title: Faruq Ahmed Choudhury
text: # Faruq Ahmed Choudhury
  
  Faruq Ahmed Choudhury (4 January 1934 – 17 May 2017) was a Bangladeshi diplomat. He served as Bangladesh's first Chief of Protocol beginning in 1972, Foreign Secretary from 1984 to 1986, and High Commissioner to India from 1986 to 1992.
  
  ## Career
  
  ### Early life and career
  
  Choudhury was born in Karimganj, Assam, British India, on January 4, 1934. In 1956, Choudhury entered the Foreign Service of Pakistan as a diplomat (Bangladesh, then known as East Pakistan, was part of the country at the time). He held several appointments within the Foreign Office and several Parkistani embassies.
  
  ### Bangladesh foreign service
  
  In 1972, Choudhury was appointed as Bangladesh's first Chief of Protocol, within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, following the country's independence from Pakistan.
  
  From 1972 until 1976, Choudhury served as the Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh to the United Kingdom, where he took part in the negotiations for Bangladesh's entry in to the Commonwealth in 1972. Choudhury was next appointed as Bangladesh's Ambassador to Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates from 1976 to 1978. He then served as Ambassador accredited to both the European Economic Community (EEC) and the Benelux nations - Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands - from 1978 until 1982.
  
  Choudhury returned to the home office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1982. He was the chief coordinator for the 13th OIC Foreign Ministers' Meeting, which was held in 1983 in Dhaka. He then held the post of Additional Foreign Secretary from 1983 to 1984.
  
  Faruq Choudhury was appointed Foreign Secretary, the highest ranking non-political official with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from 1984 to 1986.
  
  Choudhury next served as High Commissioner of Bangladesh to India from 1986 until his retirement in 1992.
  
  Choudhury retired from Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1992. He wrote several books and focused on social causes during his retirement. He served on the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), the world's largest non-governmental development organization, from 1992 until 2006.
  
  In 2014, Choudhury was awarded the IFIC Bank Literature Award for his writings on social and political issues. He also received the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 2016.
  
  