Mr. Shah A.M.S.Kibria, M.P. (1931-2005)
Former Minister of Finance, Govt. of Bangladesh
Biographical Data

Date and Place of Birth
Born on May 1, 1931 in Habiganj.
Father's name: Late Shah Imtiaz Ali. He was a pioneer in the field of primary education in the greater Sylhet region.

Education:
Matriculation Examination, Calcutta University in 1947. First Division. Awarded Scholarship
Intermediate Arts Examination in 1949. First Division. Stood first in the Dhaka University
B.A. (Hon.) in Economics, 1952, First Class First, Dhaka University
M.A. (Economics), 1953, First Class First, Dhaka University.

Language Movement 1952
As a student of B.A.(Hons.) of the Dhaka University , joined the Language Movement of February, 1952. Imprisoned for a month and a half.

Pakistan Foreign Service (8 October 1954-August 4, 1971)
Appeared at the Central Superior Services Examination in 1954 and stood first in Pakistan . Selected for Pakistan Foreign Service.

Trained for the diplomatic service at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Boston , U.S.A, British Foreign Office, London and French Language Training in Paris , France.

Upon completion of training programme, served in Pakistan diplomatic missions in Calcutta , Cairo , UN mission, New York , Director RCD, Teheran, Jakarta , Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad and the Pakistan Embassy, Washington , D.C.

Liberation War 1971
While serving as political counselor in the Pakistan Embassy, Washington DC , declared allegiance to Bangladesh and quit the Pakistan Embassy on August 4, 1971.

Organized the Bangladesh Mission in Washington , DC and mobilized public opinion in favour of the independence of Bangladesh . Lobbied in the State Department, Congress and senior columnists in Washington . Issued a bulletin to inform the American people about the progress of the Liberation War in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Foreign Service (4 August 1971-30 April 1981)
Recalled to Dhaka in January 1972 as Director general (Political) in the newly established Ministry of foreign Affairs in Dhaka.

Promoted Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs on March 11, 1971 and placed in charge of the administration of the Ministry. Organized the Bangladesh missions abroad.

January 1973, appointed High Commissioner to Australia , New Zealand and Fiji.

February 1976, appointed Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the European office of the UN in Geneva : (Chairman Of the Group of 77, UNCTAD), Joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka on September 8, 1978 as Foreign Secretary and served until April 31, 1981.

Service with the United Nations (May1, 1981-March 31, 1992
Executive Secretary of ESCAP ( UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific) with the rank and status of Under Secretary-General of the United Nations. Headquarters in Bangkok . In 1986, assumed the additional assignment of Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Cambodian Humanitarian Relief.

Return to Dhaka : Politics and Journalism, April, 1992
Upon completion of the UN assignment, returned to Bangladesh in April, 1992. Wrote columns on political and economic issues in English and Bengali in national daily and weekly newspapers.

Joined the Bangladesh Awami League in September 1992 as a member of the Awami League Advisory Council.

Appointed Political Advisor to the Awami League President, 1994.

Finance Minister June 1996 –July 2001
After the general election on June 12, 1996, joined the cabinet of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as Minister of Finance. Served in this capacity until the government's term expired in July 2001.

Major achievements: Bangladesh achieved, for the first time, GDP growth at average rate of 5.83 % during 1996-2001. Average rate of inflation was well below 5%. The inflation rate in June 2001 was only 1.53%. Exports rose from $3884m in 1995-96 to $6477m in 2000-2001. Investment in the social sector, (education, health etc) increased from 21.02% of the total budget in 1995-96 to 24.7% in 2000-2001. The rate of national savings increased over the five-year period of the Awami League from 20.17 to 23.78 percent. Similarly, rate of investment increased from 19.99% in 1995-96 to 23.63% in 2000-2001.

The physical infrastructure was improved and modernized. Electricity generating capacity rose from 2105 megawatts to 3600 megawatts.

For the first time in half a century, Bangladesh achieved food self- sufficiency.

Rice and wheat production in 1995-96 was 190.6 m metric tons. In 2000-2001 the figure rose to 264.91 tons.

Expectation of life at birth: The figure rose from 58.7 years in 1995-96 to 61.8 years in 2000-2001.

Per capita calorie intake: rural areas, from 2206.1 to 2274.2 kilocalorie, in urban areas, from 2220.2 to2283.3 kilocalorie during the five-years of the Awami League..

Literacy rate: Literacy rate for 15old and above was 47.3 percent in 1995-96; the rate went up to 64 percent in 2000.

Infant mortality rate: 67 per thousand in 1995-96. The rate went down in 1998 to 57 per thousand live births.

Elected Chairman of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, 1997 annual session

Elected President of the Governing Council of International Fund for Agricultural Development 1998.

In the general election on October 1, 2001, elected a Member of Parliament from Habiganj-3 constituency.

Chairman , Bangladesh Foundation for Development Research.

Alternate Chairman, Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs

Hobbies
Reading books mainly on history and economics and listening to music ( Rabindra Sangeet) and playing golf.

Publications
Wrote four books, published by the University Press Ltd.

"Mridubhashan", (Bengali) “The Emerging New World Order”, and “Bangladesh at the Crossroads”, Chitta Jetha Bhoyshunya (Bengali)

Editor and Publisher of a Bengali weekly, "Mridu Bhashan".

Wrote hundreds of articles both in Bengali and English.