Mahfuz Ullah passes away: (1950-2019)

Senior journalist Mahfuz Ullah passed away at a hospital in Thailand yesterday morning. He was 69.

He had been on life support at the Bumrungrad International Hospital.

“My father is no more. He breathed his last at 10:05am today. We are taking preparations to bring his body home after completing necessary formalities,” his daughter Nusrat Humaira told UNB.

Mahfuz had been suffering from various complications in the heart, kidney and lung. He was flown to Thailand on April 10 for further treatment.

His body will arrive in the country today and his first namaz-e-janaza will be held after Zohr prayers at the Dormitory Jame Mosque in Green Road area, said his elder brother Mahbub Ullah.

His second namaz-e-janaza will be held after Asr prayers at the Jatiya Press Club and he will then be buried at Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals’ graveyard.

Mahfuz Ullah had been politically active since his student life and had taken part in the 11-point movement. He was expelled from Dhaka College for his activism.

Born in Noakhali in 1950, Mahfuz obtained an MA degree in physics and journalism from Dhaka University. He got involved in journalism during his student days and had been associated with the popular weekly “Bichitra” since its inception in 1972.

He also worked at the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata as a “China expert” and taught at Dhaka University’s journalism department.

Mahfuz had also hosted radio and television shows and been involved with leading Bangla and English dailies in Bangladesh.

He also authored more than 50 books in Bangla and English, apart from editing a number of others.

The books edited by him include the biographies of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia, and ones on the mass uprising of 1969, insurgency in Assam, and post-independent Bangladesh.