Dainik Ittefaq (established 1953) is one of the oldest and most politically influential Bengali daily newspapers in Bangladesh’s history. It originally began as the mouthpiece of the Awami League and, under the leadership of its founding editor, Tofazzal Hossain Manik Mia, it served as the undisputed voice of the movement for autonomy and independence in East Bengal. Currently, Ittefaq is run by the family of Manik Mia. The ownership passed to the family of his son, Anwar Hossain Manju, through a family settlement in 2010. The proprietor, Anwar Hossain Manju, is a politician who has served as a Member of Parliament and a Minister on multiple occasions. He currently leads a political party in Bangladesh (Jatiya Party-JP). The current Editor of the newspaper is Anwar Hossain Manju’s wife, Tasmima Hossain, and the Publisher is their daughter, Tareen Hossain. The publisher, Tareen Hossain, is also the second wife of Mujibur Rahman Chowdhury (Nixon Chowdhury), an MP and a relative of Sheikh Hasina. Tareen is also a member of the Information and Research Sub-Committee of the Bangladesh Awami League.
