Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General and Minister for Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, has expressed profound grief following the death of William B. Milam, the former United States Ambassador to Bangladesh.

Ambassador Milam, a distinguished career diplomat, passed away on February 17, in Sacramento, California, at the age of 89. In a formal condolence message issued on Friday, Minister Fakhrul extended his deepest sympathies to the bereaved family and reflected on Milam’s enduring legacy in the region.

The Minister highlighted that Milam possessed “deep knowledge and experience in the geopolitics of South Asia and contemporary issues of Bangladesh.”

Having joined the US State Department in 1962, Milam served as the envoy to Dhaka from 1990 to 1993, a pivotal era in the nation’s democratic transition.

Fakhrul particularly noted Milam’s humanitarian impact during his tenure, stating that his contribution to the “'Operation Sea Angel' organisation, which played a significant role in saving the lives of thousands of people after the devastating cyclone and floods in Bangladesh in 1991, will be remembered.”

Even after his retirement, Milam remained a vocal and influential figure regarding Bangladeshi affairs.

He served as a senior scholar at the Wilson Center in Washington D.C., the president of the human rights organization 'Right to Freedom,' and the editor of the quarterly magazine South Asia Perspectives.

The Minister concluded that with Milam’s passing, Bangladesh has lost a “long-time experienced and well-known diplomat” who worked tirelessly to strengthen the bilateral bond between the two nations.