Advocate Shahara Khatun

Minister

Ministry of Home Affairs

Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh
E-mail: minister@mha.gov.bd

Advocate Shahara Khatun is an Eminent Politician, veteran social Worker, noted lawyer, First woman Home Minister, Ministry of Home Affairs, People's Republic of Bangladesh. She was born in 1943 in Kurmitola village in Dhaka City, in a noted Muslim family. Her Father's name is Late Abdul Aziz master and her mother's name is Late Turjan nesa.

During Jukto front election in the mid fiftees She started her political career at her early age delivering speech in the Kurmitola school field in the presence of national leader Moulana Vasani, Sher-e-Bangla A,K, Fazlul hoq and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. She actively participated in all the movements, meetings, processions. She dedicated her life to implement the ideology of the father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Professionally she is a lawyer she started her professional career as a junior lawyer of our highly honorable president Zillur Rahman. She earned good will in her profession through foresight ness, intelligence, calm & quite nature. Before joining Home Ministry she was a veteran lawyer of Bangladesh Supreme Court. She formed Bangladesh `Awami Aingibi Parishad'(Bangladesh Awami Lawyers Association) with the participation of lawyers from all over the country to peruse the political cases filed against Awami League Leader's and workers. She is founder president of Bangladesh `Awami Ainjibi Parishad' and still she is holding the post. She was also the member of the Federation of International Woman Lawyer's Association. She was elected Presidium Member of Bangladesh Awami League in the recent council held in 2009.

Shahara is very dedicated through the idology of our Liberation War in 1971 & remain active in the politics, on the other hand she is also working for the development and establishing rights of woman of our country. After Liberation Bangladesh Mahila Samity(Bangladesh Woman's Association) was formed under the leadership of Late Nilima Ibrahim through Gazette Notification. Bangladesh Mahila Samity is a non-political social organization working for the development of woman. Advocate Shahara Khatun was the founder Member of Bangladesh Mahila Samity. Later on she was elected joint secretary and secretary of the organization. Still she is the Secretary General of Bangladesh Mahila Samity.

She was elected as chairman of the Finance committee of the Bar council and worked for the development of the lawyers. While joining as a lawyer she perused the political cases against Awami league leaders and workers. She also perused all the political cases against Awami league president & now Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

In her own constituency she also engaged herself in the different organizations like school, college, mosque, madrasa and other social organizations. During her political career she was arrested and tortured several times and was in the jail. Lot of false & politically motivated cases filed against Shahara Khatun.

Advocate Shahara Khatun has vast working experience in the field international arena of human rights and woman development. She worked as a board member in the Human Rights organization `International alliance of woman'. She was active member of `Associated country woman of the world & Woman Council. She participated the seminar scheduled in USA, UK, France, Norway, Japan, India, Russia, China, Italy, Bulgaria, Holland and Sri-Lanka. As a representative of Bangladesh Mahila Samity she also participated in the DPI NGO conference in New York, USA.

In the last tenure of the government (1996-2001) under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Shahara Khatun was the Director of the Karmasangsthan Bank and member of Housing finance Trustee board. Shahara Khatun worked hard for the development of woman and the common people of the country.

Advocate Shahara Khatun was elected as the Member of the 9th Parliamentary Election held on 20th December 2008 from the constituency (Dhaka-18) defeating her opposition with huge margin of votes. She took oath as the Minister on 6 January, 2009 and joined the Ministry of Home Affairs on 7 January, 2009.

On 25 February 2009 very unfortunate incident happened in the BDR(Para Military Force) headquarter at Pilkhana. At 25th midnight she took initiative to unarm the BDR mutinies. Under the able Leadership and directives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Shahara Khatun played a courageous role in rescuing the BDR officials and their family member's even risking her life.

After taking charge of the Home Ministry Shahara Khatun instructed police officials to take stern action against any kind of militancy, terrorism and extremism. Special drive has been initiated, high profile extremists and terrorists arrested and put them behind the bar.

As a Minister Advocate Shahara Khatun is working hard for the overall improvement of Bangladesh police and other departments as well. Presently people-police ratio is approximately 1:1200. Home Ministry has planned to recruit about 32000 police forces within 3 years which will reduce the present gap significantly.

To give better service to the people police has introduced one stop services in the Police stations. Model Police Station has been established. Each Police station has got a service delivery officer. Victim support centre, complain cell, highway police, woman armed police has been introduced. Community policing also working successfully. Under the election Manifesto of Bangladesh Awame League vision 2021 has been initiated. To make Bangladesh a `Digital Bangladesh' within 2021 Home Ministry has also taken imitative to make police more IT based. Home Ministry also focusing on logistics, accommodation and other issues to make police an efficient and professional police force.

Shahara Khatun has also Keen interest on the development of other agencies under Home Ministry. Ration (groceries in a Subsidized rate) has been given with equal rations at all level in the departments like BDR(Para Military Force) Ansar,Fire Service, Jail police.

Advocate Shahara Khatun is also focusing on woman empowerment. Under her guidance woman Officer in Charge (OC) has appointed for some police stations for the first time in the history of Bangladesh Police. Woman officers are working in different level of police force very successfully. Woman police officers are working in different UN peace keeping missions.

Through her honest & sincere effort Shahara Khatun wants to create a new dimension in policing in Bangladesh.