Columnist and author Faruq Chowdhury turns seventy

He was born on January 4, 1934 in present-day Assam, India, but his ancestral home is in Golapganj, Sylhet. His childhood was spent at different places of the postings of his father late Ghyasuddin Ahmed Chowdhury, who himself was a distinguished civil servant and a sports organiser. Faruq Chowdhury joined Pakistan Foreign Service in 1956. He studied and had training at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Boston, Washington George Town University and the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He served as Ambassador to UAE and EEC-Brussels, as well as High Commissioner to India, and was Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh. He organised the first SAARC summit as its Secretary General and represented Bangladesh in a number of international meetings. Currently he is Adviser of BRAC, Chairman of Delta-Brac Housing and a member of AL advisory council.

He is an occasional columnist for The Daily Star and is an eminent analyst of international and regional issues.

His hobby is travelling and he is a keen golfer and a connoisseur of intentional cuisine.