Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim
Native nameশেখ ফজলুল করিম সেলিম
Constituency mpGopalganj-2
ParliamentBangladesh
Term start14 July 1980
Term end6 August 2024
PredecessorMollah Jalaluddin Ahmed
Term start 15 March 1991
Term end 124 November 1995
Successor 1Farid Ahmed
Term start 210 July 1986
Term end 26 December 1987
Predecessor 2Position created
Office 4Minister of Health and Family Welfare
Term start 429 December 1999
Term end 415 July 2001
Predecessor 4Salahuddin Yusuf
Successor 4Abdul Malik
Birth date2 February 1949 (age 77)
Birth placeGopalganj, East Bengal, Dominion of Pakistan
PartyBangladesh Awami League
Relations
Relativessee Tungipara Sheikh family
ProfessionPolitician

Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim (born 2 February 1949; known as Sheikh Selim)[1] is a Bangladeshi politician who was a 9-term Member of Parliament representing the Gopalganj-2 constituency during 1980–2024. He is a presidium member of the Bangladesh Awami League.[2][3][4] He also served as the minister of health and family welfare during 1999–2001. He has been in hiding ever since the fall of his cousin Sheikh Hasina's government on 5 August 2024.

Early life and family

Sheikh Selim is the son of Sheikh Nurul Haque and Sheikh Asia Begum, sister of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, former president of Bangladesh. He is the younger brother of Sheikh Fazlul Haque Mani, founder of the Jubo League.[5] He is a first-cousin of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.[6]

Selim is descended from the Sheikh family of Tungipara from both his parents. His father's grandfather, Qudratullah Sheikh, was the brother of his mother's great-great-grandfather, Ekramullah Sheikh. Sheikh Mujib was both his uncle and nephew, being son of his third-cousin Sheikh Lutfar Rahman.[7]

Career

Sheikh Selim has won parliamentary elections from Gopalganj-2 nine times with 90% of vote, since 1980.[8] He served as the minister for health and family welfare in the first Hasina ministry. He has been the chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare Ministry.[9] He is a presidium member of the Bangladesh Awami League.[10]

Controversies

2008 Corruption Case

On 23 April 2008, the Bangladesh Anti Corruption Commission sued Sheikh Selim for corruption at the Ramna Police Station. He secured bail from the High Court on 16 September 2008.[11] The High Court, in September, stayed proceeding of the case against Selim. On 24 October 2010, the Supreme Court stayed the High Court order, allowing the case to proceed.[12]

Following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina led Awami League government, his home in Banani was vandalized and burned down in February 2025.[13]

Personal life

Selim is married and his in-laws are a zamindar family of Muslim Chowdhuries from Daudkandi. His eldest son Sheikh Fazle Fahim served as president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce & Industries and is married to the daughter of businessman Moosa Bin Shamsher.[14][15] Another son, Sheikh Nayem, is married to the daughter of BNP politician Iqbal Hassan Mahmood.[16] One of Selim's grandsons, Zayan Chowdhary, died in the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings. The child's father, Moshiul Haque Chowdhary, was wounded, though his mother, Selim's daughter Sheikh Amina Sultana Sonia, was unharmed.[17]

References

  1. ^ "Constituency 216_11th_En". Bangladesh Parliament. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
  2. ^ "AL's 60th founding anniversary today". The Daily Star. 23 June 2009. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
  3. ^ "Prime minister: Stand united to get rid of terrorism". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  4. ^ "Suranjit slates 'scared' ministers over US ambassador's comments, faces ire". bdnews24.com. 21 July 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  5. ^ "Tributes paid to Sheikh Moni". The Daily Star. 2009-12-04. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
  6. ^ "Hasina regularly took money from magnates". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
  7. ^ "Barrister SEX Fazle Noor Taposh". barristersextaposh.info. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
  8. ^ "Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim -শেখ ফজলুল করিম সেলিম Biography". Amarmp. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
  9. ^ "Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim speaks at a discussion". Daily Sun. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
  10. ^ "AL asks US not interfere in internal issues". The Daily Star. 2016-05-17. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
  11. ^ "Sheikh Selim, Abbas, Babar granted bail". The Daily Star. 2008-09-16. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
  12. ^ "SC clears way for trial of 3 graft cases". The Daily Star. 2010-10-25. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
  13. ^ "শেখ সেলিমের বনানীর বাসায় আগুন" (in Bengali). Prothomalo. 2025-02-07. Retrieved 2025-02-07.
  14. ^ "Sheikh Fazle Fahim named FBCCI president after unopposed election". bdnews24.com. 2019-04-29. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  15. ^ "bn:এবার প্রিন্স মুসার সহকারীকে তলব" (in Bengali). Arthosuchak. 2014-12-14. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  16. ^ "bn:আত্মীয়তার যত বন্ধনে বিএনপি আওয়ামী লীগ" (in Bengali). Bangladesh Pratidin. 2014-12-16. Archived from the original on 2019-03-21. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  17. ^ "Sheikh Selim's minor grandson dies in Sri Lanka bombings". bdnews24.com. 22 April 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2019.