Syed Masud Mahmood Khundoker is a Bangladeshi diplomat and former ambassador of Bangladesh to Qatar. [1] [2] He was the Principal and later the rector of the Foreign Service Academy. [3] [4]
Khundoker undertook his bachelor's and master's in English literature and language at the University of Chittagong. [5]
Khundoker joined the 10th batch of the Bangladesh Civil Service as a foreign affairs cadre. [6] In 2006, he was the counsellor at the Embassy of Bangladesh in Canada. [7]
Khundoker was the Director General (SAARC and BIMSTEC wing) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. [8] Before that, he served as the Director General of External Publicity at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. [9]
Khundoker was appointed ambassador of Bangladesh to Qatar, replacing Md. Shahdat Hossain on 18 May 2013. [10] He attended the launch of the Qatar-based Middle East edition of the Prothom Alo . [11] He secured 50 thousand new work permits for Bangladeshi workers. [12]
In April 2015, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent an inquiry team to investigate some allegations against Khundoker. [13] The Government of Bangladesh recalled Khundoker from Qatar, reportedly amid internal conflicts among Awami League leaders based in Doha. [14] The decision was issued following a directive from the Prime Minister’s Office under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. [14] It drew criticism from several leaders of the Awami League’s Qatar unit, who argued that the recall was unjustified. [14] According to party leaders in Doha, tensions arose when the ambassador declined to accommodate certain demands from a local Bangabandhu Sainik League leader, who sought greater involvement in embassy-community relations. [14] This role was traditionally coordinated through mainstream political party units, such as the Awami League. [14] A delegation of senior Awami League figures from Qatar, including Unit President Omar Faruque Chowdhury, Senior Vice-President Shafiqul Islam Talukder Babu, and Bangabandhu Parishad Vice-President SM Faridul Haque, met with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam in Dhaka to express their concerns. [14] In October 2015, Ashud Ahmed replaced him as the ambassador of Bangladesh to Qatar. [15] [10]
From October 2015 to August 2019, Khundoker served as the principal of the Foreign Service Academy, a position later renamed rector. [16] [17] He organised Mujib Shotoborsho at the academy to mark the 100th birthday of the late President and founding father of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. [18] He served as the rector of the Foreign Service Academy until March 2021 before being replaced by Ambassador Shabbir Ahmad Chowdhury. [16] [17] He was the vice-president of the BCS (Foreign Affairs) Association. [19]