.
This is all about Nahida Rahman, Bangladesh’s ambassador to Brunei.
Nahida Rahman (Shumona) likes to call herself an ‘accidental diplomat’ because if her husband, a BCS admin cadre officer, hadn’t encouraged her, she wouldn’t have become a diplomat. He would insist, “You must create an identity of your own.”
It was 23 years ago that she emerged from home to join the foreign ministry in Segun Bagicha. Every day seemed like a challenge. It was a constant learning process. Others in her batch had worked somewhere or the other before joining the foreign ministry, but she hadn’t. And so she had to put a little extra effort in her training and other activities.
Nahida would have to go to Sydney once every two weeks on consular work in Australia. There are two incidents there she just cannot forget. A student Tanveer from Cumilla had been diagnosed with cancer there. On her way back to Canberra from Sydney every two weeks, she would drop in to see Tanveer. Despite the best treatment in Australia, he finally passed away. It has been hard for Nahida to get over that.
The other incident involved her visits to various detention centres to offer consular assistance to the Bangladeshis there.
The Bangladeshis detained there would beg her to ensure that they were not sent back home.
They were even willing to remain in the detention centres. She is still gnawed by concern at their desperation to remain there despite the uncertain and difficult circumstances at the centres.