Kabir, also president of the Gonotantri Party, was admitted to Apollo Gleneagles Hospital in the eastern Indian city on November 18, where he died at 4:25pm local time (at 4:55pm BST). He left behind his wife, two sons and a daughter.

Kabir had a brilliant and checkered career as a journalist, politician and business leader to his credit.

Born to a zaminder family in Ghorashal village in Palash upazila in Narsingdi on February 3, 1923, Kabir graduated in economics (Honours) and joined the Reserve Bank of India. Later, he joined as the chief of the East Pakistan Foreign Exchange Department.

Kabir served several banks and insurance companies as a director. He joined the Sangbad as its managing director in 1954. From 1972 to 2001, he served the daily as the editor and became its chief editor in 2001.

In his student life, Kabir was the first elected vice-president of Dhaka University Central Students Union from 1945-46. He was elected to the East Pakistan Legislative Assembly in 1965. In 1979 and 1986, he was elected to the Jatiya Sangsad as independent candidate.

Kabir took part in different international conferences, including of the Commonwealth, FAO, UNCTAD and EEC in the 1970s.

Widely regarded as a progressive politician, Kabir was an organiser of the War of Liberation and arrested by the Pakistan occupation army in 1971.

As the editor of country's one of the oldest dailies, Kabir was the pioneer of freethinking and made invaluable contribution to the nation at its crucial junctures.

Kabir was also the Bangladesh chapter chairman of the Commonwealth Press Union and member of the Governing and Trustee Board of the Bangladesh Independent University.

He was the central member of Pakistan National Awami Party (NAP) and served as its Dhaka district unit president for several years. He established the Gonotantri Party in the 1980s.

The body of Kabir will be brought to Dhaka today if a Biman flight is available, or tomorrow, said a press release.

His wife Laila Rahman Kabir is an industrialist and former president of the Metropolitan Chamber. His eldest son Altamash Kabir is the executive editor of the Sangbad and youngest son Ardashir Kabir is one of the leading businessmen. His only daughter Nihad Kabir is a barrister.

The body would be taken to the city house of the deceased to the Sangbad office to the Jatiya Press Club before burial at his family graveyard at Ghorashal after a namaz-e-janaza at Baitul Mokarram National Mosque.