Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has offered wreaths at the National Mausoleum to pay respect to the martyrs on the 42nd Victory Day.
Her motorcade reached the mausoleum around 6:15am, through a big crowd that had reached the place braving winter.
Hasina placed wreaths at the monument at 6:25am. A smartly-turned contingent of the three forces saluted her to a sad tune on the bugle to remember the matyrs who made the ultimate sacrifice for Bangladesh’s freedom.
The Prime Minister stood in silence for a while to remember the valiant souls.
Members of her Cabinet, the chiefs of three forces, freedom fighters, military and non-military officials were present there.
President Zillur Rahman could not go to the National Mausoleum due to his illness.
Speaker Abdul Hamid paid his respects after the Prime minister.
After that, Hasina again paid respect, this time, as the chief of the ruling Awami League.
The mausoleum was opened for the general public after the foreign diplomats had paid their respects. Thousands of people entered the mausoleum with national flags and flowers to pay their respects.
The National Memorial was covered with flowers left behind by citizens.
On this day in 1971, the country achieved its independence to emerge as Bangladesh. On Dec 16, 1971 General Amir Aabdullah Khan Niazi, commanding more than 93,000 troops of Pakistan’s eastern army, surrendered before the joint forces of Mukti Bahini and the Indian army led by General Jagjit Singh Aurora at the Ramna Race Course (now Suhrawardy Udyan) in Dhaka.
This is the venue from where the Bangabandhu had asked Bengalis on Mar 7 to start the fight for independence with “whatever(weapons) you have.” This was ahead of his final proclamation of independence on Mar 25 night just before his arrest by Pakistani Military.
Source: bdnews24
