Draft:Arafat Ashwad Islam

Arafat Ashwad Islam (Bengali: আরাফাত আশওয়াদ ইসলাম) is a Bangladeshi entrepreneur and politician. He is the Country Managing Director of Orkin Bangladesh, the only international pest management brand in the country, and a franchisee of the American pest control company Orkin[1]. He began his entrepreneurial career with Acorp Limited in 2016 and currently holds the position of Managing Director.[2]

Early Life

edit

Arafat Ashwad Islam was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on November 15, 1984.[3] His father, A J M Enamul Islam (Babul), is a businessman, and his mother, Fatima Zohra Islam, is a retired school teacher. His father comes from a political family in Munshiganj, Bangladesh, and is the younger brother of A M Nurul Islam (Anu).<ref0>"Munshiganj Bikrampur Samity". mbsbd.org. Retrieved 2024-09-28.</ref> Anu was a former member of the Civil Services of Pakistan who later served as the private secretary to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Politics

edit

Arafat Ashwad Islam participated as an independent candidate (symbol: balloon) in the twelfth parliamentary elections from the Dhaka-17 constituency.[4] However, he was defeated by the Bangladesh Awami League's candidate Mohammad Ali Arafat. During the nomination vetting process, he alleged that the Election Commission had improperly permitted the incumbent MP to run for office despite failing to submit his tax return.[5] He went on to formally contest the election results, citing serious concerns about their fairness and credibility.[6]

During the student-led quota reform movement in Bangladesh, Arafat Ashwad Islam criticized the government and law enforcement for their handling of the protests, which resulted in hundreds of deaths.[7] Following the political changeover on 5 August 2024, he gave several interviews to the media calling for the arrest former MP Mohammad Ali Arafat, who had become a fugitive facing multiple criminal cases.[8] He also alleged that the former MP was helped by some members of law enforcement to evade arrest.[9][10] The news quickly spread on social media, further establishing his significant presence in the ongoing political conversations in Dhaka.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). He also serves as board secretary at the Anu Memorial Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization named after his late uncle, A M Nurul Islam Anu, a former bureaucrat and politician.[11]

Publications

edit

Arafat Ashwad Islam published an academic research paper "Transition from Autocracy to Democracy: How it Affected Bangladesh's Economy?" in the International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research. The paper studies the statistical correlation between democracy and economic growth in Bangladesh.[12]

Awards

edit

Arafat Ashwad Islam was awarded the Mahatma Gandhi International Peace Award 2023 by the India-Bangladesh Cultural Council in Kolkata, West Bengal, for his community service contributions .[13]

He was also presented the Desher Daak Personality Award (2023) in recognition of his contributions to business and social service from the Desher Daak weekly newspaper.[14]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Orkin starts operation in Bangladesh". The Business Standard. 2019-12-12. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  2. ^ Islam, Muhammad Aminul (2024-05-23). "Orkin Launches Cutting-Edge Mosquito Control Program Targeting Dengue and Chikungunya Viruses at the U.S. Trade Show". EIN Presswire. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  3. ^ "আরাফাত আশওয়াদ ইসলাম | Arafat Ashwad Islam: Entrepreneur, Social Activist & Politician". Arafat Ashwad Islam. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  4. ^ Kalbela News (2023-12-27). চারটি অঙ্গীকার দিচ্ছি, সিদ্ধান্ত দেবে ভোটাররা- আরাফাত আশওয়াদ | Arafat Ashwad | Interview | Kalbela. Retrieved 2024-09-28 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ "রিটার্নিং অফিসারের কাছে আরাফাতের বিরুদ্ধে অভিযোগ". Bangladesh Journal Online (in Bengali). Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  6. ^ "Media". Arafat Ashwad Islam. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  7. ^ Mahmud, Shaheb (2024-09-20). "কোটা আন্দোলন ও রাজনৈতিক প্রেক্ষাপট নিয়ে যা বললেন আরাফাত আশওয়াদ ইসলাম". Daily Bangladesh Songbad (in Bengali). Retrieved 2024-09-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ Channel 24 (2024-08-30). 'আইনশৃঙ্খলা বাহিনীর সহায়তায় দেশ ছাড়ার চেষ্টা করছেন আরাফাত' | Md A Arafat | Zunaid Palak | Channel 24. Retrieved 2024-09-28 – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "আরাফাতকে সীমান্ত পার করার প্রচেষ্টা". The News 24 (in Bengali). 2024-08-30. Retrieved 2024-09-29.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ Channel24. "মোহাম্মদ এ আরাফাতকে সীমান্ত পার করে দেয়ার চেষ্টা (ভিডিও)". Channel 24. Retrieved 2024-09-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ "গুলশানে অনু মেমোরিয়াল ফাউন্ডেশনের উদ্যোগে ছাতা বিতরণ". jjdin. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  12. ^ Islam, Arafat Ashwad (2023-05-06). "Transition from Autocracy to Democracy: How it Affected Bangladesh's Economy?" (PDF). IJFMR. 5 (3). doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2023.v05i03.2734.
  13. ^ "Arafat Ashwad Islam receives Mahatma Gandhi International Peace Award". southeast.newschannelnebraska.com. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  14. ^ Foundation, Anu Memorial. "Arafat Ashwad Islam receives the Desher Daak Personality Award". PRLog. Retrieved 2024-09-28.