Sheikh Abdul Hakim, 'Masud Rana' ghostwriter, passes away

Sheikh Abdul Hakim

Dhaka, Aug 29 - Sheikh Abdul Hakim, ghostwriter of the popular spy thriller series 'Masud Rana', has passed away at the age of 75, after losing his long battle with bronchitis.

The noted writer breathed his last at his Madartek residence in the capital at around 1pm on Saturday, according to his family sources. He suffered from chronic asthma and was hospitalized a few days ago.

His first Namaz-e-janaza was held at the Nandipara Mosque in Madartek after the Maghrib prayer. He was then buried at the Nandipara Graveyard, according to his daughter Apala Hakim.

Sheikh Abdul Hakim was born in 1948 in Hugli, West Bengal. He moved to the then East Pakistan (Bangladesh) with his family in 1952.

During the 60's, he joined the famous publishing house 'Sheba Prakashani' as a professional writer. He has also served as the Assistant Editor office  'Rahashya Patrika', a monthly magazine published from the Sheba Prakashani.

Throughout his career, he has written 271 books of the massively popular 'Masud Rana' series, as its ghostwriter. He also wrote approximately 50 books of the 'Kuasha' series, another popular fiction line-up in the country.

Last year, he filed a lawsuit against noted writer-publisher Qazi Anwar Hussain, claiming the copyright of 260 books of the 'Masud Rana' series. Although the copyright office approved his claim, Qazi Anwar Hussain later filed another lawsuit at the High Court against the decision and the case is currently ongoing.

Apart from being a ghostwriter, Sheikh Abdul Hakim has also translated popular English books into Bengali, most notably the Dan Brown series and 'The Godfather' series, written by Mario Puzo. - UNB