Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Genocide Day observed in Jordan
The Embassy of Bangladesh in Amman, Jordan has observed the Genocide Day 2021 with due solemnity.
Due to the ongoing lockdown and social distancing measures of the Jordanian government, the Embassy had to arrange the event in a very limited scale.
A number of Bangladesh community members living in Amman joined the Embassy officials and staff members in commemorating the Genocide Day, said a media release on Thursday night.
The programme commenced with the reading out of verses from the Holy Quran.
Then, a one-minute silence was observed in remembrance of the martyrs of 25th March and the War of Independence.
Mission in New Delhi observes Genocide Day
Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi on Thursday observed the Genocide Day.
The programme began with a moment of silence in remembrance of those who were killed on the fateful night of 25 March 1971 as well as the martyrs of the Liberation War of Bangladesh.
Reading out of the messages from President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the occasion of the Genocide Day, screening of a documentary on the 1971 Genocide by the Pakistan Army and a discussion on the significance of the day were the highlights of the programme.
At the discussion, Minister (Consular) of the High Commission Selim Md Jahangir said that in the name of 'Operation Searchlight’, the Pakistani aggressors wanted to stop the resistance of the independence-seeking people and committed the most brutal killings in the history throughout the country.
Also read: One-Min blackout to mark Genocide Day
He said the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was arrested by the Pakistani army in the early hour of 26 March 1971 but before that he declared the Independence and with the direction of Bangabandhu Bangladesh achieved victory on 16 December 1971.
Acting High Commissioner Rokebul Haque said, "Observing this day as the genocide day is a recognition of the great sacrifices made by the Bengalis during the Liberation War of Bangladesh."
He remembered with deep reverence all the martyrs who were killed during the Liberation War of Bangladesh.
Rokebul Haque also remembered the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with profound respect under whose leadership Bangladesh achieved Independence through a nine-month long blood stained war.
Also read: Bangladesh Mission in Delhi observes Genocide Day
He claimed that the horrific genocide of 1971 is a black mark not only in the history of Bangladesh but also for the entire humanity.
At the end of the programme a special prayer was conducted for the salvation of the departed souls of all the martyrs of the liberation war of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh set to celebrate Independence Day Friday
Bangladesh, a newly-emerged developing nation, is all set to celebrate its 50th Independence Day on Friday with remarkable socio-economic progress.
This year’s Independence Day bears more significance as the country is celebrating the Golden Jubilee of Independence alongside the birth centenary celebration of Father of Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
A 10-day special programme marking the 50 years of independence and the birth centenary of Father of Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman that started on March 17 at the National Parade Square will end on Friday.
Indian Prime Minister Modi will join the celebrations.
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Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Bhutanese Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering also attended the 10-day special programme in person.
Many global leaders, including Queen Elizabeth II, Pope Francis, Chinese President Xi Jinping, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Unesco Director General Audrey Azoulay sent messages, marking the celebrations.
On March 26, 1971, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared Bangladesh's independence following the crackdown on unarmed Bangalees on the midnight of March 25 by Pakistani occupation forces.
After a nine-month War of Liberation with the supreme sacrifices of three million people and the honour of 200,000 women, Bangladesh finally achieved its independence on December 16, 1971.
Also read: With focus on taking ties to a new height, Modi arrives Friday
The day will begin with a 50 gun-salute which is a public holiday.
President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages extending heartfelt greetings and warm felicitations to the people of the country at home and abroad.
President Abdul Hamid, in his message, said, “On the eve of 'Mujib Barsho' and the Golden Jubilee of our Independence, with the joint efforts of all, may our beloved motherland become a developed country free from hunger and poverty -- this is my expectation on the great Independence Day.”
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, said, “The independence earned through the supreme sacrifices of millions of people is the greatest achievement of Bangalee Nation. To ensure that the achievement remains meaningful, all have to know the true history of our great Liberation War and respect the spirit of independence. The spirit of the Liberation War has to be propagated from generations to generations.”
