The Awami League, the oldest and largest political party in Bangladesh, celebrated its 72nd foundation day on Wednesday with low-key events because of surging corona pandemic in the country.
The anniversary programmes began in the morning with the hoisting of the national and party flags at Bangabandhu Bhaban at Dhaka’s 32 Dhanmondi and the Awami League central office at Bangabandhu Avenue.
The ruling party and its affiliate organisations paid homage to the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, by placing wreaths at his portrait at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum.
The party also hoisted the national and party flags at its offices across the country.
A delegation from the Awami League Central Working Committee (ALCWC) placed wreaths at 10 am at the mausoleum of Bangabandhu in his birthplace of Tungipara in Gopalganj, while presidium member Lt Col Muhammad Faruq Khan (Retired), Jahangir Kabir Nanak, organisational secretary SM Kamal Hossain, Mirza Azam, Shahabuddin Farazi, and Syed Abdul Awal Shamim attended the programme on behalf of party.
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Alongside, a discussion programme marking the foundation day was held at 4 pm at the party's central office on Bangbhabandhu Avenue where its President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina virtually attended the programme.
Awami League was founded on this day in 1949, which later transformed into the largest political party of the country to lead struggles for freedom, the War of Liberation and all democratic movements under the leadership of Bangabandhu.
Earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid tributes to Bangandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, placing wreaths at the portrait of Bangabandhu at Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi-32 in the morning.
After laying the wreath, Sheikh Hasina, also the President of Awami League, stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memory of the Father of the Nation.
Party leaders paid tributes to Bangabandhu by placing a floral wreath at Bangabandhu’s portrait at Dhanmondi Road no-32 in the morning.
The party began its journey on June 23 in 1949, when a young, secular and progressive section of the Muslim League formed the East Pakistan Awami Muslim League, at a meeting in the historic Rose Garden on KM Das Lane in Dhaka’s Tikatuli.
Maulana Abdul Hamid Bhashani was elected as the founding president, and Shamsul Hoque was named the general secretary.
In July 1953, during the Second National Council meeting of the party, Bhashani was re-elected president, and Sheikh Mujib was named the new general secretary.