Dipu Moni’s husband Tawfique Nawaz passes away

Tawfique Nawaz, a senior advocate of the Supreme Court and husband of former Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni, has died.

He breathed his last at 10:27pm on Tuesday (August 18) while undergoing treatment at Continental Hospital, formerly United Hospital, in Dhaka.

Dipu Moni’s elder brother, J R Wadud Tipu, confirmed the news of his death.

Tawfique Nawaz had been suffering from cancer, liver complications and post-stroke health problems for a long time. His condition had been critical since May this year, and he had been undergoing treatment in the hospital’s Coronary Care Unit (CCU).

Tawfique Nawaz was a senior advocate of the Bangladesh Supreme Court. He was involved in legal practice in several important areas, including international law, commercial disputes and human rights. He also led the case filed by the Bangladesh government against Niko Resources seeking compensation over the Tengratila gas-field explosion.

He had long been associated with Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB). He played a role in the establishment of the organisation’s Bangladesh chapter in the 1990s and served as a member of its Board of Trustees and, at one point, as its Secretary General. A TIB statement issued in 2023 also identified Senior Advocate Tawfique Nawaz as a member of its Board of Trustees.

Alongside his legal career, he had a keen interest in music. A report published in 2019, when he was undergoing treatment for a serious illness, described him as a practitioner of classical music and a flute player.

In 2019, Nawaz became critically ill after suffering a stroke and was admitted to a hospital in Dhaka. He remained unconscious for several weeks at the time, and later arrangements were made to take him abroad for advanced treatment.

Tawfique Nawaz’s death has cast a pall of grief over the legal community and among his family, friends and well-wishers. He is survived by his wife, Dr Dipu Moni, and their children.

Details regarding his funeral prayers and burial will be announced later.