ABUL Ahsan was a diplomat who stood in a class all by himself. He combined brilliance with humility, and had what it took to achieve true greatness. He was the first secretary general of Saarc and also foreign secretary, ending his career as ambassador to Washington.
On retiring, he was active with the Independent University of Bangladesh, FEMA, etc. Those who worked with him gave him more than he asked, because they never felt that they worked under him. It is not just his juniors but also his peers who have many wonderful memories of the man.
My own experience with him had been a close one. In 1989-90, I was a director when he was the foreign secretary. He was later ambassador for two years in Washington. I remember the day he arrived from abroad to become the Foreign Secretary. While we were waiting for his luggage to arrive, he put me at ease, bridging the distance between us in a way that only he could.
Abul Ahsan topped the CSS batch of 1961. I recollect one story about his writing skill. Dr. Kamal Hossain, then foreign minister, had asked a colleague of Abul Ahsan to prepare a draft, but was not satisfied with it because it was too long. The draft was given to Abul Ahsan who came with his version in one page, and it was accepted without any changes.
As a director-general, Abul Ahsan was frequently called by Bangabandhu for briefing. Abul Ahsan narrated to me one such meeting with Bangabandhu. It was when our ambassador to Afghanistan was under a cloud because it was reported that he had been criticising Bangabandhu. The foreign secretary was asked to take action against him. Abul Ahsan was called to see the prime minister on a different issue just after the foreign secretary left.
After Abul Ahsan finished briefing the PM on the matter for which he was called, Bangabandhu mentioned Ambassador Sultan. Abul Ahsan told the prime minister that the ambassador was a patriot who adored him so much that he would always faint at the mention of his name. Abul Ahsan then explained to him that the report against the ambassador was because of a quarrel between him and the intelligence officer. Ambassador Sultan was spared.
Abul Ahsan was a man who could remain cool under all circumstances. On my first day as his director, he was a bit embarrassed when he opened his briefcase in my presence and I saw papers there in a disorderly manner. He smiled and told me that in that disorder in his briefcase, there was a system by which he could find the paper he was looking for. He did pick out the paper he was looking for!
Abul Ahsan's talents were not exploited fully. He was an unassuming man; never one to ask anything for himself. He retired in 1993 and was active till his health started to deteriorate early this year. He would have made the best foreign minister Bangladesh could have.
Seeing the smile on his lifeless but still handsome face, I was reminded of Winston Churchill who had said: "I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.
No comments:
Post a Comment