The Azadi was first published on 5 September 1960. The paper was pro-democracy and supported various autonomy movements in East Pakistan. It was blacklisted by the Pakistani Government for a year and banned from receiving government advertisement. It stopped publishing for three months during the Bangladesh Liberation War.[2][3]
Abdul Khaleq was the founding editor and publisher of Azadi. At first, the price of the magazine was two annas (12 paise).[4] After Khaleq's death, his son-in-law Md. Mohammad Khaled took over as editor in 1962. MA Malek has been in charge of the newspaper since 2003 after his death.[5][4]
