Pro-India Bangladesh diplomat dies

A close friend and supporter of India, Bangladeshi diplomat Syed Muazzem Ali passed away after a sudden and brief illness on Monday.

A former Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh, Muazzem Ali recently retired after his five-year tenure in India. He played a key role in strengthening India-Bangladesh relations during his term. Ministry of External Affairs sources said that he left Delhi last week. 

He is survived by his wife Tuhfa Zaman Ali and two sons.

Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishanker expressed shock over his death and extended condolences to his family. 

In a tweet, Jaishankar said: "He was a good friend and a strong partner for so many of us."

Ali had joined Pakistani foreign service in 1968. But after he declared his allegiance to Bangladesh, which was created in 1971, he became a founding member of the Bangladesh mission in Washington DC. 

Ali was also Bangladesh's Permanent Representative to UNESCO in Paris. He was involved in the resolution on proclamation of February 21, Bengali Language Martyr's Day, as the International Mother Language Day.

The diplomat served in Warsaw, New Delhi (1986-88), Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, Consul General in Jeddah during the Gulf War, Bhutan, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Turkmenistan, France and Portugal.