Nation set to celebrate Independence and National Day

The nation is set to celebrate the 52nd Independence and National Day on Saturday (26 March) in a befitting manner.

The government has taken elaborate programmes marking the Independence and National Day.

President Md Abdul Hamid and prime minister Sheikh Hasina gave separate messages today extending heartfelt greetings and warm felicitations to the countrymen living both home and abroad.

The day's programmes will begin by heralding gun salutes early in the morning as a mark of profound respect to the heroic struggle of this nation, which suffered a protracted subjugation under foreign rules from time to time till achieving their coveted Independence in 1971.

The national flag will be hoisted atop all government, semi-government, autonomous and private buildings with the rises of sun while all streets and important city intersections will be decorated with national and multi-coloured miniature flags and festoons.

Important buildings and establishments as well as city streets and islands will be illuminated with colourful lights.

The National Martyrs' Memorial at Savar will be the main venue of the celebration of the day.

President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will place wreaths early in the morning as a mark of profound respect to the memories of the martyrs.

People from all walks of life, including families of Bir Shreshthas, war wounded freedom fighters, members of the diplomatic corps, leaders of different political parties, social, cultural and professional bodies, will also lay wreaths at the national memorial in the morning of the day.

National dailies will bring out special supplements while Bangladesh Betar, Bangladesh Television, private radio stations and television channels will air month-long special programmes on Liberation War and highlighting the significance of the day.

Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Bangla Academy, National Museum, Liberation War Museum, Bangladesh Shishu Academy, and other social and cultural organisations will arrange discussions, cultural programmes and sports competition while painting competition for children, essay and debate competitions will be organized virtually.

Liberation War based documentaries and movies will be screened at cinema halls across the country.

Reception will be accorded to freedom fighters and the members of martyred freedom fighters at city, zilla and upazila levels, while Bangladesh Postal Office will publish commemorating postal stamps.

Special prayers will be offered at all mosques, temples, churches and other places of worship across the country seeking divine blessings for the eternal peace of the departed souls of Father of the Nation, four national leaders, martyrs of the War of Liberation and all other patriotic sons of the soil.

Doa mahfil (special prayers) will be arranged at the mosques across the country including Baitul Mukarram National Mosque after Zohr prayer.

Christian community members will arrange special prayers at Tejgaon Church at 8:00am and Mirpur Baptist Church (3/7-a Senpara Parbata, Mirpur-10) at one minute past zero hours, Buddhist community members will hold prayers at International Buddhist Monastery at Merul Badda at 10:00am and Hindu community members will arrange prayers at Dhakeshwari National Temple at 11:00am.

Improved meals will be served to the inmates of hospitals, jails, old homes and orphanage centres to mark the day. The country's all children's parks and museums will remain open for all.

All children parks and museums will remain open for all while naval ships of Bangladesh Navy will be exhibited at Sadarghat in Dhaka, Pagla Naval Jetty in Narayanganj, Naval Jetty, New Mooring in Chattogram, BIWTA Rocket Ghat in Khulna, Digraj Naval Berth, Mongla, BIWTA ghats in Barishal and Chandpur from 2:00pm until the sun sets.

The missions abroad will also celebrate the day through similar programmes.

Different political parties including ruling Awami League as well as socio-cultural and professional organisations have also taken various programmes to observe the day in a befitting manner.

The AL’s programme includes hoisting of national and party flags atop Bangabandhu Bhaban along with central and party offices across the country tomorrow morning immediately after sunrise and paying of rich tributes at the National Memorial at Savar at 6:00am.

AL leaders and workers will also pay homage to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by placing wreaths at his portrait in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi road number-32 at 7:00am.

A delegation of the party will place wreaths at the mausoleum of Bangabandhu at Tungipara in Gopalganj at 11:00am while doa and milad mahfil will be arranged there.

Awami League will hold a discussion at the party's central office at Bangabandhu Avenue at 3:00pm on 27 March.

AL President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will chair the discussion through videoconferencing from her official Ganabhaban residence.

Marking the day, an e-poster has been published at the initiative of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's Birth Centenary Celebration National Implementation Committee.

The national implementation committee has requested all to disseminate the e-poster widely in national dailies, electronic, online and social media.

Every year, the 26 March brings the most tragic reminiscence of the history's blackest episode that heralded a nine-month bloody ordeal from the night of 25 March, 1971, achieving the long-cherished independence on 16 December the same year at the cost of a sea of blood.

In the wake of the military crackdown, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who became the undisputed leader of the then Pakistan following the massive victory of his party, Awami League, in the 1970 general elections, declared the independence of Bangladesh through the then EPR (East Pakistan Rifles) wireless at 00:30 hours on 26 March (the night following 25 March) in 1971 at his historic Road-32 residence at Dhanmondi here.

The great leader also called upon the people to build up strong resistance against the Pakistani barbaric occupation forces.

The Pakistani military junta, in a bid to stop the legitimate movement of the Bangalees, arrested Bangabandhu on that night following his declaration of independence.

Later, Bangabandhu was taken to the then West Pakistan where he had to spend nine months in a dark condemned cell.

Bangabandhu wrote down the declaration of independence soon after the Pakistani army cracked down on the fateful night of 25 March, 1971.

The declaration of independence was soon put on air by wireless. The declaration was first broadcast by Awami League leader MA Hannan from Kalurghat Radio Station in port city of Chittagong on 26 March, 1971.

The Pakistani military junta in their monstrous outburst unleashed a bloody holocaust breaking the silence of the night following 25 March in 1971 when they mercilessly killed hundreds of innocent sleeping Bangalees, including teachers, students, police, soldiers, pedestrians and rickshaw-pullers, here.

The nation soon launched the War of Liberation at the call of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the early hours of 26 March.

Bangladesh emerged as an independent and sovereign country on 16 December, 1971 with the surrender of the Pakistani occupation forces, who killed three million innocent civilians, perpetrated atrocities on two lakh Bangalee women and burnt down lakhs of houses across the country during the nine-month bloody war.