Nahid Islam resigns as interim govt advisor to lead new party

He submitted his resignation to the chief advisor at 2pm, an official at the Chief Advisor’s Office says

Advisor Nahid Islam has resigned from the advisory council of the interim government after joining a new party and officially throwing his hat into the political arena.

Nahid, who had been in charge of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Ministry of Post, Telecommunications, and ICT since the interim government took charge, submitted his resignation at 2pm on Tuesday, confirmed Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources Advisor Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan.

Nahid could not immediately be reached for comment despite several attempts to contact him on the phone.

An official from the Chief Advisor's Office said that Nahid submitted his resignation to Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus at his official residence State Guest House Jamuna at 2pm. Their photographs were also taken at that time.

In his resignation letter, Nahid wrote, "In the current context, I feel that I should be present among the students and the public for the greater good of the country and the nation. Therefore, I feel it is appropriate to resign from my duties."

Nahid is joining a new political party that is being formed by the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and the National Citizens’ Committee. There has been speculation for the past few weeks that he will take on the role of convener of the party.

The convening committee of the new party will be formally announced on Feb 28, with the main leaders of the July uprising that toppled the Awami League government at the forefront.

Nahid was among the leaders of the 36-day movement that ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. At that time, he was one of the coordinators of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement.

From announcing the movement’s programmes to realising its demands, the 26-year-old was seen on the frontlines of the protests day after day. For this, he was even confined in the notorious “Ayna Ghor” detention cells.

Nahid, who completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Department of Sociology at Dhaka University, is nicknamed Fahim. He hails from the South Banasree area of Dhaka’s Khilgaon.

Nahid was the central member secretary of “Gonotantrik Chhatra Shakti”, a group which formed two years ago under the leadership of Akhtar Hossain, former social service secretary of the Dhaka University Central Students Union. Many in the organisation would go on to play key roles in the Anti-discrimination Student Movement.