Founded in 1949 by Maulana Bhashani and Yar Mohammad Khan, it is the oldest and one of the most circulated newspapers in Bangladesh.

Hossain's post-editorial column 'Rajnaitik Mancha' (political platform) became popular in East Pakistan.

[citation needed] The Ittefaq office was burnt down and completely demolished on 25 March 1971,[4] by the Pakistan Army as part of Operation Searchlight.

[7] This enabled Barrister Mainul Hosein to resume publishing, under the watchful eye of the authorities, on 21 May 1971, from the Daily Pakistan Press.

[2][7] For the remainder of the Bangladesh Liberation War, the paper was a mouthpiece for Yahya and Tikka Khan and severely criticised the freedom fighters.

During Bangladesh's war crimes trials in 2012, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, a Jamaat-e-Islami party member, was charged with Hossain's murder.