Obaidul Quader

Obaidul Quader
ওবায়দুল কাদের
Quader in 2023
Minister of Road Transport and Bridges
In office
6 December 2011 – 5 August 2024
Prime MinisterSheikh Hasina
Preceded bySyed Abul Hossain
Succeeded byMuhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan (as adviser)
Minister of State for Youth and Sports
In office
23 January 1996 – 15 July 2001
Preceded bySadeque Hossain Khoka
Succeeded byFazlur Rahman Patal
Member of the Bangladesh Parliament
for Noakhali-5
In office
25 January 2009 – 6 August 2024
Preceded byMoudud Ahmed
In office
14 July 1996 – 13 July 2001
Preceded byMoudud Ahmed
General Secretary of Bangladesh Awami League
Incumbent
Assumed office
23 October 2016
Party PresidentSheikh Hasina
Preceded bySayed Ashraful Islam
Personal details
Born (1950-01-01) 1 January 1950 (age 74)[Note 1]
Noakhali, East Bengal, Pakistan
NationalityBangladeshi
Political partyBangladesh Awami League
SpouseIsratunnesa Quader
Alma materUniversity of Dhaka (BA)
Criminal Information
Criminal statusFugitive, at large
Criminal chargeCrimes against humanity during Student–People's uprising

Obaidul Quader (Bengali: ওবায়দুল কাদের, romanized: Obaydul Kader; born 1 January 1950)[Note 1] is a Bangladesh Awami League politician, who has been the General Secretary of the party since October 2016. He was the Minister of Road Transport and Bridges during 2011–2024 and represented the Noakhali-5 Jatiya Sangsad member during 2009–2024. He is also the Media Adviser for the Bangladesh Awami League and regularly conducts press conferences on their behalf.[1][2][3][4] Previously, he served as the State Minister for Youth and Sports between 1996 and 2001.[5] Quader has been accused as one of the key perpetrators of the July massacre.[6][7][8][9] He is wanted by the Bangladesh Police on charges of crimes against humanity during the Student–People's uprising of 2024.

Early life and education

Obaidul Quader was born on 1 January 1950 to Mosharrof Hussain and Begum Fazilatunnesa[5] in Bara Rajapur village, in what is now Companiganj Upazila, Noakhali, Bangladesh.[5] He has six sisters and three brothers, including Abdul Kader Mirza, the incumbent mayor of Basurhat municipality in Companiganj.[10][11] He completed his matriculation with a first division from Basurhat A. H. C. Government High School and Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) from Noakhali Government College. He obtained a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Dhaka.[5]

Career

Obaidul Quader with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi in April 2018.

Obaidul Quader has been involved in politics since his college years. In 1966, he played an active role during the six point movement. He was also engaged in the mass uprising and the eleven-point movement in 1969. He joined the Liberation War of Bangladesh as the commander of Companigonj Thana Mujib Forces. After 1975, Quader was imprisoned for two and a half years. While in prison, he was chosen as president of the central committee of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, serving two consecutive terms.[5] He worked as the assistant editor of the newspaper Daily Banglar Bani for a long time.[5]

Quader became a member of parliament for the constituency Noakhali-5 in the parliamentary elections of June 12, 1996. He served as State Minister of Youth, Sports, and Cultural Affairs from June 23, 1996, to July 15, 2001, and was the first senior joint general secretary of the Bangladesh Awami League from December 26, 2002, to July 26, 2009. He was arrested on March 9, 2007, by the Caretaker government of Bangladesh and remained in prison for 17 months and 26 days before being released on bail on September 5, 2008.[5]

On December 5, 2011, Quader was appointed as Minister of Communication. He took his seat in parliament on January 5, 2014, for the Noakhali-5 constituency for the third time in the 10th parliamentary election.[5] He became the general secretary of the Awami League in October 2016 at the party's 20th council.[12] Quader retained the general secretary post in the Awami League’s 22nd national council for a third consecutive term.[13]

Works

Quader authored the following books:[5]

  • Bangladesh: A Revolution Betrayed (1976)
  • Bangladesher Hridoy Hote
  • Pakistaner Karagare Bangabandhu
  • Ei Bijoyer Mukut Kothai
  • Teen Somudrer Deshe
  • Meghe Meghe Onek Bela
  • Rochona Somogro
  • Karagare Lekha Onusmriti : Je Kotha Bola Hoyni
  • Nirbachito Column
  • Gangchil[14]

Controversies

Instigating conflicts and massacre

During the 2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement, Quader was seen several times instigating the Chhatra League, the student wing of the Awami League, to come into direct clash with the student protesters. On 15 July 2024, he said that the Chhatra League was ready to respond to the audacity of anti-quota protesters previous night in their respective universities.[15] Days later[quantify] he asked his party men to remain ready and careful and take position in every ward across the country to resist the "evil effort" by the students.[16] In the aftermath, more than 200 people were killed in multi-day protests.[17] In July and August 2024, widespread protests erupted against the Awami League government, which violently suppressed the demonstrations, resulting in the deaths of over a thousand people, including children. Amid rising public outrage and demands for accountability for these atrocities, the government toppled on 5 August 2024. Quader has been reported missing since the day.[18] On 13 August, a murder complaint was filed at a court in Dhaka against Quader, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and four other government officials regarding the killing of a grocer during the protests on 19 July.[19]

