Rashid Haider

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PM Hasina condoles the demise of eminent Liberation War researcher Rashid Haider

He breathed his last at his residence on Fuller Road in Dhaka University at around 10 am on Tuesday.

He was 79 years old.

He had been suffering from aging complications for some time.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed deep grief over his death.

In a condolence message on Tuesday, he said Rashid Haider will be remembered for his research work on the great liberation war and his contribution to Bengali literature.

The Prime Minister prayed for the forgiveness of the soul of the late and conveyed his deepest condolences to the bereaved family members.

Rashid Haider is survived by his two daughters Hema (Hemanti Haider) and Kshma (Shayanti Haider).

His wife Anisa Akhtar (Jhara) died in 2019.

His body will be buried at Azimpur Cemetery after Johar today after Janazah prayers at the Central Jame Mosque of Dhaka University, said Shayanti Haider.

Rashid Haider has written more than 70 books including stories, novels, plays, translations, articles, memoirs and editing.

He has been awarded various prizes including Bangla Academy Award (1984), Ekushey Padak (2014), Humayun Qadir Award, Agrani Bank.

Rashid Haider was born on 15 July 1941 in the village of Dohapara in Pabna.

Although known as Rashid Haider, his full name is Sheikh Faisal Abdur Rashid Mohammad Ziauddin Haider. Nickname is Dulal.

He obtained his secondary degree from Gopalganj Institution in 1959, his higher secondary from Pabna Edward College in 1961 and his post-graduate degree in Bengali literature from Dhaka University in 1965.

Encouraged by his elder brother Zia Haider, he started working for Chitrali as a university student.

In 1964, he started working as an assistant editor of Parikram, a spokesman for the Pakistan Writers Guild.

He started working in Bangla Academy in 1982 and retired from the post of Director of Bangla Academy in 1999.

Later he was the executive director of the Nazrul Institute.