Dhaka, Nov. 21 -- Matiul Islam, a former finance secretary in the 1970s, has died at the age of 95, his family has said.

His daughter, Nadia Munaim, confirmed his death on Thursday.

Born on Jan 24, 1930, Matiul served as Bangladesh's envoy to the World Bank for eight years and to the United Nations for 11 years.

He also ventured into business, founding four companies and serving as chairman of Industrial and Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IIDFC), a Bangladeshi financial services firm.

Matiul, who began his career with Pakistan Civil Service in 1952, was appointed the first finance secretary of Bangladesh in 1972 and was assigned the daunting job of rebuilding the shambolic financial sector following the Liberation War.

H...