Mahbuba Hakim’s Affidavit Lists LLM, Barrister-at-Law Amid Qualification Discrepancy

A technical and clerical error has come to light in the election affidavit of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis lawmaker Mahbuba Hakim, who was elected to a reserved women’s seat in the 13th National Parliament, after her educational qualifications were listed as “LL.M, Barrister-at-Law” in the affidavit on September 19, 2026 (Saturday).

The issue came to light following a report published by an online media outlet on September 17. The deadline for submitting nomination papers for the reserved women’s seats was April 21, while Mahbuba Hakim signed the affidavit on April 19. Information published on the party’s website the following day, April 20, listed her educational qualification as a bachelor’s degree in Textile Engineering from Bangladesh University of Textiles (BUTEX).

Although “Barrister-at-Law” was listed as her highest educational qualification in the affidavit, there is no record of any such degree in the party’s documents. After being elected as a lawmaker, she has identified herself as a textile engineer in various statements and on her verified social media accounts.

On August 15, the Institution of Textile Engineers and Technologists (ITET) appointed her as an honorary patron. Earlier, on May 20, the BUTEX administration honored her, and she had also participated in a press conference held on March 24, 2005, demanding that the institution be upgraded to a university.

Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Amir Maulana Mamunul Haque said, “The information provided in the affidavit was not an intentional falsehood; rather, the confusion arose from an inadvertent mechanical or typographical error while preparing the document.”

According to the party’s explanation, the discrepancy occurred because information from an earlier document was copied and pasted while working with a predetermined digital format.

Mahbuba Hakim said the error occurred due to a clerical mistake when the form was prepared by responsible party officials. She said that since her original BSc Engineering certificate had been submitted, the Election Commission may have crossed out that portion with a pen during the verification process.

Claiming that the issue was raised after such a long period with the intention of damaging her social reputation and causing her mental distress, she said there had been no pressure from the ruling party and that, as an engineer from BUTEX, there was no logical reason for her to falsely claim any other identity.

//DBTech/DSO/MI/SI/OR//