MP demands state recognition of PM, brother as 'child freedom fighters'

A ruling party lawmaker on Wednesday demanded that Prime Minister (PM) Tarique Rahman and his late brother Arafat Rahman Koko be officially recognized as "child freedom fighters" for enduring nine months of captivity under Pakistani forces during the 1971 Liberation War alongside their mother Khaleda Zia.

Gazipur-1 MP Mujibur Rahman made the demand while participating in the debate on the President's address during the national parliament session presided over by Speaker Major (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram.

He also called for full recognition of the late former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia as a freedom fighter in honor of her sacrifice during the war.

"Our beloved leader Khaleda Zia was held captive by the Pakistani occupation forces in 1971 along with her two children. The current Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and his younger brother Arafat Rahman Koko endured those indescribable days of suffering in captivity with their mother. This is not political flattery but a historical truth," Mujibur Rahman told the House.

The lawmaker said the family's extraordinary patience and patriotism during the nine-month captivity was a rare example in history and deserved formal acknowledgment from the state. 

"Khaleda Zia must be given full recognition as a freedom fighter for her contribution. At the same time, granting state honor to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and his brother as child freedom fighters for surviving nine months of captivity is a demand of the times," he said, adding that he had raised this issue in political speeches even before the elections.

Mujibur Rahman said ordinary citizens took to the streets inspired by Tarique Rahman's vision and patriotic call, believing that proper recognition of every sacrifice in history is essential for building a discrimination-free nation.

Paying tribute to the late Arafat Rahman Koko, who passed away in 2015 in Malaysia, the MP said he was systematically pushed toward death. "From being a captive on the battlefield as a child to becoming a victim of political vendetta in later life, every chapter of his life was filled with sorrow," he said.