Ex-deputy speaker Shawkat Ali no more

Col (retd) Shawkat Ali, former Deputy Speaker and one of the Agartala Conspiracy Case accused, died at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka on Monday morning.

The 84-year-old deputy speaker had been admitted to the CMH on October 29 as condition deteriorated and put on life support from November 5.
He had been suffering from various old-age complications including kidney, diabetics, pneumonia and high blood pressure for a long time.

Shawkat Ali left behind two sons and a daughter and a host of relatives to mourn his death.

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed their deep shock at his demise.

In a condolence message , the President said Shawkat Ali worked for the development of the spirit of independence and the Liberation War throughout his life being loyal to the ideal of Bangabandhu.

Meanwhile, in another condolence message, the Prime Minister recalled with great gratitude the historic  'Agartala Conspiracy Case' which was filed against Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1969 by the then Pakistani rulers and Shawkat Ali had to live with Bangabandhu in jail due to the case.

"The nation will forever remember the contributions of Shawkat Ali for the struggle of independence, great Liberation War and strengthening parliamentary democracy in  Bangladesh," she said.

The body of Shawkat will be kept at Shaheed Minar around 3:30 pm where people from all of walks of life will pay their last respect to him.

His namaz-e-janaza will be held at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque after Maghrib prayer.

Later, his body will be taken to Naria in Shariatpur district by a helicopter around 10am on Tuesday where he will be buried at his family graveyard following another funeral prayer.

Shawkat Ali had been elected lawmaker from Shariatpur-2 five times. He was the founding chairman of Muktijoddha Sanghati Parishad and the chief advisor of 71 Foundation.

TF