Bangladeshi politician
M. Abdul Latif is a Bangladesh Awami League politician and a former Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Chittagong-11 and Chittagong-10 constituencies.
He is also a trade leader and a former president of the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce & Industry. He is the current board president of Chittagong based football club Chittagong Abahani.
Early life
Latif was born on 10 March 1955.[1] He has completed his Diploma in leather technology.[1]
Career
Latif first entered the political arena as a member of parliament from the constituency Chittagong-10 as an Awami League candidate.[2] He received 164,591 votes while his nearest rival, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, received 141,946 votes.[2]
Latif was re-elected to Parliament on 5 January 2014 from Chittagong-11 as an Awami League candidate.[3] He received 283,169 votes while his nearest rival, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, received 141,946 votes.[4] He was a member of the treasury bench in parliament.[5]
Awami League activist Saifuddin Rabi sued Latif in February 2016 for allegedly putting distorted photos of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on posters and called him a Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami infiltrator.[6]
In January 2024, Latif was the Awami League candidate for Chittagong-11 while his son Omar Hajjaj stood against him as an independent candidate.[7] The Bangladesh Election Commission summoned Mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury of Chattogram City Corporation for campaigning for Latif violating Code of Conduct for Parliamentary Elections.[8] The Mayor had spoken at rally of the Chittagong City unit of Awami League along with other councilors of the city corporation.[9] He won the election and was elected to the 12th parliament.[10][11]
Latif was taken in custody of Bangladesh Army on 10 August 2024 after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina led Awami League government.[12] The Army did so to protect him from the activists of Bangladesh Nationalist Party who were trying to attack him as he was returning from a mosque after Friday prayers.[12][13] He was arrested on 17 August 2024.[14] He was placed in three day remand.[15] He received a head injury in prison and underwent surgery.[14]
References