# Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey

Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey is a Bangladeshi journalist, diplomat, and the current Ambassador of Bangladesh to Mexico, with concurrent accreditation to Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. On October 21, 2024, the head of Bangladesh’s Interim Government, Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, appointed him to a three-year contract as Senior Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Previously, he was a Washington, D.C.-based journalist known for asking questions at the press briefings of the United States Department of State and served as a permanent correspondent at the United Nations headquarters. He was also an assistant press secretary to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and a well-known critic of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

## Early life and education

Ansarey was born in Sylhet District, Bangladesh. He completed his schooling at Rajdhani High School, Dhaka, Bangladesh. He then attended Tejgaon College, Dhaka before enrolling at the University of Dhaka. Later, he pursued higher education at the University of Liverpool.

## Career

From 2001 to 2006, Ansarey was the assistant press secretary to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. He was part of the delegation led by Harris Chowdhury, political secretary to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, that negotiated with Bangladesh Non-government Primary Teachers Association to end their hunger strike in June 2006. The delegation also included Taimur Alam Khandakar and Shamsul Alam, Assistant Private Secretary of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. In October 2006, he was part of the delegation which brought a letter of congratulations to Muhammad Yunus from Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
Ansarey was part of a 2011 delegation let by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia to the United States and United Kingdom in 2011 which also included Abdul Awal Mintoo, Maruf Kamal Khan, Nooruddin Ahmed, Sabiuddin Ahmed, Shafik Rehman, Shimul Biswas, and Shamsher M. Chowdhury. After the tour, the delegation claimed the United States will suspend contributions to Bangladesh under the Millennium Development Accounts until the government resolves its issues with Muhammad Yunus.
Ansarey was an anchor on Bangladesh Television. He was a reporter of The Daily Ittefaq. On 7 February 2010, he conducted a grassroot meeting of Bangladesh Nationalist Party activists in Sylhet District where the coordinator was M Ilyas Ali. He hosted the show Hello Excellency on NTV in which he interviewed foreign diplomats in 2012.
Ansarey went into exile to the United States during the rule of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in January 2015 in face of government oppression.
Ansary is an accredited White House and United Nations correspondent. He is the chief news editor of JustNewsBD. He would raise questions about lack of fair elections in Bangladesh at the State Department. He was criticised in Bangladesh for his questions to State Department spokesman Mathew Miller which started with "Bangladesh PM said US wants to grab Saint Martin". AAMS Arefin Siddique, former vice-chancellor of the University of Dhaka, called it a "textbook case of propaganda peddling". Foreign Hasan Mahmud referred to him as "paid by BNP" and accused him of deliberately leading questions about Bangladesh.
In November 2022, Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime of Bangladesh Police sued Ansarey under the Digital Security Act along with Pinaki Bhattacharya and Mofizur Rahman. The case was shifted to the Dhaka Cyber Tribunal in April 2024.
Ansary is the executive director of South Asia Perspectives while the editor is William Milam, former US ambassador to Bangladesh, and editor at large is Jon F. Danilowicz, former deputy chief of the US embassy in Bangladesh. State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, Shahriar Alam, criticized the South Asia Perspectives describing it as being funded by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. He is also a board member of the Right to Freedom along with William Milam and Jon F. Danilowicz.
Ansarey returned to Bangladesh in September 2024 following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. The pro-Bangladesh Nationalist Party fraction of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists and Dhaka Union of Journalists hosted him at the Jatiya Press Club. He met with former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia after returning to Bangladesh. The Business Post called him "fervent advocate for press freedom and renowned for his fearless journalism".
On October 21, 2024, the head of Bangladesh’s Interim Government, Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, appointed Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey as the Ambassador of Bangladesh to Mexico for a three-year term. Along with his primary role in Mexico, he holds concurrent accreditation in Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. His appointment came with the status of Senior Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reflecting his diplomatic significance in Bangladesh’s interim administration.