United News of Bangladesh

BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman’s daughter Zaima Rahman on Sunday said Bangladesh cannot afford to sideline half its population through exhaustion and social expectation if the country wants real progress. “For a country facing climate change, economic and political transitions, and demographic pressure, Bangladesh cannot afford to sideline half its population through exhaustion and social expectation,” she said while speaking at a dialogue. Zaima said when women are included rather than sidelined, they transform not only their own lives but also the future of their families and the nation. She said real progress and sustainable national development require that women’s empowerment goes beyond classrooms, offices, or policies. “It must reach our homes, our institutions, and our mindsets, and it must be the responsibility of all of us.” The dialogue, titled ‘Women Shaping the Nation: Policy, Possibility, and Future of Bangladesh’, was organised by Dhaka Forum at the Krishibid Institution Bangladesh (KIB) auditorium. Drawing on her personal experience, Zaima highlighted the role of her family in shaping her understanding of women’s potential, and stressed the crucial role of men, particularly fathers, in breaking the cycle of gender inequality. Zaima said she had never been made to feel that her parents wished for a son instead and recalled that her father had once scolded someone for even asking such a question. She noted that while she was treated with respect and care at home, her father understood that the world outside would not always be the same, and he ensured she could navigate it with confidence. She explained that his example was not in speeches but in consistent actions, which showed her what she should expect from the world. Zaima also said this is how real and lasting change can be achieved, and when men confront unconscious bias in their homes and lives and model respect and fairness, they create space for women not only to survive but to thrive. She also spoke about her mother, a cardiologist, who excelled professionally in often patriarchal environments while raising a family, supported by her household. Zaima highlighted her maternal grandmother Syeda Iqbal Mand Banu who in 1979 started a free elementary school for disadvantaged children in her home—a small act that grew into one of Bangladesh’s earliest NGOs, Surovi, transforming countless young lives. She said her grandparents instilled the belief that women’s dignity must be recognised both privately and publicly.