Published: 11:45 PM, 15 September 2026
Habildar Who Defied Field Marshals: How a Torn Portrait Reawakened Bangladesh’s Founding Spirit
Khalid Ibrahim
A fierce nationwide outcry has erupted over the display of Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s portrait—Pakistan’s first Governor-General inside the archives of the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU). Desperate attempts by Jamaat-e-Islami and its affiliates to justify Jinnah’s place on campus walls backfired entirely, dealing a heavy blow to their public credibility while prompting swift administrative and government intervention. The controversy reached its boiling point on Monday, September 14, when Abu Taher Md. Habildar, an Urdu department student, took matters into his own hands and pulled down the portrait.
The dramatic act immediately captured the nation's focus: Who is Abu Taher, and what drove him to launch such an uncompromising crusade against Jinnah’s image? University records show Abu Taher enrolled in the Urdu Department during the 2001–02 sessions. Though over two decades have passed, his academic journey remains unfinished as he pursues his fourth year. Following the historic July 2024 Mass Uprising, he successfully petitioned for reinstatement and later re-entered the spotlight as a candidate for Vice President in the 2025 DUCSU elections the senior-most contender in the race. Clarifying his actions, Abu Taher stated with conviction: "It is utterly unacceptable to honor Jinnah here, the man who sought to strip away our mother tongue. His hostile stance in the history of our Language Movement must be laid bare." He recalled how Jinnah refused state status for Bengali shortly after Pakistan’s creation, attempting to forcibly impose Urdu on the majority.
"An audacious attempt was made inside DUCSU to glorify someone who denied our people's language," Abu Taher asserted. "I mounted a modest protest against this distortion of history." He added that Dhaka University remains a sanctuary forged in sacrifice: "Our students and faculty shed blood in the Language Movement, the 1971 Liberation War, and every democratic struggle since. Presenting history in DUCSU requires uncompromising truth and sensitivity." In today’s Bangladesh, citizens overwhelmingly reject surreptitious efforts to rehabilitate a pro-Pakistani mindset into public governance. Just as post-Hasina retaliatory attacks damaged monuments linked to 1971 and amidst the turmoil under Dr. Yunus’s interim administration, where fringe groups even plotted to alter the national flag, anthem, and country's name the installation of Jinnah’s portrait was a calculated attempt to sanitize the narrative of independence for a new generation.
From undermining women's autonomy and dismantling cultural traditions to stoking anti-India rhetoric and recasting 1971’s historic 'Pindi vs. Dhaka' dynamic into 'Delhi vs. Dhaka'... even to the unprecedented moment when Pakistani generals, in an official press conference, labeled Sheikh Mujibur Rahman a 'traitor' while drawing comparisons to Imran Khan—the overarching picture reveals a systematic campaign targeting the legacy of 1971. Yet, local collaborators overlooked a critical strategic flaw: Pakistan’s bankrupt economy presents an insurmountable barrier to their goals.
With independence movements burning across Balochistan covering nearly half of Pakistan’s territory, its foreign policy remains bound to external dependencies. Decades of military ambition have turned into a curse for ordinary Pakistani citizens under economic collapse. Bangladesh averted this crisis through the decisive election victory of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), an organization rooted in the legacy of 1971.
The history of Bangladesh is defined by a deep, unbreakable spirit forged through supreme sacrifice, where cultural identity sparked a heroic struggle for absolute sovereignty.
The glorious Language Movement of 1952 laid the vital foundation for Bengali nationalism when brave youths, university students and common citizens took to the streets of Dhaka on February 21 to defend their mother tongue, Bangla. Confronting bullets with unwavering resolve, martyrs like Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar and Shafiur spilt their blood, creating a historically unique legacy where a nation sacrificed lives simply to secure the dignity of its native speech. This sublime sacrifice transformed a linguistic right into an irrepressible consciousness, instilling the courage to challenge decades of political, economic and cultural oppression imposed by the Pakistani ruling regime.
Nineteen years later, that very spirit of resistance reached its ultimate fruition in the 1971 Liberation War. Following the horrific genocide unleashed under Operation Searchlight on March 25, the call for independence ignited a fierce, unyielding response across the entire land. The freedom fighters embodied unmatched gallantry and selflessness. Farmers, students, workers, women, and military officers united into an indomitable force, fighting guerrilla warfare across rivers, swamps and treacherous terrains against a heavily armed occupational army. Supported wholeheartedly by the civilian population, these heroic sons and daughters endured immense atrocities, displaying extraordinary valor in strategic battles from Sector to Sector. Their extraordinary heroism paid the ultimate price, as three million martyrs laid down their lives and hundreds of thousands of women suffered brutal dishonor.
On December 16, 1971, the formidable bravery of the freedom fighters achieved an epoch-making victory, birthing an independent Bangladesh on the world map. From the blood-soaked streets of 1952 to the battlefield glory of 1971, the journey of Bangladesh remains an eternal testament to the power of human dignity, self-determination and patriotic courage.
In this context, Tarique Rahman’s political triumph stands as a historic milestone alongside Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s landmark 1970 mandate, effectively closing the door on any return to a 'Pakistan 2.0.' Though long overlooked within his own university, Abu Taher Habildar demonstrated that moral clarity outweighs institutional power. By tearing down and trampling Jinnah’s portrait, he proved that despite carrying 'Habildar' (sergeant) in his name, he possessed the resolve to floor Field Marshals from Ayub Khan to Asim Munir. His act of defiance has resonated across the country, uniting voices behind Abdul Latif’s immortal refrain: "Ora amar mukher bhasha kaira nite chay..." ("They want to snatch the language of our mouths...!")
Bangladesh stands strong in the middle of all adversities never bending down its head.
Khalid Ibrahim is a freelancer
and a columnist.
