Morning News
23rd February 1969
Begum Mujib taken by surprise
(By our staff Reporter)
Mrs. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was getting ready to take some food for her husband at the Cantonment at about 1 p.m. A military jeep with some military officers arrived at the residence with Sk. Mujib. Lawyer Zulmat Ali was also in the jeep.
Mrs. Mujib told APP she was taken by surprise to see Sheikh Saheb whom she asked whether the case had been withdrawn. He said, Mrs. Mujib continued, that the case was withdrawn and everybody was released.
Sheikh Saheb was in closed button coat and had a pipe between his lips.
Mrs. Mujib offered her husband cold drink. She said Sheikh was not feeling well.
On Friday night when Mrs. Mujib went to see her husband at the Cantonment at 9-30 she saw him cooking dal.
The son and daughter of Sk. Mujib were present at their residence when their father came in from the Cantonment.
Also present were Begum Akhtar Sulaiman, daughter of late Mr. H. S. Suhrawardy, and her husband Mr. Sulaiman.
Mr. Akhtar Sulaiman and his wife were “most happy” to see the Sheikh released, they told APP.
Begum Akhtar, who came here on Friday night, told APP, “DAC leaders found it necessary ‘o have Sheikh at the roundtable conference and so we came”.
Begum Akhtar said she had told Mrs. Mujib on Friday night that Sheikh would be released and that is why she (Begum Akhtar) had come to Dacca.
HASINA BURST INTO TEARS
Hasina, eldest daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman burst into tears as she could not check her emotion to see her father standing in their house after over three years of detention.
Coming from outside Hasina who was recently married rushed to her father, Sheikh Mujib and embraced him. She tried to speak, but murmured sobbing and sobbing.
Little Rehana, youngest daughter of the Sheikh who was playing in the drawing room with a fellow girl jumped to her father who kissed her. She told APP that “I also exchanged a kiss”. She said, I could not believe as my brother Jamal broke the news “Abba has come”. She is a student of class VII.
University student Hasina told APP that she had been in the lawn of University’s women hall (Rokeya Hall) where she got first news about her father’s release from a bearer. Then come one of her friends with the came news who asked her to rush immediately. Hasina said she hired an auto-rickshaw when the driver confirmed the news saying “I had a handshake with Sheikh Saheb at his residence”. She said that she could not believe the news and thought it was a rumour.
Recalling her dream of February 18 night she said somebody asked her not be worried much. He would be freed on March 3. She said she could not believe the news of her father’s release first as she could not think the dream would be fulfilled so early.
সুত্র: সংবাদপত্রে বঙ্গবন্ধু: পঞ্চম খণ্ড ॥ ষাটের দশক ॥ চতুর্থ পর্ব ॥ ১৯৬৯