Hosen Ali

M. Hossain Ali (হোসেন আলী) is a Bangladeshi diplomat''', born in Bhangura Upazila of Pabna District

During the Bangladesh Liberation War he was the Deputy High Commissioner at Calcutta, India for East Pakistan. He was the first government official to publicly break with Pakistan, declaring loyalty to the government-in-exile at Mujibnagar.

Only later was it disclosed that Hossain Ali had been instrumental in laying the diplomatic groundwork for independence, meeting western envoys as early as October 1970.

On April 18, 1971, at 12:41pm, Mr. Hossain Ali, the Bengali Deputy High Commissioner of Pakistan, in Calcutta, India, along with 70 others, officially raised the flag of Bangladesh and pledged their allegiance to the Government of Bangladesh. It was just one day after the declaration of the People's Republic of Bangladesh at Baidyanathtala. First Secretary Mr. Rafiqul Islam Chowdhury, Third Secretary Mr. Anwarul Karim Chowdhury and Assistant Press Attaché Moqshed Ali were also present in that ceremony and were negotiating with other nations for support of Bangladeshi independence. The role of Mr. Hossain Ali is very important, as he pioneered the way for other expatriate Bengali diplomats to pledge their allegiance to the new Bangladesh Government. Hossain was then named Chief of Mission at Calcutta for Bangladesh.

Following this lead, Bengali diplomats defected to the new government at the missions in New York, Washington, D.C., London, Baghdad, Manila, Kathmandu, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Lagos and Bern.

In 1972, Hossain Ali was appointed the first High Commissioner in Australia for Bangladesh, and later served as the first Bangladeshi Ambassador to the United States.

Recently a road was named after Hosen Ali as Hosen Ali Sorok at the village Pathorghata of Bhangura upazila.