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Glorious Victory Day today

5 || risingbd.com

Published: 10:06, 16 December 2016   Update: 15:18, 26 July 2020
Glorious Victory Day today

December 16 is glorious Victory Day. The day is the great joyful day for the entire Bengali nation. The day is celebrated across the country to mark the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent, sovereign country in 1971. On this day, Bangladesh was liberated from the clutches of the Pakistan occupation forces fighting a nine-month war in 1971.

On this day in 1971, the commander of Pakistan occupation army, General AAK Niazi, and his 93,000 soldiers surrendered to the allied forces of freedom fighters and Indian army at Ramna Racecourse, now Suhrawardy Udyan, in Dhaka following a miserable defeat in the war of independence that broke out on March 25. Since then Bangladesh emerged as an independent, sovereign country in the world. The Bengali nation got its identity in the world map.

Forty-five years back, the country was liberated on this day in 1971 after around nine months of war of independence and the supreme sacrifice of three million people and the honour of nearly half a million women. So the day is joyful and sorrowful to us. The day is being celebrated with elaborate programmes to pay rich homage to the martyrs who laid down their valuable lives for the country. We are remembering Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with due respect who played a very important role in achieving independence and sovereignty.
 
Have we been able to achieve the goal and ideology for which we fought in 1971? The main motto of the independence was to liberate the country from all types of subjugation and establish democracy, justice and equity in every strata of the society. Father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman dreamt of ‘Sonar Bangla’. He showed us the dream of ‘Sonar Bangla’, where there will be no distress; there will be no inequity.
 
Nationalism, democracy, socialism and secularism were accepted in the `72 constitution as principle to ensure basic needs of all citizens and human rights. But it is a matter of great regret that we could not retain the `72 constitution. Today we are celebrating 45th anniversary of our Victory Day. The main motto of our War of Liberation was to establish an affluent and dignified state where people in general will lead an independent life. But it was not possible to implement that motto in many cases. Journey of democracy has been hampered repeatedly. Fundamental rights of citizens have been lowered. So the democracy loving people of this county have restored democracy and fundamental rights for each time through struggles.

The nation had been passing their every moment with resentment for years as the razakars, al-badar, al-shaams who betrayed the nation joining their hands with the Pakistan occupation forces in 1971 managed to avoid the trial. At last Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took a bold step to start the trial. Upon her initiatives, the trial of war criminals who committed crimes against humanity in 1971 began in March of 2010 at the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT). So far, five war criminals including Jamaat-e-Islami leader Motiur Rahman Nizami have been executed following the final verdict from ICT. Through this trial, the nation has been able to discharge somewhat shame from its shoulder.

On this day, we all should pledge to build a beautiful and rich Bangladesh. We should also pledge to work together for the welfare of the country and its people, leaving behind all kinds of violence and hostility.

risingbd/Dhaka/Dec 16, 2016/NA/Amirul/Mukul

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