A controversy has erupted after Jamaat-e-Islami MP Abdul Muntakim described himself in parliament as the son of a "martyr of the Liberation War," despite official records showing he was born in 1981.
The Nilphamari-4 lawmaker made the comments on Sunday during discussions on the supplementary budget in the National Parliament, claiming his family had made significant contributions to the 1971 Liberation War.
"My father and grandfather were martyred in the war. Among my father's seven brothers, four were freedom fighters, and among my grandfathers' 19 brothers, 11 were freedom fighters," he said.
He also claimed that 47 members of his family participated in the war and that his mother had been one of its organizers, reports bdnews24.com.
Following his speech, social media users questioned how his father could have been a Liberation War martyr when the MP himself was born on January 10, 1981, according to the affidavit he submitted for the 13th parliamentary election.
The affidavit lists his father as Md Abdul Kader Sayeedi.
However, on Tuesday night, Muntakim said his father is still alive and that he had actually referred to his grandfather.
"My father is alive. My grandfather was martyred in the war. He was my father's uncle," he said.
"I meant that there are martyrs among my father and grandfather's generations. I did not literally mean that my father was martyred in the war."
Reacting to the issue, Liberation War Museum trustee Mofidul Hoque said any distortion of the history of the Liberation War was unacceptable, particularly from a lawmaker.
"Falsehood regarding the Liberation War is undesirable under any circumstances. It is even more concerning when a legislator presents distorted information in parliament," he said.