Also read: Bangladesh celebrates Independence Day with caution
“Let’s vow on this auspicious occasion of the Golden Jubilee of independence- imbued with the spirit of the Great War of Liberation, we all together will build hunger- poverty- and illiteracy-free Golden Bangladesh as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” she added.
National dailies will bring out special supplements while Bangladesh Betar, Bangladesh Television, private radio stations and television channels are airing special programmes highlighting the significance of the day.
India committed to deepening ties with Bangladesh: Modi
Expressing happiness that his first foreign tour after the onset of Covid-19 would be to Bangladesh, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday said that New Delhi is committed to deepening and diversifying its ties with Dhaka.
"Our partnership with Bangladesh is an important pillar of our Neighbourhood First policy, and we are committed to further deepen and diversify it," Modi tweeted on the eve of his two-day state visit to Dhaka.
"We will continue to support Bangladesh's remarkable development journey, under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's dynamic leadership," the Indian PM stressed.
Modi will visit Bangladesh on March 26-27 to attend the golden jubilee celebrations of the country's independence and the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The Indian PM is also slated to visit Bangabandhu's birthplace.
Also read: Modi lauds Bangladesh’s remarkable growth under Hasina's leadership
"I am happy that my first foreign visit after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic will be to our friendly neighbouring country, with which India shares deep cultural, linguistic and people-to-people ties," Modi said in a pre-departure statement released by the Indian government.
"I will be having substantive discussions with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, following our very productive virtual meeting in December last year. I also look forward to my meeting with His Excellency President Abdul Hamid, and to interactions with other Bangladeshi dignitaries," he said.
Describing Bangabandhu as one of the tallest leaders of the last century, the Indian PM said, "I look forward to my participation at the National Day celebrations tomorrow, which will also commemorate the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman."
"Bangabandhu was one of the tallest leaders of the last century, whose life and ideals continue to inspire millions. I look forward to visiting Bangabandhu’s Samadhi in Tungipara to pay my respects to his memory," he added.
Also read: Delhi to bolster defence ties with Dhaka during Modi's visit
Indian Foreign Ministry Wednesday said that Delhi and Dhaka will strengthen bilateral defence and security ties and "are also likely to ink a number of pacts during Prime Minister Modi's visit".
“Both sides will be signing a range of agreements during Modi's visit. These agreements will be covering a number of areas of our cooperation -- disaster management, oceanography and trade," Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla told the media Wednesday.
"A number of new announcements -- bolstering cooperation in areas ranging from health, railway connectivity, border development and start-ups -- are also expected to be made," he had said.
Talks on bolstering defence and security cooperation between the two countries are also on the agenda of Modi's meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, according to the top Indian diplomat.
Also read: Modi to bring 12 lakh more vaccine doses as gift for Bangladesh
"Security and defence is an important part of our cooperation with Bangladesh. We have in recent years signed an agreement on defence cooperation with Bangladesh and undertaken joint military, training and capacity building exercises on a regular basis," Shringla had said.
India and Bangladesh share a 4,096-kilometre-long international border, the fifth-longest land border in the world. Both countries also share historical, civilisation and cultural ties.
Modi lauds Bangladesh’s remarkable growth under Hasina's leadership
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said his Bangladesh visit will be an occasion to convey appreciation for Bangladesh’s remarkable economic and developmental strides under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visionary leadership.
His visit will also be an occasion to commit India’s abiding support for these achievements.
"My visit will not only be an occasion to convey appreciation for Bangladesh’s remarkable economic and developmental strides under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visionary leadership, but also to commit India’s abiding support for these achievements," Modi said adding that he will also express India’s support and solidarity for Bangladesh's fight against Covid-19.
In a pre-departure statement, Modi said he will be having "substantive discussions" with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, following their very productive virtual meeting in December last year.
Also read: India committed to deepening ties with Bangladesh: Modi
Modi is scheduled to arrive here on Friday morning on a two-day state visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
"I am happy that my first foreign visit after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic will be to our friendly neighbouring country, with which India shares deep cultural, linguistic and people-to-people ties," he said.
