Bangladesh celebrates Victory Day with joy of UN recognition of Mar 7 speech

The day to celebrate Bangladesh’s victory over Pakistan after nine months of bloodshed during the Liberation War has returned.

Bangladeshis celebrated 46 years of the final triumph on Saturday with a renewed joy following UNESCO's recognition of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s 7th Marchspeech as part of world history.

The war, which raged on for nine months after the declaration of independence by Bangabandhu, ended with the Pakistan Army’s surrender at Ramna Race Course ground, now Suhrawardy Udyan, on Dec 16, 1971.

Lt Gen Amir Abdullah Khan Niyazi, the martial law administrator of the then East Pakistan, signed the official document of surrender sitting next to Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora, the joint commander of Indian forces and the Mukti Bahini of Bangladesh.

As the golden jubilee of the nation's emergence nears, Bangladesh is also elevating its position in the international arena with significant economic and infrastructure development.

President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in their Victory Day messages have vowed to continue the development and establish a ‘Golden Bangla’ dreamt by the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The nation remembered in various programmes the three million valiant people of the soil who sacrificed their lives for the independence.

The national flag was hoisted at the government, semi-government, non-government and residential buildings while people visited the memorials across the country, including the National Memorial in Savar, with flowers.

The Victory Day programme began in Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar with a 31-gun salute at the National Parade Square.

Soon after sunrise the president and the prime minister paid their respects to the martyrs of the Liberation War at the National Memorial at Savar, which had been closed for renovation work for the past few days.

The National Memorial was opened to the public after the VIPs had paid their respects. Freedom fighters, political parties, organisations and the general public soon filled the memorial with wreaths and flowers.

The Victory Day parade at the National Parade Square began soon afterwards, with the armed forces putting on a display rehearsed for the past few days.

The president, as chief guest, inspected the parade and received salutes from the procession.

The Navy allowed people to visit some of its ships at the inland ports across the country.

The Awami League, BNP and other political and socio-cultural organisations arranged various events to celebrate the day.

The Awami League hoisted the national and party flags at its offices and placed wreaths at Bangabandhu’s mural at Bangabandhu Memorial Museum.

Notable buildings and establishments have been decorated and illuminated with lights. Main thoroughfares of the city are bedecked with national flags and colourful festoons.

Improved meals were served in prisons, hospitals, orphanages.

Special prayers were offered in mosques, temples, pagodas and other places of worship for the departed souls and country's peace, progress and prosperity.

Newspapers have published special supplements marking the day while televisions and radio stations aired special programmes.

In his message, President Hamid extended his ‘sincere’ felicitations and ‘warm’ congratulations to his fellow countrymen living at home and abroad.

Remembering Bangabandhu, he paid ‘deep’ homage to the valiant freedom fighters, who made supreme sacrifice in the war of liberation for the country's independence.

He also extended his ‘deep’ gratitude to the organisers and supporters and the people from all strata who directly and indirectly made meaningful contributions to liberation.

The president thanked the UNESCO for including the historic 7th March speech of Bangabandhu in the International Memory of the World Register.

Hasina urged all to work for the country’s development. "Let us engage ourselves for the welfare of the country,” the prime minister said.

Describing how her Awami League party was working for Bangladesh’s development, she reiterated the government’s targets.

"We have been working relentlessly to build a hunger and poverty-free and a peaceful middle-income Bangladesh by 2021 and a developed and prosperous one by 2041.”