Yasmeen Murshed has been appointed Bangladesh High Commissioner to Pakistan. She is the daughter of Late Khwaja Zakiuddin and Begum Binoo Zakiuddin. She presented her credentials to President Parvez Musharraf in Islamabad on Tuesday 26th February 2008.
She will undoubtedly be the best High Commissioner in Islamabad that Bangladesh ever had. Her grandfather, Khwaja Shahabuddin was an Ambassador as well. We wish her every success in discharging her responsibilities with honour and dignity.
“Yasmeen Murshed, you have made the Dhaka Nawab Family proud ! Heartiest Congratulations!”
http://www.bdhcpk.org/index.php?link=message
Ms. Yasmeen Murshed Bangladesh’s new High Commissioner
By Dr. Jassim Taqui, Pakistan Observer
Ms Murshed is the sixth woman Ambassador after the ambassador of the United States Ms Anne W. Patterson, the High Commissioner of Australia Ms Zorica McCarthy, the Ambassador of Kenya Mrs. Mishi Masika Mwatsahu, the Ambassador of Norway Ms Aud Marit Wiig, and the Ambassador of Sweden Ms Anna Karin Enestrom.
Mrs. Yasmeen Murshed was born in Calcutta on 19th May 1945, the eldest child of Khwaja and Begum Binoo Zakiuddin. Her father a distinguished central banker was a scion of the Dhaka Nawab Family which has had a long association with public service and political life in South Asia. Her grandfather, Khwaja Shahabuddin, had an illustrious virtually continuous career in government from the early 1920s until his retirement in 1965. Her grandmother, Begum Farhat Shahabuddin, was among the first Muslim ladies in public life in Bengal when she was elected to the Bengal Legislative Assembly in 1938.
Her mother’s family comes from Bogra and her maternal uncle, Mr. Habibur Rahman, was a well-known member of the Pakistan cabinet in the 1960s.
Mrs. Murshed’s late husband, Syed Tanweer Murshed, was a nephew of the Chief Justice of the then East Pakistan High Court, Syed Mahbub Murshed and youngest son of Syed Manzoor Mursned and Begum Hasina Murshed. The latter was also a pioneer in the sphere of public service among Muslim ladies because she was also a member of the Bengal Legislative Assembly in 1938. Syed Tanweer Murshed was a member of the cadre services and held several important government posts ill the Ministries of Finance and Foreign Affairs until his premature demise in 1988.
Mrs. Murshed has two children, Syed Maher Murshed and Syeda Madiha Murshed. They serve as Directors of Scholastica (Pvt.) Ltd., as well as a number of related concerns.
Mrs. Murshed had her early education at the Viqarunnisa Noon School in Dhaka. Subsequently, she completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Master’s Degree in Economics at the University of the Punjab during her husband’s posting in Lahore and Islamabad.
Mrs. Murshed began her career in education as a teacher in various institutions such as the Karachi Grammar School, The Islamabad Model School for Girls and the Government College for Women, Islamabad from 1967 to 1971. However after returning to Bangladesh she began teaching small groups of students at home. This led to the establishment of Scholastica Tutorial in 1977 which was the earlier name of the well known school, Scholastica.
She is working as the Chairperson of the Board of Management of Scholastica, the largest private English medium educational institution in Bangladesh. It offers primary to higher secondary level instruction and prepares students for the London University General Certificate of Education Examinations at the Ordinary and Advanced Levels.
Mrs. Murshed is also the Chairperson of other associated companies which have been set up by her son Syed Maher Murshed. These are Etcetera Bangladesh (Pvt.) Ltd., Office and Home Solutions (Pvt.) Ltd., Scholastica Transport Services (Pvt.) Ltd., Printcraft Company Limited and a training and development institution known as Services for Professional Education and Enterprise Development (SPEED).
Apart from being an eminent educationist Mrs. Murshed has an excellent track record of activities in national socio-political development efforts. In the early nineties she undertook a very significant role through the Centre for Analysis and Choice (CAC), a non-partisan think tank, to help consolidate the democratic process and improve the status of women in Bangladesh. Ms. Murshed also assumed the posts of Minister of Women and Children Affairs and Minister of Social Welfare.
