Speakers at a discussion on Monday remembered Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with much respect and emotion revisiting the historic moments as the country marked the Homecoming Day of Bangabandhu.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen spoke as the chief guest while State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam was a special guest at the discussion organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Foreign Service Academy.

Veteran Awami League leader and former Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed; and UK Awami League Vice President and Study Circle, UK President Syed Mozammel Ali shared their memories with Bangabandhu and described each moment – Bangabandhu’s release from prison in Pakistan to his return to independent Bangladesh.

The defeated Pakistani rulers were compelled to free Bangabandhu in the early hours of 8 January 1972. He landed in London in the morning on the same day.

There he immediately agreed to accept Bangladesh's membership to the Commonwealth at the proposal of its Secretary-General. The Father of the Nation kissed the ground of his beloved motherland at noon on 10 January 1972 with a short stopover in Delhi in the morning.

The speakers shared how the people of newly independent Bangladesh got back their most beloved leader.

They, with much respect, also recalled the support of then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the people of India at that time and expressed gratitude to her and the people of India.

They also appreciated the leadership of Bangabandhu’s daughter and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for making Bangladesh a role model of development.

They said the greatest Bengali of all time in the history of the Bengali liberation struggle struggled for 24 long years to unfetter the Bengali nation from the shackles of subjugation.

He led on all fronts, from the language movement to the Independence War and endured prison- torture, always made far-sighted decisions, and organized the party well beyond personal interests.

Under his unwavering leadership, the Bengali nation fought to the death and snatched victory on 16 December.