A. B. M. Abdus Sattar

A. B. M. Abdus Sattar (born 2 November 1955) is a Bangladeshi civil servant who served as a secretary in various ministries of the Government of Bangladesh. He is currently the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh on a contractual basis. Sattar has also been the personal secretary to Khaleda Zia, the chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and former Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government in 2024, he took a prominent role in administrative and political activities, including assuming leadership positions in several organizations.^[1][2][3] Sattar joined the Bangladesh Civil Service in 1982 and held numerous high-level positions throughout his career. Post-retirement, he remained active in public administration reform, social welfare, and political advocacy. He serves as a director of Rupali Bank PLC and has been involved in lobbying and international engagements on behalf of the BNP.^[4]

A. B. M. Abdus Sattar was born on 2 November 1955 in Bogura, then part of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), to Rafique Uddin Ahmed and Begum Rashida Khatun. He comes from a respected Muslim family. Sattar completed his early education in Bangladesh and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Science, a Master of Arts in Political Science, and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Rajshahi. He has also undergone professional training in public administration both in Bangladesh and abroad.^[5]

Sattar joined the Bangladesh Civil Service (Administration Cadre) in 1982 as an Assistant Commissioner.^[6] He progressed through various roles, including: Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Deputy Commissioner (DC) in multiple districts, including Dinajpur^[7] Chief Executive Officer of several Zila Parishads Director General of the Directorate of Primary Education Joint Secretary Additional Secretary Secretary in the Ministries of Public Administration, Labour and Employment, and Social Welfare^[8] He was promoted to joint secretary in June 2004 while serving as the Deputy Commissioner of Dinajpur District.^[9] Throughout his career, Sattar participated in international delegations and visited countries including the United Kingdom, Japan, China, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Cambodia, India, and Sri Lanka.^[10]

After retiring as a secretary, Sattar became the personal secretary to Khaleda Zia, the chairperson of the BNP and former Prime Minister. In this role, he has been involved in various political and administrative activities. In April 2015, he delivered an Eid card from Zia to then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.^[11] That same month, he was injured in an attack on Zia's motorcade during a campaign event.^[12] In 2016, Sattar accompanied Zia on her Hajj pilgrimage.^[13] In 2018, reports emerged that he had hired U.S. lobbying firms on behalf of the BNP, which both he and the party denied.^[14] In 2023, Sattar sought government permission for Zia to travel abroad for medical treatment.^[15] Following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024, Sattar took control of the Officers Club, Dhaka, declaring himself its general secretary.^[16] He also canceled a book launch event related to Zia. Sattar is the president of the BCS (Administration) Welfare Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited and the Anti-Discrimination Employees' Unity Forum (Baisamya Birodhi Karmachari Oikya Forum).^[17][18] In December 2024, he called for the removal of the head of the Public Administration Reform Commission.^[19] In April 2025, he advocated for ending contractual appointments in civil administration.^[20] In June 2025, he was present at the handover of a house to Khaleda Zia by government officials.^[21] In August 2025, Sattar accused several advisors of the interim government of corruption, allegations which the government rejected.^[22][23][24] On 6 March 2025, Sattar was appointed as a director of Rupali Bank PLC, where he also serves as chairman of the bank's Executive Committee.^[25]

On 17 February 2026, Sattar was appointed as the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on a one-year contractual basis under Section 49 of the Government Service Act, 2018.^{[26][27][28][29][30]}

Sattar is married and has one daughter.^[31] His post-retirement work focuses on policy development, education, and promoting social equity. He serves as an advisor to the Bangladesh Institute of Administrative Management (BIAM) and is the general secretary of Officers Club Dhaka.