Saquib Rahman

Saquib Rahman is a Bangladeshi lawyer, academic, political commentator, and activist. He gained significant public attention for his long-standing advocacy for justice for the victims of the 2009 Bangladesh Rifles revolt, during which his father, Colonel Quadrat Elahi Rahman Shafique, was killed.^[1][2][3] Rahman currently serves as a senior lecturer of Law at North South University and is the editor of Progress Magazine.^[4][5]

Rahman was born to Colonel Quadrat Elahi Rahman Shafique, and celebrity chef and television personality, Lobbi Rahman.^[6][7] He is related to prominent political figures in Bangladesh, being the grand-nephew of former Bangladeshi military dictator H. M. Ershad and politician G. M. Quader.^[8]

When he was 18 years old and studying bachelor's, he lost his father during the 2009 Bangladesh Rifles revolt.^[9][10] Rahman would later go on to pursue a career in Law. He completed his LL.B. from Brac University, a Master of Social Sciences (MSS) in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Dhaka, and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in International Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom.^[11][12]

A significant portion of Rahman's public profile involves his advocacy for justice regarding the Pilkhana massacre.^[13] He has heavily criticized the original governmental probes into the mutiny and has publicly accused former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League government of being complicit in the massacre.^[14][15][16]

Acting as a spokesperson for the victims' families, Rahman has headed multiple press conferences demanding transparency.^[17] He has demanded the publication of the original 2009 independent investigation report and expects the new BDR Commission to investigate the roles of negligent army officers and foreign intelligence entities.^[18][19] Following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina during the July Uprising, Rahman became a primary complainant at the International Criminal Tribunal (ICT).^[20] He sought to prosecute Sheikh Hasina and other prominent Awami League leaders under the legal "Doctrine of Command Responsibility".^[21]

Rahman has also continuously requested state security for the victims' families, noting that they have been the target of persistent threats for their advocacy and efforts to uncover the masterminds of the mutiny.^[22][23][24]

Rahman began his academic career as a lecturer at the University of Asia Pacific before joining North South University (NSU) in the Spring of 2017. He was promoted to Senior Lecturer at the Department of Law in the Fall of 2020. He also acts as the Business Law Programs Coordinator for the department.^[25]

Outside of the classroom, Rahman is the Editor of Progress Magazine, an online platform focusing on political and legal discourse.^[26][27] As a regular columnist, his writings in national dailies frequently focus on labor laws, national security, democratic governance, and geopolitics.^[28]

Rahman briefly entered formal politics, serving as the International Affairs Secretary in the Jatiya Party under his grand-uncle G. M. Quader. He officially announced his disassociation from the party in April 2023.^[29]

In an explosive 2025 Op-Ed published in Netra News, Rahman detailed that his expulsion from the party was the direct result of foreign interference by the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.^[30] Rahman revealed that after being photographed at a social dinner hosted by the Pakistani High Commissioner in May 2022, an Indian diplomat named Animesh sent a threatening text message to G. M. Quader. Rahman stated that this intervention forced Quader to remove him from his position and cancel his party membership to appease New Delhi.^[31] Rahman subsequently wrote several articles criticizing the Jatiya Party's allegiance to India, analyzing the broader hegemonic grip of the Indian state over Bangladeshi politics.^[32][33]

During the July Uprising in 2024, which ultimately led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, Rahman actively protested alongside his academic peers. On July 30, 2024, he participated in a rally organized by North South University teachers demanding an end to the arrest and harassment of student protesters, publicly asserting that protesting is an inherent constitutional right that the state cannot violate.^[34][35]