Call to resist Jamaat, Shibir

Liberation war hero AK Khandker has appealed to the nation to resist the violence unleashed by the Jamaat-Shibir combine.

Inaugurating ‘Bijoy-2013’ on Monday to mark the 42nd Victory Day, the former deputy commander-in-chief of the Mukti Bahini said resistance committees must be formed at all levels to fight back the fundamentalist violence.

"Such committees should be formed at all levels, in villages and towns, to organise popular resistance against the fundamentalists who opposed our freedom and perpetrated inhuman atrocities in support of the Pakistani occupation forces," Khandker said.

He said hundreds including women and children have died in Jamaat-Shibir violence during the last few months and property worth tens of millions have been damaged.

"Their plan is to devastate the national economy and drives us to penury as in 1971," the war hero said.

The former Bangladesh Air Force chief compared the present turmoil to 1971 and described it as ‘a new version of 1971’.

Khandker said the people, imbued with the spirit of the Liberation War, should give a fitting reply to the Jamaat-Shibir violence.

Khandker said, “A new generation inspired by the spirit of the Liberation War has joined us. The symbolic name of the generation is Ganajagaran Mancha.”

He said this new generation will keep up the fight to push for the trial of all the war criminals.

Khandker, a cabinet minister, said the country was liberated with a hope of creating a secular and democratic polity.

“But we have to now put up with the rise of fundamentalist forces 42 years after independence. We have to resist them now.

“Trial of war criminals has started. One of them has already been executed.”

The planning minister said, “We firmly believe that the execution of war criminals will continue. We will continue our struggle until the trials of all war criminals are over.”

He asked all to join the singing the national anthem at 4.31pm, the exact moment when the Pakistan army surrendered on this day in 1971.

Earlier at 11.30am, ‘Bijoy 2013’ was inaugurated at the Swadhinata Udyan, popularly known as Suhrawardy Udyan with the rendition of the national anthem.

One minute silence was observed in the memory of the martyrs of the 1971 liberation war and those who fell in the fight for democracy, including the founder of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who was assassinated in a military coup.

Discussion and cultural events followed.

A ‘Concert for Freedom’ will be played later -- somewhat akin to the ‘Concert for Bangladesh’, held in 1971 in the US to raise funds for the war.

The national anthem would be rendered by thousands of people at home and abroad at 4.31pm.

Artistes of the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra will perform in the programme.

A firecracker festival will be held at 5.20pm.

The ‘Concert for Freedom’ will continue until 10pm.

The National Committee for Celebrating Bijoy 2013, Ganajagaran Mancha, Sector Commanders' Forum, Muktijuddho Chetona Bastabayan Committee and Bijoy 4:31 Mancha are co-organizers of the Bijoy 2013.

Earlier the programme was set to be held at the Manik Mia Avenue but later the venue was shifted to Suhrawardy Udyan.