Rahul Quddus was[1] a former bureaucrat of Bangladesh. He is the first and only secretary general of the Cabinet of Bangladesh and the first Principal Secretary of the Prime Ministers' Office.[2]

Quddus was an accused in the Agartala Conspiracy Case along with future President of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.[3]

Career

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Quddus joined the Civil Service of Pakistan in 1949.[4] He served as the chief magistrate of Dhaka.[1]

Quddus was accused in the Agartala Conspiracy Case along with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1968.[4] Along with him, two other civil servants were charged in the case Ahmed Fazlur Rahman and Khan Shamsur Rahman who were Bengalis.[5][6] He was defended by Khan Bahadur Mohammad Ismail.[7][8]

Quddus was the secretary general of the Cabinet of Bangladesh.[4] During the Bangladesh Liberation War, he was tasked with taking over the bureaucracy of East Pakistan.[9] After the Bangladesh Liberation War ended, he went to Dhaka Airport on 18 December 1971 to receive the government of Bangladesh in exile.[4][10] Abul Fateh accompanied him, and they were the highest government authority in Dhaka till the return of the government in exile.[4] He chaired the first cabinet meeting of Bangladesh on 23 December.[4][11]

After Sheikh Mujibur Rahman returned to Bangladesh, Quddus was appointed Principal Secretary of the Prime Ministers' Office and the post of secretary general of the Cabinet of Bangladesh was abolished.[4] He represented Bangladesh in negotiations with India.[12]

Personal life

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Quddus's daughter is Dr. Rezina Quddus.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Management – CITech Communications". Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  2. ^ South Asian Studies. South Asian Studies Centre, Department of Political Science, University of Rajasthan. 1986. p. 58.
  3. ^ "Agartala Conspiracy Case - Banglapedia". en.banglapedia.org. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Dec 18, 1971: Government's vanguard arrives in free Dhaka". The Daily Observer. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  5. ^ "East-west rift: Agartala conspiracy case - Op-Ed - observerbd.com". The Daily Observer. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  6. ^ "The symphony of our times". New Age. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  7. ^ "Six-point movement of Sheikh Mujib - Agartola conspiracy (1966) - History of Bangladesh (3)". www.londoni.co. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  8. ^ Ahsan, Syed Badrul (1 February 2007). "February 1969: Revisiting the Agartala Conspiracy Case". The Daily Star. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  9. ^ Singh, Lachhman (1991). Victory in Bangladesh. Natraj Publishers. p. 276.
  10. ^ Chaudhury, Enam Ahmed (10 January 2022). "The day history was made". The Daily Star. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  11. ^ Chaudhury, Enam Ahmed (10 January 2022). "The day history was made". The Daily Star. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  12. ^ Appadorai, Angadipuram; Poplai, Sundar Lal (1972). Foreign Affairs Reports. Indian Council of World Affairs. p. 47.