Bangladesh
Great Victory Day Great Victory Day celebrated
Dhaka, December 17: On the 51st anniversary of the Bengali victory in the Liberation War, the entire nation on Friday remembered the heroes whose blood ended two eras of Pakistani rule and put independent Bangladesh on the world map. On this day of victory, the people who came to pay tribute to the brave children pledged to overthrow the communal evil forces and stop all 'international conspiracies' including the defeated forces of the liberation war. After nine months of bloody war, on December 16, 1971, a new country called Bangladesh emerged on the world map. The day has been celebrated in various embassies of Bangladesh across the country including the capital Dhaka and abroad.
Grateful people from all walks of life gathered earlier on Friday morning at the Savar National Memorial to pay their respects to the great sons. The nation buoyed by mourning and pride in repaying blood debts celebrates the day with a different feeling. Ignoring the winter fog and cold wind, people from all walks of life started gathering outside the Savar National Martyrs' Memorial and the surrounding highway area and in front of the Bangabandhu Bhaban at Dhanmandish from early morning.
Before the morning sun rose, the crowd came down to the memorial with flowers, Victory Day bands on their heads, national flags. With a humble heart, the entire nation once again told the three million martyrs, "We will never forget you."
On the occasion of the day, various government and private programmes were taken. The Victory Day programme began with a 31-gun salute early in the morning at the National Parade Ground. At 6:30 am, President Md. Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid wreaths at the memorial altar at the Savar National Memorial and paid tribute to the martyrs. At this time, a minute of silence was observed in memory of the martyrs. The bugle sounded a mournful note. Later Sheikh Hasina as the party chief paid tribute to the Awami League leaders and workers at the memorial.
After the President and the Prime Minister left the memorial, it was opened for public tributes, and the general public poured in. Children of martyr families and war-martyred freedom fighters, BNP, Gano Forum, United Front, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, Workers Party of Bangladesh, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) paid their respects to the martyrs at the National Memorial.
