Abdus Samad Azad

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Abdus Samad Azad (January 15, 1922 – April 27, 2005) was a diplomat and politician from Bangladesh.

Azad was born in Bhurakhali village, Sunamganj district, in what is now Bangladesh. He was an important member of the Awami League and an assistant to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by 1970 when he became the chief representative of the Bangladeshi independence movement in exile, helping the movement get international support while Mujibur Rahman was imprisoned. When independence for Bangladesh was achieved in 1971 Azad became foreign minister in the Mujibur Rahman government. He served in that position until 1972 and then became agriculture minister.

Azad did not support the 1975 military coup in which Mujibur Rahman was killed. He was imprisoned until 1978. In 1996, when the Awami League came back to power under Mujibur Rahman's daughter, Sheikh Hasina, Azad was appointed foreign minister again. He served in that position until 2001 when the Awami League lost elections.

Azad died at a hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh's capital, of stomach cancer. He had undergone medical treatment in India but became ill again after returning to Bangladesh and remained in hospital from February 2005 until his death.

Azad was elected to Bangladesh's parliament five times from 1970 to 2001. He married twice and had four children. He is known as a hero of the independence movement and received many tributes from Bengalis after his death.