A. M. Zahiruddin Khan (1 March 1936 – 29 March 2005)[1] was a Bangladeshi politician and industrialist. He served as a Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Chittagong-6 constituency during 1979–1982.[2]
Khan was the eldest son of Abul Kashem Khan, a minister in the central cabinet of the then Pakistan.[1] Foreign minister Morshed Khan was his cousin and brother-in-law.[1] He studied at St. Paul's School in Darjeeling, India, later on at Aitchison College in Lahore, Pakistan.
In 1958, Khan became the managing director of A K Khan & Company and later the chairman in 1991. He was also the founding chairman of AKTEL and chairman of COATS Bangladesh, Bengal Fisheries Ltd. He was the president of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce & Industry (CCCI) from two consecutive terms. In 1977 he was elected president of Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FBCCI). As president of FBCCI, he initiated the formation of Islamic Chambers of Commerce & Industry. He was also elected chairman of the working group for drafting of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce & Industry Constitution in the Istanbul Conference in 1977. He also participated in the International Labour Organization (ILO) conference in Geneva in 1975 as representative of Bangladesh Employers. He was also chairman of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (East Zone) from 1969 to 1971, founder chairman of Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA), founder director of Investment Corporation of Bangladesh (ICB) and director of Sadharan Bima Corporation. He also served as chairman of Sonali Bank.[1][3][4]
Khan joined politics in 1978 and was also elected member of parliament (MP) in 1979 from Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by President Ziaur Rahman. He became a member of Begum Khaleda Zia's cabinet in 1991 as the planning minister and later as industries minister.[1]
Zahiruddin's eldest son, Schezade A.K Khan, is married to Zarka Rumana Khwaja, a descendant of Khwaja Yunus Ali Enayetpuri. His younger son, Kalim A. Khan, was married to Nusrat Khanam, daughter of industrialist S.M Kamaluddin (founder of Concord Group). Kalim died in 2009 in Singapore during treatment after sustaining injuries from an explosion that occurred at his Gulshan-2 residence.[5] His daughter is married to Faisal Morshed Khan, the only son of his first-cousin Morshed Khan.[citation needed]
Zahiruddin Khan died on 29 March 2005 in Bangkok at the age of 69. His death was condoled by President Iajuddin Ahmed, Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar, and other prominent members of the government and society.[6]