Loqman Husain

Loqman Husain (1 April 1927 – 27 April 1981) was a Bangladeshi telecommunications administrator, senior bureaucrat, and international civil servant. He was the first Secretary of the Bangladesh Ministry of Posts, Telephones and Telegraphs, serving as the plenipotentiary signatory securing the country's admission into the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in 1973. He later became the inaugural Executive Director of the intergovernmental Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) from 1979 until his death. In 1980, he was appointed a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honour for his leadership in regional telecommunications.

Early life and education

Husain was born on 1 April 1927 to Moulvi Chand Mian in Baramanika, located in the Panchbibi region of the Bogra District (now part of Joypurhat District). He financed his studies through competitive scholarships.

He passed his Matriculation Examination from Bogra Zilla School in 1943 with distinctions in five subjects, ranking 16th in merit. In 1945, he completed his Intermediate Science (I.Sc.) curriculum at Rajshahi College in the first division. Husain subsequently enrolled at Bengal Engineering College in Shibpur, graduating in 1949 with a first-class degree in mechanical engineering.

Career

Pakistan civil service

Husain entered the bureaucracy after ranking fourth in the 1950 Engineering Services Examination. He joined the Telegraph Engineering Service (Class I) of the Central Superior Services (CSS) under the combined Posts and Telegraphs (P&T) Department, officially beginning public service on 16 March 1951 as an Assistant Divisional Engineer. Following probation, he served as Assistant Superintendent of the Telegraph Workshop in Kotri. In 1955, he was promoted to Divisional Engineer of Telegraphs, serving in Chittagong and later Dacca. After completing Colombo Plan training in Australia in 1959, he was appointed Director of Telegraphs Stores and Workshops in Karachi on 3 October 1960.

Following a tenure as Director of Telegraphs for the Southern Circle in Karachi, Husain was promoted to officiating Deputy Chief Engineer (L) at the central P&T Directorate General on 18 October 1961. A 1962 administrative reorganization separated the postal and telecommunications sectors, establishing the independent Telegraph and Telephone (T&T) Department. Following this restructuring, he was transferred back to East Pakistan, assuming charge as Director of Telegraphs for the Eastern Telecommunication Region (E.T.R.) in Dacca on 4 December 1962. He was subsequently promoted to General Manager of the region.

As General Manager of the Eastern Telecommunications Region, Husain directed infrastructure modernization across East Pakistan, expanding automatic telephone exchanges and networks into rural and cyclone-prone districts. In August 1964, the President of Pakistan awarded him the Tamgha-i-Quaid-i-Azam (T.Q.A.) for his public service. He was elected a Member of the Institute of Engineers Pakistan on 4 March 1966, and was given additional charge as Managing Director of the Telephone Industries Corporation in Tongi in 1967.

In early 1970, Husain served as a national delegate to the International Radio Consultative Committee (CCIR) XIIth Plenary Assembly of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in New Delhi. Promoted to Chief Engineer of planning and development in March 1970, he was posted to the T&T headquarters in Karachi, where he worked to expand Bengali recruitment into senior engineering cadres.

Liberation War and post-independence leadership

Husain remained in Karachi until the outbreak of the Bangladesh Liberation War on 26 March 1971. During the conflict, he renounced his Tamgha-i-Quaid-i-Azam award in protest, was arrested by the Pakistan Army, and remained in military custody for the duration of the war.

Following his release, he served as the inaugural Director General of the Bangladesh Telegraph & Telephone Department from 17 December 1971 to April 1972. On 17 April 1972, Husain became the inaugural Secretary to the Government of Bangladesh for the Ministry of Posts, Telephones and Telegraphs, serving until 31 May 1976.

As Secretary, he represented Bangladesh at the 1972 Commonwealth Telecommunications Conference in Ottawa. He was the plenipotentiary signatory at the 1973 International Telecommunication Convention in Málaga–Torremolinos, securing Bangladesh's admission into the ITU. He also executed the 1973 Indo-Bangladesh Agreement on Posts and Telecommunications, and bilateral telecom development agreements with Denmark in 1972 and 1974. To foster international technical cooperation and facilitate bilateral development partnerships, Husain traveled extensively to engage in high level negotiations across the United States, Europe and Asia.

In November 1975, following the promulgation of the Telegraph and Telephone Board Ordinance, Husain became the inaugural ex-officio Chairman of the newly formed Telegraph and Telephone Board, a leadership role legally tied to his position as Secretary. In 1976, he transferred to the Ministry of Planning as Administrator of the Cyclone Reconstruction Board, before joining the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT).

Infrastructure achievements

During his tenure with the Telephone and Telegraph (T&T) department and subsequent leadership as Ministry Secretary, Husain directed the early development of the nation's telecommunications network. In 1967, he was involved in the establishment of both the Telephone Industries Corporation in Tongi and the Cable Industries of Pakistan in Khulna, both of which were founded as joint ventures with M/S Siemens AG of West Germany. Following the independence of Bangladesh, he oversaw their restructuring into state-managed entities. In May 1973, the post-independence Boards of Directors for the reconstituted Telephone Shilpa Sangstha Limited (TSS) and Bangladesh Cable Shilpa Limited (BCSL) were officially formed, with Husain appointed as the inaugural Chairman for both corporations.

Additionally, he managed the planning and establishment of the Betbunia Satellite Ground Station in Chittagong, for which the foundation stone was laid on 30 January 1970. Upon its completion, the station facilitated Bangladesh's inaugural live telecast of an international event via Bangladesh Television (BTV) in 1974, before being formally inaugurated by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975 as the nation's primary international satellite earth station.

International career

In 1979, Husain transitioned to international civil service after being elected the inaugural Executive Director of the APT.

