Politics in a Web of Strange Deceptions
In the intellectual landscape of Bangladesh, there are a rare few individuals whose identity cannot be confined to a single profession or designation. They are simultaneously part of history, architects of the state, pioneers of knowledge, and the voice of conscience.
Dr Akbar Ali Khan was one such rare luminary—a valiant freedom fighter, economist, historian, administrator, teacher, researcher, and author; above all, a courageous and independent thinker.
His sudden passing on 8 September 2022 robbed Bangladesh of a brilliant economist and an extraordinarily gifted public intellectual. His life was an unparalleled synthesis of intellect, integrity, patriotism, and unyielding principles.
Childhood, Education, and Intellectual Brilliance
Akbar Ali Khan was born in 1944 in Nabinagar, located in present-day Brahmanbaria. From an early age, he demonstrated exceptional brilliance and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.
He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Department of History at the University of Dhaka, graduating with distinction in both examinations. Later, he pursued higher studies in economics at Queen’s University in Canada, where he earned his Master’s and PhD degrees in Economics.
In 1967, he joined the Civil Service of Pakistan (CSP). From the very inception of his professional career, his sharp intellect, administrative competence, and unwavering integrity became evident.
However, the greatest test of his life arrived in 1971.
The Role of a Courageous Administrator in the Liberation War
When Bangabandhu called for the Non-Cooperation Movement in March 1971, Akbar Ali Khan extended his active support. At the time, he was serving as the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) of Habiganj.
When the Pakistani military unleashed genocide on 25 March, he refused to remain within the safe confines of conventional government service. Instead, he chose the liberation struggle of his people as his paramount duty.
Even before the formal establishment of the Mujibnagar Government, he initiated administrative and organizational assistance in support of the Liberation War. He took proactive steps to supply weapons and ammunition to the freedom fighters. When many officials expressed reluctance to issue arms and supplies without written authorization, he personally issued written orders to deliver weapons, food, and financial resources to the freedom fighters.
His initiative regarding financial assistance was even more astonishing.
He arranged to transport approximately BDT 30 million from the Habiganj treasury to Agartala by truck. Shortly thereafter, he crossed the border to Agartala himself and actively engaged in building an eastern regional administrative framework in support of the war effort. In his own account, this administrative and political network was established to assist freedom fighters and Pakistani-oppressed Bangladeshi refugees taking shelter in India.
This was not merely the execution of a civil servant’s routine duty; it was the conscious decision of a deeply patriotic Bengali conscience.
Owing to his active role in the Liberation War, a Pakistani military court tried him in absentia and sentenced him to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment.
A Long Chapter of Public Service in Independent Bangladesh
Following independence, he rejoined the state administration, occupying several pivotal positions of national significance.
Over his distinguished career, he served as:
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Chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR);
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Finance Secretary;
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Cabinet Secretary;
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Secretary in various major government ministries, including Water Resources; and
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Adviser to the Caretaker Government in later years.
He served as Finance Secretary for an extended period and eventually retired as Cabinet Secretary, reaching the pinnacle of the civil administration.
In 2006, he assumed office as an Adviser to the Caretaker Government. However, faced with deep disagreements and operational hurdles in discharging his duties impartially, he chose to resign.
Subsequently, he served as the founding Chairman of the Regulatory Reforms Commission.
From Administrator to Full-Time Author
In his post-retirement life, Akbar Ali Khan seemed to rediscover himself anew.
Across economics, history, sociology, statecraft, administration, literature, and culture—he left an indelible mark on almost every field of intellectual enquiry.
He did not confine himself to dry economic theories; rather, his extraordinary ability to articulate complex subjects in lucid, accessible language earned his writing a special place among general readers.
Among his most prominent published works are:
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Pararthaparatar Arthaniti (The Economics of Altruism),
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Ajab o Jabor-Ajab Arthaniti (Strange and Bizarre Economics),
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Discovery of Bangladesh,
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Bangladeshe Budget Rajniti (Budget Politics in Bangladesh), and
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History of Bangladesh, alongside numerous treatises on economics, history, and statecraft.
His writings combined rigorous empirical data with logic, logic with historical context, and history with deep reflections on the future.
His autobiography, Purano Sei Diner Katha (Memories of Days Gone By), stands as a invaluable record of his long and multifaceted life. The book intertwines personal memoirs with his eyewitness account of the Liberation War, civil administration, state affairs, and society.
An Independent Voice of Conscience
Akbar Ali Khan was far more than a bureaucrat or an economist in the conventional sense. He was an independent public intellectual.
Though he moved in the corridors of power, he never allowed himself to be blinded by its allure. Holding the highest positions in state administration, he never compromised his personal conscience or ethical principles.
He firmly believed that the state exists for the people, not the people for the state.
Consequently, his writings featured not only economic analysis, but also sharp inquiries into systemic inconsistencies within the state and society. They represented an effort to re-examine history and comprehend the underlying complexities of political dynamics.
The phrase “Politics in a Web of Strange Deceptions” symbolizes his intellectual horizon. Beneath the visible surface of politics lie layers of self-interest, power dynamics, strategy, and history—a complex reality that Akbar Ali Khan sought to illuminate using logic and knowledge.
One Life, Multiple Identities
He was:
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A Valiant Freedom Fighter—who stood firmly for independence through his life and deeds.
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An Economist—who pondered deeply over the economic structure and state mechanism of Bangladesh.
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An Administrator—who served at the apex of public governance.
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A Teacher—who contributed to nurturing the next generation of intellectual pursuit.
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An Author and Researcher—who seamlessly wove economics, history, society, and literature into a single narrative.
Above all, he was a deeply patriotic Bengali.
Final Tribute
In the blood-soaked days of 1971, amidst pervasive uncertainty, fear, and the shadow of death, a government official set aside his safe future to stand for the independence of Bangladesh.
That young SDO of Habiganj handed weapons to freedom fighters, transferred treasury funds for the war effort, and crossed the border to join the activities of the Mujibnagar Government. The price for his courageous decisions was a prison sentence from a Pakistani military tribunal, but history awarded him the mantle of heroism.
After independence, he continued to serve his nation—sometimes as an administrator, sometimes as an economist, sometimes as an educator, and often as an intrepid thinker with pen in hand.
Though his life came to an end on 8 September 2022, does such a person ever truly perish?
A man who writes his name into the history of the Liberation War through his actions,
A man who sets an enduring benchmark of integrity in state administration,
A man who teaches generations to think through his writings—
He continues to live beyond death in the collective memory of the nation, on the pages of history, and within his enduring creations.
On the anniversary of his passing, we remember him with profound reverence.
Dr Akbar Ali Khan—
Bangladesh will forever carry the legacy of your patriotism, wisdom, courage, and unyielding principles.
Our humblest tributes.
Valiant Freedom Fighter Dr Akbar Ali Khan
1944 — 8 September 2022
You are no longer among us, but your questions endure.
Your books remain.
Your thoughts endure.
And there remains the unfading history of your courageous choices for an independent nation.
