Former President Abdul Hamid is learnt to have left Dhaka for Bangkok by a Thai airways flight in the early hours of Thursday. His son Riad Ahmed and brother-in-law Dr AM Nawshad accompanied him.
He took over as Acting President of Bangladesh on March 14, 2013 while President Zillur Rahman was in hospital in Singapore. Zillur Rahman died six days later. Abdul Hamid was elected unopposed as President on April 22 the same year. He was sworn into office on April 24. On February 7, 2018 he was re-elected unopposed for a second term.
Earlier, He had been elected as an MP in 1970, 1973, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, and 2009. He was the Deputy Speaker from 1996 to 2001. On January 25, 2009, he became the Speaker after Awami League returned to power in a landslide victory.
Abdul Hamid was a valiant freedom fighter.
Recently his name was listed in a murder case along with many others.