Dr. Kamal Hossain (Bangla: কামাল হোসেন), born on 20 April 1937, is a notable Bangladeshi politician, statesman and lawyer.[1] He is credited as being one of the principal authors of the Constitution of Bangladesh.
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He was awarded a Bachelor of Jurisprudence degree with honours from the University of Oxford in 1957 and a Bachelor of Civil Law from the same institution in 1958. In 1964 he was awarded a Doctorate in International Law. He was called to the Bar by Lincoln's Inn, London.
Dr. Hossain was arrested during the Bangladesh Liberation War in April 1971 by the Pakistani Government and kept in custody in West Pakistan. He was released together with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman when both of them left Pakistan for London.
After East Pakistan earned its independence and became Bangladesh, Dr. Hossain served in the Government of Bangladesh under Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the Minister of Law (1972–1973), Minister of Foreign Affairs (1973–1975) and Minister of Petroleum and Minerals (1974–1975). One of his earliest tasks as Minister of Law was the drafting of the Constitution of Bangladesh which was completed in 1972.
He was a member of the Awami League until the early 1990s, when he formed his own political party, Gano Forum (People's Forum), following disputes with Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina. Since leaving the Awami League, he has unsuccessfully stood for election to Parliament in several General Elections.
He is a leading advocate in Bangladesh and has conducted a number of landmark cases, published in various law journals in Bangladesh. In addition he has appeared in several international arbitrations, both as a lawyer and an arbitrator, including acting as an arbitrator in the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal.
Dr. Hossain is renowned worldwide as a jurist and enjoys a long-standing association with the United Nations. Between 1998 and 2003, he served as the UN Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan. He is a current member of the UN Compensation Commission. He has also acted as an observer in various elections around the world.
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| Preceded by Abdus Samad Azad |
Minister of Foreign Affairs 1973-1975 |
Succeeded by Abu Sayeed Chowdhury |
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