Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who is also the father of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, had been featured on all notes of the Bangladeshi currency. Bangladesh has started to issue new banknotes from Sunday, June 1, with the new currency notes not feature the portrait of former prime minister and founding father – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman anymore.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who is also the father of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, had been featured on all notes of the Bangladeshi currency.
However, after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina and the political crisis in the country, Bangladesh Bank announced last year that they would work towards issuing fresh notes.
Bangladesh Bank spokesman Arif Hossain Khan stated that the new currency will focus on displaying Bangladesh’s natural landscapes and landmarks.
“Under the new series and design, the notes will not feature any human portraits, but will instead showcase natural landscapes and traditional landmarks,” said Khan.
The banknotes will include images of Hindu, Buddhist temples, artwork of late Zainul Abedin and the national martyrs memorial, which honours those who died during the 1971 liberation war.
The Bangladesh Bank has released notes for three different denominations.
“The new notes will be issued from the central bank’s headquarters, and later from its other offices across the country. The other denominations of the notes with new designs will be released in phases,” added Khan.
This is not the first time Bangladesh has changed its currency. In 1972, the country changed its currency after liberation from Pakistan. These notes featured a map of the newly formed nation.
After these initial notes, the new denominations featured Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the leader of Awami League.
During the tenure of other parties such as the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the currency would include historical and archaeological sites.
