During his time at the World Bank, Islam would return to Dhaka every six months to visit Sheikh Mujib. During the last of these visits, on 7 July 1975, Sheikh Mujib was trying to form his single political party BAKSAL as part of his campaign for one-party rule. He asked Islam to join, but Islam refused because he was a civil servant at heart, and thus had to remain apolitical. Mujib wanted Islam to return to Dhaka to help bolster what he knew was a tenuous position, but Islam refused on account of not wanting to disrupt his daughters' education in the US. Mujib offered to sign indefinite orders to keep Islam in the US, but Islam said he would return in a year. Eight days later, Sheikh Mujib was assassinated