Osman Ghani Khan was born on January 1, 1923, in Bera Thana of Pabna District in Bangladesh. He was the eldest son of late Mamtazuddin Khan and late Diljan Begum.
Mr. Osman Ghani Khan was a meritorious student all through his academic career. After passing his intermediate examination from Karatia Sa'adat College in Tangail in the year 1940, he obtained his B.A. (Honours) and M.A. degrees in Economics from the Calcutta University in 1943 and 1945 respectively.
After university education, he competed and stood first in the Bengal Civil Service (BCS Executive) Examination in undivided India in the year 1946 and served as Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector in erstwhile Bangal Precedency.
He later competed in the Central Superior Service (CSS) Examination of Pakistan in 1949 and joined the Pakistan Military Accounts Service. He was the senior-most Bengali officer from erstwhile East Pakistan in the combined finance services of then Pakistan. He held many important positions during his long service career with the erstwhile central Government of Pakistan and, subsequently, the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh.
Mr. Khan served as Member (Finance) of the Jute Board under the Ministry of Commerce, Government of Pakistan from 1964 to 1965 and as Member (Administration) of the Jute Board from 1970 to 1972. He also worked as an Economist with the World Bank in Washington D.C., USA from 1965 to1967. He represented the World Bank at an international conference arranged by the FAO/UNCTAD in Geneva in October 1966. He was a participant in the courses for senior-level superior service officials of the Government of Pakistan at the Pakistan Administrative Staff College Lahore (Pakistan) in 1970.
Mr. Khan was appointed as the Defence Secretary in early 1972 soon after the liberation of Bangladesh. Subsequently, he served as Secretary, Implementation Division in the Ministry of Finance and a member of the University Grants Commission from 1973 to 1976, before being selected for appointment to the constitutional post of Comptroller and Auditor General of Bangladesh in 1976. As Comptroller and Auditor General of Bangladesh, Mr. Khan played a crucial role in getting Bangladesh elected by the United Nations General Assembly as a member of the United Nations Board of Auditors from 1980 to 1982. He served as the Chairman and a Member of the United Nations Board of Auditors. Mr. Osman Ghani Khan retired as the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) of Bangladesh in December 1982.
During his distinguished service career, Mr. Osman Ghani Khan participated in many international conferences and seminars in Berlin (1976), Lima (1977), London (1978), Kingston (1981), New Delhi (1979), Vienna (1981), Nairobi (1981), Geneva (1981) and New York. He led delegations to the former USSR and India as Defence Secretary in 1972. He traveled widely to many countries of the world including the USA, UK, Canada, USSR, Italy, France, Kenya, Austria, India, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jamaica, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Singapore, and other countries on official as well as personal visits.
After retirement from government service in 1982, Mr. Osman Ghani Khan contested the elections to the national parliament (Jatiyo Sangsad) held under the caretaker government in 1991. He was elected as a Member of the Fifth Parliament from the Pabna 2 constituency with an overwhelming majority and was appointed as a Minister of State in the Ministry of Establishment.
Mr. Osman Ghani Khan was a prolific writer and has written and published many articles in journals and newspapers on financial and trade-related matters. Many of his articles focused on contemporary issues of national interest such as on reforms, transparency and accountability, budgeting and expenditure control, reducing defense spending, the need for an Ombudsman, etc.
Mr. Khan was keenly interested in development issues and contributed greatly to the development efforts in his home constituency in Pabna. He was also actively involved with social work and contributed to the development of educational and social institutions including schools, colleges, madrasas, religious institutions, sports facilities, library, etc. His mild and amiable personality and thoughtful, considerate and compassionate nature helped him to acquire many friends and admirers.
Mr. Osman Ghani Khan passed away on April 26, 2000, at the age of 77 years.