{{Short description|British diplomat of Bangladeshi origin (born 1959)}} {{Distinguish|Anwar Chowdhry}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2017}} {{Use British English|date=October 2018}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Anwar Choudhury | honorific_suffix = | image = Anwar Choudhury (Cayman governor portrait) (cropped).jpg | alt = | office = Governor of the Cayman Islands | term_start = 26 March 2018 | term_end = 20 September 2018 | monarch = Elizabeth II | predecessor = Helen Kilpatrick | successor = Martyn Roper | office2 = British Ambassador to Peru | term_start2 = 2014 | term_end2 = 2018 | monarch2 = Elizabeth II | prime_minister2 = David Cameron<br />Theresa May | predecessor2 = James Dauris | successor2 = Kate Harrisson | office3 = British High Commissioner to Bangladesh | term_start3 = 2004 | term_end3 = 2008 | monarch3 = Elizabeth II | prime_minister3 = Tony Blair<br />Gordon Brown | predecessor3 = David Carter | successor3 = Stephen Evans | birth_name = Anwar Bakht Choudhury | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1959|6|15}} | birth_place = Jagannathpur, Sunamganj, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = Momina Choudhury | party = | relations = | children = 4 | alma_mater = University of Salford<br />Durham University | occupation = | profession = Diplomat | signature = | signature_alt = | website = | footnotes = | caption = Official Portrait, 2017 }}
'''Anwar Bakht Choudhury''' ({{langx|bn|আনোয়ার বখত চৌধুরী}}; born 15 June 1959) is a British diplomat<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jun/14/cayman-islands-governor-recalled-anwar-choudhury |title=UK recalls Cayman Islands governor over unspecified allegations |date=2018-06-14 |website=theguardian.com |language=en |access-date=2024-10-16}}</ref> of Bangladeshi origin. Through his career, he has served as Governor of the Cayman Islands, British Ambassador to Peru, Director of International Institutions at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and British High Commissioner to Bangladesh. Choudhury has spent much of his life working intimately with the British Bangladeshi community, cementing himself as a respected figure through his many public appearances and charitable work.
==Early life== Choudhury was born on 15 June 1959, to a Bengali Muslim family in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). His family is originally from the village of Prabhakarpur, Patli Union, Jagannathpur, Sunamganj, and moved to the United Kingdom when he was young.<ref name="bbc1">{{cite news |title=Profile: Anwar Choudhury |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3735225.stm |url-status=live |publisher=BBC News |date=21 May 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081227174304/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3735225.stm |archive-date=27 December 2008 |access-date=14 December 2008}}</ref>
==Education== Choudhury followed an unusual route into the Diplomatic Service; in 1985, he attained a BSc in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Salford. He worked at Siemens Plessey, before entering the Civil Service as an engineering strategist with the Royal Air Force. In 1995, he graduated with a Master of Business Administration from Durham University.<ref name="fco1">{{cite web |url=http://www.fco.gov.uk/Files/kfile/EthnicMinoritiesinBritain%5B2%5D,0.pdf |title=Ethnic Minorities in Britain |publisher=Foreign and Commonwealth Office |access-date=22 June 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060612181627/http://www.fco.gov.uk/Files/kfile/EthnicMinoritiesinBritain%5B2%5D%2C0.pdf |archive-date=12 June 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Career== Choudhury was promoted through the Ministry of Defence until 2000, when he was recruited by the Cabinet Office, before being headhunted for the position of High Commissioner to Bangladesh.<ref name="telegraph"/> He was succeeded in 2008 by Stephen Evans. When he was appointed as High Commissioner to Bangladesh in 2004, he became one of the first two British ambassadors from ethnic minority backgrounds to be appointed in modern times (the other being Alp Mehmet, who was appointed Ambassador to Iceland).<ref name="fco2">{{cite web |url=http://www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/pdf12/fco_race-equalityscheme |title=Foreign and Commonwealth Office Race Equality Scheme 2005–2008 |location=London |publisher=Foreign and Commonwealth Office |page=5 |access-date=4 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120925225340/http://www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/pdf12/fco_race-equalityscheme |archive-date=25 September 2012}}</ref> He was sworn in as Governor of the Cayman Islands on 26 March 2018.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.caymancompass.com/2018/03/26/governor-choudhury-sworn-in/ |title=Governor Choudhury sworn in |date=27 March 2018 |work=Cayman Compass |access-date=2018-03-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327072322/https://www.caymancompass.com/2018/03/26/governor-choudhury-sworn-in/ |archive-date=2018-03-27}}</ref>
===Grenade attack=== {{main|2004 Shah Jalal bombing}} On 21 May 2004, Choudhury was targeted in a failed grenade attack, in which he was wounded and two bystanders were killed. The attempted assassination came as he was leaving the Dargah-e-Shah Jalal mosque in Sylhet Division, his home province, following Jumu'ah (Friday prayers).<ref name="thedailystar">{{cite news |title=Blast at Shahjalal shrine injures British HC, kills 2 |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/2004/05/22/d4052201011.htm |volume=4 |issue=348 |work=The Daily Star |location=Bangladesh |date=22 May 2004 |access-date=24 December 2008 |archive-date=2 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702222156/http://archive.thedailystar.net/2004/05/22/d4052201011.