The Indian Prime Minister said he looks forward to his participation at the National Day celebrations on Friday, which will also commemorate the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
"Bangabandhu was one of the tallest leaders of the last century, whose life and ideals continue to inspire millions," he said.
Also read: Modi to bring 12 lakh more vaccine doses as gift for Bangladesh
Modi said he looks forward to visiting Bangabandhu’s Samadhi in Tungipara to pay my respects to his memory.
He will be offering prayers to Goddess Kali at the ancient Jashoreshwari Kali Temple, one of the 51 Shaktipeeths in the Puranic tradition, according to the Press Information Bureau of India.
"I am particularly looking forward to my interaction with representatives of the Matua community at Orakandi, from where Sri Sri Harichandra Thakur ji disseminated his pious message," Modi said.
He will meet President Abdul Hamid, and will have interactions with other Bangladeshi dignitaries.
The Indian Prime Minister said Bangabandhu's vision continues to light the Bangladesh-India friendship. "I had the privilege of honouring his memory during my previous Bangladesh visit," he said.
Also read: Delhi to bolster defence ties with Dhaka during Modi's visit
Modi said he will again pay homage to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, alongside Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, during the ongoing Mujib Borsho celebrations.
Earlier, he said Bangabandhu was a champion of human rights and freedom, and is a hero to Indians as well.
He also said the legacy and inspiration of Bangabandhu has made the heritage of both countries more comprehensive and deep-rooted, and that the path shown by Bangabandhu has laid a strong foundation for the partnership, progress and prosperity of both countries over the last decade.
Don’t allow development and democratic progress to be disrupted: PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday urged people to take a vow afresh not to allow anyone to hinder Bangladesh’s democratic and development progress by playing ducks and drakes with their fate.
“On this auspicious occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Independence, we’ve to vow afresh that no one can play ducks and drakes with the fate of the people of Bangladesh. No one can hinder the country’s democratic and development progress,” she said.
The Prime Minister was addressing the nation on the eve of Independence Day 2021.
State-owned Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar simultaneously broadcast the Prime Minister’s speech at 7:30 pm on Thursday. Private television channels and radio stations also aired the speech.
The Prime Minister called upon people to work for building Bangladesh as a developed, prosperous and non-communal Sonar Bangla (Golden Bengal) as dreamt by the Father of the Nation.
“Let’s build Bangladesh as a developed, prosperous and non-communal Sonar Bangla by forgetting all the differences and being imbued with the spirit of the Liberation War,” she said.
Noting that the celebration of the Golden Jubilee of Independence just should not be a formality, she said, “On the occasion of the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation and the Golden Jubilee of Independence, we’ve to take vow afresh to take our country to a new height.”
Also read: Make a vow to implement Bangabandhu’s dreams: PM
Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh has achieved an unimaginable success in the socio-economic index as a result of her government’s tireless works over the past 12 years.
Last month, she said, Bangladesh received the final recommendation to graduate from the least developed country (LDC) group.
“Bangladesh has not only surpassed its neighbours in various indexes like life expectancy, gender equality, universal primary education, women education, women's political rights, women and child mortality, sanitation and food availability, but also exceeded many developed countries in many cases,” she said.
But the path of this development has not been smooth at all as the anti-liberation forces inside and outside the country carried out various ill-motivated activities to hinder the progress of Bangladesh. “This process still continues. So, we all will have to resist all the anti-state attempts by playing the role of vigilant watchdogs.”
Sheikh Hasina said passing half a century of independence is a significant milestone for the life of a nation.
“For us, this Golden Jubilee celebration has become more colorful as Bangladesh Awami League, forming the government, started running the government with the ideology of Liberation War. Today, Bangladesh has stood raising its head in the world as a proud country proving all the negative and pessimistic predictions against Bangladesh wrong, she said.
Even a decade ago, Sheikh Hasina said, Bangladesh was presented as an example of poverty. “But today development experts are presenting Bangladesh as a role model for poverty alleviation and development.”
