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Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday met Tahsin Abdullah, the boy who lost his elder sister in last year’s tragic fighter jet crash at Milestone School and College in Uttara, after learning the heartbreaking story behind a widely shared photograph of the smiling child.
The image, captured during an event at the Bangladesh Army Stadium, showed Tahsin beaming with joy as the Prime Minister greeted attendees.
After the photograph went viral on social media, the Prime Minister was informed that behind the cheerful smile was the painful story of a child who had lost his beloved sister in the devastating air crash.
Moved by the story, Tarique Rahman instructed his Additional Press Secretary, Atikur Rahman Rumon, to contact Tahsin and his family. As part of that initiative, Tahsin and his father, Nazmul Haque, paid a courtesy call on the Prime Minister on Wednesday.
Tahsin’s elder sister, Tasnia, was killed in the July 2025 fighter jet crash at Milestone School. Although both siblings studied at the same institution, they were in separate buildings when the aircraft crashed into the building where Tasnia’s class was located.
At the time, Tahsin was a sixth-grade student, while Tasnia was in the eighth grade.
After hearing the explosion, Tahsin desperately searched for his sister. Having been told that the injured needed saline and drinking water, he waited with bottles in his hands, hoping to help her. But she never returned.
According to his family, the tragedy deeply changed the young boy. During a counselling session, Tahsin wrote: “I am in great pain. I have lost my beloved sister. She has died. I miss her so much. She was my best friend.”
His family said Tahsin had rarely smiled freely since losing his sister.
That changed during the Army Stadium event on 27 July, when he became visibly excited as the Prime Minister approached him. His radiant smile, captured by photographers, resonated with thousands of people after it spread across social media.
During Wednesday’s meeting, the Prime Minister asked Tahsin about his studies and his ambitions for the future.
Now a seventh-grade student, Tahsin said he dreams of becoming a successful businessman and wants to create something that benefits people and earns their admiration.
The Prime Minister praised the boy’s aspirations and encouraged him to study diligently, play sports regularly and work hard to achieve his goals.
Tahsin also shared that football is his favourite sport. Tarique Rahman later presented him with a football bearing his signature, along with other gifts.
After the meeting, an excited Tahsin said he never imagined he would have the opportunity to meet the Prime Minister and described the experience as a complete surprise.
He said he was eager to tell his classmates about the meeting and added that the Prime Minister spoke to him “like a member of the family,” which made him feel completely at ease.
Tahsin also visited the Prime Minister’s Office, where he was fascinated by replica models of cars and ships displayed there. He even took a selfie with the Prime Minister using his father’s mobile phone.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman also expressed his heartfelt condolences and sympathy to Tahsin’s father over the tragic loss of his daughter in the Milestone fighter jet crash.
Several officials from the Prime Minister’s Office and members of Amra BNP Poribar were present during the meeting.
