Parliament speaker’s wife Dilara Hafiz dies at 77

Dilara Hafiz, wife of Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram, has died.

According to a media statement from the Parliament Secretariat, Dilara, 77, passed away at 11:29am on Saturday while undergoing treatment at Singapore General Hospital.

She is survived by her husband, two sons, and a daughter.

The deputy speaker, chief whip, other whips, members of parliament, and officials and staff of the Parliament Secretariat expressed deep sorrow at her death.

Her body is scheduled to be brought back to Bangladesh on Sunday evening, the statement said, adding that details of her funeral prayers and burial will be announced later.

Dilara was born on Jan 2, 1949, in Sunamganj to Mohammad Abul Hossain Chowdhury and Karimunnessa Khatun Chowdhury.

She earned a Master’s degree in history from the University of Dhaka in 1969 and began her career as a lecturer at Government Eden College.

She later served as principal of Eden College and Suhrawardy College, chairman of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board, and director general of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education.