JEDDAH, 20 July 2004 — Ashraf Uddin has recently assumed charge as the new consul general of Bangladesh.
“I’m excited to return to Saudi Arabia with which our country has excellent relations. I feel comfortable in my second term to be in Jeddah, as I’ll be close to the two holy cities,” the career diplomat said yesterday. He was first secretary and counselor at the embassy in Riyadh for nearly three years until 1998.
Ashraf, who came here from Birmingham where he was Bangladesh’s assistant high commissioner, said he was involved in the country’s Haj operations in Jeddah and Makkah during his Riyadh tenure. This is his fourth overseas assignment.
After joining the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1988, his first overseas posting was at the Bangladesh High Commission in Singapore, where he served as first secretary.
He also worked as assistant secretary from 1988 to 1991 and as director from 1998 to 2000 at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka.
“The consulate has already initiated preparations for the next Haj, following the signing of an official agreement between the two countries,” he said, adding that more than 50,000 pilgrims, including 8,000 ballottees (coming through the government channel) would perform the next annual pilgrimage. “The total number of incoming pilgrims is more or less the same as last year,” he added.
“As head of the consulate, I now have primary responsibility to handle Haj matters, although it is the joint effort of the embassy in Riyadh and the consulate in Jeddah,” said Ashraf who succeeds Mohammed Zafor. Zafor left last month at the end of a 14-month tenure to assume charge as acting high commissioner in Maldives.
Ashraf is married to Khadija and they have a daughter Sadia Afreen Bushra. Ashraf is from Dadpur, Mehendigonj, in Barisal district.
He had his bachelor and masters degrees in law from the University of Dhaka and attended training both at national and international levels after passing the Bangladesh Civil Service Exam in 1988.
He had specialized training in diplomacy conducted by Bangladesh Foreign Service Academy in 1988 and basic training in Bangladesh Public Service Academy in 1989. He also attended a training course on international law from The Hague Academy of International Law, the Netherlands, and the UN Headquarters in New York in 1989.
Ashraf has attended many conferences and seminars, including the 44th UN General Assembly in 1989, and Afro-Asian Legal Consultation Committee’s meetings in Beijing, Cairo and New Delhi between 1991 and 2004.
