BANGLADESH

President, PM pay homage to four national leaders

President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have paid rich tributes to four national leaders on the occasion of the Jail Killing Day, recalling their immense contributions to the Liberation War and the nation.

On the eve of the day, in separate messages, they also prayed for the eternal peace of the leaders’ departed souls.

In his message, President Abdul Hamid said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s close aides four national leaders — Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmed, Captain M Mansur Ali and AHM Qamaruzzaman — were brutally killed by anti-liberation forces inside the Dhaka Central Jail on November 3, 1975.

“I pay deep respect to their memories,” he added, noting that the country’s independence was not achieved in a day, the president said Bangabandhu, the undisputed leader of the Bangalee nation and the architect of Independent Bangladesh, proclaimed the independence of Bangladesh on March 26, 1971, and eventually, the Liberation War started at his call.

When Bangabandhu was imprisoned in Pakistan jail during the Liberation War, he said in absence of Bangabandhu the four national leaders made an outstanding contribution to form the Mujibnagar Government, devise war strategy and tactics, carry out administrative activities, conduct the Liberation War, carry on diplomatic efforts and keep an eye on refugees to turn the Liberation War into a people’s war in 1971.

“The nation will always remember the contributions of the four national leaders with due respect,” the president added.

The head of the state said the anti-liberation clique brutally killed the four national leaders in continuation to the assassination of Bangabandhu and most of his family members on August 15 in 1975 to make the nation leaderless alongside to jeopardize the independence and sovereignty of the country.

Hamid also said the aim of the perpetrators of the killings was to give rise to undemocratic autocracy in the country as well as to erase the spirit of the Liberation War from the minds of the young generation.

“But the design of the killers did not come out successful,” he said, adding Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his ideology will remain alive as long as Bangladesh exists.

Bangabandhu had a dream to build a happy and prosperous “Sonar Bangla”, he added.

The president further said: “Everybody would make a contribution from their respective positions to materialize the unfinished dream of Bangabandhu and this would be our pledge on the Jail Killing Day.”

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, termed November 3 (Jail Killing Day) a stigmatized day in the history of independent Bangladesh saying such killings in the safe custody of jail are unprecedented in the world’s history.

She also said the killing of the four national leaders were the sequel to the assassination of the Father of the Nation and most of his family members.

Through the hateful killings of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib and four national leaders, the defeated forces of the Liberation War and anti-state cliques wanted to erase the name of Bangladesh Awami League forever from the soil of Bangladesh and destroy the spirit of the Liberation War, and made the nation leaderless, she added.

“The purpose of the killers was to break the state structure of the non-communal democratic Bangladesh and undermine our independence achieved at a huge cost.”

The premier mentioned the anti-liberation forces started the politics of killing, coup and conspiracy after August 15 in 1975 and proclaimed indemnity ordinance to save the self-confessed killers.

Ziaur Rahman after grabbing the state power illegally had killed the democracy by imposing martial law, dissecting the constitution, awarding the killers through rehabilitating them with jobs in Bangladesh missions abroad instead of bringing them under trial and giving citizenship to the anti liberators and war criminals, Sheikh Hasina observed.

The direct and indirect patrons of the 1975’s conspirators and killers grabbed the state power for the next 21 years, the head of the government said, adding that the illegal rulers distorted the history of the great Liberation War and pushed the country backwards.

“Bangladesh Awami League won the elections in 1996 and formed the government after a long 21 years and started the trial of Bangabandhu murder. But the BNP-Jamaat coalition government stopped the trial proceedings of the case after camping to power in 2001,” Sheikh Hasina said.

The countrymen again voted the Awami League to win the elections of December 29, 2008, by a huge margin, she said, adding that the Awami League government after assuming the state power has achieved significant success in establishing justice in the country by eliminating the politics of revenge.

“We have freed the nation from stigma by executing the verdict of the killings of Father of the Nation with his most of the family members. The trial of the killings of the four national leaders has also been completed,” the premier added.

“Efforts are on to track the locations of the fugitive killers and bring them back to the country.”

As per the commitment given to the people, the verdict of the crimes against humanity cases of 1971 is being executed, Sheikh Hasina said, adding that the way of seizing power illegally has been blocked by amending the constitution.

Peace and democracy have been re-established in the country following the principle of zero tolerance against terrorism and militancy, the prime minister observed.

“We are determined to establish the rule of law and justice in the country”.

“Today, we stand as a self-respecting country with our head high in the world. We are celebrating the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation and the golden jubilee of Bangladesh’s independence. During this time, Bangladesh has achieved the status of a developing country,” she added.

The government has been able to keep the wheel of the country’s economy running even amid the current Covid-19  epidemic situation, Sheikh Hasina said, adding: “Our government is working relentlessly to build the hunger and poverty-free, and happy and prosperous Sonar Bangladesh as dreamt by Father of the Nation by 2041”.

Noting that anti-liberation communal clique and anti-development and anti-democratic forces are still hatching conspiracies against the country in various ways, she urged all to remain be always to deal with any conspiracy or ill attempt of the evil forces.

“Let’s uphold the democracy and the rule of law resisting all conspiracies being imbued with the spirit of the great Liberation War and build a non-

communal, hunger and poverty-free Sonar Bangladesh as dreamt by the Father of the Nation with the collective efforts- this would be our pledge on the Jail Killing Day,” Sheikh Hasina said.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button
Close