Former MP and journalist Shafiqul Rahman passes away

Muhammad Shafiqul Rahman, a former member of parliament for Chandpur-4 (Faridganj), former president of the National Press Club and a freedom fighter, has died at the age of 77.

He breathed his last at his residence in Dhaka around 2.30pm on Saturday, October 24.

According to his family, Rahman fell in the bathroom of his home around noon and sustained serious injuries. He was rushed to Evercare Hospital in the capital, where doctors on duty declared him dead.

Rahman’s ancestral home was in Balithuba village in Faridganj upazila of Chandpur district. He was born on September 25, 1949, to Moulvi Abdul Hamid and Ayesha Khatun.

He completed his Kamil degree at Faridganj Majidia Kamil Madrasa before studying at Chandpur Government College and obtaining a master’s degree from the University of Dhaka.

Rahman became involved in politics and social movements during his student years, joining the Bangladesh Chhatra League in 1965. He actively participated in the mass uprising of 1969 and the Liberation War of 1971, in which he fought as a freedom fighter.

He pursued higher studies in journalism in the United Kingdom and Japan. While studying at the University of Dhaka, he began his journalism career as the university correspondent for the daily Ittefaq.

After Bangladesh’s independence, he joined Ittefaq and served in various positions for 32 years. Following his retirement in 2002, he became known to readers as an independent columnist, regularly writing for several national newspapers.

He served two consecutive terms as president of the National Press Club, from 2015 to 2018. He was also chairman and editor-in-chief of the private television channel Citizen Television.

A member of the Awami League, Rahman was elected to parliament from Chandpur-4 for the first time in the 2018 general election and returned to parliament in the 2024 election.

In 2021, he was appointed a presidium member of the central executive committee of the Bangabandhu Parishad.

He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter, as well as numerous colleagues, friends and admirers.