Jeddah : About 100,000 Bangladeshis will be arriving for this year’s Haj, according to Bangladesh’s new Consul General A.K.M. Shahidul Karim.
“Looking after the well-being of such a huge number of pilgrims and the welfare of 700,000 workers from my country residing in the Western Region of the Kingdom is quite a challenging task,” Karim said, adding that he would also be focusing on expanding the labor market for his countrymen. He said he would deal with all the challenges facing the community. “My doors are open for all members of the community and consulate staff to come forward and discuss their problems and find solutions, he said. Karim’s track record shows he is a very hardworking and committed foreign service officer from his country.
On the very first day in his office, he received briefings from various wings of the consulate. He inspected the office and exchanged views with service seekers. He also held a general meeting with the consulate employees, where he promised to offer better services to the community, and sought full cooperation and commitment from them as well as the consulate staff. Karim joined the Bangladesh Foreign Service in 1999 and served his country’s mission in Stockholm, Cairo and London in various capacities. Karim, a career diplomat, was born in Sherpur, Bangladesh. A product of Bangladesh University of Engineering Technology (BUET), he obtained the Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering and electronics.
Later, he participated in specialized programs on foreign affairs and diplomacy at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka, Japanese language program at Kansai Khkuai Center in Japan, and an executive program on trade negotiation at Nayang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. Karim, who is fluent in English, has elementary knowledge of Arabic, Japanese, Hindi and Urdu. He was assista nt secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dhaka, 1999-2003; second/first secretary at Bangladesh Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden, 2003-2005; first secretary/counselor, Bangladesh Embassy in Cairo, 2005-2009; director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dhaka 2009-2011; and consular at Bangladesh High Commission, UK, from 2011 until his posting in Jeddah.