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref> In December 2008, three attackers were sentenced to death<ref name="bbc3">{{cite news |title=Three to die for UK envoy attack |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7797096.stm |url-status=live |publisher=BBC News |date=23 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081224015040/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7797096.stm |archive-date=24 December 2008 |access-date=23 December 2008}}</ref> and two others to life in prison for the attack.<ref name="guardian">{{cite news |last=Percival |first=Jenny |date=23 December 2008 |title=Death sentences for Bangladesh grenade attack on British envoy |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/dec/23/bangladesh-diplomat-grenade-sentence |work=The Guardian |access-date=24 December 2008}}</ref><ref name="sylhettimes">{{cite news |title=Grenade {{sic|ata|ck |nolink=y}} on Anwar Choudhury: Mufti Hannan among four indicted |url=http://www.sylhettimes.com/2007/08/01/grenade-atack-on-anwar-choudhury-mufti-hannan-among-four-indicted-2/ |work=The Sylhet Times |date=1 August 2007 |access-date=24 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821212328/http://www.sylhettimes.com/2007/08/01/grenade-atack-on-anwar-choudhury-mufti-hannan-among-four-indicted-2/ |archive-date=21 August 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
===Recall to London=== Choudhury was recalled to London in June 2018 after unsubstantiated allegations of misconduct.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fuller |first=Brent |date=25 July 2018 |title=UK uses data protection rules to block Governor Choudhury details |url=https://www.caymancompass.com/2018/07/25/uk-uses-data-protection-rules-to-block-governor-choudhury-details/ |work=Cayman Compass |access-date=2024-09-09}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ford |first=Richard |date=25 June 2018 |title=Governor of Caymans 'asked maid for massage' |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/governor-of-caymans-anwar-choudhury-asked-maid-for-massage-kmsgrdrrc |work=The Times |access-date=2019-05-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jun/14/cayman-islands-governor-recalled-anwar-choudhury |title=UK recalls Cayman Islands governor over unspecified allegations |last=Wintour |first=Patrick |date=2018-06-14 |work=The Guardian |language=en |access-date=2018-06-24}}</ref> On 20 September 2018 it was announced that he would not be returning to the Cayman Islands<ref>{{Cite news |title=Choudhury removed as Cayman Islands governor |url=https://www.caymancompass.com/2018/09/20/breaking-choudhury-removed-as-cayman-islands-governor/ |newspaper=Cayman Compass |date=20 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180921012917/https://www.caymancompass.com/2018/09/20/breaking-choudhury-removed-as-cayman-islands-governor/ |archive-date=21 September 2018}}</ref> despite no criminal actions being found to have been committed Choudhury,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fuller |first=Brent |date=25 July 2018 |title=Petition to reinstate Gov. Choudhury issued |url=https://www.caymancompass.com/2018/07/25/petition-to-reinstate-gov-choudhury-issued/ |work=Cayman Compass |access-date=2024-09-09}}</ref> widespread popularity, and petitions to reinstate him being circulated by local government officials.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://bringbackgovernorchoudhury.weebly.com/ |title=Bring Back Governor Choudhury |date=2018-07-22 |website=weebly.com |language=en |access-date=2024-09-09}}</ref>
{{s-start}} {{s-dip}} {{s-bef|before=David Carter}} {{s-ttl |title=British High Commissioner to Bangladesh |years=2004–2008 }} {{s-aft|after=Stephen Evans}} {{s-bef|before=James Dauris}} {{s-ttl |title=British Ambassador to Peru |years=2014–2018 }} {{s-aft|after=Kate Harrisson}} {{s-gov}} {{s-bef | before = Helen Kilpatrick }} {{s-ttl | title = Governor of the Cayman Islands | years = March 2018– September 2018}} {{s-aft | after = Martyn Roper }} {{s-end}}
==Personal life== Choudhury is a Muslim.<ref name="guardian"/> His main interests include folk music of Bengal (baul). He is also passionate about community integration and protection of the UK abroad. He is married to Momina Choudhury and has three daughters. He also has a son from his first marriage. He has three brothers. His hobbies include playing cricket and bridge. He has interest in Bangladeshi cuisine too.<ref name="bbc1"/>
Choudhury has dismissed suggestions of a conflict of loyalty, stating that he would support the English cricket team against the one in Bangladesh.<ref name="telegraph">{{cite news |last=Roy |first=Amit |date=15 December 2003 |title=Bangladeshi-born Briton for Dhaka |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2003%2F12%2F15%2Fndhaka15.xml |work=The Daily Telegraph |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050319163650/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2003%2F12%2F15%2Fndhaka15.xml |archive-date=19 March 2005 |url-status=dead |access-date=4 May 2014}}</ref>
==See also== * British Bangladeshi * List of British Bangladeshis * List of high commissioners of the United Kingdom to Bangladesh * List of diplomats of the United Kingdom to Peru
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Commons category-inline}} * {{Twitter}} * [https://www.gov.uk/government/people/anwar-choudhury Profile on UK Government Portal]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Choudhury, Anwar}} Category:1959 births Category:Living people Category:Bangladeshi Muslims Category:British Muslims Category:Bangladeshi emigrants to England Category:Governors of the Cayman Islands Category:British people of Bangladeshi descent Category:Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom Category:High commissioners of the United Kingdom to Bangladesh Category:Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Peru Category:Civil servants in the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) Category:Civil servants in the Cabinet Office Category:People from Aylesbury Category:Alumni of Durham University Category:Alumni of the University of Salford Category:People from Patli Union