Habibur Rashid Habib

Habibur Rashid Habib
হাবিবুর রশিদ হাবিব
Habib in 2026
State Minister of Railways and Road Transport and Highways
Incumbent
Assumed office
17 February 2026
President
Prime MinisterTarique Rahman
Member of the Bangladesh Parliament
for Dhaka-9
Incumbent
Assumed office
17 February 2026
Preceded bySaber Hossain Chowdhury
Personal details
Born (1973-09-15) 15 September 1973
PartyBangladesh Nationalist Party
SpouseMabia Akhter
Children3
EducationJagannath University
OccupationPolitician

Habibur Rashid Habib (born 1973) is a Bangladeshi politician who, in February 2026, became the member of parliament for Dhaka-9 and state minister for the Ministry of Railways and Road Transport and Highways Division. He is a member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), having gotten his start in politics with their student wing, the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD).

While rising through the leadership ranks of the JCD, he was shot, possibly by rival members of his own party. From 2012 onward, he led protests against the Awami League government. He was charged in over 100 cases of political violence and was imprisoned seven times for a total of eight years.

Early life and education

Habib was born on 15 September 1973.[1] He completed his secondary and higher secondary education at Motijheel Ideal High School and Dhaka City College, respectively.[2] While at Dhaka City College, he became involved with the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), the student wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). He later earned a master's degree in management from Jagannath University.[1]

He married Mabia Akhter, and they had three sons together.[1]

Career

Habib was a contractor of the Public Works Department.[3] By November 2010, he was also the convener of the Dhaka city (south) unit of the JCD.[4] On 4 April 2011 in Dhaka, he was shot in the head and chest by assailants he publicly claimed were from the rival Bangladesh Chhatra League.[3] A senior JCD leader told the newspaper The Daily Star that privately, Habib identified one of the attackers as an associate of the JCD general secretary.[5] News portal Jagonews24.com called the shooting an internal party dispute.[6]

Habib survived his wounds and became general secretary of the JCD central committee in September 2012 for a two-year term.[7][8] In November 2013, he was arrested in cases of vandalism, arson, and obstructing police during hartals called by the BNP.[9][10] By September 2014, at least 80 cases had been filed against him. While on bail, he was banned from leaving the country. Late that month, he was arrested at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport trying to join his family in the United States.[11][12]

By 2019, he held the position of joint general secretary of the Dhaka Metropolitan South unit of the BNP.[6] He also became a member of the BNP's central executive committee. In 2023, Habib was convicted in cases of political violence, sabotage, and obstructing the police between 2012 and 2018.[13][14][15] In November 2024 and January 2025, he was discharged from cases of vandalising vehicles and assaulting police in 2018.[16][17] One conviction was also overturned in November 2024.[14]

When the interim government of Muhammad Yunus called a general election for February 2026, Habib was nominated as the BNP's candidate for Dhaka-9. While campaigning he said that as an opposition leader he had been accused in more than 100 politically motivated legal cases. He spent 86 days on remand, and was imprisoned seven times for a total of eight years.[18] He promised to bring development to his constituency. He pledged to fix roads and bridges, restore canals to end water-logging, improve education and healthcare, and deliver public safety.[18][19]

Habib won the seat with 51.1 per cent of the votes.[20] Prime Minister Tarique Rahman appointed him to his cabinet as state minister for road transport and bridges, railways and shipping on 17 February 2026. The next month portfolios were reallocated. He remained state minister for the Ministry of Railways and the Road Transport and Highways Division, while Md. Razib Ahsan became state minister for the Ministry of Shipping and the Bridges Division.[21][22]

References

  1. 1 2 3 মাননীয় প্রতিমন্ত্রী, রেলপথ মন্ত্রণালয়. Ministry of Railways (in Bengali). Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  2. ↑ "Political background of Habibur Rashid Habib". Habibur Rashid Habib. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  3. 1 2 "JCD leader shot in city". The Daily Star. 5 April 2011.
  4. ↑ "BNP terms Kokos arrest warrant illegal". UNB. 2 November 2010.
  5. ↑ "JCD activists assault general secretary". The Daily Star. 6 April 2011.
  6. 1 2 ঢাকা মহানগর দক্ষিণ বিএনপির ভারপ্রাপ্ত সম্পাদক হাবিব. jagonews24.com (in Bengali). 1 August 2019.
  7. ↑ "Khaleda announces JCD's new central committee". The Financial Express. 5 September 2012.
  8. ↑ Molla, Mohammad Al-Masum (14 October 2014). "Chhatra Dal gets new committee". Dhaka Tribune.
  9. ↑ Tipu, Md Sanaul Islam (18 November 2013). "Habib on one day remand". Dhaka Tribune.
  10. ↑ "Sohel, Habib get bail". The New Nation. 28 April 2014.
  11. ↑ "JCD central leader sent to jail". The Daily Star. 27 September 2014.
  12. ↑ Tipu, Md Sanaul Islam (28 September 2014). "JCD leader Habibur placed on remand". Dhaka Tribune.
  13. ↑ "15 BNP leaders, activists sentenced to jail for political violence in 2012". The Daily Star. 29 November 2023.
  14. 1 2 "Court acquits 22 BNP activists". New Age. BSS. 21 November 2024.
  15. ↑ "36 more BNP people convicted". New Age. 21 December 2023.
  16. ↑ "Court frees 121 BNP and Jamaat leaders". The Report. 4 November 2024.
  17. ↑ "Dhaka court discharges 32 BNP leaders, activists". The Financial Express. 2 January 2025.
  18. 1 2 প্রতিহিংসার রাজনীতি নয়, উন্নয়ন ও ঐক্যের বাংলাদেশ চাই: হাবিব | রাজনীতি. Somoy News (in Bengali). 5 February 2026.
  19. ↑ "BNP candidate Habib pledges to build livable Dhaka-9". BSS. 6 February 2026. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  20. ↑ "Dhaka-9: BNP's Habib defeats Tasnim Jara by huge margin". The Business Standard. 13 February 2026.
  21. ↑ "Full list of ministers and state ministers with portfolios". UNB. 17 February 2026.
  22. ↑ "Bangladesh govt redistributes portfolios of two advisers, eight state ministers". New Age. 4 March 2026n.
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