Background
Hossain, Kamal was born on April 20, 1937 in Calcutta.
Hossain, Kamal was born on April 20, 1937 in Calcutta.
He was awarded a Bachelor of Jurisprudence degree with honours from the University of Oxford in 1957 and a Bachelor of Civil Law from the same institution in 1958. In 1964 he was awarded a Doctorate in International Law. He was called to the bar by Lincoln's Inn, London.
After the independence of Bangladesh, he served as Minister of Law from 1972 to 1973 and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1973 to 1975. Hossain was arrested during the Bangladesh Liberation War in April 1971 by the Pakistani government and kept in custody along with Sheikh Mujib in West Pakistan. He was released together with Mujib when both of them flew to London and then to independent Bangladesh.
After the independence of Bangladesh, Hossain served as the Minister of Law (1972–1973), Minister of Foreign Affairs (1973–1975) and Minister of Petroleum and Minerals (1974–1975). One of his earliest tasks as Minister of Law was the drafting of the Constitution of Bangladesh which was completed in 1972. Hossain is regarded as the father of the Bangladeshi constitution.
He is a leading jurist in Bangladesh and has conducted a number of landmark cases, published in various law journals in Bangladesh. In addition he has appeared in several international arbitrations, both as a lawyer and an arbitrator, including acting as an arbitrator in the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal. Hossain is renowned worldwide as a jurist and enjoys a long-standing association with the United Nations.
Between 1998 and 2003, he served as the UN Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan. He is also currently vice chairman of the International Law Association London, chairman of both the BLAST and South Asian Institute of Advanced Legal and Human Rights Studies (SAILS), honorary fellow of Notre Dame University Bangladesh and the Institute of Mineral and Petroleum Law, University of Dundee and advisory council member for Transparency International. He has also acted as an observer in various elections around the world.
Hossain accompanied Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in negotiations with Pakistani President General Yahya Khan and Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on the transfer of power to the National Assembly following the 1970 election. He was a member of the Awami League until the early 1990s, when he formed his own political party, Gano Forum (People's Forum), following disputes with Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina.
Member: Advisory Board, ICSID Review, Foreign Investment Law Journal. Panel of Arbitrators. Member: International Law Association (Chairman, Committee on Legal Aspects of Sustainable Development).
International Bar Association (Member, Gas Law Committee, Energy Section). LAWASIA; United Nations Compensation Commission. Supreme Court Bar Association, Bangladesh (President, 1990-1991).
Bangladesh Bar Council (Vice-Chairman, 1989-1995).
