Staff Reporter :Speakers at a civic memorial meeting on veteran journalist Sadeq Khan at the Jatiya Press Club yesterday said the vacuum that he left behind can’t be so easily filled up in our national life. Sadeq Khan Citizen Memorial Committee organized the event with its Convener and former secretary Mohammad Muniruzzaman in the chair. The speakers said he lived a colourful life from a young Communist Party worker and leader to a film maker, art critique and political columnist. As a thinker-philosopher he fought for the people while his writings always highlighted anxieties for the country’s independence and sovereignty. Sadeq Khan was a true humanist and his ideas and writings highlighted liberalism in all shades. He was a successful businessman at one point of time but suddenly left it to join Liberation War and engaged in mobilizing support for it abroad. Former Adviser to the Caretaker Government Barrister Mainul Hosein, former finance minister M Saiduzzaman, former FBCCI president Abdul Awal Mintu, leader of the organizing committee Delwar Hossain, Daily New Age publisher and Sadek Khan’s younger brother ASM Shahidullah Khan and Journalist Rita Rahman, among others, spoke on the occasion. Barrister Mainul Hosein said, Sadeq Khan was a man with many talents. He believed in responsible and objective journalism. As a man he was one of the most amiable and decent persons. One could disagree with him in a gentleman like way.Khan was always optimistic about the better days for Bangladesh because of his faith in the younger generation. He used to assure me to say that the young ones are preparing themselves.Abdul Awal Mintu said that Sadeq Khan always thought about the development of the nation. He always wanted people’s welfare. The Weekly Holiday in which he was the contributory editor rightly epitomized his life long struggle as a “Battle for Bangladesh”. Rita Rahman said that Sadeq Khan was a very creative person. Shahidullah Khan recalled the memory of his eldest brother saying he was always accommodative to diversity of opinion at family to state level and he was a patron to the family as a big tree. Indeed, he was a big tree to many in national life.Engineer ANM Akhtar, film maker Md Hafizuddin, Dr Rashed Al-Mamun Titumir, Mahbubur Rahman, Rafiqul Islam and Md Shah Qureshi also spoke on the occasion.
