Annisul Huq, the confident, charismatic, inspiring and bold mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation, has passed away, and with him a bit of hope for millions of city dwellers.

He was indeed an inspiring leader for many of us, but what he truly and in reality was is a glimmer of hope. Parts of Dhaka under his careful watch are now cleaner than before. His tireless efforts to get Gulshan rid of waterlogging were a great success. He had reinstated a sense of security and hope among the city dwellers in the aftermath of the traumatic terror attack of last year. He had evoked hope of a cleaner, greener and livable Dhaka amid a litany of press reports disparaging Dhaka as one of the most unlivable cities on earth.

His shoes are too big to be filled by anyone else. The precedents of courage and competence he set will be difficult, if not impossible, to replace.

We all will remember Mr Huq with great fondness. He has shown that city development is possible with limited resource and power if there are genuine dedication and commitment.

Mr Huq, I thank you, on behalf of millions of residents of this city for giving us hope—hope of what we can turn our city into. We thank you from the bottom of our heart for your sincerity, sagacity, boldness and tremendous hard work you employed in transforming the city.