Ex-Minister Mosharraf Hossain dies

Former minister and veteran freedom fighter Engineer Mosharraf Hossain died at a private hospital in Dhaka on Wednesday morning. He was 83.

He was declared dead around 10:00am, his eldest son Sayedur Rahman Sumu confirmed to the media. A presidium member of the Bangladesh Awami League, Mosharraf Hossain had been suffering from multiple age-related health complications and was undergoing treatment at Square Hospital for about a month, including pneumonia. He is survived by his wife, four children, grandchildren and well-wishers.

Family members said his namaz-e-janaza will be held after Asr prayers on Thursday at Mohajonhat Fazlur Rahman School and College ground in Mirsarai upazila of Chattogram. Another janaza is planned in Dhaka, with details yet to be finalised.

Engineer Mosharraf Hossain was a six-time Member of Parliament from Chattogram-1 (Mirsarai) and held several key ministerial positions, including Minister for Housing and Public Works.

Born on January 12, 1943, in Dhum village of Mirsarai, he studied at Chittagong Collegiate School and Sir Ashutosh Government College before earning a BSc in Mining Engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore in 1966.

During his student years, he was actively involved in the Six-Point Movement and served as president of the East Pakistan Students’ Union. He later joined the Bangladesh Awami League under MA Aziz and was elected to the East Pakistan Provincial Assembly in 1970.

After Bangladesh’s independence, he was elected to Parliament multiple times (1973, 1986, 1996, 2008, 2014 and 2018). During the Liberation War in 1971, he served as a sub-sector commander in Sector 1 and took part in key operations, including the demolition of the Shuvopur Bridge.

Following independence, he was among the framers of the 1972 Constitution. He also served as Opposition Whip in 1986 and later held ministerial roles in Civil Aviation and Tourism, and Housing and Public Works in different terms.

In October last year, he was arrested following the political changes after August 5, 2024, and was later shifted between prison hospital and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital.

His condition worsened despite being granted bail while in intensive care after repeated appeals from his family for better treatment.