Fading memory of a hero

Bangladeshi flag flying high on Bangladesh Mission building in India on 18th April, 1971. Photo: ARCHIVE

During the liberation war, on the 18th of April, Md. Hossain Ali had the honour of raising the flag of a new born Bangladesh, on a foreign land.
A former diplomat, Md. Hossain Ali is an unsung hero of our nation. Unfortunately, memory of this hero is fading away, even from his ancestral residence at Vangura Upazila in Pabna.
The very next day after the formation of Mujibnagar Government in April 17, Hossain Ali hoisted the first Bangaldeshi flag on foreign land.
Md. Hossain Ali was then the deputy high commissioner of Pakistan in Kolkata, India. After the formation of Mujibnagar Government, he, along with 65 other staff denounced their support to Pakistan. He removed Pakistani flag from the compound and raised Bangladeshi flag instead.
He didn't stop there – he continued his mission around the world to gather international support for Bangladesh.
Mujibnagar Government appointed him as the Senior Bangladeshi Diplomat in India during the liberation war. Hossain Ali kept constant correspondence with the Indian government to ensure the supply of food and shelter for the people of war-torn Bangladesh. He also played a vital role training the Bangladeshi freedom fighters in India.
Md. Hossain Ali was born in February 1st, 1923 at Vangura Upazilla in Pabna. He studied in Dhaka University and Karachi University. Completing his studies in 1945, Hossain Ali joined in Pakistan foreign services in 1949. He was promoted to deputy high commissioner of Pakistan high commission in India in the 70s.
Arriving in a liberated Bangladesh in 10th January 1972, he