The historic Homecoming Day of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is being observed on Thursday in a befitting manner, reports BSS.
Bangabandhu, the undisputed leader of the nation and supreme commander of the country’s Liberation War, returned to the sacred soil of independent.
Bangladesh via London and New Delhi on January 10 in 1972, after 290 days of captivity in Pakistan jail.
The day’s programme started with hoisting of the national and party flags at the AL central office, Bangabandhu Bhaban, and party offices across the country around 6:30am.
AL leaders and workers placed wreaths at the portrait of Bangabandhu at Bangabandhu Bhaban in Dhanmondi here at about 7am.
Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina is expected to chair a discussion at Krishibid Institution Bangladesh (KIB) in the city’s Farmgate area at 3pm today. Besides, Bangali Sangskritik Bandhan, a cultural alliance, will hold a discussion at Shilpakala Academy at 10 am today.
In a statement, Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister urged all party leaders and like-minded political organisations to observe the day in a befitting manner.
President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave separate messages paying profound homage to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the greatest Bangali of all time.
“Today is the historic 10 January, the Homecoming Day of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Though we achieved ultimate victory on 16 December in 1971 through armed struggle but the true essence of victory came into being upon returning home of Father of the Nation,” Hamid said in his message.
This year the Homecoming day is more significant than any other time as the people of the country have cast their votes for Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Bangabandhu, to run the country for the three consecutive terms and materialize the dream of Bangabandhu through the 11th parliamentary election, he said, adding “I believe that this is the true reflection of deep trust and confidence in Bangabandhu and the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina”.
Recalling the memories on January 10, 1971, the President said in front of hundreds of thousand people gathered at the Racecourse Maidan, he (Bangabandhu) said, “The dream of my life is fulfilled today. My Sonar Bangla is now free….a sovereign state has been emerged”.
In her message, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said under the undisputed leadership of Bangabandhu, the Bangali nation earned the ultimate victory waging the nine-month solemnly-vowed war.
“The defeated Pakistani rulers were compelled to free Bangabandhu. The Father of Nation returned to the independent Bangladesh on the 10 January 1972,” she said, adding that while speaking before a mammoth gathering at the then Racecourse Maidan on the day, he (Bangabandhu) narrated the inhuman torture of the Pakistani military junta meted out on the people of Bangladesh.
After his return, the Father of the Nation devoted all his efforts to rebuild the war-ravaged Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina said, adding that as Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib had engaged himself in the struggle to build a “Golden Bangladesh” reconstructing the war-torn country, the anti-liberation forces in collusion with the war criminals assassinated Bangabandhu along with most of his family members.
Through the heinous killings of the 15 August 1975, they initiated the politics of killings, coup and conspiracy and obstructed the process to try the killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib through promulgating Indemnity Ordinance, she said.
“We reestablished the democracy in 1996 through a long struggle and sacrifice. Our government’s 1996-2001 tenure will always be marked as a glorious period in our national history. The Bangali nation reestablished democracy and rights of the people in 2008 through a long struggle,” the premier added.
Referring to Awami League’s landslide victory in the December 30 polls, Sheikh Hasina said “We will fully honour the huge mandate that the people of our country have given to us. We will turn Bangladesh into a middle-income country by 2021 and a developed one by 2041, InshaAllah”.