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Presenting the current picture of several socio-economic indicators compared to the 2005-06 fiscal year, she said the per capita income increased to US$ 2,064 now from just US$ 543, while the poverty rate dropped to 20.5 percent from 41.5 percent, the GDP size rose to Tk 2800,000 crore from only Tk 482,337 crore, and the foreign currency reserve to US$ 44 billion from only US$ 0.744 billion during the period.
She said the budget size has increased to Tk 568,000 crore in the current fiscal year from only Tk 61,000 crore in 2005-06 fiscal year, while the average life expectancy to 72.6 years in 2019-20 fiscal from 59 years in 2005-06 fiscal, the infant mortality rate has come down to 28 from 84 per thousand, the maternal mortality rate to 165 from 370 per lakh and the power generation capacity has increased to 24,421 megawatt from 4,900 megawatt. “Today's achievement is, in fact, the achievement of the common people of this country,” she added.
She said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had declared the Independence of Bangladesh in the early hours of March 26, 1971 just before he was arrested by Pakistani army. His announcement spread across the country through the wireless of the then EPR, she said.
The independence of Bangladesh had come as the result of the 24-year continuous political struggle. And Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had led from the front in this struggle from the beginning to the end, said Sheikh Hasina, also the eldest daughter of Bangabandhu.
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“Today, we’re proud citizens of independent and sovereign Bangladesh thanks to the birth of that great man named Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib. Today, we’re proud of our own country, language and culture because he was born,” said the PM.
Sheikh Mujib is the creator of a country and a state. “So, we’re celebrating his birth centenary and the golden jubilee of independence simultaneously,” she said.
On the eve of the Independence Day, the PM extended her sincere greetings to all the citizens of Bangladesh living at home and abroad.
Sheikh Hasina thanked the people of Bangladesh for keeping Bangladesh Awami League, the political party that led the Liberation War, in power while celebrating these two important milestones in the national life.
Delhi to bolster defence ties with Dhaka during Modi's visit
India and Bangladesh will strengthen bilateral defence and security ties and are also likely to ink a number of pacts during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day state visit to Dhaka, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
Modi will visit Bangladesh on March 26-27 to attend the golden jubilee celebrations of the country's independence and the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The Indian PM is also slated to visit Gopalganj’s Tungipara area, Bangabandhu's birthplace.
“Both sides will be signing a range of agreements during Modi's visit. These agreements will be covering a number of areas of our cooperation -- disaster management, oceanography and trade," Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla told the media in New Delhi.
Also read: Modi due Friday as main attraction of 10-Day celebration
"A number of new announcements -- bolstering cooperation in areas ranging from health, railway connectivity, border development and start-ups -- are also expected to be made," he added.
Talks on bolstering defence and security cooperation between the two countries are also on the agenda of Modi's meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, according to the top Indian diplomat.
Also read: Bangabandhu's vision lights Dhaka-Delhi friendship: Modi
"Security and defence is an important part of our cooperation with Bangladesh. We have in recent years signed an agreement on defence cooperation with Bangladesh and undertaken joint military, training and capacity building exercises on a regular basis," Shringla said.
"It is a regular practice for chiefs of our armed forces to visit Bangladesh. We have excellent defence cooperation between our countries. As we go along, we will continue to add more and more depth and momentum to that relationship,” the Indian Foreign Secretary added.
Also read: Modi's visit to highlight priority attached to Bangladesh: South Block
On bilateral relations, Shringla said, "Ties between the two countries have no parallel. Indian soldiers had fought and were killed alongside Bangladeshis for independence."
India and Bangladesh share a 4,096-kilometre-long international border, the fifth-longest land border in the world. Both countries also share historical, civilisation and cultural ties.
Aiming to utilise neighbouring leaders’ visits towards better connectivity, relations: FM
Bangladesh is looking for better connectivity and expansion in relations with the five neighbours whose heads of government are visiting the country to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of independence and the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Japan to make more investment in Bangladesh after end of pandemic: Naoki
Japan will make additional investments in Bangladesh after situation returns to normal from the COVID-19 pandemic.