A.B.M. Fazle Karim Chowdhury
Bangladeshi politician
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A.B.M. Fazle Karim Chowdhury is a Bangladesh Awami League politician and a former Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Chittagong-6 constituency. He was elected to five consecutive terms. He was the chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee of the Railways Ministry.[1] His father, A.K.M. Fazlul Kabir Chowdhury, served as a member of parliament as well as leader of the opposition in the East Pakistan Provincial Assembly.
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A.B.M. Fazle Karim Chowdhury | |
|---|---|
এ.বি.এম ফজলে করিম চৌধুরী | |
Chowdhury in March 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament | |
| In office 1 October 2001 – 6 August 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Giasuddin Quader Chowdhury |
| Succeeded by | Giasuddin Quader Chowdhury |
| Constituency | Chittagong-6 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 November 1954 Chittagong, East Pakistan, Pakistan |
| Party | Bangladesh Awami League |
| Spouse | Rizwana Yusuf |
| Parent |
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| Relatives | The Chowdhury family of Chittagong |
| Alma mater | University of Chittagong |
Early life
Chowdhury was born on 6 November 1954.[2] He has a B.A. and an M.A. degree in history from the University of Chittagong.[2] His father was AKM Fazlul Kabir Chowdhury, and his uncle was Fazlul Quader Chowdhury.[3] His cousins and Bangladesh Nationalist Party politicians, Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and Giasuddin Quader Chowdhury, were major political opponents of Chowdhury in Chittagong.[3][4][5]
Career
Chowdhury was elected to parliament in 2001 from Chittagong-6 as an Awami League candidate with 52 percent of the vote.[6] He faced two murder charges; he received acquittal in one and a discharge in another.[7]
Chowdhury was re-elected to parliament from Chittagong-5 as a candidate of Awami League with 49 percent of the votes.[8] Chowdhury served as the chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Housing and Public Works.[9] He was a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Ministry.[10]
Chowdhury was elected to parliament from Chittagong-6 in 2014 and served as chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Railway until 5 August 2024. In this period he developed CRB areas, reconstructed some of the old buildings, and made a gallery for pedestrians and visitors.[11][6] According to his wealth statement, he made significant profit from fish farming at around 25 million taka.[12]
In January 2015, Chowdhury was elected to the Human Rights Committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.[13]
Chowdhury was re-elected to parliament in 2018 as a candidate of the Awami League with 230,471 votes while his nearest rival, Jashim Uddin Shikder of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, received 2,244 votes.[6]
Chowdhury tested positive for COVID-19 in August 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh.
On 24 August 2021, Chowdhury chaired a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Railway Ministry.[14]
On 11 September 2024, Chowdhury was arrested near the Akhaura border in Brahmanbaria by Border Guard Bangladesh while entering India. He was later charged with murder cases during the student movement in 2024.[15]