Mohammad Asafuddowla

Mohammad Asafuddowlah is a Bangladeshi lyricist, composer, orator and a former chairman of the Water Development Board of the Government of Bangladesh. Secretary of many different ministries of Bangladesh. He served as the founding editor of the English daily The Bangladesh Today. He was awarded the Ekushey Padak in 1993 by the Government of Bangladesh for his contribution to music.

Early life Asafuddowla was born in 1936 in Gopalganj District, East Bengal, British India. father was Khan Bahadur Mohammad Ismail of a Zamindari family and his mother was Begum Kawkabunnesa. He studied English literature at the University of Dhaka where he was the vice-president of the Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall. He rebuffed Swaran Singh, Minister of External Affairs of India, when he questioned visiting Pakistan for the Second Islamic Conference of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. There was speculation that he would be made a minister after his retirement. As Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce, he led a delegation of Bangladesh to Myanmar.

Asafuddowla served as the Chairman of Sonali Bank.

In 2017, Bangladesh Nationalist Party suggested Asafuddowla for the post of commissioner of the Bangladesh Election Commission.

Asafuddowla was the editor of The Bangladesh Today.

Personal life Asafuddowla was married to Zulfia Asaf (née Ahmad), daughter of Late Professor Dr. Nafis Ahmad who was Director, Human Resources, at the Pan Pacific Hotel.

Works Albums Sur-e Sur-e Dekha Hobey (lyrics and composition; 2011)