POBNEWS24, Dhaka, Jan 24, 2022 : Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina has termed the mass uprising of 1971 against misgovernance and exploitation as a significant chapter in the history of Bangladesh.
He said, ‘The mass uprising of 1971 is a significant chapter in the history of Bangladesh. We have achieved great freedom through the armed liberation war in the continuation of the language movement of Bayanna, the 6th Article of the Bengali Liberation Charter, the subsequent 11-point mass uprising and the mass uprising of 1971. Got an independent-sovereign state Bangladesh.
The Prime Minister made the remarks in a message on the occasion of the People’s Uprising Day on Monday (January 24).
Sheikh Hasina said the greatest Bengali of all time, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared the historic 7-point Charter of Liberation of the Bengali Nation in 1978 to liberate the Bengali nation from Pakistani rule, exploitation, oppression, discrimination and deprivation forever. This intensified the freedom movement. In 1968, the Pakistani ruling class filed a conspiracy case in Agartala with the intention of thwarting the Bengali independence movement and arrested 35 people including Bangabandhu.
He said that the trial against Bangabandhu started on 19 June 1967 in Dhaka Cantonment. In protest of this case, students, workers, peasants and people all over the country formed a violent and spontaneous mass movement. People all over Bengal roared to demand the release of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib. The whole of January 1969 was tumultuous. Every day there are incidents of movement. Movements continued throughout the country. On 20 January 1989, police opened fire on a procession of students on the street in front of Dhaka Medical College. Asaduzzaman was martyred and many were injured.
Sheikh Hasina said that on January 24, 1969, the struggling masses marched in violation of the repression and evening law of the ruling class with the intention of freeing Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and overthrowing the Pakistani military rule. In the procession, the ninth grade student of Nabekumar Institute of Dhaka, Motiur Rahman Mallik and Maqbool, Anwar, Rustam, Milon, Alamgir, were martyred. The dictatorial Ayub government was forced to release everyone, including Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib, the main accused in the so-called Agartala conspiracy case, in the wake of public outrage and mass uprising. As a result, Ayub Khan’s dictatorship fell. The mass uprising of 1971 against misrule and exploitation still inspires us today. The martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the mass uprising of 1969 will be remembered among the people who love democracy.
The Prime Minister said, “We have been inspired by the spirit of the Great Liberation War and have continued the overall development and progress of the country.” We have made unprecedented development in all the socio-economic sectors of the country in the last 13 years. Up to the grassroots level people are enjoying the benefits of development. I have given the nation the true history of the great liberation war. We have established the rule of law. Stopped distorting history. I have blocked the way for illegal seizure of state power. I am executing the verdict by judging the war criminals. The new generation is getting to know the exact history of the country. Bangladesh is now a wonder of development. We have received the ‘SDG Progress Award’. Got the status of a developing country. I will ensure the benefits of freedom for all.
He said, “Let’s build a developed, prosperous and peace-loving modern Bangladesh by building the golden Bengal of the dream of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the greatest Bengali of all time and father of the nation.” I am praying for the forgiveness of the souls of all the martyrs of the liberation struggle of the country including Shaheed Matiur.
