Desk Report:
Former Acting President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, former Speaker of the National Assembly, former Minister and senior lawyer of the Supreme Court Barrister Zamir Uddin Sarkar has passed away (Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilaihi Rajiun).
He breathed his last at 4:19 am on Sunday (July 12, 2026) while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in the capital. His death was confirmed in a press release of the Supreme Court.
He was 94 years old at the time of his death. He was born on December 1, 1931 in Nayabari village of Tentulia upazila of Panchagarh district.
Barrister Zamir Uddin Sarkar’s wife Noor Akhtar passed away in 2023. He is survived by a daughter and two sons. His son Barrister Muhammad Naushad Zamir was elected as a Member of Parliament from Panchagarh-1 constituency in the 13th National Assembly election.
Zamir Uddin Sarkar obtained his MA and LLB degrees from Dhaka University. Later, in 1961, he moved to the UK for higher education and obtained his ‘Barrister-at-Law’ degree from the traditional Lincoln’s Inn in London.
After returning to the country, he joined the legal profession. He became known as a renowned jurist of constitutional, civil and criminal law in the Supreme Court of Bangladesh.
In his political career, Barrister Zamir Uddin Sarkar was one of the founding members of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). He served as a member of the party’s standing committee since its inception. He held various important positions in the cabinet of late President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia.
He served as the State Minister for Public Works and Urban Development, State Minister for Foreign Affairs, State Minister for Land, Minister for Education and Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs at various times.
From 28 October 2001 to 25 January 2009, he served as the Speaker of the Eighth National Parliament. He also served as the interim President of Bangladesh when the post of President was vacant in 2001.
Barrister Zamir Uddin Sarkar’s contribution to the country’s law, politics and parliamentary democracy will be remembered. His death has cast a shadow of mourning in political, legal and various circles.