During the APT's inaugural sessions in Bangkok (8–17 May 1979), a special meeting of the Management Committee was convened to select its leadership. Proposed by Pakistan and seconded by Malaysia, Husain was chosen through diplomatic consensus alongside Deputy Executive Director Masami Hattori of Japan, with their tenures starting on 1 July 1979.

Based at the headquarters in Bangkok, Husain directed the APT's foundational work program and managed multilateral initiatives to align regional telecommunication frameworks. Under his administration, the organization expanded its membership to include major regional states such as Japan, China, India, and Australia. On 24 October 1980, the President of France appointed Husain a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. He managed the agency's executive operations until his death in office.

Death and legacy

On 27 April 1981, Husain died suddenly of a heart attack in Bangkok at the age of 54. After initial memorial rites in Bangkok, his body was returned to Dhaka for funeral services on 30 April 1981.

Succession and legacy

To resolve the leadership vacancy, the APT Management Committee convened an extraordinary session in Bangkok on 22 July 1981, where member delegates paid tribute to Husain's foundational role. During the proceedings, the representative of Japan stated that Husain would be remembered for his "outstanding services and contribution" during the formative stages of the APT. The representative of the Republic of Korea noted that Husain worked tirelessly until his death, highlighting that his diplomatic mission to Seoul earlier that year established a new regional training and fellowship framework for member countries. The committee subsequently appointed Boonchoo Phienpanij of Thailand as his successor.

Formal expressions of condolence were issued by major international bodies, including the ITU, ICAO, ESCAP, the World Bank, and the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union. Domestically, Mayeedul Islam, the Minister for Post, Telephone and Telegraph in Bangladesh, expressed sorrow at his demise, noting his record of efficiency, integrity, and conscientious discharge of duties.

Official diplomatic cables and formal condolences were concurrently received by the secretariat from various sovereign governments,Official diplomatic correspondence and state ministry cables archived by the APT Directorate include:

• Embassy of the People's Republic of China (Bangkok): Diplomatic message of condolence, dated May 1981, acknowledging his tenure and regional telecommunications cooperation (APT Registry No. 2012).
• Embassy of India (Bangkok): Formal diplomatic dispatch from Ambassador Ashok B. Gokhale, dated 28 April 1981, conveying state condolences (Ref: No.BAN/252/28/81, APT Registry No. 1978).
• Telecommunications Department of Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur): Service telex from Director-General (Dirgentel) Datuk M. Nadzim to Deputy Executive Director M. Hattori, dated 29 April 1981, expressing shock and conveying condolences to the bereaved family (Ref: 29/04/0800G/(56) IN KPT (AL) ITU 8184/2, APT Registry No. 1977).
• Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (Japan): Ministerial telex from Ichiro Yamanouchi, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, dated 28 April 1981, conveying official condolences from the ministry (APT Registry No. 1955).
• Ministry of Communications (South Korea): Official state cable from Vice Minister Kyousuk Chung, dated 29 April 1981, referencing his work during the organization's pioneer stage (APT Registry No. 1976).
• British Embassy (Bangkok): Formal diplomatic letter from British diplomat H. A. J. Staples, dated 30 April 1981, defining Husain as a "founder member of the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity" (APT Registry No. 1990).
• Embassy of Pakistan (Bangkok): Official condolence correspondence from Charge d'Affaires a.i. Shaukat Umer, dated 28 April 1981, noting his service as a "dedicated and devoted civil servant" (APT Registry No. 1984).
• Department of External Affairs (Nauru): State telex from Leo Keke, Secretary for External Affairs, dated 28 April 1981, stating that his service with the organization would be remembered (Ref: ON49/4, APT Registry No. 1959).

  alongside administrative dispatches from national telecommunications administrations and corporate operating agencies.Official administrative dispatches and corporate operating agency records include:

• Siemens Bangladesh Limited: Official condolence correspondence from Managing Director M. S. Alam, dated 30 April 1981, addressed to Mrs. Loqman Hossain and family, recognizing his tenure as APT Chief Executive and his prior civil service as Secretary of the Ministry of Posts, Telegraph and Telephone of Bangladesh.
• Kokusai Denshin Denwa Co. Ltd. (KDD, Japan): Official message from KDD President Motoichi Masuda, dated 27 April 1981, stating that his "great contributions for the telecommunications in Asia and Pacific shall never be forgotten" (Ref: T1888/IOA46, APT Registry No. 1948).
• Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT, Japan): Corporate infrastructure telex from Joji Tashiro, Director of the International Affairs Bureau (Tokyo), dated 27 April 1981 (APT Registry No. 1949).
• The Communications Authority of Thailand (CAT): Institutional dispatch from CAT President Chao Thongma, dated 30 April 1981, characterizing him as a capable colleague (Ref: CAT/C 2540/2524, APT Registry No. 1997).
• National Telecommunications Commission (Philippines): Regulatory administration dispatch from Commissioner Carreon (NTC / NATELCOM), dated 28 April 1981 (Ref: NTC 81 154, APT Registry No. 1960).
• Cable and Wireless (Hong Kong): Administrative network dispatch from W. A. Smith, Deputy General Manager, dated 28 April 1981 (Ref: 280235G/4/81/DGM, APT Registry No. 1965).

  At the subsequent regular session of the APT General Assembly in November 1981, his regional legacy was officially commemorated in addresses delivered by Thai Communications Minister Admiral Amorn Sirigaya and ESCAP Executive Secretary S.A.M.S. Kibria.

On the tenth anniversary of the APT in 1989, Kazi Feroz Rashid, the Minister of Post and Telecommunications from Bangladesh, delivered a formal tribute at the 13th session of the Management Committee, commemorating Husain's role during the organization's formative years.

Other roles

Outside his civil service career, Husain served two terms as Vice-President of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh, and was President of the Bogra Samity in Dacca.