Former acting president and speaker of parliament Barrister Jamir Uddin Sircar passed away early Sunday while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Dhaka. He was 94.
He breathed his last while undergoing treatment at Bangladesh Specialized Hospital in Shyamoli at 4:18am, Supreme Court Bar Association President Barrister AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon said.
“Sir has left us. Arrangements are being made for his janazas and burial,” Khokon said.
He said Jamir Uddin Sircar had been suffering from various age-related health complications for a long time.
He is survived by a daughter, Nilufar Jamir, and two sons, Barrister Nawshad Jamir and Naofel Jamir. His eldest son, Nashad Jamir, is the incumbent MP elected from Panchagarh-1 on a BNP ticket.
A veteran politician and distinguished lawyer, Sircar served as the Speaker of the Eighth Jatiya Sangsad and as acting President of Bangladesh from 21 June to 6 September, 2002, following the resignation of then President Prof AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury.
Born on 1 December, 1931, in Nayabari village of Tetulia upazila in Panchagarh, Sircar was the son of Maulvi Muhammad Aziz Box.
He completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in History from the University of Dhaka before obtaining an LLB degree. He later qualified as a Barrister-at-Law from Lincoln’s Inn in London.
After completing his studies, he entered the legal profession on 27 May, 1960, after enrolling with the then East Pakistan High Court. He went on to become one of the country’s leading experts in constitutional, civil and criminal law.
Sircar began his political career in 1945 through the then Student Federation. He later became associated with the Student Union, Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani’s National Awami Party (NAP), and was also a founding member of the Awami Muslim League.
He was among the founding members of the BN. Before the formation of the party, he was associated with the Jatiyatabadi Ganatantrik Dal (Jagadal), established by President Ziaur Rahman. He later became a member of the BNP Standing Committee, a position he held until his death.
During the Liberation War in 1971, Sircar was among the High Court lawyers who actively supported Bangladesh’s independence.
Recognised for his legal expertise, he represented Bangladesh at the United Nations General Assembly on five occasions between 1977 and 1981 during president Ziaur Rahman’s tenure.
His long public career included several ministerial roles. He served as State Minister for Housing and Public Works under president Ziaur Rahman, during which the construction of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban was completed.
He later served as State Minister for Foreign Affairs in the cabinet of President Justice Abdus Sattar.
Following the BNP’s victory in 1991, he became State Minister for Land before later being appointed Minister for Education and Minister for Science and Technology.
In the short-lived Sixth Parliament in 1996, he served as law minister and introduced the bill that paved the way for the caretaker government system.
Sircar was first elected to Parliament in 1979 from Dinajpur-1 as a BNP candidate. He was later elected from Dhaka-9 in 1991, from Panchagarh-1 in the February 1996, June 1996 and 2001 elections, and subsequently won the Bogura-6 by-election during the Ninth Parliament.
Beyond politics and law, he was also an educationist and prolific writer. His published works include The Origin and Evolution of Democracy, Parliamentary Rules at a Glance, Student Life in London, Law of the Sea, Student Movements in London, Bangladesh: Democratic Transition and Political Ups and Downs, Glimpses of International Law, From Pol Raj to Plassey, From the British Raj to Bangabhaban, Speaker in the Eighth Parliament, Law of International Rivers and Other Watercourses, and Stronger United Nations for a Peaceful Welfare World.
His death cast a shadow of grief over the country’s political and legal communities, with leaders and well-wishers gathering at his Dhanmondi residence to pay their respects.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir expressed deep sorrow over his death and prayed for the eternal peace of his departed soul.
BNP Standing Committee members Gayeshwar Chandra Roy and Nazrul Islam Khan also expressed their condolences.
