Paying  tributes to the 'brightest minds of this soil' on the Martyred Intellectuals Day, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ICT Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy has said Bangladesh could even surpass where it is now had they been alive today. He made this observation in a post shared on his verified Facebook page, terming December 14 (Martyred Intellectuals Day) a day 'reminding the shock the nation is still reeling from'. Back in 1971, Joy said, when the occupation army of Pakistan found their footing shaken and started surrendering at different parts of the country, they killed the intellectuals and professionals from diverse arenas with the aid of Razakar, Al-Badr, and Al-Shams, formed by the armed forces of Pakistan in collaboration with their local collaborators. READ: Sajeeb Wazed Joy bags leadership award in IT "They blindfolded and murdered them to leave the land soon to be independent as intellectually bankrupt," he added. Lashing out at the evil intention behind these orchestrated killings, Joy said their goal was to resist Bangladesh from standing with dignity in the world as an independent and sovereign country. "That is why they cut short the lives of the best sons of this soil who could drive the country forward." "Intellectuals such as poets, literateurs, journalists, teachers, engineers, physicians, artists, singers, and filmmakers made a huge contribution to every stage of the Liberation War of Bangladesh," he added. In addition to recognizing their role in inspiring the whole nation to take part in the Liberation War, Joy also praised them for 'playing their part in the strategic moves such as forming the Mujib Nagar government, dividing the country into different sectors and assigning a sector commander to each of them, establishing different organizations of the government of Bangladesh, appointing able people to these organizations, and ensuring international supports'.

To mark the 50th anniversary of Martyred Intellectuals Day, various cultural organisations in Bangladesh on Monday organised several cultural programmes and also paid floral tributes to those men of letters killed by Pakistani forces and their collaborators during the 1971 Liberation War.