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Bangladesh alters history: New books to say ‘Ziaur Rahman declared freedom’, not Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
- The Muhammad Yunus-led interim government has decided to revise the delta nation's history textbooks to replace 'Bangabandhu' Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the declarer of independence with Ziaur Rahman, the leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and former president.
Bangladesh News: The Muhammad Yunus-led interim government has decided to revise the delta nation's history textbooks to replace 'Bangabandhu' Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the declarer of independence with Ziaur Rahman, the leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and former president. 'On March 26, 1971, Ziaur Rahman declared the independence of Bangladesh, and on March 27, he made another declaration of independence on behalf of Bangabandhu', a Daily Star report reads.
The new textbooks have also removed Mujib’s title of ‘Father of the Nation’.
According to the Bangladeshi news report, since 2010, following Sheikh Hasina's second term in office, Bangladeshi textbooks have asserted that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared the country's independence through a wireless message just before his arrest by the Pakistan Army on March 26, 1971.
Ziaur Rahman was the founder of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and husband of current BNP chief Khaleda Zia. Mujib, the father of recently deposed Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, led the Bangladesh liberation struggle.
Bangladesh rewriting textbooks on 1971 liberation war
The legacies of Sheikh Mujib and Ziaur Rahman have always been politically contested, and the question of who proclaimed the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan is disputed.
While the Awami League, the party that steered the Bangladesh liberation struggle under Mujib, claims that it was ‘Bangabandhu’ who made the declaration, the BNP credits its founder Ziaur.
This has meant that official history is varied depending on the dispensation in Dhaka.
In 1978, during Ziaur’s reign as the Bangladesh president, official history was changed for the first time to proclaim Ziaur as the person who made the Declaration of Independence.
Since then, official histories have been rewritten multiple times, including most recently after Sheikh Hasina came to power in 2009. In 2010, the third volume of ‘Bangladesh Independence War: Documents’, published in 1978, presenting Ziaur as the proclaimer of independence, was declared null and void by the Bangladesh Supreme Court.
Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power following widespread protests last August, which culminated in her fleeing to India. The Bangladesh National Party (BNP) and other opposition groups now hold significant influence within the interim government, which has initiated a campaign against the legacy of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
A notable incident on August 5 saw protesters vandalising a statue of Mujib in Dhaka, alongside attacks on his former residence, now a memorial established by Hasina in 2001, where he and many of his family members were assassinated during a coup in 1975.
Who was Ziaur Rahman?
Ziaur Rahman was a Bangladeshi military officer and politician who served as the sixth President of Bangladesh from 1977 until his assassination in 1981.
Key Takeaways
- Historical narratives in Bangladesh are deeply influenced by political power dynamics.
- The revision of textbooks highlights ongoing disputes over national identity and legacy.
- Changes in education policy can reflect broader societal tensions and shifts in governance.
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Business NewsNewsWorldBangladesh alters history: New books to say ‘Ziaur Rahman declared freedom’, not Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
First Published:2 Jan 2025, 02:40 PM IST
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