Who Is Sheikh Rehana? Bangladeshi Politician And Daughter Of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

The Bangladeshi Politician Sheikh Rehana has received the Gandhi Peace Prize 2020 which was conferred to Sheikh Mujibar Rahman. The prize was given by PM Narendra Modi. Sheikh Rehana accepted the award on behalf of her father. Further PM Modi described his participation in the freedom struggle of Bangladesh.

Sheikh Rehana is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of the nation of Bangladesh. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was also the first President of Bangladesh. He was also named 'Bangabandhu' which means 'Friend of Bengal' by the people of Bangladesh.

Here's what you should know about Sheikh Rehana :

• Sheikh Rehana is the younger sister of the current Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina.
• She faced a house arrest along with her family imposed by the Pakistani Army during the Liberation War.
• Sheikh Rehana married Shafiq Ahmed, retired professor of the Department of Accounting & Information Systems, Faculty of Business Studies (FBS), University of Dhaka.
• Her daughter, Tulip Rizwana Siddiq is the current Member of Parliament (MP) for Hampstead and Kilburn since 2015.
• Sheikh Rehana along with her sister were the only ones to survive, as they were in Belgium while her family was assassinated in a military coup.
• In 2015 she and her children were given lifelong protection by the government of Bangladesh through the Special Security Forces. Sheikh Rahana also has benefits like free utility for life for her and her family.

Sheikh Rehana was handed the prize by PM Modi. He said, "It is a matter of pride for Indians that we got the opportunity to honour Sheikh Mujibar Rahman with Gandhi Peace Prize. On behalf of all Indians, I extend my heartiest congratulations to all of you. "

Dhaka: Sheikh Rehana, the younger daughter of Bangladesh's Father of Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, receives Gandhi Peace Prize 2020 which has been conferred upon him posthumously (ANI) pic.twitter.com/ICm6pzT9Yb

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 26, 2021

PM Modi also mentioned that one of the first movements he participated in was for the independence of Bangladesh. He said, " I must have been 20-22 years old when I and many of my colleagues had done Satyagraha for the freedom of the people of Bangladesh. I even had the opportunity to go to jail during this Satyagraha for Bangladesh's struggle for freedom."

To this, the government of Bangladesh released a statement that read, " The award is also a befitting tribute to the ever-deepening Bangladesh-India relations in a year when both countries are jointly celebrating the Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh's Independence."

Talking about the current Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina is the older sister of Sheikh Rehana. Sheikh Hasina was also listed as one of the most powerful women in the world by Forbes twice. Once in 2018, she was ranked 26th. Hasina is also considered as one of the 'top 100 Global Thinkers' of the decade. While Sheikh Hasina is the current leader of the Bangladesh Awami League, Sheikh Rehana is also an active member.