Sharmeen Murshid

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Sharmeen Murshid
শারমিন মুরশিদ
Sharmeen Murshid 2024.jpg
Murshid at the G20 Women Empowerment Ministerial Meeting in Brasilia (2024)
Adviser for Social Welfare
Assumed office
9 August 2024
Relatives

Sharmeen Murshid is a member of the advisory council of the Bangladesh interim government. [1] She was chief executive officer of human rights organization Brotee which has been working for the rights of marginalized groups, especially the indigenous people since 2001. [2] She is currently serving as Adviser to the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs as well as Ministry of Social Welfare. [3] Murshid is a former Commissioner of the National River Conservation Commission.

Contents

Early life

Murshid's parents were Khan Sarwar Murshid and Nurjahan Murshid. [4] [5] [6] Her father was a member of the planning commission of Mujibnagar government and confidante of Tajuddin Ahmed and her mother was a member of parliament. [7]

Her brother is Khan Ahmed Sayeed Murshid, former director general of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies. [7] [8]

Her elder sister is Tazeen Mahnaz Murshid, senior lecturer of King's College London. [7] [9]

Her another brother Kumar Murshid is a leftist politician in the United Kingdom who was formerly Labour Party. [7] [10]

Career

In 1971 during the Bangladesh Liberation War, Murshid was a member of the Bangladesh Mukti Sangrami Shilpi Sangstha which created propoganda songs for the Mukti Bahini. [11] She was a student of grade 10 in 1971. [12] Tareque Masud and his wife Catherine Masud made a documentary of the group called Muktir Gaan. [11] She identifies herself as a freedom fighter and has spoken for greater recognition of female freedom fighters. [13] [14] She had question why Pakistan Army surrendered to the Indian Army after the war and not to the Bangladeshi people. [12]

In 2008, Murshid was the general secretary of National Alliance for Election Monitoring for the 9th parliamentary election of Bangladesh. [15]

In August 2012, Murshid signed a statement along with 57 other women leaders asking the government to leave Grameen Bank alone after its founder Muhammad Yunus was forced to resign by Bangladesh Bank. [16] Other signatories included Farida Akther, Hameeda Hossain, Khushi Kabir, Maleka Begum, Rasheda K. Chowdhury, Rokia Afzal Rahman, Sara Hossain, Sultana Kamal, and Syeda Rizwana Hasan. [16] In 2014, she said the Election Commission had failed to hold a fair and free 10th parliamentary election. [17]

Murshid was the general secretary of Uttarsury: Nurjahan-Sarwar Murshid Cultural Centre, [18] which oversaw the secretariate of the National Celebration Committee for the Birth Centenary of Khan Sarwar Murshid. [19] It also provides Uttarsury-Nurjahan Murshid Smrity Padak awards. [18]

Murshid is the Chief Executive Officer of Brotee, an election observation group. [20] She told Shakhawat Liton of The Daily Star in 2018 that the space for election monitoring was decreasing due to lack of funding and Bangladesh Election Commission ignoring respected observers. [20]

In 2020, Murshid was a member of the National River Conservation Commission , a quasi-judicial commission responsible for protecting rivers. [21] In October 2021, she signed a statement panning a culture of impunity when it comes to attacks on religious minorities in Bangladesh. [22] In 2023, she signed a letter criticizing the government treatment of Khaleda Zia, warning it could lead to a political crises, and asking the government to send her abroad for treatment. [23] Other signatories included Ali Imam Majumder, Asif Nazrul, CR Abrar, Farida Akhtar, Hafizuddin Khan, Naila Z Khan, Nur Khan, Rahnuma Ahmed, Shahdeen Malik, Shahidul Alam, Shireen Huq, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, and Tofail Ahmed. [23]

Murshid was critical of the 2024 Bangladeshi election describing it as one sided election by one party which party members stand against each other. [24] She was critical of the government using violence against quota reform protestors. [13]

After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina led Awami League government, Murshid was appointed an advisor in the Muhammad Yunus led interim government. [25] She was placed in charge of the Ministry of Social Welfare. [26]

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References

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