Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that all should be ready to jointly deal with any anti-liberation communal group, anti-development and anti-democracy cycle. She said that even though the murderer’s clique killed Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, they could not kill his dreams and ideals. May the glory and ideals of self-sacrifice of the Father of the Nation be reflected through our actions in the Mujib Borsho.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said this in a message on the occasion of National Mourning Day on Saturday (August 15). In her message, the Prime Minister said August 15 is National Mourning Day. On this day in 1975, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the greatest Bengali of all time, the father of the nation, was brutally murdered along with his family.
August 15 Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, wife of the Father of the Nation, three sons Captain Sheikh Kamal, Lieutenant Sheikh Jamal, ten year old son Sheikh Russell, daughters-in-law Sultana Kamal and Rozy Jamal, Bangabandhu's brother Sheikh Abu Nasser, farmer leader Abdur Rob Serniabat and Jubo League chairman Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni. The assassins killed 18 members of his family including Sheikh Moni’s pregnant wife Arju Moni, Baby Serniabat, Sukant Babu, Arif, Abdul Naeem Khan Rintu. The military secretary to the Father of the Nation, Brigadier General Jamil, was also killed. Several members of the family were killed in Mohammadpur when the assassins fired artillery shells.
The Prime Minister said, "On the day of National Mourning, I respectfully remember all the martyrs of August 15 and pray for the salvation of their souls to the Almighty." Under the visionary and strong leadership of the Father of the Nation, the Bengali nation broke the shackles of subjugation and snatched our great freedom.
In the newly independent war-torn country, when he was engaged in the struggle to build a Sonar Bangla with the whole nation, the anti-liberation war criminal clique killed him. Through these killings, they tried to stifle the Bengali tradition, culture and progress. The purpose of the assassins was to break the state structure of non-communal democratic Bangladesh and to undermine our hard-won independence. The anti-independence clique involved in this heinous murder started the politics of murder and conspiracy after August 15, 1975. They issued an indemnity ordinance blocking the trial of Bangabandhu's murder.
Ziaur Rahman illegally seized power, killed democracy through the imposition of martial law, and destroyed the constitution. Ziaur Rahman rewarded the killers and gave them jobs in the embassies abroad. He also gave citizenship to anti-independence war criminals, shared state power with them. He rehabilitated them politically and socially. Later the BNP-Jamaat government followed the same path.
The Bangladesh Awami League won the general election on 12 June 1996 and formed the government after a long 21 years. At this time a new horizon of socio-economic development of the country was started between 1996 and 2001 by removing the garbage of the past. We begin the trial of the murder of the Father of the Nation. But the BNP-Jamaat coalition government came to power in 2001 and stopped the trial of Bangabandhu kiling case. The people of the country again voted Awami League to power in the December 29, 2008 elections by a huge margin. By overcoming the stalemate and global recession left by the previous governments with the responsibility of running the state, we started the work of establishing the country on a strong economic foundation.
Then in the last 11 and half years we have achieved the desired success in every sector of the country. Bangladesh is now a 'role model' in the world in socio-economic development. Bangladesh has achieved the status of a developing country. Despite the current deadly coronavirus pandemic, our government is working tirelessly to make Bangladesh a middle-income country by 2021 and a developed and prosperous country by 2041. We have executed the verdict of murder of the father of the nation. The trial of the murder of the national leader has been completed. The trial of the 1971 war criminals is being carried out.
Our government is pursuing a zero tolerance policy to eradicate militancy and terrorism. The Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution has closed the way for unconstitutional seizure of power. We must all be ready to deal unitedly with any anti-independence communal group and anti-development and anti-democracy cycle.
She said that even though the murderous clique killed Bangabandhu, his dreams and ideals could not be killed. May the glory and ideals of self-sacrifice of the Father of the Nation be reflected through our actions in the Mujib Borsho.
Addressing the people, the Prime Minister said, "Let us turn the grief of losing the father of the nation into strength." Containing the long-lived life philosophy of his sacrifice and abandonment, all together, Bangabandhu's dream of a non-communal, hunger and poverty-free golden Bangladesh is in full swing. May this be our pledge on National Mourning Day.