The veteran bureaucrat and economist Akbar Ali Khan, a former adviser to the caretaker government, passed away on Thursday at the age of 78. Akbar Ali Khan held various positions including that of cabinet secretary in his career in the civil service. Upon retirement, he taught at two universities. He was made adviser to a caretaker government but resigned from the position due to differences in discharging duties. Akbar Ali Khan dedicated himself fully to writing, and his books on an array of subjects including economics, history, and literature get widely acclaimed by readers.
Mr Khan is one of the few bureaucrats who, many believe, were honest in speaking the truth regardless of considering its results. The best bureaucrat of his generation, Akbar Ali Khan was a man of integrity and possessed uncompromising personal ethics. He has left us but left his books containing his thoughts and wisdom for generations to come. Born in 1944 in Brahmanbaria, Akbar graduated in history from Dhaka University and later emerged as an economist. He completed his post-doctorate in economics from Queen’s University in Canada. He started his professional career in the civil service of Pakistan in 1967. He actively participated in the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971 and was sentenced in absentia by military rules to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment.
Akbar Ali Khan left a legacy of doing his best and staying unbiased while discharging duties, a rare character found nowadays. The best servant and son of the soil, Akbar will be in the discussion for many years for guiding the country in governance, elections, literacy, and history. We express our deep sorrow at the death of this erudite personality and pray for eternal rest of his soul. The nation will miss his wisdom, courage and commitment to ethics and unbiased suggestions for economic, political, and social issues.
