Mohammad Abdullah (academic)

Mohammad Abdullah
Born	(1937-01-01) January 1, 1937 Chandpur District, Bengal Presidency (now in Chittagong Division, Bangladesh)
Occupation(s)	Academic, politician
Years active	1950s–2019
Known for	Member of Parliament for Chandpur-4 (1991–2001)

Mohammad Abdullah (born 1 January 1937) is a distinguished Bangladeshi academic and politician. Following more than ten years in academia, he represented Chandpur-4 as a member of parliament for three consecutive terms under the banner of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party from 1991 until 2001. Subsequently, he left the BNP and became affiliated with the Liberal Democratic Party, led by Col. (Retd.) Oli Ahmed.

Early life

Born into a respected Muslim family in Chandpur District, which is now situated within the Chittagong Division, Abdullah hails from the notable "Gazi" lineage. His father, Alhaj Nawab Ali (Gazi), was an esteemed Arabic scholar, philanthropist, and Islamic intellectual. The family is historically noted for their contributions to the defense and propagation of Islam. Additionally, Abdullah shares familial ties with Haji Shariatullah, the founder of the "Faraizi Movement."

Abdullah completed his secondary education at Bajapti Ramani Mohan High School in 1953 before relocating to Dhaka to pursue further studies. He achieved his I.Com from Jagannath College in 1955, followed by B.Com. (Hons.) and M.Com. degrees from the University of Dhaka in 1958 and 1959 respectively. Later, he qualified as a chartered secretary in London, earning fellowship status from the Chartered Institute of Secretaries in 1966. Professionally, he held the position of company secretary at Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited and served as a sponsor director at Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited.

Academic career

Prior to his political involvement, Abdullah dedicated nearly fourteen years to education, teaching at degree colleges and serving as part-time faculty in the Management and Finance departments at the University of Dhaka. During his studies in the United Kingdom between 1964 and 1966, he also taught at a secondary modern school. He was a member of the Senate at Chittagong University from 1991 to 1995 and fulfilled the role of acting chairman at Manarat International University.

Political career

Abdullah embarked on his political journey with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. In the 1991 general elections, he secured a parliamentary seat representing constituency 263, Chandpur-4, notably defeating former prime minister Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury. He successfully won this seat three times consecutively during the 5th, 6th, and 7th parliamentary elections as a BNP candidate. Although initially selected for nomination in 2001, his candidacy was replaced by S.A. Sultan; this led him to resign from BNP and contest as an independent candidate.

After stepping away from active politics for some time, Abdullah joined the Liberal Democratic Party. In 2006, as part of an Awami League-led coalition, LDP contested 29 parliamentary constituencies with Abdullah standing as their candidate for Chandpur-4. He officially resigned from the LDP in June 2019 under the leadership of Col. (Retd.) Oli Ahmed.

Publications

Abdullah authored Essential On Banking in 1962.