Demise of an erudite soul
Former adviser to caretaker government Akbar Ali Khan breathed his last yesterday, leaving behind the gift of his wisdom on issues ranging from economics to literature.
He was 78.
"He had a heart attack and we took him to Evercare Hospital tonight [last night]," his younger brother Kabir Uddin Khan told The Daily Star over phone.
He was brought to the hospital dead around 10:40 pm, said Dr Arif Mahmud, deputy director of Evercare Hospital.
His demise has created a vacuum in the intellectual space of the country.
His namaz-e-janaza will be held at the Azad Mosque after Juma prayers today, and he will be buried at the Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals' graveyard later in the day, family sources said.
"He was a genius, a gold medallist in history and an excellent economist by any standards. His understanding of economics, political economy and sociopolitical history was unparalleled," said economist Ahsan H Mansur, who knew Akbar for many years.
Mansur, executive director of Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh, termed Akbar the best bureaucrat of his generation and said he was a man of integrity and possessed uncompromising personal ethics. "He never compromised on ethical issues," he said.
"He has left us but left his books containing his thoughts and wisdom for generations to come. He was a great man and a great Bangladeshi," Mansur added.
Debapriya Bhattacharya, convenor of Citizen's Platform for SDGs, described the demise of Akbar as a "loss of an erudite and enlightened soul".
"He was a soldier of the country's independence, a fighter for national development and an activist for civic rights. Our deep and humble respect for him."
Born in 1944 in Brahmanbaria, Akbar graduated in history from Dhaka University and later emerged as an economist. He completed his post doctorate in economics from Queen's University in Canada.
He started his professional career in the civil service of Pakistan in 1967. He actively participated in the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971 and was sentenced in absentia by military rules to 14 years rigorous imprisonment, according to the brief bio in one of his books.
Akbar served as the deputy secretary of the defence ministry of the provisional government of Bangladesh during the Liberation War. He served at the high positions in government for about 10 years and retired as Cabinet Secretary, according to University Press Ltd, a leading publisher.
Akbar was finance secretary and chairman of the National Board of Revenue. He was appointed as cabinet secretary in 2001.
He also held the position of alternate executive director in World Bank.
Akbar became adviser to the caretaker government in 2006-07 and later resigned in protest of the chief adviser's failure in ensuring a free, fair and impartial election.
He was a professor at BRAC University after his retirement from public service.
Akbar penned 17 books, including Friendly Fires, Humpty Dumpty Disorder and Other Essays; Discovery of Bangladesh; Gresham's Law Syndrome and Beyond; Pararthoparatar Arthaniti (Economics of Altruism); and Ajab O Jabor Ajab Authraneeti. His latest book is Bangladeshe Budget: Orthoniti O Rajniti.
He also wrote on politics and literature.
He was awarded Justice Mohammad Ibrahim Gold Medal for his book 'Discovery of Bangladesh', said University Press Ltd.
He was awarded Honorary Fellowship by Bangla Academy for his contribution to economics.