AKM Jalaluddin

Before entering government service, Jalaluddin worked as a journalist.^[4] He was a correspondent for the now-defunct Morning News.^[4][7] He was a founding member of the Dhaka University Journalists' Association.^[8] He later served as a lecturer in the Department of International Relations at the University of Dhaka.^[9][4]

In 1965, he passed the Central Superior Services examination, placing first among Bengali candidates and second overall.^[4] He joined the civil service in 1966, training at the Civil Service Academy in Lahore alongside a cohort that included future high-ranking officials such as Mohammad Farashuddin, AHM Mofazzal Karim, and ATM Shamsul Huda.^[4]

Jalaluddin served as Sub-Divisional Officer in Chandpur and Vehari, and as Additional Deputy Commissioner in Multan.^[4] As Deputy Commissioner in Mymensingh,^[10] he played a key role in establishing the Zainul Abedin Art Gallery on the banks of the Brahmaputra.^[4] He was later appointed Governor of Rangpur District under a new administrative framework of BAKSAL.^[11][4]

After the events of 1975, Jalaluddin transitioned to the Ministry of Local Government and pursued doctoral studies at the Department of Demography at the Australian National University.^[4][12][13] It was during this period that he first showed symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.^[4]

After returning from Australia, Jalaluddin rejoined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.^[4] He served in various diplomatic roles, including postings in Paris and as principal of the Foreign Service Academy.^[4] He was the principal of the academy from 1984 to 1985.^[14][15] He was the minister at the Embassy of Bangladesh in Paris.^[16] He served as the Ambassador of Bangladesh to Nepal from 17 August 1987 to 19 May 1989.^[4][17] Toward the end of his career, he also served in the Ministry of Industries as an additional secretary,^[18] and the Prime Minister's Office.^[4]

Despite his illness, Jalaluddin remained intellectually active, collecting research on Parkinson’s disease and jokingly referring to it as his second PhD.^[4] He died on 19 August 2014 in Mohammadpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh.^[19] He was buried at the Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals' Graveyard.^[19]