Gultekin’s Facebook Post Sparks Frenzy and Fierce Debate

Gultekin Khan — the first and former wife of celebrated novelist Humayun Ahmed — posted a public status on Facebook around 3:00 p.m. on October 3. Within four hours, it had been shared over 4,500 times. By 7:10 p.m., the post had drawn more than 15,500 sad reactions, over 6,000 likes, around 2,500 love reactions, and 928 care emojis.

Although the post began with the line, “I don’t want to hear a single bad word about me,” it has since ignited intense discussion across social media, particularly under the hashtags #GultekinKhan and #HumayunAhmed.

Reactions poured in from hundreds of users. Facebook user Reemu Roja Khondokar wrote, “I don’t know what others will think, but you could have avoided saying these things now, #GultekinKhan mam, because #HumayunAhmed Sir was alive and you never said anything — good or bad — back then. I do respect your courage and mental strength, and thank you for sharing such a ‘deeply personal matter’ on behalf of women.”

Shahan Afroze Laboni commented, “Women rarely dare to speak up about such things. Gultekin is doing it. Everyone has the right to express themselves. Humayun Ahmed wrote for his popularity — I don’t think anyone has ever written their autobiography with 100% honesty. People mix truth with imagination and flavor. Gultekin has her right to write, but people often take negatively any criticism about someone who’s no longer alive. Even so, I want her to keep writing. Best wishes to her.”

Mehedi Hasan observed, “If Humayun Ahmed were alive, he would have sent Gultekin a message. Its essence would be — don’t be upset, my former beloved.”

Another user, Mom Saha, wrote humorously, “Someone got angry because I posted about Humayun Ahmed and said, ‘You’ll understand when you get a husband like him.’ Now I’m thinking of posting about Mukesh Ambani or Bill Gates — maybe someone will curse me to get a husband like one of them!”

Reza Shaheen questioned the timing of her remarks: “Humayun Ahmed lived for eight years after their divorce. Why didn’t Gultekin feel the need to say these things while he was alive? How can anyone verify whether her statements are true or false now? Since Humayun is no longer alive, he cannot defend himself.”

Jahan Sultana added, “After divorcing Humayun Faridi, Suborna Mustafa said she wouldn’t speak about her ex-husband because he’s no longer alive. Gultekin Khan, you should have stayed silent too.”

Pavel Rahman echoed similar sentiments: “It’s unfair to judge Humayun Ahmed based on Gultekin’s one-sided narrative after all these years. Since we can no longer hear Humayun’s version, I think Gultekin should stop. What wasn’t said publicly during his lifetime doesn’t need to be said after his death.”

Meanwhile, Niroza Kamal defended Gultekin’s right to write: “Facebook allows anyone to say whatever they wish. Gultekin has every right to write about Humayun Ahmed — she lived with him, raised his children, and knew him in her own way. Only, perhaps, she didn’t fully know herself.”

Kamrul Hasan Imon remarked, “She began her post saying, ‘I don’t want to hear a single bad word about me.’ How strange! Sounds like a self-proclaimed angel.”

Amina Jahan Nishi commented mockingly, “Humayun is gone, the field is open, and Gultekin is making her statements as she wishes — while Shaon remains silent! At least in our entertainment world, Shakib Khan responds when Apu posts and Bubly reacts. Humayun’s life clearly lacked that kind of dramatic spice!”

Journalist Syed Mohaimen Khaled Mahmud wrote from his verified page, “Humayun Ahmed has passed away, yet his former wife Gultekin Khan is now portraying him as a villain on Facebook. The problem is, dead people can’t defend themselves. But what she says may also be true. It hurts for those of us who grew up reading Humayun’s lines to her: ‘I will bring you seven immortal gardens.’ Ah, such love! Even now, I wish I could believe in love, though I know life is harsh and cruel.”

Writer Sanjoy Sarkar warned, “Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed once said, ‘You must know when to stop.’ If you can’t stop at the right time, everything becomes messy. Gultekin Khan seems to be missing that point. She won’t stop — and that will be a big blunder. She might lose the ‘soft corner’ people once had for her.”

Habiba Sarkar Hira wrote, “Before she died, Humayun Ahmed’s mother Ayesha Foyez said she would find peace if her eldest daughter-in-law caressed her chest once. Gultekin Khan did so, fulfilling that last wish. That alone elevates her beyond all negativity. In a country where mothers-in-law often see their daughters-in-law as rivals, Ayesha Foyez called her a good woman. We need not judge Gultekin. The real tragedy is that a legendary writer left a true gem at home and fell for a glittering stone outside.”

Amid this storm of opinions and heated debate, Gultekin Khan has since removed her explosive Facebook post from public view.