Ahmad Istiak

Dhanmondi 32: An epicentre of independence struggle

House 677, Road 32 (old), Dhanmondi, Dhaka. A seemingly ordinary two-storey house. 

3m ago

The dying art of Qasida

This is a loose translation of a melodious Urdu poem that once used to reverberate through the empty lanes of old Dhaka deep into the Ramadan night.

7m ago

Chronicling Bangladesh’s Birth: The final push

After president Ayub Khan was forced to resign in the face of the 1969 mass uprising, General Yahya Khan assumed office on March 25. He immediately moved to consolidate his power by dissolving both national and provincial assemblies, effectively scrapping the constitution, and declaring martial law across Pakistan.

7m ago

Chronicling Bangladesh’s birth: Tumultuous 1960s

In the early 1960s, another covert group codenamed “Nucleus” emerged in the scene to further the cause of an independent Bangladesh alongside the Inner Group, East Bengal Liberation Front, and Apurba Sangsad.

7m ago

Inner Group: the first push for liberation

The 1940s witnessed the rise of some of the first movements for self-determination in East Pakistan. Politicians, journalists, and intellectuals like Moazzem Ahmed Chowdhury, Abdul Aziz Bagmar, Sirajul Alam Khan, and many others played a pivotal role in these early struggles for liberation.

7m ago

Series genocide in 1971: Three times a survivor

It is difficult for 68-year-old Shikha Biswas to decide if she is fortunate or not.

11m ago

Battles that quickened victory

Undeterred by setbacks, the freedom fighters held their nerve, and their resolute spirit fuelled the fight to liberate Bangladesh

11m ago

Slow pace, irregularities mark monument construction

Since its inception in 2001, the Liberation War affairs ministry has taken up two projects to identify and preserve killing fields in different parts of Bangladesh, but both initiatives have been marred by irregularities and slow pace.

11m ago
August 15, 2024
August 15, 2024

Dhanmondi 32: An epicentre of independence struggle

House 677, Road 32 (old), Dhanmondi, Dhaka. A seemingly ordinary two-storey house. 

March 30, 2024
March 30, 2024

The dying art of Qasida

This is a loose translation of a melodious Urdu poem that once used to reverberate through the empty lanes of old Dhaka deep into the Ramadan night.

March 27, 2024
March 27, 2024

Chronicling Bangladesh’s Birth: The final push

After president Ayub Khan was forced to resign in the face of the 1969 mass uprising, General Yahya Khan assumed office on March 25. He immediately moved to consolidate his power by dissolving both national and provincial assemblies, effectively scrapping the constitution, and declaring martial law across Pakistan.

March 26, 2024
March 26, 2024

Chronicling Bangladesh’s birth: Tumultuous 1960s

In the early 1960s, another covert group codenamed “Nucleus” emerged in the scene to further the cause of an independent Bangladesh alongside the Inner Group, East Bengal Liberation Front, and Apurba Sangsad.

March 25, 2024
March 25, 2024

Inner Group: the first push for liberation

The 1940s witnessed the rise of some of the first movements for self-determination in East Pakistan. Politicians, journalists, and intellectuals like Moazzem Ahmed Chowdhury, Abdul Aziz Bagmar, Sirajul Alam Khan, and many others played a pivotal role in these early struggles for liberation.

December 17, 2023
December 17, 2023

Series genocide in 1971: Three times a survivor

It is difficult for 68-year-old Shikha Biswas to decide if she is fortunate or not.

December 16, 2023
December 16, 2023

Battles that quickened victory

Undeterred by setbacks, the freedom fighters held their nerve, and their resolute spirit fuelled the fight to liberate Bangladesh

December 15, 2023
December 15, 2023

1971 War Killing Fields: Revered but not preserved

An unceremonious monument covered by bushes on three sides is barely visible from the adjacent road. At first sight during our visit in October, it was difficult to make out that the small structure is in fact the memorial of the notorious Pahartoli killing field.

December 15, 2023
December 15, 2023

Slow pace, irregularities mark monument construction

Since its inception in 2001, the Liberation War affairs ministry has taken up two projects to identify and preserve killing fields in different parts of Bangladesh, but both initiatives have been marred by irregularities and slow pace.

December 14, 2023
December 14, 2023

Martyred Intellectuals Day: In search of the forgotten killing fields

“Every night, the Pakistan army and their Bihari collaborators would bring truckloads of people on that bridge,”