President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have urged the countrymen to turn the grief of the loss of Bangabandhu into strength to build a prosperous ‘Sonar Bangla’ as dreamt by the Father of the Nation.
The head of the state and the head of the government made the call in separate messages issued on Saturday on the occasion of the National Mourning Day and the 46th martyrdom anniversary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
In his message, the President said the undisputed leader, the greatest Bangalee of all time Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was brutally assassinated at his Dhanmondi residence by a group of killers with the direct and indirect connivance of anti-liberation forces on the fateful night of August 15, 1975.
Bangabandhu’s wife Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, sons Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russel and many of his close relatives were also killed along with him, he said adding that such a barbarous incident is rare not only in the history of Bangladesh but also in the history of the world.
“I, with a heavy heart, pay my deep homage to them and pray to the Almighty Allah for the eternal peace of the departed souls,” he said.
Abdul Hamid said Bangabandhu was a visionary leader of the Bengali Nation and the architect of the country’s independence.
Bangabandhu led the nation at every struggle and democratic movements including the ‘All-party State Language Action Committee’ formed to ensure the right to mother-tongue in 1948, the historic Language Movement in 1952, Juktafront Election in 1954, the movement against Martial Law in 1958, the movement against anti-people Education Commission in 1962, Six-Point Movement in 1966, Mass Upsurge in 1969 and the General Elections in 1970 all of which were directed towards realizing Bangalees` emancipation and their rights, he said.
“For this, he had to embrace jail several times. Bangabandhu was uncompromising on the question of the rights of the Bengali nation,” he said.
He, even on the gallows, upheld the interest of Bangla and Bangalees. After long ups and downs, this great leader, ignoring the blood-curdling eyes of the then Pakistani rulers, delivered a historic speech on 07 March in 1971 before a mammoth gathering at the then Race Course Maidan, and thunderously uttered, “The struggle this time is the struggle for emancipation, the struggle this time is the struggle for Independence” which was, in fact, the call for Independence, he said.
In line with this historic speech, the President said, “Bangabandhu finally declared the country's Independence on March 26, 1971 and subsequently we achieved victory through a nine-month-long armed war of liberation under his leadership.”
Bangabandhu and Bangladesh thus emerged as a unique entity to the people of Bangladesh, he said.
He said though the assassins killed the Father of the Nation, they could not wipe out the principle and ideology of this great man.
As long as Bangladesh exists, the name and fame of the Father of the Nation will remain ever shining in the mind of millions of Bangalees of the country, he said.
Abdul Hamid said since his early age, Bangabandhu nurtured people’s welfare in his mind and belief.
Bangabandhu always stood by his land and people in all crises including the famine in the undivided Bengal in 1943, communal riots during the partition of 1947 and the catastrophic cyclone of 1970, he said.
“Stepping at the threshold of twenty-first century, we are facing yet another critical time. Today the whole world including Bangladesh is fighting against the Corona pandemic,” he said.
The Bangladesh government has been making all-out efforts to contain the Corona situation, he said.
“To deal with this situation, people should extend a helping hand to the government. We have to follow the hygiene rules and be diligent so that others also follow them,” he said.
“Time has come for us to stand by the people of the country in this critical moment taking lessons from the ideals and the principles of Bangabandhu,” he said adding that and this will be the best endeavor to pay homage to Bangabandhu in the ‘Mujibbarsho’.
The President said Bangabandhu has struggled throughout his life for political independence as well as the economic emancipation of the people.
“His dream was to establish a ‘Sonar Bangla’ free from hunger and poverty. So, we, imbued with knowledge, have the pledge to make Bangladesh a happy and prosperous country through completing the unfinished tasks of Bangabandhu,” he said.
“Only then we can show due respect to this great leader. The successful implementation of ‘Vision-2021’ to make Bangladesh a middle-income country by 2021, as announced by Hon'ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, is about to be completed,” he said.
Huge activities are going on to implement the ‘Vision 2041’ to turn the country into a developed and prosperous one in 2041, he said.
The President called upon all to work together for the implementation of these programs irrespective of party affiliation.
“On the National Mourning Day, let us transform our grief into strength and devote ourselves to build the ‘Sonar Bangla’ as dreamt by the Father of the Nation,” he said.
In a separate message, the prime minister said, "The 15 August is our National Mourning Day. On this day in 1975, the Greatest Bangalee of all time, Father of the Nation, President Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with most of his family members was brutally assassinated.”
