Abul Hasan Mahmood Ali, a former finance minister, has passed away at the age of 82 in a private hospital in Dhaka. According to family sources, he had been battling kidney-related health issues.
Born on June 2, 1943, in Khamar Bishnuganj, Khansama, Dinajpur, Mahmood Ali obtained a master’s degree in economics from Dhaka University in 1963. He then began his career as a lecturer in the economics department before joining the Pakistan Foreign Service in 1966.
In 1968, he assumed the role of vice consul in New York, where he actively engaged with the Bangladeshi community and advocated for the nation’s independence. Mahmood Ali played a crucial role during the 1971 Liberation War, representing the provisional government of Bangladesh in the United States.
Elected as a member of the 9th National Parliament from the Awami League in 2008, Mahmood Ali chaired the standing committee on foreign affairs. Subsequently, he served as the foreign minister from February 2014 to January 2019.
Throughout his career, Mahmood Ali also held diplomatic roles as an ambassador to various countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.