Abul Hasan Mahmood Ali, former finance minister of Bangladesh, passed away yesterday at a private hospital in Dhaka. He was 82. Family sources reported that he had been suffering from kidney-related complications.
Born on 2 June 1943 in Khamar Bishnuganj, Khansama, Dinajpur, Mahmood Ali earned a master’s degree in economics from Dhaka University in 1963. He later joined the university as a lecturer in the same department.
In 1966, he joined the Pakistan Foreign Service and, in 1968, was appointed vice-consul in New York. During his tenure there, he worked to mobilise the Bangalee community and advocate for Bangladesh’s independence.
During the 1971 Liberation War, Mahmood Ali served as a representative of the provisional government of Bangladesh in the United States.
In 2008, he was elected as a member of the 9th National Parliament representing the Awami League and served as chairman of the standing committee on foreign affairs. He later held the position of foreign minister from February 2014 to January 2019.
Mahmood Ali also served as ambassador to several countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, contributing significantly to Bangladesh’s diplomatic engagements abroad.
Born on 2 June 1943 in Khamar Bishnuganj, Khansama, Dinajpur, Mahmood Ali earned a master’s degree in economics from Dhaka University in 1963 and later served as a lecturer in the same department.
In 1966, he joined the Pakistan Foreign Service, and in 1968, he was appointed vice-consul in New York, where he mobilized the Bangalee community and advocated for Bangladesh’s independence. During the 1971 Liberation War, he served as a representative of the provisional government of Bangladesh in the United States.
Mahmood Ali’s political career continued after Bangladesh’s independence. In 2008, he was elected to the 9th National Parliament representing the Awami League and served as chairman of the standing committee on foreign affairs. He later held the position of foreign minister from February 2014 to January 2019.
In addition to his political roles, Mahmood Ali served as ambassador to multiple countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, playing a significant role in shaping Bangladesh’s diplomatic engagements abroad.