South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance (SIPG) and South Asian Network for Public Administration (SANPA) hold a webinar on “Dr. Akbar Ali Khan: Contribution to Bangladesh State and Society” on 3 October 2022 at NSU, a press release said Wednesday.
Dr. Akbar Ali Khan was an influential academic, researcher, active and objective public intellectual and renowned bureaucrat- reaching the position of Cabinet Secretary in Bangladesh. He successfully combined multiple roles in his career- academia, research, and national and international bureaucracies. He died on 8 September 2022. His demise is a great loss for the nation. This webinar was organized to commemorate and discuss his contribution to Bangladesh state and society.
The distinguished panelists were; Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury, former advisor, Caretaker Government; Md. Aminul Islam Bhuiyan, former secretary, Economic Relations Division, Finance Division, Government of Bangladesh; Dr. Mohammad Tareque, director, Bangladesh Institute of Governance & Management (BIGM) & former finance secretary, GoB, and Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya, distinguished fellow, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD). The moderator was Professor Salahuddin M Aminuzzaman, advisor, South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance (SIPG), NSU participated in the webinar.
Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury, former advisor, Caretaker Government, stated that Dr. Khan was his classmate in the History department of Dhaka University and from his student days he was studious and indicated his thirst for knowledge from then as his room was always littered with books.
Md. Aminul Islam Bhuiyan, former secretary, ERD and a junior colleague of Dr. Akbar Ali Khan reminiscences how Dr. Khan contributed to the consciousness of Bangladesh Statehood through his seminal work -the book- Discovery of Bangladesh.
Dr. Mohammad Tareque, director, BIGM, and former finance secretary remembered how he was mentored by Dr. Khan as a junior colleague and how Dr. Khan at times promoted and opened avenues for junior colleagues by taking bold decisions and thinking outside the box.
Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya, distinguished fellow, CPD, highlighted the achievements of Dr. Khan as a freedom fighter, civil servant, writer, and economic thinker. He remarked that Dr. Khan was also a development fighter and a policy shaper whose contributions and stand on ethical issues should inspire present and future civil servants.
During the open discussions, M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, former Cabinet Secretary, Government of Bangladesh pointed out that contrary to the popular belief that bureaucrats do not need to be scholars, Dr. Akbar Ali Khan proved that scholar-bureaucrats are essential and as such he will remain as a model for public servants.
