President Shahabuddin, CA Yunus pay tribute at National Memorial

The nation is remembering the heroic sons who gave their blood to bring an end to two decades of Pakistani rule and create an independent Bangladesh on the 54th anniversary of the Bengali victory in the Liberation War of 1971.

President Md Shahabuddin paid his tribute to the martyred freedom fighters of 1971 by laying a wreath at the National Memorial in Savar at 6:35am.

Then, at 6:56am, Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus laid a wreath at the memorial and paid his respects.

An Army contingent gave an armed salute for the president and chief advisor.

The president and the chief advisor then stood for a moment of silence.

After paying homage, they signed the visitors’ book at the memorial.

Then, members of the Bir Shrestha families, war-wounded freedom fighters and valiant freedom fighters, led by Advisor on Liberation War Affairs Advisor Bir Protik Faruk E Azam, laid wreaths at the location. Foreign diplomats, various political, social and cultural organisations, and people from different walks of life paid tribute to the martyrs.

The National Memorial opened to the general public after VIPs paid their homage. People carrying flags and flowers streamed into the memorial premises. The altar was covered with flowers.

In a message on the occasion of Victory Day, President Shahabuddin said, “"The goal of the Liberation War was not limited to political freedom, but its objectives were also to establish economic freedom and social justice. Over the past five decades, the people have not yet achieved full political and socio-economic liberation."

"In this context, the mass uprising of the students and the public in 2024 has raised new hope for building a discrimination-free, corruption-free and justice-based Bangladesh."

Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus said, "The new sun of independence that rose through the victory in the Liberation War has been repeatedly dimmed by autocracy and ill governance in recent years.Through the July Mass Uprising, we once again have the opportunity to establish a democratic state system free from discrimination, corruption, and tyranny."

"The current interim government has undertaken a comprehensive reform programme to build a strong foundation for a developed and well-governed Bangladesh and through the collective participation of all the people, we are moving towards the successful completion of that work.”

54 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

A pre-dawn 31-gun salute heralded the Victory Day celebrations in Dhaka.

The war for independence, which began on Mar 26, 1971, at the call of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to end Pakistani exploitation and deprivation, culminated nine months later on Dec 16, with the surrender of the Pakistani forces.

On that day, Lieutenant General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, who led the Pakistani forces, surrendered to the joint leadership of the Mukti Bahini and the Eastern Army Command of India at the then Race Course (now Suhrawardy Udyan) in Dhaka.

Bangladesh commemorates Dec 16 as Victory Day. It is one of the few countries around the world that has an occasion like Victory Day beside Independence Day.