Kazi Zafar Ahmed

Kazi Zafar Ahmad (/ˈkɑːzi ˈzɑːfɑːr ˈɑːxmɛd/ ⓘ; Bengali: কাজী জাফর আহমেদ; 1 July 1939[1] – 27 August 2015)[2] was a Bangladeshi politician of the Jatiya Party,[3] who was the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 1989 to 1990.

In 1966, he joined the Maoist Communist Party and became a labour leader, mainly concentrating in organising the workers in Tongi industrial area.

[citation needed] After independence, he joined the National Awami Party of Maulana Bhashani and became its Secretary General.

[5] Ahmed also played a leading role in the anti-military rule movement against President Hussain Muhammad Ershad.

But the period since 1975 in Bangladesh witnessed realignment of politics and leaders leaving their old parties and joining new ones.

[9] He defended the decision of Ershad to make Islam the state religion of Bangladesh as move against fundamentalism on 6 June 1988.

[16] Ahmed was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by a Dhaka court in November 1999 on corruption charges related to the misappropriation of funds meant for an orphanage.

[14] John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia, called an inquiry into how Ahmed was able to secure asylum.