Dhaka: Today is the great Independence and National Day. On this auspicious occasion, I extend my sincere greetings and congratulations to all the Bangladeshi citizens living in the country and abroad.
I remember with the most profound respect the Greatest Bangali of all time, Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, under whose firm and far-sighted leadership we achieved independent-sovereign Bangladesh. I remember the four national leaders, three million martyrs of the liberation war and the self-sacrifice of two hundred thousand mothers and sisters. I pay my deep homage to all the fearless freedom fighters, including the war-wounded. I am grateful to all the friendly countries, organizations, institutions, and individuals, particularly the then Prime Minister of India, Shrimati Indira Gandhi, for their generous support during the War.
Young student leader Sheikh Mujib, who was studying in the Department of Law at Dhaka University, had dreamt of establishing a sovereign state in this land since the creation of Pakistan in 1947. Pakistanis’ social, economic, and political discriminatory attitudes became clear day by day. Sheikh Mujib remained steadfast in defending the rights and dignity of the Bangali in return for any sacrifice. The two organizations of his far-reaching thoughts are the Chhatra League and the Awami League, where he was deeply involved from the beginning until the end of his life. From the language movement of 1952 to the victory of the United Front election of 1954, the anti-Ayub movement of 1962, six points of 1966, and the mass upsurge of 1969, these two organizations had an immense role in the struggles. In the face of public outrage, Ayub Khan was forced to repeal the Agartala conspiracy case. Sheikh Mujib became ‘Bangabandhu’- the hope and aspiration of Bangali. On 5 December 1969, on the death anniversary of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib declared, “From today, the name of this eastern part of Pakistan will be solely Bangladesh, instead of East Pakistan.”
The Awami League, led by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib, won a single majority in the National Assembly in the elections of 1970. However, the Pak-military junta started procrastinating without transferring power. Sheikh Mujib called for a non-cooperation movement and, in his historic speech on March 7, gave a clear outline of the goal of liberation from the long 23 years of rule and exploitation. On 23 March, the flag emblazoned with the map of Bangladesh was hoisted all over the country. At midnight on 25 March, Pakistani troops started killing unarmed Bangali in the name of ‘Operation Search Light.’ Pak junta arrested Sheikh Mujib at an early hour on 26 March. He made the official declaration of independence before he was arrested. The Bangali leader of the people was imprisoned in the Mianwali jail in Pakistan and subjected to inhumane torture. At the call of the Father of the Nation, the freedom-loving people of Bengal, inspired by the slogan ‘Joy Bangla’, started fighting, taking up arms for the liberation of the motherland. On 17 April, the Mujibnagar government swore in designating Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as President, Syed Nazrul Islam as Vice President, Tajuddin Ahmad as Prime Minister, Captain M Mansur Ali, and AHM Kamaruzzaman as Ministers. After a long 9-month armed struggle, independent sovereign Bangladesh was liberated on 16 December 1971 with the help of the allied forces.
Father of the Bangali Nation, President Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was released from Pakistan, returned to his beloved independent motherland on 10 January 1972, and devoted himself to rebuild the war-ravaged country. With the help of allies, though there was an empty treasury, he rehabilitated the displaced people, restored and developed the infrastructure, and put the production sector and the economy on a solid foundation. He approved a constitution within 9 months of independence. The GDP growth rate surpassed 9% during Bangabandhu’s tenure. Bangladesh gained recognition from 123 countries and membership in 27 international organizations through his diplomatic efforts. But our misfortune is that the defeated anti-independence clique of 1971 continues to conspire against him. Incumbent President Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was martyred along with his most of the family members on 15 August 1975 by the brutal bullet of the assassins. The murderous Mostaq-Zia and their successors illegally seized power and established a dictatorship in the country.
After long 21 years, the Bangladesh Awami League won the people’s mandate and got the responsibility of running the government in 1996. We took on the mission of uplifting the living standard of the poor by introducing social safety-net programs; turning the country into self-sufficient in food production; setting up community clinics to provide primary health care to marginalized people; building houses for homeless people by taking shelter projects; and making mobile phones and computer technology readily available. Our government signed a 30-year Ganges water-sharing agreement with India. To establish peace in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, we signed the historic peace agreement and repatriated the refugees who had taken refuge in India to Bangladesh. We strengthened the local government system and announced the woman development policy. The Awami League government provided approval for launching privately-owned television channels. We started the trial for killing the Father of the Nation by repealing the Indemnity Ordinance; established the independence of the judiciary, the rule of law, and human rights; and re-established the liberation war values in the country by preventing distortion of history. Our government’s 1996-2001 term was a journey towards a brighter future of golden chapter breaking the shackle of backwardness, underdevelopment, and poverty.
The Bangladesh Awami League has been running the government since 2009 with the people’s unwavering support in all the national elections. ‘Digital Bangladesh’ is now reality. We have already transformed Bangladesh into a developing country by implementing Vision-2021. Our government opened the door to the blue economy by establishing sovereignty over the vast sea area. Implementing the land boundary agreement with India ended the enclaves’ long-standing misery. We inaugurated 100 bridges and 100 roads and highways in a single day. We brought 100 percent of people under electricity coverage. We have constructed the Padma Bridge with our own fund. Bangabandhu satellite-1 into space, Metrorail, Matarbari Power Project, Rooppur Nuclear Power Station, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel under Karnaphuli river, Elevated Expressway are some examples of our capacity. We have formulated the ‘Bangladesh Delta Plan-2100’ for our future generation. To build ‘Smart Bangladesh’, We are implementing the Second Perspective Plan ‘Vision-2041’ for the next 20 years.
We established the rule of law in the country by enforcing the verdict on trial against the killers of the Father of the Nation and the war criminals against humanity. We published the Records of Proceedings of ‘Agartala Conspiracy Case’ (4 Volumes)’ filed by Pakistani rulers against Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib in 1968 and the ‘Secret Documents of Intelligence Branch on Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’ (14 Volumes) including ‘The Unfinished Memories’, ‘The Prison Diaries’, and ‘New China 1952’. I believe that by reading these books, the new generation will clearly understand the firm footprints of the Father of the Nation in the history of independence.
The Awami League government believes in the philosophy of upgrading the fate of the people. We are running our government through immediate, short, medium, and long-term plans to uplift the living standard of ordinary people and develop the country. Moreover, we regularly monitor the implementation progress of our election manifesto. Due to these reasons, people’s trust and strong support for Awami League continues.
On this very occasion of Independence Day and National Day, being imbued with the spirit of our great Liberation War, let us take the oath to build developed-prosperous non-communal smart ‘Sonar Bangla’ as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib.
Joi Bangla, Joi Bangabandhu
May Bangladesh Live Forever.
Sheikh Hasina
