Dhaka: Former minister and veteran freedom fighter Engr Mosharraf Hossain passed away on Wednesday morning at a private hospital in Dhaka. He was 83. He was declared dead around 10:15 am, as confirmed by his eldest son Sayedur Rahman Sumu.
According to United News of Bangladesh, Mosharraf, a presidium member of the Awami League, which is currently facing a ban on its activities, had been suffering from multiple age-related complications. He had been admitted to Square Hospital in Dhaka about a month ago for treatment of pneumonia and other complications. Mosharraf is survived by his wife, four children, grandchildren, and numerous admirers.
Family sources have announced that his namaj-e-janaza will be held after Asr prayers on Thursday at Mohajonhat Fazlur Rahman School and College ground in Mirsarai upazila of Chattogram. Another janaza is planned in Dhaka, although the venue and time have yet to be finalized.
Engineer Mosharraf Hossain was a six-time Member of Parliament from Chattogram-1 (Mirsarai) and held several key ministerial positions, including Minister for Housing and Public Works. Born on January 12, 1943, in Dhum village of Mirsarai upazila in Chattogram, he completed his secondary education at Chittagong Collegiate School and higher secondary education at Sir Ashutosh Government College. He later earned a BSc in Mining Engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore in 1966.
During his student life, Mosharraf was involved in the Six-Point Movement and served as president of the East Pakistan Students’ Union. After returning home, he joined the Awami League under the leadership of MA Aziz and was elected a member of the then East Pakistan Provincial Assembly in 1970. After independence, he was elected a member of parliament in 1973, 1986, 1996, 2008, 2014, and 2018.
During the Liberation War in 1971, Mosharraf served as sub-sector commander of Sector 1 and participated in several operations, including the demolition of the Shuvopur Bridge to resist advancing Pakistani forces. After independence, he was one of the framers of Bangladesh’s Constitution in 1972. He served as the Opposition Whip in Parliament in 1986 and held the posts of Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister and Housing and Public Works Minister after the Awami League formed the government in 1996. In 2015, he reassumed the role of Housing and Public Works Minister.
In October last year, he was arrested by the interim government led by Professor Yunus following the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024. He was later transferred from the prison hospital to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital. Following his deteriorating condition, his wife Ayesha Sultana made several appeals to the chief adviser of the interim government seeking his bail and better medical treatment. He was granted bail while in intensive care, after which his health condition further worsened.