Annisul Huq (27 September 1952 – 30 November 2017)[1] was a Bangladeshi entrepreneur, television show host and the mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation.[2][3]

Annisul Huq
আনিসুল হক
1st Mayor of North Dhaka
In office
7 May 2015 – 30 November 2017
Preceded byPost established
Succeeded byOsman Goni
(In-charge)
Personal details
Born(1952-09-27)27 September 1952
Sonapur, Sonagazi, Feni, East Bengal, Dominion of Pakistan
Died30 November 2017(2017-11-30) (aged 65)
London, England
Resting placeBanani Graveyard, Dhaka
NationalityBangladeshi
SpouseRubana Huq
RelationsShafiul Huq (brother)
Children3
EducationB.S.S and M.S.S
Alma mater
OccupationChairman and CEO, Mohammadi Group
AwardsNational ICT Award, (2017)
Websiteannisulhuq.com

Early life and education

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He was born on 27 September 1952, Sonapur at Sonagazi in Feni to Shariful Huq and Rowshan Ara.[1] His father was an official of the Bangladesh Ansar.[4] He passed SSC from Dinajpur Zilla School in 1970 and intermediate from Govt Science College.[citation needed] He completed his bachelor's degree from the University of Rajshahi and had a master's in economics from the University of Chittagong.[5][6]

Career

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Television

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Annisul Huq was a regular host on Bangladesh Television in the early 1980s.[1] He hosted interviews with politically significant personalities.

Business

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Annisul Huq established his own business, Mohammadi Group in 1986, and was the chairperson of the company until his death.[1] As of 2007, the group had 7,000 employees in the textile and garments sector.[7] The conglomerate is also involved in real estate, IT, a power generation company that directly contributes to the national grid and a distribution company that represents multiple foreign television channels. The group has an independent TV channel named Nagorik.[8][9]

Annisul Huq served as the president of several apex bodies including the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA),[10] Federation of the Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) and Independent Power Producers Association.[11]

Politics

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Annisul Huq was elected the mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation on ticket of Bangladesh Awami League in the city corporation election of 2015.[4] He was a surprise pick by the Awami League as no other leaders of the party stood for the position.[12] According to the affidavits submitted to the Election Commission in March 2015, he had amassed a net worth of US$3.25 million.[13]

As mayor, Annisul Huq promised to build Dhaka into a clean, green and safe city,[14] although he received some flak for his involvement of foreigners.[15] 20,000 illegal billboards were removed as part of the clean-up project.[16] Mayor Annisul Huq said he would not put up with resistance from vested interests in his clean-up efforts.[17]

Annisul Huq also promised to reduce corruption among government employees.[18]

Personal life

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Annisul Huq's younger brother General Abu Belal Mohammad Shafiul Huq was the 15th chief of the Bangladesh Army.[12] Huq was married to Rubana Huq. They have three children.[3]

Death

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In July 2017, Annisul Huq was admitted to a hospital in London.[19] He was diagnosed with cerebral vasculitis.[20] He died on 30 November 2017, after being in a sedative condition for more than three months.[12][21] He was posthumously granted a National Information and Communication Technology Award.[22]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "From TV studio to mayoral hot seat – the remarkable rise of Annisul Huq". bdnews24.com. 29 April 2015.
  2. ^ "Annisul Huq gets mandate to become first mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation". bdnews24.com. 29 April 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Mayor's Profile: Annisul Huq". Dhaka North City Corporation. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Dhaka North Mayor Annisul Huq no more". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  5. ^ "Annisul Huq, President, SAARC Chamber & Chairman, Mohammadi Group". Mohammadi Group. 26 June 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  6. ^ "Annisul Huq: A man of many talents". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  7. ^ McGivering, Jill (17 February 2007). "Bangladesh's split personality". BBC News.
  8. ^ "Mohammadi Group". mohammadigroup.com. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  9. ^ S.M. Saidur Rahman. "Annisul Huq – Golden Business Bangladesh". goldenbusinessbd.com. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  10. ^ "Bangladesh gloom after Tata exit". BBC News. 1 August 2008.
  11. ^ "Annisul Huq, President, SAARC Chamber & Chairman, Mohammadi Group -". reflectionnews.com. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  12. ^ a b c "Mayor Annisul Huq loses battle, dies in London hospital". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  13. ^ "Annisul Huq has no home, car". NTV. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  14. ^ ঢাকা উত্তর মেয়র প্রার্থী আনিসুল হকের ইশতেহার ঘোষণা [Annisul Huq announces his platform as the Mayor of Dhaka]. BBC News (in Bengali). Bangladesh. 11 April 2015. Archived from the original on 15 December 2015.
  15. ^ বিদেশিদের রাস্তা পরিস্কার অভিযানের প্রশংসায় মেয়র [Mayor praises the cleaning by foreign operators]. BBC News (in Bengali). Bangladesh. 5 August 2015. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016.
  16. ^ Islam, Aminul (12 August 2015). "20 Thousand Billboards Removed". Our Time. Dhaka, Bangladesh. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  17. ^ "Muscle power won't work". Bangladesh Chronicle. 29 November 2015. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  18. ^ "Graft free DNCC, streetlights by Shab-e-Barat in South Dhaka". The Daily Star. Dhaka, Bangladesh. 13 May 2015. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015.
  19. ^ "Dhaka North Mayor Anisul Huq hospitalized in London". bdnews24.com. 16 August 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  20. ^ "Three-member DNCC mayor panel formed". The Daily Star. 5 September 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  21. ^ আনিসুল হক আর নেই. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  22. ^ "BSS reporter Mahmudul Hasan Raju receives ICT Award". BSS. 12 December 2017. Archived from the original on 19 March 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
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Tribute to Annisul Huq: Demise of a changemaker