And some griefs haunt a person until death.
Today is the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.
This day once again awakens the pain of the families of countless missing people around the world. On this day, I too remember my younger brother, Akhtar Uddin.
On August 11, 1997, my brother Akhtar was taken away by unidentified individuals from the Kalurghat Kamal Bazar area of Chattogram. Since then, no trace of him has ever been found.
Where is that brother today?
Is he still alive?
Or was he brutally killed and his body made to disappear?
Twenty-nine years have passed.
Countless pages of the calendar have turned, many governments have come and gone, and countless people have disappeared from this world—but our wait has not ended.
At that time, I filed a General Diary at Chandgaon and Boalkhali police stations. I also lodged complaints several times with the Police Headquarters. For years, I contacted various government offices, wrote letters, raised protests, and sought answers. But even today, we have received no reliable information as to whether my brother is alive or dead.
I firmly believe that, because of the mysterious role of the administration at the time, it was not possible to find my brother. For a long time, we have suspected that he may have been killed and his body made to disappear. I want the truth to be uncovered through a full investigation into this incident, and the actual facts to be revealed before the nation.
The most painful thing is—
My mother could not bear this wait.
Grief over her missing son gradually broke her mentally. At every door, in every familiar face, and with every unknown phone call, she may have kept searching for her Akhtar.
“Will my Akhtar ever return?”
This question seemed to awaken a new pain in her heart every day.
Finally, on August 2, 2001, my mother passed away, leaving us forever.
She never got to see even the body of her missing son.
She could not bury him.
She could not place her hand on her son’s face one last time and say—
“My son, where did you go, leaving me behind?”
What greater pain could there be for a mother?
Mother is gone.
But her question still echoes throughout our home.
Where is Akhtar?
Today, I do not seek revenge.
Nor do I want to make any baseless allegations against anyone.
I only want to know the truth.
If my brother is alive, let him be returned to us.
And if he is no longer in this world, then let us be told the truth about what happened to him and let his remains be found. Those responsible should be brought under the law through an impartial investigation.
We know that after so many years, perhaps Akhtar will never come and stand at our door again.
Yet, as a brother, I have the right to know the answer to the question that has remained unanswered in my heart for all these years.
A relative’s long wait also deserves justice.
I have been waiting for 29 years.
I have been writing for 29 years.
I have been asking questions for 29 years.
Today, on the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, I want to raise that same question once again before the state, the administration, and all conscientious people—
Where is my brother, Akhtar Uddin?
I want my brother back—
If he is alive, let him return alive; if he is dead, at least let us have the truth.
With the hope of uncovering the truth and obtaining justice, I have decided to take legal action regarding the disappearance of my brother. Insha’Allah.
Because time may erase many things—
But a mother’s tears, a brother’s wait, and the demand for truth can never be erased.
Even today, from the depths of my heart, only one sentence is uttered—
“Akhtar, wherever you are—your brother is still searching for you.”
And to the soul of my late mother, I have only one promise—
“Mother, I will uncover the truth about your Akhtar. As long as I live, I will never stop this struggle.”
May Allah have mercy on my brother, reveal the truth, and grant us the ability to receive justice. Ameen.