National

Mass-Upsurge day today

Today is the 47th anniversary of ‘Mass Upsurge Day’.This day in 1969 student-led protesters laid siege to the Central Secretariat and at one point broke into it and burnt it down, partially.Matiur, a Class 9 student of Nobo Kumar Institution and another person died in police firing during the incident.Earlier, the protestors had burnt down the National Press Trust (NPT) office that housed the government mouthpieces the English daily, Morning News and the Bengali daily, Dainik Pakistan.The day signified the de facto fall of the 10-year military rule of General Ayub Khan and prepared the way for restoration of democracy and liberation of the nation.The president and prime minister in separate messages recalled the great sacrifice of those who laid down their lives on this day and highlighted the great significance of the event on the eve of the day.Both the president and prime minister prayed for the salvation of those who were martyred on this day.