Sultana Kamal

Sultana Kamal (Bengali: সুলতানা কামাল) is a Bangladeshi lawyer and human rights activist. She serves as the Executive Director of Ain o Salish Kendra, a civil rights organization.^[1][2] In 2006, she served as a minister in the interim, nonpartisan, technocratic Caretaker government of Bangladesh led by President Iajuddin Ahmed during the 2006-2008 Bangladeshi political crisis.^[3] Kamal, along with three other ministers, resigned from the caretaker government. It resulted after a series of disagreements with President Ahmed, including his unilateral decision to deploy the armed forces across the country.^[4] Her mother Sufia Kamal was a participant of the Bangladesh Liberation War.

Early life and education

Sultana was born to Kamal Uddin Ahmed and Sufia Kamal in 1950. Sufia was a writer and poet.^[5] She was enrolled in Leela Nagh’s Nari Shikhkha Mondir. She passed SSC from Azimpur Girls' High School and HSC from Holy Cross College. She received her Master's from University of Dhaka. Again in 1978 she completed her LLB. She also passed BCS Examination. She achieved Masters of development studies in Women and Development in Netherlands.

Career

Sultana started her career as a teacher in the Music College. She joined Bangladesh Tobacco Company. In 1976 she entered an international voluntary service in Khadimnagar, Sylhet. Up to 1990 she worked for Vietnamese boat peoples in Hong Kong as a UN legal consultant. In 1996, she won the John Humphrey Freedom Award from the Canadian human rights group Rights & Democracy.^[6]

Personal life

Sultana is married to Supriya Chakraborty, a lawyer in Sylhet.^{[citation needed]}

References