The nation would celebrate the 43rd Victory Day on Monday to pay homage to the sons of the soil whose supreme sacrifice brought Independence on this day in 1971. The day is a public holiday.
The day will be celebrated across the country and Bangladesh’s missions abroad will pay glowing tributes to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for leading the nation towards Independence.
The national flag will be hoisted atop government, semi- government and private offices, as well as offices of autonomous bodies across the country. Important buildings and establishments would be illuminated at night. The government and many other organizations have taken up elaborate programmes to observe the day with due respect, enthusiasm and festivities. President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, leader of the opposition, Begum Khaleda Zia and Jatiya Party chairman Hussain Muhammad Ershad greeted the nation on the eve of Victory Day.
The President and the Prime Minister would pay tributes to the martyrs of the Liberation War by placing wreaths at the National Memorial at Savar early in the morning. They will be followed by freedom fighters, foreign diplomats and people from all walks of life.
Special prayers would be offered in mosques and other places of worship seeking peace, progress and prosperity for the country. Improved diets would be served in hospitals, jails and orphanages and children’s parks will remain open.
Important roads and road islands have been already decorated with miniature national flags, colourful festoons and digitized banners, portraying the memorable moments of the nation’s victory in the Liberation War and the portraits of national leaders.
To celebrate the day, the Awami League has chalked out a two-day programme.
The central leaders of the party will place wreaths at the National Memorial at Savar at 6.40am. They will also place wreaths on the portrait of Bangabandhu in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi and at the grave of Bangabandhu at Tungipara in Gopalganj district.
The Awami League will hold a discussion at Suharwardy Udyan at 3 pm on December 17. Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina will address the discussion as the chief guest.
To mark the day, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), other political parties, cultural and social organizations have taken up elaborate programmes. BNP chairperson and leader of the opposition, Khaleda Zia, will pay homage to the martyrs by placing wreaths at the National Mausoleum in Savar. Khaleda, along with her party’s senior leaders and activists, will pay homage at the National Mausoleum at 6 am.
Apart from this, the BNP chief will also place wreaths at the grave of party founder Shaheed president Ziaur Rahman at Sher-e-Banglanagar in the capital and offer fateha, seeking eternal peace of the departed soul.
Khaleda has called upon the countrymen to constitute a national unity with the spirit of the Liberation War to protect the country’s democracy, independence and sovereignty. “Our progress has been hindered, while the people have been deprived of their fundamental and human rights after Independence. But pro-democratic people have extended their helping hand to overcome the crisis,” she said, adding that the countrymen will do the same again to protect the country and its people.
-With The Independent input
