A unique charter to oppressed people for freedom

Historic March 7 is a memorable day in the lives of Bengali nation. On this day in 1971, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman delivered a unique and significant speech at a mammoth rally in the then 'Race Course Maidan', now Suhrawardy Udyan, in the city. His historic speech inspired the freedom-loving Bangalees to wage a decisive struggle against the Pakistan occupation forces.

In 1970, the Awami League, the largest East Pakistani political party, won a landslide victory in national elections. This gave it the constitutional right to form a government. But the Pakistan occupation forces refused to transfer power to the Awami League. Instead, they started taking preparation to launch a military action on the unarmed Bangalees.

On March 3, the scheduled convening of the National Assembly was postponed until 25 March, leading to an outcry across East Pakistan. On the day in Palton Maidan rally, Bangabandhu said if the government led by Yahya Khan did not comply with their demand by March 6, then the next course of action would be declared on March 7.

In his 19-minute extempore speech on March 7 before millions of people of former East Pakistan, Bangabandhu in unequivocal term said, "We spilled our blood...we are ready to shed more blood, the people of the country shall be freed, Inshallah!"

"Ebarer sangram amader muktir sangram, ebarer sangram swadhinatar sangram" (The struggle this time is for our emancipation, the struggle this time is for our independence), the great leader and the greatest Bangalee of all times went on to add.

During his deliberations amid thunderous slogans and applause, he also made a fervent appeal to the roaring people from all walks of life to take preparations for armed struggle against the tyranny, exploitation, subjugation and deprivation by Pakistani military junta with whatever they possessed and transforming every house into a fortress.

He announced a civil disobedience movement in the province, calling for "every house to turn into a fortress". It was a de facto declaration of Bangladesh’s independence. His speech was a unique document for freedom of the oppressed people. The speech was effective in giving Bengalis a clear goal of independence.

The entire people were overwhelmed and imbued with the spirit of Bangabandhu's unparalleled speech of independence regarded only as comparable to the Gettysburg Speech of slain US President Abraham Lincoln. Soon after the declaration, the freedom-loving Bangalees started taking preparation to wage a decisive struggle against the Pakistan occupation forces.

The rousing speech inspired people of all walks of life to prepare for the war, which eventually began after the Pakistan occupation forces on March 25 launched on the unarmed Bangalees the worst genocides in history for the next nine months.

Although people from all walks of life irrespective of political and religious beliefs were united for the cause and began to take all out preparations for a bloody war, they waited till the crackdown of the Pakistani occupation forces on the sleeping Bangalees on the night of March 25, defamed as the "Operation Searchlight".

As soon as the Pakistani occupation forces started genocide Bangabandhu declared independence of the motherland instructing the people to put up strong resistance and fight against them till the liberation is achieved.

At the instruction of Bangabandhu, the brave nation fought successfully the nine-month-old war of liberation and ultimately liberated Bangladesh from the clutches of the Pakistani occupation forces on December 16, 1971 with the assistance of the allied Indian forces. Bangladesh emerged as an independent and sovereign country in the world map.

Bangabandhu's tantalizing speech literally had a mesmerizing and sparkling effect on the entire population in the eastern part of Pakistan and they became united under his capable and farsighted leadership to bravely fight for liberating the motherland from the clutches of the Pakistani occupation forces. According to political analysts, the 7th March speech of Bangabandhu was not only a call for the Bangalee nation to fight for freedom, but also it was a direction for all nations. His inspirational and dynamic speech still works as a force of any movement.

risingbd/DHAKA/Mar 7, 2017/Ali Nowsher/Amirul