I want to establish a leadership institute like Harvard: Barrister Tareque

Barrister Tareque Akbar Khondakar, chairman of Youth Voice of Bangladesh, established the organisation about a decade ago with a vision to engage young students in various social activities beyond their academic curriculum. However, he had to stop after five years due to his father's political identity. Following the situation on 5 August, he has once again begun working with Youth Voice. Barrister Tareque discussed his journey, previous experiences, and future plans with The Business Standard. 

What is Youth Voice?

Youth Voice of Bangladesh began its journey on 21 February 2013, International Mother Language Day, with rallies in London, UK, and Dhaka and Chattogram in Bangladesh. I initially took this initiative to engage young students in various social activities beyond their academic curriculum. We had the opportunity to work until 2017. We tried to get the organisation registered in Bangladesh, but we could not. Due to the political identity of my father, Golam Akbar Khondakar, as an adviser to the BNP chairperson and a former ambassador, we were not given registration. Following this, we were forced to suspend our operations due to pressure from intelligence agencies. After 5 August 2024, we started working in a new way again. We are forming committees and have initiated the registration process.

Barrister Tareque Akbar Khondakar. Photo: Collected

How did the idea to start Youth Voice come about?

After finishing my studies at Queen Mary University of London, I was thinking about returning home in December 2012. It was then that the idea came to me: how can our country's youth be taken forward? Something positive needs to be done to develop their skills and help them contribute to society. Young people can build themselves through self-development and social activities beyond formal education. There are leadership programmes at various universities around the world. The initiative for Youth Voice was taken from this very idea.

What are its activities and who are its members?

From 2013 to 2017, Youth Voice of Bangladesh carried out over 250 events across various locations, including London, Dhaka, Chattogram, Cox's Bazar and Faridpur. These events ranged from distributing blankets to the needy to running leadership programmes. They also organised workshops and training sessions to connect young students with the corporate sector, as well as "view exchange" events. Winter festival programmes were held to engage with the less privileged in society. Each event was well-attended, with over 1,500 to 2,000 students participating.

Barrister Tareque Akbar Khondakar. Photo: Collected

The organisation has a network of more than 20,000 members, including approximately 800 foreign students. The members hail from various countries such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the United Kingdom. This diverse membership has helped create a bridge between students of different languages and cultures, allowing for the exchange of experiences and learning about new cultures. The activities fostered teamwork among young people and provided them with experience working with different social classes. Some of their members are now working as associate professors in Nepal and Sri Lanka, while others are in the medical profession or journalism.

Being a son of a political family, do you have any plans to get involved in politics?

Since I studied in London, I spoke with Tarique Rahman, acting chairman of the BNP, before starting Youth Voice. I told him that I wanted to work by involving young people. Everyone gets involved in political activities, but I tried to do something from a different perspective. He encouraged me. When I held an event with 2,000 students, intelligence agencies pressured us to stop our activities, claiming they were looking for other motives.

I do have thoughts about politics. I believe young people should enter politics. I want to establish an institute where young people and new politicians can take courses on leadership skills. I want to work on various aspects, not just for politics, but also for business, corporate life, and for students. There is a leadership institute like this at Harvard University. My goal is to create a similar institute. I am already working on the curriculum for this purpose. I want to make sure that those who want to enter the political platform in the future can get guidance from here. I want to bring about a qualitative change in politics.

What about your business activities?

I got a first-class degree in my undergraduate studies and a first-class master's in Corporate Commercial Law. Due to my good results, I received an offer to become a lecturer at Queen Mary University of London and taught there for six months. After that, I returned to the country and joined my family business, Regent Group. Currently, I am serving as the managing director of the group.

At one time, we undertook large projects like Purbachal Regent Town. However, a business needs to raise working capital from banks to operate. During the previous government, we were even denied loans because of my father's political identity. We were held up at various administrative stages while trying to run the business. This is why my father said we were moving at a slower pace. As the times have changed, we are now working on tourism in Cox's Bazar. We are working on a large resort project. Through Youth Voice, I want to work from a sense of social responsibility. I am also working in the real estate industry.