Zia Ahmed
By Mizan Rahman
Dhaka

Chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Major General (retd) Zia Ahmed died of a cardiac arrest in Dhaka city early yesterday at the age of 59.
He was rushed to United Hospital at Gulshan after he complained of chest pain at about 2am, personal officer M Shahiduzzaman of Zia Ahmed told newsmen. The personal officer said doctors declared Zia dead upon arrival at the hospital at about 3.30am. His first namaz-e-janaza was held at Garrison Mosque of Dhaka Cantonment after Zohr prayers yesterday. He was buried at Banani Military Graveyard after the second namaz-e-janaza at Baridhaha DOHS Mosque after prayers.
Ahmed, a retired major general, was appointed to head the national telecom regulator in February 2009 for three years. His contract was extended for another year. He had been sent into retirement by the BNP-led government as a Brigadier General.
The Awami League government promoted him, along with many others in similar cases, to major general in 2009 with retrospective effect. Ahmed also served in the military’s signals corps since his commissioning in 1975.