Economists and civil society expressed shock at the sudden death of Dr Akbar Ali Khan, hailing him as a person of progressive principles and enlightened intellect.
They also agreed that his first identity was as a freedom fighter. The ideals of the Liberation War were aptly reflected in his professional life, and his passing away is an irrecoverable loss for society, they said.
They also said the spirit of the Liberation War was reflected in his personal and professional life, in how he thought of building a prosperous economy along with creating a society based on justice.
Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya said that Akbar Ali Khan was behind introducing and creating a consensus in favour of the principles which are now being accepted very naturally in the administration of the state. "He never shied away from linking democratic accountability with development," she said.
Hossain Zillur Rahman said he had a fierce sense of integrity and dedication to service.
Dr Selim Raihan, executive director of the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM), said Akbar Ali was a bureaucrat in his professional life, but he was not limited to that.
“He also left an impression of excellence in bureaucracy. He also initiated reforms, although we know how difficult it is to reform the country's bureaucracy. In some cases he succeeded, in many cases, he did not,” Raihan said.
He had the ability to deeply analyze the socio-economic development of the country. And he also studied the political economy of this development. This is also reflected in his writings. As a result, a great vacuum has been created in the intellectual discourse of the country.
“Many questions are now being raised about how inclusive and sustainable development is. Akbar Ali also spoke about these issues. Not that he talked much about these issues, but what he said had depth,” said Raihan, who is also a professor of development studies at the University of Dhaka.