The prime minister said eighteen members of the Father of the Nation's family including Bangamata Fazilatunnesa Mujib, three sons--valiant Freedom Fighter Captain Sheikh Kamal, valiant Freedom Fighter Lieutenant Sheikh Jamal and 10-year old Sheikh Russel, two daughters-in law Sultana Kamal and Rosy Jamal, brother Sheikh Abu Naser, youth leader valiant Freedom Fighter Sheikh Fazlul Haq Moni and his pregnant wife Arzu Moni, peasant leader valiant Freedom Fighter Abdur Rab Serniabat, daughter Baby Serniabat, son Arif Serniabat, nephew journalist Shaheed Serniabat, grandson Sukanta Babu, and Abdul Nayeem Khan Rintu, among others, were killed by the heinous killers on that fateful night.
“President's Military Secretary Brigadier General Jamil, on duty ASI of Special Branch of Police Siddiqur Rahman and army soldier Syed Mahbubul Haq were also murdered,” she said.
The Premier said several members of a family died in the capital's Mohammadpur area by artillery shells fired by the killers on the day.
“On this National Mourning Day, I humbly remember all the martyrs of the 15 August and pray to the Almighty Allah for the salvation of their departed souls,” she said.
She said under the visionary and strong leadership of the Father of the Nation, the Bangalee Nation broke the shackles of subjugation and snatched away Bangladesh’s great Independence.
The anti-liberation clique killed Bangabandhu at a time when he was engaged in the struggle of building a Golden Bangladesh by reconstructing the war-ravaged country, she said.
She said through the murder of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib, the defeated forces of the Liberation War made abortive attempts to ruin the tradition, culture and advancement of the Bangalee Nation.
The Prime Minister said the aim of the killers was to break the state structure of secular democratic Bangladesh and foil our hard-earned Independence.
The anti-liberation forces involved in the carnage initiated the politics of killing, coup and conspiracy in the country right after the 15 August 1975, she added.
Sheikh Hasina said they also impeded the trial of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib murder by promulgating Indemnity Ordinance.
Ziaur Rahman illegally took over the state power, promulgated Martial Law, killed democracy and tailored the Constitution, she said.
She said Ziaur Rahman rewarded the killers of the Father of the Nation and gave them jobs in the Bangladesh missions abroad and he gave nationality to the anti-liberation war criminals, made them partners in the state power, and rehabilitated them politically and socially by giving them lucrative business.
The subsequent illegal military government and the BNP-Jamaat alliance government followed the same path, she added.
Bangladesh Awami League assumed the state power after 21 years winning the general elections on 12 June 1996, she said adding that a new horizon of socio-economic development was started in the country in this five-year period (1996-2001) overcoming the obstacles of the past.
“We initiated the trial of Bangabandhu murder case. But after coming to power in 2001, the BNP-Jamaat alliance government stopped this trial,” she said.
The Prime Minister said the countrymen voted Awami League to power again in the 9th parliamentary elections on 29 December 2008.
“Overcoming the stalemate left by the previous BNP-Jamaat government, and global economic recession, we put the country on a firm economic footing,” she said.
During the past twelve and a half years, Bangladesh has achieved desired advancement in every sector while the country has become a 'role model’ of socio-economic development in the world.
She said: “We have been celebrating the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation and the Golden Jubilee of our Independence. During this period, Bangladesh has attained the status of developing nation”.
“Amidst Covid pandemic, we have been able to keep our economy on the right track. Our government has relentlessly been working to turn Bangladesh into a developed country by 2041,” she said.
The Premier said: “We have completed execution of the verdict of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman murder case.”
Hopefully, names of those who were behind the conspiracy to assassinate the Father of the Nation will also come out one day, she said, adding that the trial of the killers of four national leaders has also been completed while the verdicts of the cases against the war criminals of 1971 are being executed.
The government has been following 'zero tolerance' policy to uproot militancy-terrorism, she said, adding that the path of grabbing state power illegally and unconstitutionally has been stopped through the 15th amendment to the Constitution.
She said the killers were able to murder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib but they could not kill his dreams and ideals.
“Unitedly, we have to remain prepared to resist any conspiracy and evil-attempt by the anti-liberation communal group, and anti-development and anti-democracy forces,” she said.
“Let's turn the grief of the loss of Bangabandhu into strength. Let's build a non-communal, hunger-poverty free prosperous Golden Bangladesh as dreamt by the Father of the Nation through reflecting the glory and ideals of the long struggling life of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib in our actions; this should be our solemn pledge on this National Mourning Day,” she said.
