Bangladesh is observing a day of national mourning today, December 23, 2024, following the passing of A.F. Hasan Arif, Advisor for Land, Aviation, and Tourism in the interim government. The announcement, signed by Cabinet Secretary Dr. Sheikh Abdur Rashid, declared that national flags at all government, semi-government, autonomous institutions, private buildings, and Bangladeshi missions abroad would be flown at half-mast. Special prayers for the departed soul will be held in mosques and other religious establishments across the country.

Hasan Arif passed away on December 20 at the age of 83 following a cardiac arrest. His first funeral prayer was held at Dhanmondi’s Baitul Aman Mosque, with subsequent prayers at the High Court premises and the Secretariat. His body is currently preserved at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka, awaiting burial at the Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals’ Graveyard after his daughter returns from Canada.

Born in Kolkata on July 10, 1941, Hasan Arif pursued education at St. Xavier’s College and the University of Calcutta, earning an LLB degree. He began his legal career at the Kolkata High Court in 1967 before moving to Bangladesh, where he joined the High Court as a lawyer in 1970. Notably, he served as Attorney General from 2001 to 2005 and held various ministerial advisory roles during both Fakhruddin Ahmed's caretaker government and the interim government.