Dhaka, Oct. 3 -- Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has expressed profound shock at the passing of Language Movement veteran, Tagore exponent, poet, essayist and columnist Ahmad Rafique, describing him as a 'leading witness and a fighting voice of the Language Movement'.

In a condolence message early Friday, Prof Yunus said Rafique's death is an irreparable loss to the cultural and intellectual life of the nation.

"Despite his deteriorating eyesight and illness, he continued to spread the light of knowledge until his final days," Prof Yunus said.

He said that Rafique was not only a poet, essayist, and researcher, but also a guiding figure in Rabindra Tattva.

By writing and editing more than a hundred books, Prof Yunus said, Rafique enr...