President, PM mourn death of justice Shahabuddin Ahmed

President M Abdul Hamid and prime minister Sheikh Hasina today expressed deep shock and sorrow at the death of former president and chief Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed.

In a condolence message, the president prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved family.

In a separate message, prime minister Sheikh Hasina expressed deep shock at the death of Shahabuddin Ahmed.

Shahabuddin Ahmed breathed his last at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) here at 10:28 this morning.

Ex-President Ahmed had been suffering from old age complications for a long time.

Born at Kendua of Netrakona on 1 February 1930, Shahabuddin Ahmed was appointed chief justice of Bangladesh on 14 January 1990.

He later became the head of the government as acting president of the country after the fall of HM Ershad in 1990. Shahabuddin Ahmed formed a caretaker government with neutral non-political persons that oversaw the general elections in the country in February 1991.

Justice Shahabuddin was elected the president of the country unopposed on 23 July 1996 having been nominated by the Awami League.