Defence Secretary Abdullah Al Mohsin Chowdhury, who was suffering from Covid-19, has passed away. He was 57.
He died while undergoing treatment at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka at 9:30am on Monday, confirmed Md Bhasani Mirza, administrative officer at the Defence Ministry.
Bhasani said the senior secretary was admitted to the hospital on May 29 and tested Covid-19 positive on June 6.
He was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit on June 18 after his condition worsened. He died on Monday morning after suffering a cardiac arrest, said Bhasani.
President Md Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and other government officials, including cabinet members, mourned his death later in the day in separate messages.
Abdullah had served as the secretary at the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change before he joined the Ministry of Defence on January 12.
He was recently promoted as the senior secretary of the Defence Ministry, which Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina manages.
He also worked at the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Industries, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and the Prime Minister’s Office in different positions, apart from working in the field as assistant commissioner and magistrate throughout his long career.
Abdullah, who is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter, was born on January 1, 1963 in Chouddagram upazila of Comilla.
He obtained BSc (Honours) in 1982 and MSc in 1983 from the Department of Soil Science of Dhaka University. Later, he obtained an MA degree on Governance Studies from Northern University.
He had joined in government service as a member of BCS (Administration) cadre in 1988.
