Student leader Mahfuz didn’t 'come out of nowhere', says Farhad Mazhar

He takes to Facebook to share his views on Mahfuz, widely viewed as the mastermind behind the student-led uprising that toppled the Awami League government

A combo photo showing Special Assistant to the Chief Advisor Mahfuz Alam (left) and poet Farhad Mazhar (right).

Poet and thinker Farhad Mazhar believes Mahfuz Alam, special assistant to the chief advisor and widely regarded as the mastermind behind the student-led protests that led to the ouster of the Awami League government, did not suddenly "spring from the ground".

“If any of you think Mahfuz Alam is alone, then you'd be making a grave mistake," Farhad said in a Facebook post on Saturday.

"Those of us who are with him will continue to support him because Mahfuz did not suddenly spring from the ground. The young people have emerged amid societal strife. They are the future. Know the society, know Mahfuz. It takes decades for a society to find a Mahfuz, Akhter, Nahid, Asif, Nusrat, Akram, Arif, Jahid, Tushar, Umama, Hasnat, Sarjis, Nazifa, Abu Baker, Tariqul, and Sanjana.”

Advising against ‘bad-mouthing’ the student leaders, Farhad added: “Those of us who talk about the present while looking ahead, we know that we will get the results of the leap in mentality the youth have forged. Bangladesh won’t look back. Be sure of it. Our job is to stand by them and point out the mistakes caused by their lack of experience to ensure their emergence as a more cohesive political force. None of us are angels.”

He continued: “As a political group, we must stand tall in the global assembly. This is not an easy task in geopolitics and the new liberal capitalist system. But Bangladesh is ready. There will be more difficult battles ahead.”