Corruption allegation

Quader was arrested by the joint forces on corruption allegation on 9 March 2007,[20] and corruption charges were framed against him and his wife for accumulating wealth illegally and concealing them in income file records. He was also accused of providing fake sources of income by the Anti-Corruption Commission of Bangladesh.[21]

In 2019, Netra News revealed that Quader has a collection of dozens of expensive wristwatches that cost tens of thousands of US dollars. Wristwatches in his possession include brands like Rolex, Ulysse Nardin and Louis Vuitton. According to the whistleblower, Quader receives watches from contractors of the megaprojects in lieu of undue favours.[22] Obaidul Quader later accepted of owning the expensive wristwatches cited in the report to the media and claimed that the watches were gifted to him by Awami League supporters and leaders.[23] In April 2023, in an interview with Voice of America he admitted that he has a rich collection of wristwatches and he accepted expensive gifts from party supporters.[24] However, the claim of receiving expensive gifts suggests Quader has violated the Toshakhana (Maintenance and Administrative) Rules 1974. Section 4(b) of the rules mentions that the ministers can only accept gifts up to 30,000 Bangladeshi takas (equivalent to USD 300) without handing them over the treasury of the government. Transparency International Bangladesh chapter raised question on his acquiring of expensive wristwatches.[25]

Notes

  1. ^ a b The websites of the Bangladesh Parliament and the Road Transport and Highways Division state that he was born on 1 January 1950,[26][27] but older biographies such as the 2018 one on the Roads and Highways Department website say 1 January 1952.[28]

References

  1. ^ "Hon'ble Ministers". Government of Bangladesh. Archived from the original on 29 April 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  2. ^ "BNP announcing 'jumbo' committees joke of the year, says AL leader Obaidul Quader". bdnews24.com. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  3. ^ "No plan for transport without RSTP". Dhaka Tribune. 31 August 2016. Archived from the original on 16 February 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  4. ^ "No plan to arrest Khaleda: Obaidul Quader". The Daily Star. 27 May 2016. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Obaidul Quader: At a glance". The Daily Star. 23 October 2016. Archived from the original on 19 June 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  6. ^ "Bangladesh mourns some 200 deaths as student protests wind down and thousands are arrested". AP News. 31 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Two cases filed against 23 people including Hasina for crimes against humanity". unb.com.bd. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  8. ^ "3 more ICT cases filed against Hasina". The Daily Star. 6 September 2024. Archived from the original on 11 September 2024. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  9. ^ "2 more murder cases filed against Hasina -". The Daily Observer. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  10. ^ "Begum Fazilatunnesa dies". New Age. 27 February 2018. Archived from the original on 27 June 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  11. ^ "Quader Mirza claims motorcade attacked in Feni; blames Noakhali MP Ekramul Karim, 2 others". The Daily Star. 11 February 2021. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  12. ^ "Hasina re-elected as AL president, Obaidul Quader new general secretary". bdnews24.com. 23 October 2016. Archived from the original on 23 October 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  13. ^ "Sheikh Hasina, Obaidul Quader re-elected AL president, GS". Risingbd.com. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  14. ^ "Muhurat of movie based on Obaidul Quader's novel held". UNB. 19 September 2018.
  15. ^ "BCL ready to strike back on quota protesters' audacity: Quader". The Business Standard. 15 July 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Quader asks party men to take position to resist 'evil forces'". The Business Standard. 17 July 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  17. ^ "Death toll rises to 209". Prothom Alo. 27 July 2024. Archived from the original on 28 July 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  18. ^ "Obaidul Quader arrested". The Business Standard. 14 August 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  19. ^ "Bangladesh's ex-PM investigated for murder". BBC. 13 August 2024. Archived from the original on 9 September 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  20. ^ "Joint forces arrest Obaidul Quader". BD News 24. 9 March 2007. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  21. ^ "Charges pressed against Obaidul Quader, wife". The Daily Star. 21 April 2007. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  22. ^ "A wrist of luxury". Netra News. 27 December 2019. Archived from the original on 17 March 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  23. ^ "Luxury watches are gifts from Awami League activists, Obaidul Quader says". BD News 24. 9 January 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  24. ^ "আমি নিজের পয়সায় ঘড়ি কিনি না, এত টাকা দিয়ে ঘড়ি কেনা আমার পক্ষে সম্ভব নাঃ ওবায়দুল কাদের". Voice of America (in Bengali). 9 April 2023. Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  25. ^ "Toshakhana (Maintenance and Administrative) Rules 1974" (PDF). Cabinet Division. 9 January 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 July 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  26. ^ "Constituency 272_11th_En". Bangladesh Parliament. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  27. ^ "Biography of the Honorable Minister". Road Transport and Highways Division. 11 October 2021. Archived from the original on 28 December 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  28. ^ "Biography of the Honorable Minister". Roads and Highways Department. 8 July 2018. Archived from the original on 28 December 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
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