Sayeed Iskander

Sayeed Iskander
সাঈদ ইস্কান্দার
Member of Parliament
In office
1 October 2001 – 29 October 2006
Preceded byKhaleda Zia
Succeeded byKhaleda Zia
ConstituencyFeni-1
Personal details
Born(1953-01-13)13 January 1953
Dinajpur, East Bengal, Pakistan
Died23 September 2012(2012-09-23) (aged 59)
New York City, U.S.
Political partyBangladesh Nationalist Party
RelationsKhaleda Zia (sister)
Ziaur Rahman (brother-in-law)
Tarique Rahman (nephew)
Arafat Rahman (nephew)
Shamim Iskander
Khurshid Jahan (sister)
Shahrin Islam Tuhin (nephew)
Parent
RelativesMajumder–Zia family
Military service
Allegiance Bangladesh
Branch/service Bangladesh Army
Years of service1975–1982
Rank Major
UnitEast Bengal Regiment
Commands

Sayeed Iskander (13 January 1953 – 23 September 2012) was a Bangladeshi politician and army major. He was a member of the Bangladeshi parliament from 2001 to 2006, representing the Bangladesh Nationalist Party from the Feni-1 constituency. He was the younger brother of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.[1] Iskander was also the founding chairman of Islamic Television.[1]

Early life

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Sayeed Iskander was born on 13 January 1953 in Dinajpur. He belonged to a Bengali Muslim family with origins in Fulgazi, Feni District. He was the son of tea-businessman Iskandar Ali Majumder, who was in turn the son of Salamat Ali Majumdar, who was the son of Azgar Ali Majumdar, who was the son of Nahar Muhammad Khan, who was the son of Murad Khan, a 16th-century Pashtun immigrant.[2][3] His mother, Taiyaba Majumder, was from Chandbari (now in Uttar Dinajpur District).[2][4]

During his time as a student in 1969, Iskander was the general secretary of the Dinajpur unit of East Pakistan Student League. He went on to become the vice president of the Central Committee of the League.[1]

Career

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He joined the Bangladesh Army in 1975. He retired from the army in 1982 with the rank of major.

Iskander then joined the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, a political party founded by his brother-in-law President Ziaur Rahman. After his elder sister Khaleda Zia gave up her seat at the Feni-1 constituency, Iskander competed in a by-election in November 2001 and successfully won a seat in parliament.[5]

Death

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He died from lung cancer on 23 September 2012 in New York, United States.[1] He was buried in Banani Military Graveyard.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Ex-MP Sayeed Iskander passes away". The Daily Star. 24 September 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  2. ^ a b একনজরে খালেদা জিয়া. Jugantor (in Bengali). 8 February 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  3. ^ Z. A. Tofayell (1991). Bāṅmaẏa Bāṅgāli (in Bengali). Pān̐cagām̐o Prakāśanī. pp. 5–6.
  4. ^ খালেদা জিয়ার মায়ের নবম মৃত্যুবার্ষিকী পালিত. The Daily Inqilab (in Bengali). 19 January 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  5. ^ "Khaleda's brother Sayeed Eskander dies". bdnews25.com. 23 September 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  6. ^ "Sayeed Iskander laid to rest". The Daily Star. 27 September 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2016.