Not Mujib, Ziaur Rahman declared independence, say new Bangladesh textbooks

Bangladesh has introduced new textbooks stating that Ziaur Rahman declared the country’s independence in 1971, replacing the previous ones crediting founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with the declaration, according to a media report.

The new textbooks for primary and secondary students have several changes, The Daily Star newspaper said. The textbooks also removed the title “Father of the Nation” for Mujibur Rahman.

The new textbooks for the 2025 academic year will state that “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,” the paper quoted Prof AKM Reazul Hassan, chairman of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board, as saying.

The information has been included in the free textbooks where the matter of the declaration was mentioned, he added.

According to the paper, writer and researcher Rakhal Raha, who was involved in the process of making changes in the textbooks, said they tried to free the textbooks from “exaggerated, imposed history”.

“Those who revised the textbooks found that it wasn’t fact-based information that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman sent the wireless message [declaring independence] while being arrested by the army, and so they decided to remove it.” Earlier, in the textbooks of classes one to 10, the information on who made the Declaration of Independence was changed according to the government in power, the paper said.

It is widely believed among supporters of Awami League that Mujibur Rahman had made the announcement and that Ziaur Rahman, who was an Army major and later a sector commander of the Liberation War, merely read out the declaration upon Mujib’s instructions. Earlier, Bangladesh decided to start the process of erasing the image of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from its currency notes as it phases out the old notes.

The move came after the ouster of his daughter Sheikh Hasina as prime minister on August 5. His statues and murals bearing his image were targeted as his daughter fled to India.

The interim government also cancelled a national holiday on August 15, marking the assassination of Mujibur Rahman.