Former Chairman of the Privatization Commission and retired Secretary Enam Ahmed Chowdhury is no more.
He passed away at his residence in Dhaka on Monday at 5pm due to cardiac arrest.
Enam Ahmed Chowdhury was born on June 29, 1937, in Barokot village of Golapganj, Sylhet district, in the then British India’s Assam.
His father, Gias Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury, was a Commissioner in Dhaka. His mother was Rafiqunnesa Khatun Chowdhury.
Enam began his education in Shillong, Assam, during British India.
He passed his matriculation from Mymensingh Zilla School in 1951 and completed his Intermediate (IA) from Dhaka College in 1953.
During 1952-53, while serving as the General Secretary of Dhaka College Student Union, he was expelled from the college for his involvement in the construction of the Shaheed Minar and activities related to the Language Movement.
He earned his bachelor's degree with honors in International Relations from Dhaka University and later completed a Master’s in Law, securing first class and first position.
He also served as the Joint General Secretary of SM Hall Student Union at Dhaka University, the General Secretary of the Dhaka University Economics Society, and the President of the Cultural Society.
In 1960, Enam Ahmed Chowdhury joined the Civil Service of Pakistan.
Before independence, he served as the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of the Khulna and Jessore districts.
After independence, he worked as a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Industries and Commerce and as the Director General of the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).
From 1975 to 1981, he served as the Economic Minister at the Bangladesh High Commission in London.
He was one of the key bureaucrats involved in the formation of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) under General Ziaur Rahman.
From 1981 to 1987, he worked in Bangkok as a United Nations Secretary in the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
Between 1987 and 1993, he served as Secretary of the Economic Relations Division (ERD) under the Ministry of Finance and later as Secretary of the Ministry of Shipping. Additionally, he was an elected President of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
In 1992-93, he served as the President of the Jalalabad Association in Dhaka.
From 1993 to 1998, he was the Vice President of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Between 2001 and 2006, he served as the Chairman of the Privatization Commission under the government of Khaleda Zia, holding the rank of a State Minister.
His younger sister, Nina Ahmed, is married to Fakhruddin Ahmed, the former Chief Adviser of the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh.
At the time of his death, he was 88 years old. He is survived by his wife, one son, one daughter, grandchildren, and many admirers.
