Tarique tries to be self-deprecating, on heels of AL era of hubris

 BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman on Sunday expressed his satisfaction as the freedom to draw political cartoons has been restored in Bangladesh, in the wake of the increasingly repressive Awami League government‍‍`s fall.

“I am deeply gratified that the freedom to draw political cartoons has been restored in Bangladesh,” he said in a post on his verified Facebook page.

Before 2006, Bangladeshi cartoonists, especially Shishir Bhattacharjee, often drew political cartoons critical of him and his mother, said Tarique Rahman.

“However, over the past 15 years, we have seen cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore being subjected to enforced disappearance, enduring unimaginable torture and imprisonment for his work. Many others have faced similar repression,” he said.

The BNP acting chairman said Shishir Bhattacharjee eventually stopped creating cartoons altogether. Tarique wished to see him return, and revealed his personal favourite in the field.

“I am a fan of cartoonist Mehedi (Haque), and I used to enjoy Shishir Bhattacharjee’s work as well. I sincerely hope that he will soon start creating political cartoons regularly once again,” he added.

Tarique also shared a caricature of himself by Mehedi Haque from his verified Facebook profile.

Netizens on Facebook have since expressed mixed reactions to this appreciation post. However, most have been sharing positive feedback, specifying this as a changing scenario in the country where freedom of speech and press freedom has been long castigated by the Hasina regime.

"I am surprised to see a politician sharing his caricature in Bangladesh, something that I have never seen before," wrote actor, film critic, and educator Syed Nazmus Sakib, sharing Tarique Rahman‍‍`s post.

Purnoy Huq, a singer and musician, wrote: "Tarique Rahman has shared the cartoon. This has been a really smart move from BNP that I have seen in the last 16 years. If people‍‍`s freedom of speech is respected, people‍‍`s opinions about him will undoubtedly shift."

However, many netizens on Facebook have also questioned whether Tarique Rahman would share this if his political party was in power.

Cartoonist Mehedi Haque is a prominent Bangladeshi cartoonist, currently working as the Executive Editor at the satirical magazine Unmad, the publisher of Dhaka Comics and a senior cartoonist at the New Age. His political cartoons and satirical caricatures have been well-praised among netizens over many years.