Farzana Sharmin

Farzana Sharmin
ফারজানা শারমিন
Sharmin in Dhaka (2025)
Member of the Bangladesh Parliament
for Natore-1
Assumed office
February 2026
Preceded byMd. Abul Kalam
Personal details
BornNovember 1984 (age 41)
Bangladesh
PartyBangladesh Nationalist Party
Parent
Alma mater
OccupationLawyer, politician

Farzana Sharmin Putul (born November 1984)[1] is a Bangladeshi lawyer and Bangladesh Nationalist Party politician. She is the incumbent member of Jatiya Sangsad representing the Natore-1 constituency since February 2026.[2]

Sharmin was a member of the Anti Corruption Commission reform commission of the Muhammad Yunus led interim government during 2024–2026.[3] She has been practicing law at the Supreme Court of Bangladesh.[4] As a member of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, she served on its Foreign Affairs Advisory Committee, Human Rights Committee, and Media Cell Committee.[5][6]

Early life and education

Sharmin was born in Bangladesh in November 1984.[1][7] Her father, Fazlur Rahman Potol, was a State Minister for Youth, Sports, and Communications and a four-time elected Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Natore-1 constituency.[7]

Sharmin pursued legal studies at the University of Dhaka and the University of London, earning undergraduate law degrees from both institutions.[7] She further obtained two master's degrees in law, one from the University of Dhaka and another from BPP University College in London.[7]

Career

Sharmin began her legal career in 2008 as an advocate at the District Court of Bangladesh.[7] In 2012, she was admitted to practice at the Supreme Court of Bangladesh.[7] She has built expertise in criminal litigation, judicial review, and constitutional law.[7] She has worked as an associate at the legal firm 'Barrister Moudud Ahmed and Associates' and is currently a partner at RIGHTS Chambers.[7] Additionally, she has served as a legal advisor to various banks, insurance companies, and private enterprises.[7] She is a lawyer of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission.[8]

Sharmin is listed as an English-speaking lawyer with the British High Commission’s retained list in Dhaka.[7] She is a member of several legal organizations, including the International Bar Association, the Society of the Middle Temple (England), the Asian Society of International Law (AsiaSIL), and the Dhaka Bar Association.[7]

Sharmin is actively engaged in Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) politics.[7][9] She serves as a member of the special assistant to the BNP Chairperson’s Foreign Affairs Advisory Committee.[7] Additionally, she contributes to BNP's Human Rights Committee and Media Cell Committee.[7] In 2023, she was a director of Lysander Tech Limited, based in the United Kingdom.[1]

After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina led Awami League government in August 2024, Sharmin was made a member of the Anti-Corruption Commission Reform Commission of the Muhammad Yunus led interim government.[10] She has represented Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, general secretary of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, in his challenge of the 15th amendment to the Constitution of Bangladesh.[11][12]

Sharmin won the 2026 Bangladeshi general election contesting at the Natore-1 constituency securing 102,726 votes while his nearest opponent Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Abul Kalam Azad got 90,568 votes.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Farzana SHARMIN personal appointments". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Putul: the only elected female MP from Northern Region". BSS. 14 February 2026. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  3. ^ "AL passed it to stay in power for a long time". The Daily Star. 8 November 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  4. ^ "BNP joins writ challenging 15th Amendment, hearing begins Wednesday". Prothomalo. 29 October 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  5. ^ Agencies (24 November 2023). "Bangladesh convicts 98 more opposition activists". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  6. ^ "High Court Verdict Today on Caretaker Government Abolition". rtvonline.com. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Profiles of chair and members of Anti-Corruption Reform Commission". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  8. ^ "BTRC blocks BSS while weeding illegal news sites out". The Daily Star. 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  9. ^ "Rajshahi BNP alleges police excess". The Daily Star. 23 November 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  10. ^ "Govt finalises 5 of 6 reform commissions". The Daily Star. 4 October 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  11. ^ "HC allows Fakhrul, Parwar to intervene in 15th Amendment case". New Age. 30 October 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  12. ^ "BNP joins writ challenging 15th Amendment, hearing begins Wednesday". Prothomalo. 29 October 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2025.