State Minister for Religious Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah died tonight after going into cardiac arrest.

He was 75-year-old.

"The state minister died of cardiac arrest at 11:45pm at the Dhaka Central Military Hospital," Md Nurul Islam, secretary, religious affairs ministry told The Daily Star.

The minister had been admitted to the same hospital earlier tonight.

Nazmul Haque Saikat, assistant private secretary of the state minister, told UNB that Abdullah had been "suffering from various health complications, including diabetes."

Sheikh Md Abdullah was born on September 8, 1945 in Kekania village on the bank of the Madhumati river in Gopalganj.

He is survived by two wives, 11 children and a host of relatives, well-wishers and friends to mourn his death, Nazmul Haque Saikat, the state minister's assistant personal secretary told The Daily Star.

Abdullah was the second among four brothers and three sisters.

Meanwhile, PM Sheikh Hasina expressed deep shock and sorrow at the death. "He was a popular leader… he earned love of people at grassroots," she said in a condolence message, BSS reports.

Hasina also recalled with profound respect Abdullah's outstanding contributions to the great Liberation War and Bangladesh Awami League. The PM said the country and nation lost a valiant freedom fighter, while the Awami League lost a tested and dedicated soldier of the ideology of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in his death.

"His death is an irreparable loss to the politics of Bangladesh," she said, adding, "His contributions to the struggle for establishing the ideology of the great Liberation War, democracy and non-communal Bangladesh will be remembered forever." She prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed profound sympathy to the bereaved family, the BSS report said. 

A LOYAL SOLDIER

Each time  Hasina was elected Member of Parliament from Gopalganj-03 (Tungipara-Kotalipara), Abdullah conducted all election activities as her chief election agent.

After the elections, he would work as the PM's parliamentary representative.

After the formation of the latest AL government in 2019, Advocate Sheikh Md Abdullah was entrusted with the position of a cabinet minister with the portfolio of the state minister, Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Abdullah's education began in the local Gaohardanga Hafezia Madrasa.

After that, he studied in a Qawmi madrasa. He had his primary and secondary level of education from Sultan Shahi Kekania Primary School and Sultan Shahi Kekania High School. He then went on to obtain a Bcom (Hons) from Azam Khan College in Khulna in 1963 and completed his masters from the University of Dhaka in 1972.  He then received an MA in Economics in 1974, according to the website of the religious affairs ministry.

He obtained his LLB degree from Dhaka Central Law College in 1977.

After completion of his education, he started his career as the headmaster of Sultan Shahi Kekania High School. Later, he started practicing in Dhaka, Gopalganj Judge Court and Bangladesh Supreme Court as an enlisted advocate.

He engaged in politics in his student life after being motivated by the ideologies of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He was elected the first vice president in Khulna Azam Khan Commerce College.

In the sixties, the six-point movement in East Pakistan under the leadership of Bangabandhu was in progress and Abdullah actively participated in it, along with the eleven-point movement.

He joined Awami Jubo League as the founder President of Gopalganj Jubo League under the leadership of Sheikh Fazlul Huq Moni, the founder of Bangladesh Jubo League.

During this time, he became the organizing secretary of Gopalganj district AL, which was formed under the direct supervision of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He then served as a member of the central Awami Jubo League.

He was actively involved in the mass uprising of 1969. He was involved in local politics in the 1970s election and took part in the AL's massive election campaign under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

He joined the liberation war in 1971 in the front of Mujib Bahini. When the struggle for Bangladesh's freedom started, he actively participated in the liberation war.

In 1973, he passed the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination. Instead of joining government service, however, he decided to serve the nation through politics with the ideology of Bangabandhu under his leadership.

He was soon elected the general secretary of Gopalganj district AL.

He has been holding the post of the secretary of Religious Affairs in the central committee of Bangladesh Awami League at the national level.

Abdullah was also one of the governors of the Islamic Foundation a long time.

He played a crucial role in getting official recognition for the Qawmi Board of Bangladesh.