Shamsher Mubin Chowdhury, Bir Bikram, was born in Chittagong on May 1, 1950.
After finishing high school and college education in Dhaka, he joined the Pakistan Army in 1967 and graduated as a regular commissioned officer in 1969, with ante dated seniority of 1968.
He was posted in 1st East Bengal Regiment in Jessore in 1969. A year later, he was transferred to 8th East Bengal Regiment in Chittagong as a Lieutenant.
Shamsher was among the first few officers who revolted against the Pakistan government on March 25, 1971, which marked the beginning of Bangladesh’s Liberation War.
He fought a number of battles in the war and took part in various military operations in and around Chittagong.
On April 11, 1971, Shamsher got critically wounded in action and was taken prisoner by the Pakistan Army. He remained a prisoner of war until Bangladesh achieved victory over Pakistan on December 16, 1971.
For his bravery and contribution in the battlefield, the government conferred gallantry award Bir Bikram upon him in 1972.
He continued to serve in the Bangladesh Army until 1974 and rose to the rank of Major.
In December 1974, the service of Shamsher Mubin Chowdhury was transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was absorbed as a carrier foreign service officer.
In the foreign service, besides working as a director in the Foreign Ministry, Shamsher served in Bangladesh embassies and high commissions in Italy, United States, Canada and China between 1975 and 1988.
From 1988 to 1991, he worked as a Director General in the Foreign Ministry.
Between 1991 and 2001, Shamsher served as the High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Sri Lanka (1991-1995), Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany, and concurrently accredited to the Czech Republic, Austria and Slovenia (1995-1998) and Ambassador to Vietnam and Laos (1998-2001).
In October 2001 he was appointed Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh and remained in this post until March 2005. From March 2005 to April 2007, he served as the Ambassador of Bangladesh to the United States of America.
In 2004, the UN General Assembly elected Shamsher a commissioner of the UN International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) with the rank and status of a UN Under Secretary General. He served in the UNICSC until 2012.
Besides speaking, reading and writing in Bangla and English, he can also converse in German, Italian, French and Urdu. Shamsher Mubin Chowdhury is married to Shaheda Yesmin.
