Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
Asif Nazrul
Bangladeshi political adviser, professor and writer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
Mohammad Nazrul Islam, better known as Asif Nazrul (Bengali: আসিফ নজরুল; born 12 January 1966), is a Bangladeshi writer, novelist, columnist, political commentator and a professor of law at the University of Dhaka.[1][2] He was appointed an adviser to the interim government of Bangladesh in August 2024.[3] He is responsible for the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, and the Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment.[4][5]
.jpg)
Remove ads
Education
Asif Nazrul completed his LLB and LL.M. at the University of Dhaka in 1986 and 1987 respectively, and garnered his PhD degree from the SOAS University of London in 1999. Afterwards he did post-doctoral work at the Environmental Law Center in Germany.[2]
Career
Nazrul worked as a journalist and an administrative officer of the Bangladesh government before becoming a professor of law at the University of Dhaka.[6]
From 2011 to 2017, Asif Nazrul served as a bureau member of South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR), a regional network dedicated to promoting human rights in South Asia.[7][8][9]
In 1992, Asif Nazrul was associated with the Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, a group founded to demand the trial of war criminals from the Bangladesh Liberation War.[10] During his time with the committee, he contributed writings supporting the Liberation War and opposing figures like Delwar Hossain Sayeedi.[11] However, he later distanced himself from the organization.[12][13][14][15]
After the fall of Sheikh Hasina following an uprising, he was appointed as an adviser to the interim government on 8 August 2024.[16][17]
Remove ads
Threats and legal issues
In 2012, Nazrul was directed to appear before the High Court after a petition was filed, alleging that his remarks made during a televised talk show had incited undemocratic forces.[18]
In 2013, his office at the University of Dhaka was reportedly set on fire with kerosene. In May of the same year, he received a death threat via telephone, which was linked to his criticism of the Sheikh Hasina administration.[19]
In 2017, Faruk Khan filed a defamation case against him in the Madaripur District Court, citing statements perceived as defamatory toward his cousin Shajahan Khan, who was the minister of shipping at the time.[20][21][22]
On 7 November 2024, legal adviser to the interim government, Asif Nazrul, was harassed at Geneva Airport, Switzerland by individuals chanting political slogans.[23][24]
The incident received widespread criticism from political and civil society figures. BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman denounced it as an attack on state dignity.[25] Mohammed Kamrul Islam, Labour Counsellor in Geneva, was recalled for failing to act during the episode.[26][27]
Criticism
On 8 May 2025, in response to the government's decision to knowingly leave the country before former President Abdul Hamid was put on trial for the July massacre, Sarjis Alam said that former President Abdul Hamid fled the country, which is a major failure of the government, and the government's chief advisor Mohammad Yunus and Asif Nazrul should be held accountable.[28] In response to this incident, Asif Nazrul told a media outlet on the night of May 8, 2025, that there is a possibility of banning the Awami League or its affiliates.[29][30]
Remove ads
Personal life
Nazrul married television and film actress Rokeya Prachy in May 2004.[31] They have a daughter together. They divorced in 2013.[32] Nazrul remarried, to Shila Ahmed (daughter of writer Humayun Ahmed), and they have a daughter together.[33]
Selected bibliography
Nonfictions
- ১/১১ সুশাসন বিতর্ক (lit. '1/11 Good Governance Debate') ISBN 9847010501858
{{isbn}}: ignored ISBN errors (link) - আওয়ামী লীগের শাসনকাল (lit. 'Ruling years of Awami League') ISBN 9789849078630
Fictions
- Nishiddha Kayekjan (Forbidden Few)
- Campuser Jubak (Youth at the Campus)
- Akrosh (Wrath)
- Pap (Sin)
- Udhao (Lost)
- Anya Alor Din (Days of other light)
- Dakhal (Control)
- Anyapaksha (The Other Side)
- Tader Ekti Rat (One Night of Theirs)
- Chonya (Touch)
- Asamptir Galpa (Tale of Incompletion)
- Bekar Diner Prem (Love at the Time of Unemployment)
- Aboydho Aster Utsho (Source of illegal arms)
- Ami Abu Bokor[34]
Remove ads
References
External links
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads