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Ambassador Rezaul Karim

A tribute from commonwealth Society of Bangladesh

zAGLUL AHMED CHOWDHURY
THiS piece is essentially a tribute from the commonwealth Society of Bangladesh (cSB) to its president Ambassador M M Rezaul Karim, who died in cairo recently while serving there as the country's envoy. it was his seventh stint as ambassador or high commissioner, something not only rare and extraordinary for any professional diplomat, but has no parallel in our country. When he left for cairo hardly little more than two months ago, many asked him what really inspired him for such an assignment at the age of 71, particularly since he had served as envoy to so many countries before retiring as a career diplomat. Wearing a smile and with typical aplomb, which were the characteristics of his loveable nature, Mr Karim would reply that it would be a kind of extended holiday in the land of the Nile where he would have plenty of time to write books and doing some research in the surroundings of a country of rich civilisation. And on the top, he would try to contribute something for the country while being the ambassador to population wise the largest Arab nation -- the United Arab Republic of Egypt.
Evidently, he was settling down when the cruel hands of death took him away before he could embark upon the tasks that he wanted to accomplish. indeed, it is sad as his sudden death has robbed the country of a seasoned diplomat and polished person, who rose to fame during our glorious liberation war in 1971 for his courageous role while being a senior official in the Pakistan High commission, London.
i had the occasion of spending more than an hour with him in the evening at his residence before he left for cairo the following morning. incidentally, we were quite close during the last three years being in contacts too frequently. The reason of this proximity was that he was the President of the commonwealth Society of Bangladesh (cSB) and i am its Secretary General. The Society activities required us to be in close touch though i had the privilege of knowing Ambassador Karim for a pretty long time. He remained its chief till his death.
The cSB is a non-political organisation with persons of eminence from different professions and it will be no exaggeration to say that the rarity in terms of fraternity, prestige and apolitical character of the society made it something unique -- albeit nothing exceptional as such. Late Speaker of the Parliament Humayun Rasheed chowdhury was its founder president, who was succeeded by eminent economist Professor Muzaffar Ahmed and Ambassador Rezaul Karim was its third president. All the presidents saw to it that the Society remained a non-controversial forum where promotion of the ideas of the commonwealth were adhered to
with a spirit of fellowship and fraternity cutting across political and other divides. i must say that late Ambassador Karim rendered significant contribution to achieving these objectives while his vast experience as a diplomat, especially as High commissioner to Britain also greatly helped in embellishing and invigorating the Society. He helped develop greater interactions between the Society and the commonwealth secretariat.
on August 17, just a few days before his departure, the Society organised a farewell dinner for him when all showered eloquent praise on Mr Karim both as a person and a performer and he was very touched, visibly almost on the brink of being in tears. Members -- three MPs Md. Faruq Khan and Asaduzzaman Noor of main opposition Awami League and Sardar Shakawat Hossain Khan Bakul of ruling BNP -- were profusely appreciative of Ambassador Karim. Enam Ahmed chowdhury and Abul Hasan chowdhury, Maj. Gen. (Retd) Q G Dastgir and Maj Gen (Retd) K M Shafiullah, BU, former senior civil servants with commonwealth experience Mokammel Huq and M A Malik, former sportsman ibrahim Saber and women MPs Taleya Rahman, Professor Dilara chowdhury and Nasrine Karim and others spoke high of Karim. Sri Lankan High commissioner Sarat Gamini Munasinghe was there and was effusive about Mr. Karim as a diplomat and gentleman par excellence.
i happened to know Ambassador Karim in the mid or late seventies here when he was a senior foreign office official and we had to interact with them as diplomatic correspondents. Later, i met him several times both at home and abroad and every where he greeted me with infinite charm as a younger brother. it was in the late eighties foreign minister Humayun Rasheed chowdhury was on an official visit to Poland and czechoslovakia and i was a member of the delegation in a rare trip by a Bangladesh foreign minister to the East European nations. We had a wonderful overnight train journey from Warsaw to Prague and stayed for two days in beautiful health resort Karlovy Vary. Ambassador Karim was then envoy to Moscow and he came with his wife (Salma Bhabi).
on his retirement after a long and successful career as a diplomat, he
began writing columns in leading English and Bengali dailies in addition to giving time to seminars and symposia. He also threw his hat into the ring of politics. He was a familiar face in professional and social gatherings and would also occasionally come in television in international scenario related programmes. As a former ambassador to iraq, he gave a realistic assessment of the situation in TV programmes anchored by me when that country was in height of news in the wake of the US-led invasion.
He was nice to invite us at the launching of his two books in the Bangla Academy early this year. “Karim Bhai” was also a hospitable person. He was posted as deputy high commissioner long ago in New Delhi, where i was also based as a journalist in the early eighties. A common friend Dr. Kajal Dutta Gupta, popularly known as “Kajal Da,” who was the doctor of Bangladesh mission there, came here a few years ago. Karim Bhai and Salma Bhabi invited many of us at their home for a meeting with “Kajal Da” and his spouse “Pramila Didi” and treated them with delicious fish dishes.
But it is the commonwealth Society of Bangladesh that brought some of us very close to him in recent times. When our treasurer Azizur Rahman and myself met him in the evening before his departure next morning, he was in an unusual mood of giving vent to his feelings on many issues, personal and professional. Needless to say he left some advice for the society as well. We told him that the Society was going to have a new committee after some time and we would wait for his service in the future when he comes back home at the expiry of the term. Karim Bhai smiled and looked somewhat forlorn, saying, “i would like to be associated with this decent forum again.” He paused for a moment and slowly uttered “who knows when i return!” Probably, he had the premonition and could read his epitaph.
The Society remains immensely grateful to its president and pays glowing tributes to him.