Dainik Azadi

We recall with regards the founder editor-publisher of The Daily Azadi, Al-haj Muhammed Abdul Khaleque Engineer (1898-1962), a dedicated and far-sighted creative genius, commonly known as 'Engineer Shahib'. Born in a cultured and prestigious family of the village of Sultanpur under Raozan p.s. of the district Chittagong in Bangladesh. He obtained his Engineering Degree in 1919 from Jadabpur Engineering College, Kolkata and started his career as a Govt. Officer. He made noteworthy contribution in the electrification of the port City of Chittagong as the Chief of the Chittagong Electric Supply Co. from 1920 to 1932. He was the first engineer among the Muslims of Chittagong. But the safe life of a Government Officer could not satisfy his creative genius. He trod a struggle some life and established a printing press named 'Kohinoor Electric Press', the first one of its kind in Chittagong. This printing press witnessed the publication not only ample of precious books but also the 'Weekly Kohinoor' in 1952 under his editorship.

The first poetry on the historical Bengali Language Movement entitled 'kandte ashini, fanshir daabi niey eshechi- I have come not to weep but to demand hanging of...' hadfirst been printed from this press. The Daily Azadi came out from this press on 5th Sept, 1960. Editor-publisher Engineer Muhammed Abdul Khaleque boldly and successfully steered this humble newspaper against multifarious odds, pressure and intimidation. After his immature demise, this Daily ran under the Editorship of Prof. Muhammed Khaled (1922-2003), a revered political personality, honourable Member of Parliament and one of the constitution-makers of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh. History of Bangladesh embraced this Daily as her dependable companion in all the democratic movements as well as national liberation struggle. The Daily Azadi played a risky historical role against the then Pakistani autocrat General Ayub Khan, in widely known peoples-upsurge of 1969, as well as in the turmoil some period of 1970 election and liberation war in the year of 1971. The Daily Azadi was the first of its kind published as daily since the emergence of independent and sovereign Bangladesh.