PM brings smile to boy who lost sister

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday brought a moment of joy to Tahsin Abdullah, the young boy who lost his elder sister in the tragic fighter jet crash at Milestone School in Uttara, by inviting him to his office at the Secretariat for a special meeting.


Additional Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Atikur Rahman Ruman said the Prime Minister invited Tahsin after seeing a widely circulated photograph of the boy on social media.

The photograph, taken on July 27 during the closing ceremony of the Notun Kuri Sports event at the Bangladesh Army Stadium, showed Tahsin, dressed in his school uniform, smiling and stretching out both hands towards the Prime Minister from among thousands of children in the gallery. 

The image later drew widespread attention after it emerged that Tahsin had lost his elder sister, Tasmiya, in the devastating Milestone aircraft accident.

According to Ruman, Member Secretary of Amra BNP Paribar Mokshedul Momin Mithun accompanied Tahsin and his father, Nazmul Haque, to the Prime Minister's Office on Wednesday morning.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister spent time talking with Tahsin about his studies, hobbies and future aspirations. He presented the boy with a drone set, a basketball and a football bearing his signature. Tahsin also collected the Prime Minister's autograph on the basketball as a keepsake.

When Tahsin said he wanted to become a successful businessman and contribute to society in the future, the Prime Minister encouraged him to concentrate on his studies, take part in sports regularly and work hard to achieve his goals.

Tahsin's father recalled that both of his children had been at Milestone School on the day of the tragedy but were in separate buildings. The fighter jet crashed into the building where his elder daughter, Tasmiya, was present.

After hearing the explosion, Tahsin rushed in search of his sister and waited with saline and water in the hope of helping her. But he never had the chance to see her return.

Nazmul Haque said his son had not been able to smile as freely as before since losing his sister.

After the meeting, an emotional Tahsin said: "Today is a very happy day for me. I never imagined that I would get the opportunity to meet the Prime Minister. He spoke to me like a member of his own family. I was not nervous at all."

He also said he had the opportunity to visit the Prime Minister's Office and take a selfie with the Prime Minister using his father's mobile phone.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman expressed deep sympathy and solidarity with the family of the child who lost her life in the Milestone accident.

The meeting was attended by Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Ruman, Private Secretary-2 Md Mehedul Islam, Assistant Private Secretary-2 Abdur Rahman Sani, Prime Minister's Office physician Dr Shah Mohammad Aman Ullah, Deputy Press Secretary Zahidul Islam Rony and Amra BNP Paribar Member Secretary Mokshedul Momin Mithun.