Nahid Islam’s Statement on Bangabandhu | Government does not consider Bangabandhu the Father of the Nation: Nahid Islam

Nahid Islam, advisor to the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, said today that the interim government does not recognize Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the Father of the Nation.

“Bangabandhu was controversial for the Awami League,” he said in response to a question from journalists at the Secretariat.

When asked whether he personally considers Bangabandhu the Father of the Nation, Nahid replied: “The Awami League maintained power in a fascist manner. They remained in power by suppressing people’s voting rights, through enforced disappearances, assassinations and even genocide. Therefore, whatever they declared – whether calling someone the Father of the Nation or designating a national day – such continuities will not remain in the new Bangladesh.”

He added that the government wants to rebuild Bangladesh in a new way, which requires bringing a new perspective to history.

When asked whether the government considers anything done by the Awami League to be of national importance, the advisor responded: “A government without a mandate has no legitimacy. Many actions were taken during this period, but they will all be restructured and reevaluated.”

In response to a question on whether the current interim government considers Bangabandhu the Father of the Nation, he replied: “Certainly not”.

He further explained, “If we did, we would not have a Father of the Nation. Many people have contributed to the struggles of this land. Our history did not just begin in 1952. We have the anti-British struggle, the movements of 1947 and 1971, as well as the from 1990 to 2024. We have many founding fathers. It was through their struggles that we achieved independence.

The information advisor also commented on the cancellation of some national days, saying, “The canceled national days were imposed by the Awami League. This was fascist behavior. The government considers them unimportant, which is why they are being cancelled.”

He added that a new national day could be established to commemorate the mass uprisings.