Bangladesh liberation war hintory: It will now be written in the new textbooks of Bangladesh that the country’s independence was declared in 1971 not by Sheikh Mujib Rahman, but by Ziaur Rahman. According to The Daily Star, the talk about Sheikh Mujibar being the Father of the Nation has also been removed from the new books. National Curriculum and Textbook Board Chairman Professor A.K.M. Rejul Hasan told that it will be written in the textbooks of 2025 that on March 26, 1971, Ziaur Rahman announced independence and the next day another announcement was made by Bangabandhu.
Ziaur Rahman was the husband of Khaleda Zia, the founder and current head of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Whereas Sheikh Mujib led the Bangladesh Liberation War and gave independence to the country. There has always been a political dispute about who declared the independence of Bangladesh. However, Awami League claims that Sheikh Mujib declared independence. According to BNP, this announcement was made by Ziaur.
Historical evidence of announcement by Mujib
It was during Ziaur’s rule in 1978 that he was described for the first time in official history as having declared independence. After this, with the change of power, there were many amendments in history. Contemporary sources confirm that Sheikh Mujib had declared independence on 26 March 1971. The report of the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) clearly mentions that Sheikh Mujib declared Bangladesh an independent nation on March 26.
Political conflict and consequences
Sheikh Mujib tried to make Bangladesh a secular republic, but he was assassinated in 1975. After this Ziaur took power and removed secularism from the Constitution in 1978. The issue related to independence remains the center of controversy in Bangladesh politics.
changing form of history
In this way, changes in textbooks make it clear that the official history of Bangladesh has been changing depending on the political power. In the new textbooks, Ziaur Rahman was given the credit for the declaration of independence. But contemporary sources credit Sheikh Mujib with the declaration of independence. Such controversies have influenced the history of Bangladesh’s political legacies.
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