Barrister Muntaquim no more

Barrister Abu Taher Abdul Muntaquim Chowdhury, an organiser of the Liberation War, a member of Bangladesh’s Constitution Drafting Committee and founding executive director of Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), died in Melbourne, Australia, on Friday. He was 97.

His death has cast a shadow of grief over Bangladesh’s legal, political and diplomatic communities. In a condolence message, BLAST expressed profound sorrow at the death of its founding trustee and first executive director, remembering his contributions to the organisation and his commitment to justice and legal rights.

Born on September 2, 1929, Chowdhury had a distinguished career spanning politics, law, diplomacy and public service. He was a member of Pakistan’s National Assembly in the 1960s and was elected from the Kulaura�"Barlekha constituency in the 1970 general election.

Following Bangladesh’s independence in 1971, he became a member of the Constituent Assembly and participated in drafting the Constitution of the newly independent country. His contribution to the constitutional process placed him among the political figures who helped shape the foundations of the state.